United Athletic Conference

Grand Canyon's Jovan Blacksher Jr. has been named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for December 7 through December 13. 

 

Blacksher, a sophomore guard from Oakland, Calif., led the Lopes to a statement win over Nevada and a near-upset of 23rd-ranked Arizona State. Against the Wolfpack, the reigning WAC Freshman of the Year set a new career-high with 22 points, adding four assists, in an 87-77 win. He followed that up with 21 points, five assists and four steals in a 71-70 loss to the Sun Devils, nearly hitting the game-winning shot at the buzzer as his attempt rimmed out. On the season, he is averaging 14.0 points per game, leads the league with 5.6 assists per game, and is tied for third with 2.0 steals per game.

 

Other nominees included: California Baptist's Reed Nottage recorded a team-high 22.0 points per game in wins over St. Katherine and Fresno Pacific … Chicago State guard Levelle Zeigler led the Cougars with 12 points in a road loss at Loyola-Chicago … Dixie State's Cameron Gooden led the Trailblazers to their first Division I road win, putting up 23 points in a 73-70 win at Denver … Tarleton guard Shakur Daniel played all 40 minutes of the Texans' 84-43 win over Arlington Baptist, scoring 14 points to go with seven rebounds, six assists and five steals … Quinton Johnson II from UT Rio Grande Valley scored 20 points to go with seven rebounds in a road win at rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi … Utah Valley's Fardaw Aimaq continued his domination with two more double-doubles in a pair of home losses, including a career-high 27 points and a school-record 20 rebounds in a loss to Wyoming.

 

The non-conference portion of the schedule continues this week, beginning on Monday when UT Rio Grande Valley hosts UT Rio Grande Valley after an earlier game at UIW was canceled. On Tuesday, Utah Valley heads up I-15 to SLC to take on Utah, Chicago State travels to Illinois State and Grand Canyon hosts SAGU American Indian College. On Wednesday, California Baptist takes on its second Pac-12 opponent of the year, making the trip to Tucson to take on Arizona. Thursday brings the first meeting between Dixie State and Southern Utah while Seattle U plays host to NAIA-power College of Idaho before Chicago State visits Northern Illinois on Friday. Saturday will see Long Beach State at California Baptist, SAGU American Indian College at Dixie State and Idaho State at Utah Valley. Sunday sees the non-conference schedule begin to slow down, with Chicago State leaving the state to take on Drake and Grand Canyon meeting up with San Francisco at the Far West Classic in Las Vegas.

 

Following a pair of home wins last week, California Baptist leads the WAC in scoring offense (90.6), three-point FG percentage (.390), rebounding offense (43.0) and three-pointers made (12.8). Tarleton is tops in scoring defense (58.2), field goal defense (.337), blocked shots (5.0) and steals (14.0). NM State is the leader in scoring margin (+22.0), free throw percentage (.765), field goal percentage (.516), rebounding defense (27.5) and rebounding margin (+14.5). Dixie State leads the league in three-point defense (.212) while Utah Valley holds the top spot in assists (21.6) and assist/turnover ratio (1.7). Seattle U has the best turnover margin (+6.00), UT Rio Grande Valley is the leader in offensive rebounds (15.2) and Grand Canyon has the top spot in defensive rebounds (31.2).

 

Individually, UVU's Trey Woodbury is the WAC's leading scorer at 19.0 points per game. Teammate Fardaw Aimaq is the rebounding leader at 15.6 per game and his 5.4 offensiver rebounds per game and 10.2 defensive rebounder per game are also league bests. Dixie State's Jarod Greene has the top field goal percentage (.714), NM State's Clayton Henry has the best free throw percentage (1.000) and a trio of players, GCU's Alessandro Lever, NM State's Evan Gilyard II and Tarleton's Tahj Small, are tied for the lead in three-point FG percentage (.571). GCU's Jovan Blacksher II is the assists leader at 5.6 per game while Tarleton teammates Shakur Daniel and Jonathan Jackson are tied for the lead in steals at 2.5 per game. CBU's Ty Rowell is the leader in three-pointers made (3.8) and Tarleton's Shamir Bogues is the blocks leader (1.8). UVU's Blaze Nield has the best assist/turnover ratio at 6.3 while SU's Riley Grigsby leads the league in minutes played, averaging 34.8 per game.

 

UT Rio Grande Valley senior guard Javon Levi is quickly moving up a pair of WAC career statistical lists. His 216 steals tie him with NM State's Hernst Laroche for ninth all-time while his 538 career assists rank 14th all-time, just one behind former Wooden Award winner and BYU star Danny Ainge. Tulsa's Eric Coley is the WAC's all-time leader in steals at 299 while Utah's Jeff Jonas holds the career assist record with 778.

 

While they are currently in a COVID pause, when NM State returns to the hardwood, they will hold the second-longest winning streak in DI at 21 games. DI newcomer UC San Diego is currently the leader at 22 games although the Tritons are not set to play their first game until their Big West opener on Jan. 1 against Cal Poly. The Aggies also hold a 31-game WAC winning streak, the best in the country.

 

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. So far, the WAC has seen 19 men's basketball games canceled due to the pandemic. 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)

Dec. 5 Prairie View A&M at Grand Canyon (COVID)

Dec. 5 NM State at Santa Clara (COVID)

Dec. 7 NM State at Cal Poly (COVID)

Dec. 8 UC Davis at California Baptist (Travel Restrictions)

Dec. 8 Tarleton at Gonzaga (COVID)

Dec. 10 Alcorn State at California Baptist (COVID)

Dec. 12 NM State at Arizona (COVID)

Dec. 13 Tarleton at Kansas (COVID)

Dec. 14 UT Rio Grande Valley at UIW (COVID)

Dec. 15 Tarleton at Baylor (COVID)

Dec. 15 Dixie State at Utah State (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).

 

With a fluid schedule that is bound to change, the WAC has 12 games against teams that advanced to the 2019 NCAA Tournament and four games against teams that participated in the 2019 NIT. The complete list is below.

 

Dec. 5 Tarleton at Abilene Christian 4 p.m. CT

Dec. 5 Prairie View A&M at Grand Canyon          6 p.m. MT

Dec. 8 Tarleton at Gonzaga 6 p.m. PT

Dec. 9 Seattle U at Washington 8 p.m. PT

Dec. 11 Nevada at Grand Canyon 7 p.m. PT

Dec. 13 Tarleton at Kansas 1 p.m. CT

Dec. 13 Arizona State at Grand Canyon 2 p.m. MT

Dec. 15 Dixie State at Utah State TBA MT

Dec. 22 Chicago State at Iowa State TBA CT

Dec. 29 Dixie State at Gonzaga TBA PT

 

Nov. 25 UT Rio Grande Valley at Texas 7 p.m. CT

Dec. 9 Chicago State at Loyola-Chicago 7 p.m. CT

Dec. 21 Sam Houston State at UT Rio Grande Valley 6 p.m. CT

Dec. 22 Grand Canyon vs. Colorado TBA PT