United Athletic Conference

California Baptist's Gorjok Gak has been named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for January 18 through January 24.

 

Gak, a graduate center from Sydney, Australia, led the Lancers to a home win on Saturday against Long Beach State, scoring 26 points to go with 16 rebounds with four assists and a pair of blocks. Earlier in the week, he scored nine points with three rebounds and two blocks in just 18 minutes against San Diego Christian. On the season, he is averaging 13.5 points per game and is second in the WAC in rebounding at 10.6 per game. His .622 field goal percentage ranks third and his 1.6 blocks per game rank second. 

 

Other nominees included: Dixie State's Cameron Gooden averaged 18.0 points per game and was 10-for-10 on free throws as the Trailblazers dropped two at home to GCU … Grand Canyon's Asbjørn Midtgaard shot .846 on the week, averaging 16.0 points per game, with 9.5 rebounds per game as the Lopes swept Dixie State on the road … Utah Valley's Trey Woodbury scored 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting as the Wolverines fell at St. John's on Saturday.

 

The WAC is getting after it again this week, beginning on Monday. NM State plays for the first time in 2021, taking on Western New Mexico at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso while Tarleton plays host to Howard Payne. When WAC play resumes on Friday, Tarleton will head to Utah Valley, NM State travels back to Phoenix to take on rival Grand Canyon and Dixie State makes the trip to California Baptist.

 

California Baptist continues to lead the league in scoring offense (83.7), free throw percentage (.772), three-point field goal percentage (.392), assists (19.5), assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and three-point field goals made (10.5). Grand Canyon is the leader in scoring defense (61.8), scoring margin (+18.8), field goal percentage (.518), rebounding defense (29.4) and rebounding margin (+11.8). NM State is the leader in field goal defense (.371), rebounding offense (43.0) and defensive rebounds (32.0). UT Rio Grande Valley holds the top spot in three-point defense (.257) and offensive rebounds (14.6) while Utah Valley holds the lead in blocked shots (4.4). Tarleton is the leader in steals (9.7) and turnover margin (+5.33).

 

Individually, SU's Riley Grigsby is the leading scorer at 18.7 points per game and also leads the WAC in minutes played at 35.8 per game. UVU's Fardaws Aimaq leads the league in rebounding (14.9), blocked shots (1.7), offensive rebounds (4.8) and defensive rebounds (10.1). GCU's Asbjørn Midtgaard maintains the lead in field goal percentage (.745), NM State's Evan Gilyard II has the lead in free throw percentage (.909) and Tarleton's Montre' Gipson holds the lead in three-point field goal percentage (.565). SU's Darrion Trammell holds the lead in both assists (6.1) and steals (2.1) and CBU's Ty Rowell holds the lead in three-pointers made (2.6). UVU's Blaze Nield boasts the top assist/turnover ratio at 4.3.

 

In WAC-only play, Seattle U is the leader in scoring offense (92.0), free throw percentage (.825), turnover margin (+11.0) and three-pointers made (9.0). UTRGV is tops in scoring defense (57.0), scoring margin (+20.0), three-point FG defense (.150), assists (20.0), steals (13.0) and offensive rebounds (15.0). Utah Valley leads the league in field goal percentage (.512), field goal defense (.366), rebounding offense (44.3), rebounding margin (+14.3), blocked shots (5.0) and defensive rebounds (32.7). Tarleton is the leader in three-point percentage (.386) and assist/turnover ratio (1.5). Grand Canyon is the leader in rebounding defense (29.0)

 

Individually, SU's Trammell is the leading scorer at 26.0 per game, also leading in three-pointers made (3.0) and he is tied with teammate Aaron Nettles for the lead in steals (5.0). UVU's Aimaq is the rebounding leader (14.7) and is not suprisingly also the leader in offensive rebounds (5.0) and defensive rebounds (9.7). GCU's Midtgaard has the top field goal percentage (.767) and UTRGV's Javon Levi has the lead in assists (9.5). Four players are tied with 1.000 free throw percentages and Seattle U's Vasja Pandža holds the top three-point field goal percentage (.667). UTRGV's Jeff Otchere is the blocked shots leader (3.5) and UVU's Nield has the leading assist/turnover ratio at 5.7. SU's Grigsby is the minutes-played leader at 43.0.

 

On Jan. 14, the WAC announced the addition of five new schools for the 2022-23 season. Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin and Southern Utah were all offered and accepted membership invitations. With the addition, the WAC will have six schools in Texas, more than any other conference in the country, and three schools in Utah, also a national best.

 

NM State announced on Jan. 4 that the program would be taking a pause do to a positive COVID-19 test result. As a result, the Aggies WAC-openers at Dixie State were moved to March 5-6, which was a shared bye week for the two programs. The Aggies announced on Jan. 17 that their pause would be extended due to another positive test.

 

A positive COVID-19 test result within the Seattle U program forced the Redhawks to cancel their game against Utah Valley on Jan. 16 and forced Seattle U to cancel its trip to Tarleton.

 

Citing an insufficient number of healthy players, Chicago State has made the decision to suspend all games for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. "It was a difficult decision, but a necessary decision in order to prioritize the health, wellness, and academic success of the student athletes," said Elliott Charles, Athletics Director at Chicago State University.

 

When they return to the hardwood, NM State will take the nation's longest conference winning streak into the season, having won its last 31 WAC games. The last WAC game that the Aggies lost was over two years ago when California Baptist knocked off NM State, 82-76, in the Lancers' first-ever WAC game on Jan. 3, 2019. 

 

UT Rio Grande Valley senior guard Javon Levi is quickly moving up a pair of WAC career statistical lists. His 222 steals rank ninth all-time while his 557 career assists rank 11th all-time, having moved past former Wooden Award winner and BYU star Danny Ainge last week. 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.

 

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. NM State also announced that they will play home games at Antelope Gymnasium on the campus of Grand Canyon until they are allowed to return to Las Cruces and the Pan American Center.

 

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 36 men's basketball non-conference 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)

Dec. 15 SAGU American Indian at Grand Canyon (COVID)

Dec. 16 California Baptist at Arizona (COVID)

Dec. 19 Long Beach State at California Baptist (COVID)

Dec. 19 Idaho State at Utah Valley (COVID)

Dec. 21 Southern at California Baptist (COVID)

Dec. 21 California Baptist at Loyola Marymount (COVID)

Dec. 22 Chicago State at Iowa State (Too Few Players)

Dec. 23 Tarleton at Pepperdine (COVID)

Dec. 23 Utah Valley at Air Force (COVID)

Dec. 29 San Diego Christian at Utah Valley (COVID)

Dec. 29 Denver at Grand Canyon (COVID)

Dec. 30 Bethesda at Grand Canyon (COVID)

Dec. 31 Paul Quinn at Tarleton (COVID)

Dec. 31 NM State vs. Santa Clara (COVID)

Jan. 2 SAGU American Indian at Dixie State (COVID)

Jan. 2 NM State at UC Riverside (COVID)

Jan. 3 NM State at UC Riverside (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).