Welcome to the 2025-26 Season - The Final Go Around for WAC Hoops
2025-26 marks the end of an era as conference realignment has decimated WAC basketball
Four years ago, at this time, we were gearing up for an exciting new brand of basketball in the Western Athletic Conference.
Four new schools were joining the league, with a fifth school set to join the following season in 2022-23.
Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin, Lamar, and Sam Houston were all joining the WAC, moving over from the Southland Conference.
The addition of the four Texas schools immediately made the WAC that much better in nearly every preseason metric. On the KenPom conference rankings, the WAC jumped from 23 in 2020-21 to 15 in 2021-22.
The following year, when Southern Utah and UT Arlington joined the league, the WAC was the 11th-best conference in America, according to KenPom. The WAC was the 5th-best Mid-Major conference in America, right behind the Mountain West, American, West Coast, and Conference USA.
You all know the rest.
New Mexico State and Sam Houston left for Conference USA following the end of the 2022-23 season. Lamar went back to the Southland in the Summer of 2022 after one season in the WAC. UIW reneged on its plan to join the WAC.
And so it has gone. UTRGV moved to the Southland Conference following the 2023-24 season. SFA went back to the Southland Conference following a change in leadership in the Spring of 2024. GCU and Seattle U announced they were leaving the league in 2025-26.
In recent months, California Baptist and Utah Valley have both announced that they are leaving the WAC for the Big West following the 2025-26 season.
Just a few weeks ago, Utah Tech and Southern Utah made the announcement that they are leaving the WAC to join the Big Sky.
Following that announcement, the Western Athletic Conference announced it would be rebranding to the United Athletic Conference in partnership with schools from the Atlantic Sun.
So, as much as some like to think the WAC isn’t dead….well, it is. The Western Athletic Conference, after 64 years, will no longer be in existence as we know it.
Seven schools remain for the 2025-26 season.
Abilene Christian, California Baptist, Southern Utah, Tarleton State, UT Arlington, Utah Tech, and Utah Valley.
This means that for the first time since 2016, a team not named New Mexico State or Grand Canyon will represent the WAC at the NCAA Tournament.
Yes, you read that correctly. Since 2013-14, the only team other than the Aggies or the Lopes to represent the WAC at the NCAA Tournament was Cal State Bakersfield in 2016.
You all remember it…Dedrick Basile hit a fall-away 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired to shock New Mexico State at Orleans Arena.
So, who will go to the dance? ACU has been there. UT Arlington has been there. Southern Utah has been there.
The four others have not.
But one of those seven is going dancing in 2025-26.
Could Utah Valley finally get over the hump? Todd Phillips led the Wolverines to 25 wins and an outright regular season title in 2024-25, as well as the Wolverines’ first trip to the WAC title gam,e where they fell short against GCU.
Will Raysean Seamster lead UT Arlington to the Dance? The 6’7 senior forward returns for KT Turner and is a Player of the Year candidate for the Mavs.
ACU lost a lot, and the status of starting guard Quion Williams, who was arrested in May. Bradyn Hubbard returns after a stellar season in West Texas, and the hope is that Liberty transfer Joseph Venzant is healthy after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury.
Southern Utah had to completely rebuild after Tavi Jackson, Dom Ford, Jamir Simpson, and Brock Felder all left or ran out of eligibility. But, Rob Jeter’s crew has added depth and a lot of size. Keep an eye on the T-Birds in year three of the Jeter era in Cedar City.
If Chris Mpaka had stayed at California Baptist, the Lancers may have been my preseason favorite to win the league. But, as pictures showed, Mpaka has returned to Tarleton State. So, are the Lancers still the favorite? Dominique Daniels Jr. returns for one last go-around in a Lancer uniform. And Rick Croy has added some size and depth around the guard line. We will see what happens in Riverside.
Tarleton State is an interesting team. Chris Mpaka transferred back after leaving for CBU in the offseason. Dantwan Grimes is back for another run with the Texans. But, other than that, there are so many unknowns because head coach Billy Gillispie likes to play some gamesmanship heading into the season. Gillispie usually doesn’t post the roster until November. The biggest question I have for the Texans is, will the home court advantage they had with Wisdom Gym take a hit with the new Events Center? It remains to be seen. Either way, the Texans found a way to buy a home game, which is impressive considering the types of non-conference schedules they have played since joining the Division I ranks.
Last but not least is Utah Tech. There is potential in St. George in 2025-26. Hakim Byrd is back. Madiba Owona is back. And if you haven’t seen Owona play, pay attention to the Trailblazers in 2025-26. The 6’4 sophomore from France is raw but super athletic, super quick, and is built like a rock. Tobi Ariyibi is back for Jon Judkins, and the Trailblazers added Utah Valley transfer Ethan Potter to the mix in the red and blue. If, and this is a big if, the Trailblazers can figure out a way to win close games in 2025-26, Utah Tech could be in the mix to shock the world.
There are so many question marks for each team. Every team has to replace at least three starters from a season ago. New faces always abound in the Western Athletic Conference, especially in today’s era of the transfer portal.
Stick with WAC Hoops Nation all season long. This is your call-to-action. Subscribe, at least for one more season, to men’s and women’s basketball content in the Western Athletic Conference. We are going to tell more stories than the usual ho-hum previews, game recaps, and so forth. We will have more Straight Outta WAC After Hours shows. We will have more podcast episodes. There are many stories to be told.
Now that it is August 1, it is time to roll. We appreciate everyone who has supported us over the years. We hope you can support it one more time.
Stay tuned as we start ramping up the content, as we are just four short months away from the 2025-26 season tipping off.