United Athletic Conference

Seattle U's Riley Grigsby has been named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for November 23 through November 29. 

 

Grigsby, a junior guard from San Jose, Calif., averaged 18.3 points per game to lead the Redhawks to their first 3-0 start since the 2008-09 season. He opened the season with 28 points in an 84-72 win at Portland, adding six rebounds, four assists and two blocks against the Pilots. Against William Jessup, he had 14 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Continuing the road trip from Portland to Las Vegas, Grigsby scored 13 points with three assists and a block in a 63-45 win over Air Force. 

 

Other nominees included: California Baptist junior guard Ty Rowell led the Lancers in a near-upset of Southern California, scoring 32 points with nine three-pointers in a 95-87 overtime loss … Grand Canyon's Asbjørn Midtgaard had a career-high 15 rebounds in a 69-53 win over Grambling and then set a new career-high in scoring with 20 points in a 94-63 win over Benedictine (Mesa) … Clayton Henry from NM State put up a career-high 20 points to lead the Aggies to their 20th-straight win with an 83-77 season-opening victory at Arizona Christian … Tarleton's Tahj Small led the Texans into their Division I era by scoring 18 points with nine rebounds and four steals in a 103-48 win over Dallas Christian … Quinton Johnson from UT Rio Grande Valley had 13 points in each of the Vaqueros' first two games of the season adding five assists and a block in a home win over UTSA … Utah Valley junior Trey Woodbury scored a career-high 22 points in a 100-75 win over Adams State and then upped that career high with 24 points in an 82-60 loss at Brigham Young.

 

The week will begin with a trio of unbeatens trying to stay unblemished on the young year. Seattle U looks to improve to 4-0 for the first time since returning to Division I when they taken on CSUN on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, NM State faces off against Benedictine of Mesa and Grand Canyon plays host to Mississippi Valley State. Newcomer Dixie State makes its long-awaited Division I debut on Wednesday, hosting North Dakota, while fellow rookie Tarleton makes the trip to College Station to take on Texas A&M. Also on Wednesday is Utah Valley hosting Westminster, UT Rio Grande Valley taking on rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and California Baptist opening a two-game series with SE Louisiana. On Thursday, Seattle U heads to SoCal to take on UCLA in famed Pauley Pavilion while Chicago State will look for its first win when the Cougars travel to Eastern Illinois. CBU and SE Louisiana will meet up again on Friday afternoon, followed by UT Rio Grande Valley welcoming Our Lady of the Lake in the second half of a WDN doubledheader. Grand Canyon hosts Prairie View A&M and Dixie State hosts Saint Katherine on Saturday while Tarleton heads to Abilene Christian and Chicago State travels to Northwestern. Finally, on Sunday, UTRGV heads to Texas A&M and SU wraps up it's season-opening road trip at Long Beach State.

 

Through the first week of the season, newcomer Tarleton leads the league in scoring offense (103.0),  scoring defense (48.0), scoring margin (+55.0), field goal defense (.320), three-point defense (.200), steals (27.0), turnover margin (+26.0), and offensive rebounds (16.0) and are tied with Grand Canyon for the lead in rebounding (46.0) and with NM State and Seattle U for the lead in blocked shots (5.0). NM State is also the leader in free throw percentage (.773) while GCU holds the top spot in rebounding defense (27.0), rebounding margin (+19.0) and defensive rebounds (33.5). The 3-0 SU Redhawks are also the leader in assist/turnover ratio at 1.8. Utah Valley has the top field goal percentage (.504) and leads the league in assists (21.5). California Baptist is the top three-point shooting team, both by percentage (.488) and three-pointers made (20.0).

 

Individually, CBU's Ty Rowell holds the early scoring lead at 32.0 points per game, including a league-best 9.0 three-pointers per game. UVU's Fardaws Aimaq has the top rebounding average (12.5). CBU's Tre Armstrong has a league-best 9.0 assists per game while Tarleton duo Shamir Bogues and Jonathan Jackson lead the league with 5.0 steals per game each. SU's Kobe Williamson is averaging 2.3 blocks per game to lead the WAC while UVU's Asa McCord holds the top assist/turnover rate at infinity with six assists and no turnovers. NMSU's Jabari Rice holds the early lead in offensive rebounds (6.0) while GCU's Asbjørn Midtgaard has the lead in defensive rebounds (9.5).

 

Picking up a road win at Portland and neutral site wins over William Jessup and Air Force, Seattle U is 3-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Redhawks, who take on CSUN on Monday afternoon in Las Vegas, have not opened the season with four straight wins since returning to Division I.

 

Due to increased public health restrictions in the state of New Mexico, the NM State men's basketball team temporarily relocated to Phoenix to prepare for the 2020-21 season. The Aggies will practice and stay at the Arizona Grand Resort.

 

The 2020-21 season is bound to be full of cancelations for a variety of reasons and the WAC has already seen the first wave. A complete list is below:

 

Nov. 25 IUPUI at Chicago State (COVID)

Nov. 25 Utah Valley at Stanford (COVID)

Nov. 28 Chicago State at DePaul (COVID)

Nov. 28 Weber State at Dixie State (COVID)

Nov. 28 Howard Payne at Tarleton (COVID)

Nov. 28 Park (Ariz.) at Grand Canyon (COVID)

Dec. 1  Florida A&M at California Baptist (Travel Restrictions)

Dec. 1 NM State vs. Park (Ariz.) (COVID)

 

Before the season began, Chicago State head coach Lance Irvin announced that due to health concerns, he will not be on the sidelines this season. A two-time cancer survivor, Irvin was initially diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2010 and received a bone marrow transplant in 2012 after the cancer returned. Despite not being on the sidelines, Irvin will still be considered the coach-of-record for the Cougars and his career record will reflect CSU's 2020-21 record.

 

NM State is the preseason favorite to win the Western Athletic Conference men's basketball title in 2020-21, while the Aggies' Jabari Rice was selected as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year in a vote of the league's nine head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.

 

The Aggies received 64 points and eight first-place votes to earn the top spot. Grand Canyon captured second place with 52 points and one first-place vote. UT RioGrande Valley was third with 45 points, followed by California Baptist in fourth with 43 points. Seattle U was selected fifth with 33 points with newcomer Tarleton coming in sixth with 31 points. Utah Valley was picked seventh with 28 points, followed by Dixie State in eighth with 20 points and Chicago State in ninth with eight points.

 

Rice leads the list of Preseason All-WAC honorees. Joining him on the first team are NM State teammates Johnny McCants and Donnie Tillman, as well as Grand Canyon's Alessandro Lever and UT Rio Grande Valley's Javon Levi.

 

Second team selections include Grand Canyon's Jovan Blacksher and Oscar Frayer, Seattle U's Riley Grigsby, NM State's Evan Gilyard and Dixie State's Hunter Schofield.

 

 

The Western Athletic Conference men's basketball media have selected NM State as the preseason favorite to win the conference crown during the 2019-20 season and Aggies junior guard Jabari Rice as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year.

 

The Aggies received 10 first-place votes, totalling 150 points to earn the top spot. Grand Canyon was picked second with 125 points while UT Rio Grande Valley finished third with 114 points. California Baptist picked up two first-place votes to take the fourth spot with 105 points. Seattle U was selected to finish fifth with 84 points, followed by Utah Valley in sixth with 74 points. Newcomers Dixie State and Tarleton were picked seventh and eighth with 49 and 46 points respectively while Chicago State rounded out the poll in ninth place with 18 points.

 

Rice was voted Preseason Player of the Year and is joined on the Preseason All-WAC first team by NM State teammate Johnny McCants, Grand Canyon duo Jovan Blacksher and Alessandro Lever and UT Rio Grande Valley point guard Javon Levi.

 

The Preseason All-WAC second team is comprised of Evan Cole from Utah Valley, Gorjok Gak from California Baptist, Hunter Schofield from Dixie State and Evan Gilyard and Donnie Tillman from NM State.

 

 

The following are the returning statistical leaders in the WAC from the 2019-20 season. 

 

Just two of the top 10 scorers from last year are back. Grand Canyon's Alessandro Lever ranked third last season at 15.7 ppg while Chicago State's Xavier Johnson led the Cougars and was sixth at 15.4 ppg.

 

Four of the top rebounders from last season return, led by NM State's Johnny McCants (fourth, 6.2). GCU's Lever (seventh, 6.0), Seattle U's Riley Grigsby (ninth, 5.5) and GCU's Jovan Blacksher Jr. (10th, 5.5) also return.

 

Three of the top 10 shooters in the WAC return, led by NMSU's McCants (second, .578). GCU's Lever was fourth (.535) and NM State's Jabari Rice was 10th (.468).

 

UTRGV's Javon Levi is one of two assist leaders to return, having led the conference with 7.9 per game. Also returning is GCU's Blacksher Jr. (sixth, 3.6).

 

Levi and Blacksher Jr. are also two of three of the top steals leaders returning. Levi led the WAC with 2.4 per game, Blacksher Jr. was third with 1.6 per game and CSU's Johnson was eighth with 1.4.

 

Only two of the top shot blockers return as SU's Grigsby (ninth, 0.7) and CSU's Ke'Sean Davis (10th, 0.7) will look to control the paint.

 

Of the five first team All-WAC players in 2019-20, only NM State's Jabari Rice returns for the 2020-21 season. Two of the second team honorees return in Grand Canyon's Alessandro Lever and UT Rio Grande Valley's Javon Levi. 

 

Levi is also the only nember of the All-Defensive team to return this season while GCU's Mikey Dixon and NM State's Evan Gilyard II are the lone remaining members of the All-Newcomer Team.

 

Chicago State and Dixie State each return four starters from last year while both California Bapist and Utah Valley head into the season with no returning starters. UT Rio Grande Valley leads the WAC with 10 letterwinners returning. The complete list of letterwinners returning and lost and starters returning and lost for each team is listed below. 

 

 

Two new schools join the WAC this season as Dixie State (DII Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) and Tarleton (DII Lone Star Conference) join the league, replacing CSU Bakersfield (Big West) and Kansas City (Summit League). Dixie and Tarleton join California Baptist as schools transitioning from Division II to Division I. CBU is entering its third transitional year and will be eligible for NCAA postseason in the 2022-23 season while both Dixie and Tarleton will be eligible for NCAA postseason in 2024-25.

 

The NCAA announced on Nov. 16 the relocation of 13 predetermined sites for the 2021 Division I Men's Basketball Championship with the goal to relocate the entire tournament to Indianapolis and surrounding areas. The decision was made to limit travel and provide a safe an controlled environment for competition and practice venues, medical resources and lodging for teams and officials. Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis was already slated to host the Men's Final Four from April 3-5, 2021.

 

After COVID-19 wiped away the 2020 WAC Basketball Tournament, the conference will head to #WACVegas again for the 2021 tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The tournament will be held March 11-13, and will include all six NCAA-eligible teams as well as transitioning member California Baptist.

 

ESPN will once again broadcast the WAC men's tournament championship game from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on March 13. The championship game will be broadcast by ESPNU at 7 p.m. (PT).