The 2024–25 WAC men's basketball season began with practices in October followed by the start of the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in early November 2024. The conference began play in January 2025. This is the WAC's 63rd season of basketball. The WAC competed with nine teams due to two teams having left the conference since the prior season. UTRGV and Stephen F. Austin both joined the Southland Conference since the prior year.[1] The WAC tournament will be held in March 2025 with all nine teams competing for the automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The opening round will be held at Burns Arena in St. George, Utah with the remaining rounds at the Orleans Arena in the Las Vegas-area community of Paradise, Nevada.[2] This was the last WAC season for both Grand Canyon and Seattle, which announced that they would join the West Coast Conference the following year.[3]
| 2024–25 WAC men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN, ESPN+ |
| Regular season | |
| WAC tournament | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Utah | 0 | – | 0 | – | 6 | – | 1 | .857 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Valley | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 1 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California Baptist | 0 | – | 0 | – | 4 | – | 2 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abilene Christian | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 2 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Canyon | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 2 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seattle | 0 | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | 3 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UT Arlington | 0 | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | 3 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Tech | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | – | 4 | .200 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tarleton | 0 | – | 0 | – | 1 | – | 5 | .167 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 WAC tournament winner As of November 23, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pre-season
editWAC Media days
editThe WAC's 2024 men's basketball media day was held on October 15.[4]
| Place | Team | Points | First place votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Grand Canyon | 64 | 8 |
| 2. | UT Arlington | 49 | -- |
| 3 | Seattle U | 46 | 1 |
| 4. | California Baptist | 45 | -- |
| 5. | Utah Valley | 38 | -- |
| 6. | Tarleton | 30 | -- |
| 7. | Abilene Christian | 29 | -- |
| 8. | Utah Tech | 12 | -- |
| 9. | Southern Utah | 11 | -- |
WAC Preseason All-Conference
edit- First Team
| Name | School | Yr. | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyon Grant-Foster† | Grand Canyon | Senior | G |
| Dominique Daniels Jr. | California Baptist | Senior | G |
| Ray Harrison | Grand Canyon | Senior | G |
| John Christofilis | Seattle U | Junior | G |
| Freddy Hicks | Tarleton State | Senior | G/F |
† Denotes Preseason Player of the Year
Regular season
editEarly season tournaments
edit| Team | Tournament | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | Montana State MTE[5] | |
| California Baptist | Acrisure Holiday Invitational[6] | |
| Grand Canyon | Acrisure Holiday Invitational[6] | |
| Seattle U | Vegas Showdown[7] | |
| Southern Utah | San Diego MTE[8] | |
| Tarleton | Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship[9] | |
| UT Arlington | Jacksonville Classic[10] | |
| Utah Tech | Montana MTE[11] | |
| Utah Valley | Samford MTE[12] |
Conference USA-Western Athletic Conference Challenge
edit| Date | Conference USA team | WAC team | Score | Location | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 9 | New Mexico State | Utah Tech | 75–63 | Burns Arena • St. George, UT | CUSA (1–0) |
| UTEP | Utah Valley | 89–60 | UCCU Center • Orem, UT | Tied (1–1) | |
| Sam Houston | Tarleton | 91–62 | Wisdom Gym • Stephenville, TX | CUSA (2–1) | |
| Western Kentucky | Grand Canyon | 74–72 | Global Credit Union Arena • Phoenix, AZ | Tied (2–2) | |
| Louisiana Tech | UT Arlington | 92–77 | College Park Center • Arlington, TX | CUSA (3–2) | |
| Liberty | Seattle | 66–64 | Redhawk Center • Seattle, WA | CUSA (4–2) | |
| Middle Tennessee | Abilene Christian | 79–56 | Moody Coliseum • Abilene, TX | CUSA (5–2) | |
| Kennesaw State | California Baptist | 88–84 | Fowler Events Center • Riverside, CA | CUSA (5–3) | |
| Florida International | Southern Utah | 80–75 | America First Event Center • Cedar City, UT | CUSA (5–4) | |
| November 20 | Kennesaw State | Abilene Christian | 84–78 | Convocation Center • Kennesaw, GA | CUSA (6–4) |
| December 14 | Jacksonville State | Utah Valley | Pete Mathews Coliseum • Jacksonville, FL | ||
| December 16 | UTEP | Tarleton | Don Haskins Center • El Paso, TX | ||
| Louisiana Tech | Grand Canyon | Thomas Assembly Center • Ruston, LA | |||
| Middle Tennessee | California Baptist | Murphy Center • Murfreesboro, TN | |||
| New Mexico State | Southern Utah | Pan American Center • Las Cruces, NM | |||
| December 17 | Western Kentucky | Seattle | E. A. Diddle Arena • Bowling Green, KY | ||
| December 21 | Liberty | UT Arlington | Liberty Arena • Lynchburg, VA | ||
| December 30 | Florida International | Utah Tech | Ocean Bank Convocation Center • Miami, FL | ||
| WINNERS ARE IN BOLD. HOME TEAM IN ITALICS.
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game. Did not participate: none | |||||
Records against other conferences
edit2024–25 records against non-conference foes:
Regular season
| Power Conferences & Gonzaga | Record |
|---|---|
| ACC | 0–2 |
| Big East | 0–0 |
| Big Ten | 0–1 |
| Big 12 | 0–2 |
| Pac-12 | 0–0 |
| SEC | 0–0 |
| Gonzaga | 0–0 |
| Power Conference Total | 0–5 |
| Other NCAA Division I Conferences | Record |
| America East | 0–0 |
| American | 0–0 |
| A-10 | 0–1 |
| ASUN | 0–0 |
| Big Sky | 0–1 |
| Big South | 0–0 |
| Big West | 3–2 |
| CAA | 0–0 |
| C-USA | 4–5 |
| Horizon | 0–0 |
| Ivy League | 0–0 |
| MAAC | 0–0 |
| MAC | 0–0 |
| MEAC | 0–0 |
| MVC | 0–1 |
| Mountain West | 0–1 |
| NEC | 1–0 |
| OVC | 0–0 |
| Patriot League | 0–0 |
| SoCon | 0–0 |
| Southland | 1–0 |
| SWAC | 0–0 |
| Summit | 1–1 |
| Sun Belt | 0–0 |
| WCC (except Gonzaga) | 0–1 |
| Other Division I Total | 10–13 |
| Non-Division I Total | 9–0 |
| NCAA Division I Total | 10–18 |
Record against ranked non-conference opponents
editThis is a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP poll/Coaches poll):
| Date | Visitor | Home | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 17 | Tarleton | #14/12 Baylor | L, 41–104 |
Team rankings are reflective of AP poll/Coaches poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking.
Rankings
edit| Improvement in ranking | ||
| Drop in ranking | ||
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 | |
| NV | No votes received |
| Pre | Wk 2 |
Wk 3 |
Wk 4 |
Wk 5 |
Wk 6 |
Wk 7 |
Wk 8 |
Wk 9 |
Wk 10 |
Wk 11 |
Wk 12 |
Wk 13 |
Wk 14 |
Wk 15 |
Wk 16 |
Wk 17 |
Wk 18 |
Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | AP | NV | NV | NV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||||||||||
| California Baptist | AP | NV | NV | NV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Canyon | AP | RV | RV | NV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | NV | |||||||||||||||||
| Seattle U | AP | NV | NV | NV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||||||||||
| Southern Utah | AP | NV | NV | NV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||||||||||
| Tarleton | AP | NV | NV | NV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||||||||||
| UT Arlington | AP | NV | NV | NV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||||||||||
| Utah Tech | AP | NV | NV | NV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||||||||||
| Utah Valley | AP | NV | NV | NV | ||||||||||||||||
| C | NV | NV | NV |
Head coaches
editCoaching changes
editNo coaching changes were made during the offseason.
Coaches
editNote: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season. Overall and WAC records are from time at current school.
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Seasons at school | Overall record | WAC record | WAC titles | NCAA tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | Brette Tanner | (Associate HC) | 4th | 54–46 (.540) | 28–28(.500) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| California Baptist | Rick Croy | St. Mary's (assistant) | 12th | 101-84 (.546) | 47-55 (.461) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Canyon | Bryce Drew | Vanderbilt | 5th | 94-32 (.746) | 50-18 (.735) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seattle U | Chris Victor | (Assistant/interim HC) | 4th | 66-35 (.653) | 36-20 (.643) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Southern Utah | Rob Jeter | Western Illinois | 2nd | 10-21 (.323) | 5-15 (.250) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tarleton | Billy Gillispie | Ranger College | 5th | 59-51 (.536) | 34-28 (.548) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UT Arlington | K. T. Turner | Kentucky (assistant) | 2nd | 20-14 (.588) | 13-7 (.650) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah Tech | Jon Judkins | Snow College | 20th | 319-168 (.655) | 22-48 (.314) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah Valley | Todd Phillips | (Associate HC) | 2nd | 16-16 (.500) | 11-9 (.550) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- Overall and WAC records, conference titles, etc. are from time at current school and are through the end of the 2023–24 season.
- Records and season totals only include time spent at Division I as head coach.
- NCAA tournament appearances are from time at current school only.
- NCAA Final Fours and Championship include time at other schools.
Post season
editWAC tournament
editThe WAC tournament will be held in March 2025 with all nine teams competing for the automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The opening round will be held at Burns Arena in St. George, Utah with the remaining rounds at the Orleans Arena in the Las Vegas-area community of Paradise, Nevada.
NCAA tournament
editTeams from the conference that were selected to participate: 0
| Seed | Region | School | First Four | First round | Second round | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
| |||
| Bids | W-L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–0 (–) |
National Invitation Tournament
editNumber from the conference that were selected to participate: 0
| Seed | School | First round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
| ||
| W-L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–0 (–) |
College Basketball Invitational
editNumber from the conference that were selected to participate: 0
| Seed | School | First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
| ||
| W-L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–0 (–) |
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
editNumber from the conference that were selected to participate: 0
| Seed | School | First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
| ||
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
| ||
| W-L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–0 (–) |
| Index to colors and formatting |
|---|
| WAC member won |
| WAC member lost |
*Denotes overtime period
Awards and honors
editPlayers of the week
editThroughout the conference regular season, the WAC offices name a player of the week and a newcomer of the week each Monday.
| Week | Player of the Week | School | Newcomer of the Week | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 11 | JaKobe Coles | Grand Canyon | JaKobe Coles | Grand Canyon |
| November 18 | Jaden Wells | UT Arlington | Jaden Wells | UT Arlington |
Totals per school - Players of the week
edit| School | Player of the week | Freshman of the week | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian University | |||
| California Baptist University | |||
| Grand Canyon University | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Seattle University | |||
| Southern Utah University | |||
| Tarleton State University | |||
| University of Texas at Arlington | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Utah Tech University | |||
| Utah Valley University | |||
| Total | 2 | 2 | 4 |
All-Americans
editAll-WAC
edit- First team
| Name | School |
|---|---|
- ‡ WAC Player of the Year
- ‡‡ WAC Defensive Player of the Year
- Second team
| Name | School |
|---|---|
All-Freshman team
edit| Name | School |
|---|---|
† Freshman of the Year
All-Defensive team
edit| Name | School |
|---|---|
- ‡WAC Defensive Player of the Year
Other awards
editSixth Man of the Year:
Coach of the Year:
2025 NBA draft
edit| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| − | − | − |
Home game attendance
edit| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | Game 8 | Game 9 | Game 10 | Game 11 | Game 12 | Game 13 | Game 14 | Game 15 | Game 16 | Game 17 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | Moody Coliseum | 3,600 | 1,832 | 1,434 | 1,026 | 1,024 | 5,316 | 1,329 | 37% | |||||||||||||
| California Baptist | CBU Events Center | 5,050 | 3,294 | N/A | 3,607 | 4,233 | 11,134 | 3,711 | 73% | |||||||||||||
| Grand Canyon | GCU Arena | 7,000 | 7,053 | 7,332 | 14,385 | 7,193 | 103% | |||||||||||||||
| Seattle U | Redhawk Center/Climate Pledge Arena | 999/18,100[13] | 999 | 999 | 999 | 100% | ||||||||||||||||
| Southern Utah | America First Event Center | 5,300 | 1,486 | 2,856 | 965 | 1,006 | 6,313 | 1,578 | 30% | |||||||||||||
| Tarleton State | Wisdom Gymnasium | 3,000 | 1,487 | 1,176 | 2,663 | 1,332 | 44% | |||||||||||||||
| UT Arlington | College Park Center | 7,000 | 1,001 | 3,195 | 1,169 | 5,365 | 1,788 | 26% | ||||||||||||||
| Utah Tech | Burns Arena | 4,779 | 1,392 | 1,126 | 2,518 | 1,259 | 26% | |||||||||||||||
| Utah Valley | UCCU Center | 8,500 | 2,075 | 1,653 | 3,728 | 1,684 | 22% | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 62.329 | 52,421 | 21,053 | 51% |
Bold – At or exceed capacity; capacity ratios for Seattle U computed based on smaller home arena; attendance is for regular season only
- †Season high
- ‡Climate Pledge Arena
- ‡‡Bert Ogden Arena
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "CONFIRMED: SFA returning to the Southland Conference". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Championship Format And Dates For 2025 Hercules Tires WAC Basketball Tournament Set". wacsports.com. October 15, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "WCC to add Grand Canyon, Seattle in 2025-26". ESPN.com. May 10, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Grand Canyon The Unanimous Top Choice In The 2024-25 WAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". wacsports.com. August 15, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Basketball Releases 2024-2025 Schedule". Montana State University Athletics. August 22, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Reyes, Jesus (June 3, 2024). "21 top collegiate teams to play 19 games across Thanksgiving week at Acrisure Arena". KESQ. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ DiCristoforo, Andrea (May 23, 2024). "ESPN Events Announces 2024 Vegas Showdown Matchups". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ ChrisDobbertean (May 13, 2024). "2024-25 Men's College Basketball Exempt Multi-Team Events (MTEs) Tracker". Blogging the Bracket. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ "Tarleton State accepts Invitation to 2024 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship". Tarleton State University Athletics. September 9, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ "UTA Men's Basketball Releases Non-Conference Schedule". University of Texas Arlington Athletics. September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ information, UM sports (September 17, 2024). "Montana Grizzlies finalize 2024-25 men's basketball nonconference schedule". 406 MT SPORTS. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ "Samford Men's Basketball Releases Non-Conference Schedule". Samford University Athletics. September 13, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ Seattle U uses two home arenas: Redhawk Center, which is located on campus, and the newly renovated Climate Pledge Arena in uptown Seattle.