CBB: WAC Conference Tournament Preview

Favorites (odds below +500)

Grand Canyon Antelopes (-210): Grand Canyon has their best team in program history this year. This team is a ton of fun to watch and they’re well rounded too. Offensive rebounding is an important skill set this team has that will benefit them in both the conference tournament and if they make it the NCAA tournament. Early in the season the Lopes looked like an At Large team with a close loss to South Carolina and a win over San Diego State. Grand Canyon hit a few bumps in conference play including a 2 game losing streak in late February, they must clean it up for the conference tournament.

Sleepers (+500 or above)

Tarleton State Texans (+500): Tarleton State has been a great story this year. The Texans managed to keep up with Grand Canyon most of the year and this is despite having an interim coach this year! Their original head coach Billy Gillespie had to step aside for medical concerns. Sadly the Texans are not eligible for the NCAA tournament, in a way they really help Grand Canyon because if Tarleton State wins Grand Canyon still goes to the tournament. They have a shot, the Texans are a hot team winning 10 of their last 11.

UT Arlington Mavericks (+800): Mavericks is a very underrated mascot name, let me get that out of the way. UT Arlington is the quiet contender, they haven’t been talked about much but they’ve played well. This team was competitive in non-conference games with New Mexico, Texas Tech and Texas although they didn’t come out with a win. The Mavericks are another hot team, coming into the conference tournament with a 6 game win streak. While they came close both times, they couldn’t notch a win over Grand Canyon or Tarleton State.

Seattle U Redhawks (+850): Seattle has been D1 for a while and this program has been consistently good but hasn’t made the tournament yet. They have a good shot this year. This hasn’t been the most consistent team but they’re a hot sleeper pick because they gave Grand Canyon a tough time in both games and beat them once.

My Pick:

Grand Canyon Antelopes (-210): This program has won on this stage multiple times already and they are poised to do it again. I see the Lopes playing good ball down the stretch to win it.