What to Watch for on #WAChoops Saturday
Can Utah Valley stay undefeated in league play? Will GCU continue to play well at home? Is Seattle U for real?
It is late on Friday night. 10 p.m. MT to be exact as I sit here and write up this preview piece for another Saturday of WAC Hoops.
Thursday was quite an interesting night.
There was the overtime thriller at College Park Center. Both Utah Valley and UT Arlington fans will remember it well.
83-83 with just over 4 seconds remaining in overtime. Utah Valley inbounding the basketball.
Kylin Green gets the pass in the right corner, drives the entire length of the floor, and dishes to Jackson Holcombe.
Ball game.
Mavs fans are scratching their heads at the defense. Utah Valley fans are celebrating the sixth straight win.
Two hours West of College Park Center, Tarleton State was taking care of business at home, clamping down on defense in a 10-point win over California Baptist. Freddy Hicks returned for the Texans and had 15 points in his debut. Tarleton State is now 3-1 in WAC play, one game behind Utah Valley.
Two states over, GCU put on a clinic in a wire-to-wire 30-point blowout win over ACU. It was a balanced attack for the Lopes, who improved to 2-1 in WAC play and host Tarleton State on Saturday…we will get to that in a bit.
Then, to cap the night, Seattle U got another big performance out of Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe in a 20-point win over Utah Tech at the Redhawk Center to improve to 2-1 in WAC play.
So, what to watch for on Saturday?
That is a good question.
First things first.
Can Utah Valley stay unbeaten in WAC play?
There was a hope for a little bit last night, after the 85-83 overtime win at UT Arlington, that the Wolverines might get to host an undefeated vs. undefeated rivalry game at the UCCU Center on Saturday.
However, when Utah Tech ended up getting blown up by Seattle U, that dream went out the window.
Still, led by Dom Nelson, the Wolverines are 4-0 in WAC play, and get to host rival Utah Tech in the Old Hammer Rivalry on Saturday afternoon at the UCCU Center…a place the Wolverines haven’t lost, yet.
It is kind of crazy to think that both teams had to travel to Orem to play this game. Utah Valley had to come from UT Arlington. Utah Tech had to come from Seattle U.
What makes this game a little more fun is that in three of the four years these two teams have met as WAC foes, they have split the season series. Only once, in 2022-23, did one team sweep the season series when Utah Valley swept the Trailblazers.
Last season, Utah Tech won by 12 in St. George. Then, Utah Valley got revenge in a 13-point win in Orem.
So, who will win Round 1 of the 2024-25 version of the Old Hammer Rivalry? Utah Valley wants to stay undefeated in league play. Utah Tech wants to prove the 2-0 start in WAC play wasn’t a fluke.
Tip is at 2 p.m. MT on ESPN+ and it is going to be a dandy.
Will GCU complete the revenge tour on Saturday?
GCU fans remember it well. Tarleton State fans remember it well.
The date was Feb. 22, 2024. The Texans were able to grind out a 77-74 win over the Lopes and throw a wrench in the regular season title race. Afterward, GCU head coach Bryce Drew went on the radio to say “The officiating is different in Texas than it is in Phoenix.”
Either way, we all know what happened. Tarleton State lost two weeks later at Wisdom Gym, and GCU ended up winning its first outright regular season title.
So, after a 30-point blowout win over Abilene Christian…perhaps the best game GCU has played all season, will the Lopes complete the first of two revenge tours over the West Texas schools?
Tarleton State doesn’t have a ton of size, and Duke Brennan had a double-double against ACU, who also doesn’t have a ton of size.
Keep an eye on two things: the guard line, and the whistles. Tarleton State plays extremely physical, especially around the perimeter. And we all know GCU loves to attack and get to the free-throw line.
If I was a betting man, I might put some money on Billy Gillispie getting ejected on Saturday evening.
Can the Redhawks Stay Hot?
A week ago, at Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle U finally broke through with a close 66-64 win over Abilene Christian. Head coach Chris Victor said it was huge for his squad considering they hadn’t quite gotten over the hump in those close games up to that point.
Five days later, Seattle U was dominant over the final 10 minutes at the Redhawk Center in an 82-62 win over Utah Tech.
Reigning WAC Player of the Week Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe continued his stellar play with 22 points and 15 rebounds in the win.
Saturday is the final leg of a 3-game homestand for the Redhawks.
So, with Southern Utah coming to the Redhawk Center, can the Redhawks keep it rolling? They sure need to.
The next stretch of games is pretty brutal.
At UT Arlington next Thursday. Utah Valley at home next Saturday. And at GCU on Jan. 30 for a late-night nationally televised game on ESPNU.
Will home-sweet-home be enough for ACU to get a win?
The past two Saturday’s of WAC play, I have been in attendance when ACU has played…first at Utah Valley, and second at Seattle U last Saturday.
It is the first Saturday of WAC play that I will not be covering the game that ACU is playing in. Perhaps Brette Tanner will thank the big guy upstairs for that coincidence…especially if the Wildcats get their first conference win of the 2024-25 season.
ACU hasn’t looked great. Bradyn Hubbard and Quion Williams have done some nice things. But Leo Bettiol hasn’t been real good in league play. The ACU guards haven’t been real good in league play.
It has just been ugly.
The good news is ACU is finally home after three straight road games to open up WAC play. The bad news is that they are hosting a CBU squad that has some really good guards and is looking to snap a 2-game losing streak.
The West Texas road trip is always difficult. But, this one seems a little different because ACU had to go to Phoenix to play a late game on Thursday, fly back home on Friday to get ready for a CBU team that was already in Abilene. That doesn’t make sense, does it?
Keep an eye on the legs for both teams.