2024-25 WAC Men's Basketball Release - Week 16

UTAH VALLEY, GRAND CANYON IN A RACE FOR FIRST
Utah Valley and Grand Canyon continued to hold down the top two spots in the WAC standings entering play on Feb. 20. Utah Valley defeated Southern Utah 70-68 on Feb. 15 to notch a third straight win and improve to 10-1 in conference play as the top team in the league. GCU earned a road sweep on a swing through Texas, downing Tarleton State 64-60 on Feb. 13 before besting UT Arlington 82-75 on Feb. 15 in a rematch of the 2024 WAC title game. The Lopes kept pace with Utah Valley in the race for the top seed with a 9-2 record in WAC games. GCU remained the top ranked WAC team in the NCAA Division I NET on Feb. 18, checking in 97th. Utah Valley continued its upward momentum to the 118th position in the NET.

DANIELS’ SCORING PROWESS BOOSTS CBU
Bouncing back from a disappointing 82-79 loss in overtime at UT Arlington on Feb. 13, California Baptist responded with an 86-83 win over Utah Tech on Feb. 15 in Riverside to move into third place in the WAC standings at 6-5. CBU guard Dominique Daniels Jr. turned in his best game of the season in the victory, connecting on 11-of-18 field goal attempts that included four 3-pointers and all 10 free throw attempts for a conference season-high 36 points. Daniels also distributed five assists and added two steals against Utah Tech in the win.

ACU PICKS UP THIRD STRAIGHT CONFERENCE WIN
Abilene Christian continued its recent run of form with a third straight victory in conference play, defeating Seattle U 75-59 at home on Feb. 13. Quion Williams scored 16 points to lead ACU against Seattle U, chipping in seven rebounds, four steals and two assists. 

IT’S A DOM THING
Entering games on Feb. 20, three of the top four scorers in the WAC this season have recognizably similar first names. California Baptist’s Dominique Daniels Jr. paced all scorers with 20.0 points per game, Utah Valley’s Dominick Nelson ranked third with 15.2 points per contest and Southern Utah’s Dominique Ford checked in fourth with a 15.1 points per game average. Ford’s Southern Utah teammate Jamir Simpson was second on the scoring list with 16.7 points per outing.

NATIONAL RANKINGS IN THE NCAA
Tarleton State was the top team in turnovers forced per game in NCAA Division I as of Feb. 18, forcing 17.0 turnovers per game. The Texans also checked in fifth in steals per game (10.0). Abilene Christian was second in steals per game (10.4) and seventh in turnovers forced (16.5), Utah Valley was third in blocks per game (5.8) and Grand Canyon ranked sixth in free throws made per game (19.3).