2022–23 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball season explained

2022–23 WAC men's basketball season
Color:
  1. 800020
Color Text:
  1. C0C0C0
League:NCAA Division I
Sport:Basketball
No Of Teams:13
Tv:ESPN, ESPN+
Season:Regular season
Season Champ Name:Regular season champions
Mvp:Qua Grant
Mvp Link:WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Finals:WAC tournament
Finals Link:2023 WAC Men's Basketball Tournament
Finals Mvp Link:Most Outstanding Player
Finals Mvp Name:Tournament MVP
Seasonslistnames:WAC men's basketball
Prevseason Link:2021–22 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball season
Prevseason Year:2021–22
Nextseason Link:2023–24 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball season
Nextseason Year:2023–24

The 2022–23 WAC men's basketball season began with practices in October 2022 followed by the start of the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November 2022. The conference began play in December 2022. This is the WAC's 61st season of basketball. The WAC competed again with 13 teams with two teams leaving the conference and two teams joining the conference from the prior year. Chicago State turned independent and Lamar moved to the Southland Conference.[1] [2] Southern Utah University joins from the Big Sky Conference and UT Arlington joins from the Sun Belt Conference.[3] [4] Dixie State was also renamed as Utah Tech.[5] Each WAC member played an 18-game conference schedule. The WAC tournament was held March 6–11, 2023 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.[6]

Pre-season

WAC Media days

The WAC's 2022 men's basketball media day was held on October 18.[7]

Men's Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll
PlaceTeamPointsFirst place votes
1. Grand Canyon 1358
2. New Mexico State 1273
3. ! style= width=120Stephen F. Austin 111--
4. Abilene Christian 1011
5. California Baptist961
6. ! style= width=75Seattle U 91--
7. Utah Valley 85
8. Sam Houston 79--
9. Southern Utah 66--
10. Tarleton 47--
11. UT Arlington 31--
12. Utah Tech 29--
13. UTRGV 16--
Men's Basketball Media Preseason Poll
PlaceTeam
1. ! style= width=75Grand Canyon
2. ! style= width=120New Mexico State
3. ! style= width=120Stephen F. Austin
4. ! style= width=75Abilene Christian
5. ! style= width=75California Baptist
6T. ! style= width=75Sam Houston
6T. ! style= width=75Seattle U
8. ! style= width=75Utah Valley
9. ! style= width="75" Southern Utah
10. ! style= width="75" UT Arlington
11. ! style= width=75Tarleton
12. ! style= width="75" Utah Tech
13. ! style= width=75UTRGV

WAC Preseason All-Conference

First Team
NameSchoolYr.Pos.
Airion Simmons Abilene ChristianSr.F
Taran ArmstrongCalifornia BaptistSo.G
† Jovan Blacksher Jr.Grand CanyonJr.G
Xavier Pinson,NM StateSr.G
Cameron Tyson Seattle UJr.G
Tevian Jones Southern UtahSr.G/F
Justin JohnsonUTRGVSr.F
Trey WoodburyUtah ValleySr.G
† Denotes Preseason Player of the Year
Second Team
Name SchoolYr.Pos.
Rayshon HarrisonGrand CanyonSo.G
Gabe McGlothanGrand CanyonJr.F
Javion MaySam HoustonSr.G
Riley GrigsbySeattle USr.G/F
Maizen FausettSouthern UtahSr.F
Sadaidriene HallStephen F. AustinSo.F
Jaylin Jackson-Posey Stephen F. AustinSo.G
Freddy Hicks TarletonJr.G/F

Regular season

Early season tournaments

TeamTournamentFinish
Abilene ChristianVegas 44th
California BaptistSoCal Challenge (Surf Division)4th
Grand CanyonHall of Fame Classic3rd
New Mexico StateLas Vegas Holiday Classic2nd
Sam HoustonFort Myers Tip-Off (Palms Division)1st
style= width=75Seattle UDiamond Head Classic7th
Southern UtahNorth Shore Classic3rd
Stephen F. AustinMontreal Northern Classic4th
TarletonParadise Jam2nd
UT ArlingtonGulf Coast Showcase6th
UTRGVLeon Black Classic2nd
Utah TechNorth Dakota MTE2nd
Utah ValleyJamaica Classic (Rose Hall Division)3rd

Records against other conferences

2022–23 records against non-conference foes:

Regular season

Power Conferences & GonzagaRecord
ACC1–1
Big East0–0
Big Ten0–1
Big 121–7
Pac-123–7
SEC0–2
Gonzaga0–0
Power Conference Total5–18
Other NCAA Division I ConferencesRecord
America East1–0
American0–4
A-102–0
ASUN0–0
Big Sky15–4
Big South1–0
Big West9–3
CAA1–1
C-USA2–3
Horizon2–2
Ivy League0–0
MAAC0–2
MAC2–0
MEAC0–1
MVC2–2
Mountain West2–10
NEC0–0
OVC1–0
Patriot League0–0
SoCon1–1
Southland4–2
SWAC5–1
The Summit4–2
Sun Belt2–2
WCC (except Gonzaga)4–3
Other Division I Total60–44
Non-Division I Total36–0
NCAA Division I Total65–62

Record against ranked non-conference opponents

This is a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP Poll):

Date Visitor Home Score Conference record
November 17, 2022Utah TechNo. 14 ArizonaL, 77–1040–1
November 18, 2022Southern UtahNo. 6 KansasL, 76–820–2
November 26, 2022UTRGVNo. 4 TexasL, 54–910–3
December 6, 2022TarletonNo. 12 BaylorL, 57–800–4

Team rankings are reflective of AP poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking

Rankings

See also: 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings.

  Improvement in ranking
 Drop in ranking
RVReceived votes but were not ranked in Top 25
NVNo votes received
  PreWk
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 ChristianAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
California BaptistAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Grand CanyonAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
New Mexico StateAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Sam HoustonAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Seattle UAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVRVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Southern UtahAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Stephen F. AustinAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
TarletonAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
UT ArlingtonAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
UTRGVAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Utah TechAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Utah ValleyAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV

Head coaches

Coaching changes

Only one coaching change was made during the offseason. Greg Heiar was hired on March 27 as the 27th head coach at New Mexico State University to replace Chris Jans who had previously been hired as the head coach at Mississippi State University.[8]

Coaches

Note: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season. Overall and WAC records are from time at current school.

TeamHead coachPrevious jobSeasons at schoolOverall recordWAC recordWAC titlesNCAA tournamentsNCAA Final FoursNCAA Championships
style= width=75Abilene ChristianBrette Tanner(Associate HC)2nd25–11 11–7 0000
style= width=75California BaptistRick CroySt. Mary's (assistant)10th68-50 30-32 0000
style= width=75Grand CanyonBryce DrewVanderbilt3rd40-15 22-8 1100
style= width=100New Mexico StateGreg HeiarNorthwest Florida State College1st0-0 0-0 0000
style= width=75Sam Houston(Assistant HC)13th235-161 140-72 0000
style= width=75Seattle UChris Victor(Assistant/interim HC)2nd23-9 14-4 1000
style= width=75 Southern UtahTodd SimonUNLV (interim HC)7th96-94 0-0 0000
style= width=100Stephen F. AustinKyle KellerTexas A&M (assistant)7th126-55 14–4 1000
style= width=75TarletonBilly GillispieRanger College3rd24-27 14-16 0100
style= width=75 UT ArlingtonGreg Young(Assistant)2nd11-18 0-0 0000
style= width=75UTRGVMatt FiggerAustin Peay2nd8-23 3-15 0000
style= width=75 Utah TechJon JudkinsSnow College18th306-149 10-22 0000
style= width=75Utah ValleyMark MadsenLA Lakers (player development)4th42-42 24-22 1000
Notes:

Post season

WAC tournament

See main article: 2023 WAC men's basketball tournament.

The conference tournament was played from March 7–11, 2023, at Michelob ULTRA Arena and the Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada near Las Vegas. The first round was played on March 7 at Michelob ULTRA Arena with the remaining rounds March 8–11 at the Orleans Arena. Twelve of the thirteen members were invited to the tournament.[9] While Tarleton and Utah Tech were ineligible for the NCAA tournament, they were eligible for the WAC tournament.[10]

NCAA tournament

See main article: 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Teams from the conference that were selected to participate:

SeedRegionSchoolFirst FourFirst roundSecond roundSweet SixteenElite EightFinal FourChampionship
14WestGrand Canyon
BidsW-L (%):TOTAL:

National Invitation Tournament

Number from the conference that were selected to participate: 2

See main article: 2023 National Invitation Tournament.

SeedSchoolFirst roundSecond roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals
3Sam Houston
N/AUtah Valley
W-L (%):TOTAL:

College Basketball Invitational

Number from the conference that were selected to participate: 2

See main article: 2023 College Basketball Invitational.

SeedSchoolFirst roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals
4Southern Utah
7Tarleton
W-L (%):TOTAL:
Index to colors and formatting
WAC member won
WAC member lost
*Denotes overtime period

Awards and honors

Players of the week

Throughout the conference regular season, the WAC offices name a player of the week, and a freshman of the week each Monday.

WeekPlayer of the WeekSchool Freshman of the WeekSchool
November 14Cameron TysonSeattle UAdante' HolimanUTRGV
November 21Freddy HicksTarletonParsa FallahSouthern Utah
November 28Justin JohnsonUTRGVKobe KnoxGrand Canyon
December 5Le'Tre DarthardUtah ValleyBrandon WalkerUT Arlington
December 12Aziz BandaogoUtah ValleyParsa FallahSouthern Utah
December 19Justin JohnsonUTRGVAdante' HolimanUTRGV
December 27Trey WoodburyUtah ValleyParsa FallahSouthern Utah
January 3Tevian JonesSouthern UtahAnthony WrzeszczSam Houston
January 10Aziz BandaogoUtah ValleyChendall WeaverUT Arlington
January 17Riley GrigsbySeattle UKobe KnoxGrand Canyon
January 24Riley GrigsbySeattle UChendall WeaverUT Arlington
January 30Taran ArmstrongCal BaptistLeonardo BettiolAbilene Christian
February 6Ray HarrisonGrand CanyonChendall WeaverUT Arlington
February 13Le'Tre DarthardUtah ValleyAdante' HolimanUTRGV
February 20Gabe McGlothanGrand CanyonChendall WeaverUT Arlington
February 27Qua GrantSam HoustonKobe KnoxGrand Canyon
March 4Ray HarrisonGrand CanyonAdante HolimanUTRGV

Totals per school - Players of the week

School Player of the weekFreshman of the weekTotal
Abilene Christian University11
California Baptist University11
Grand Canyon University336
New Mexico State University
Sam Houston State University112
Seattle University33
Southern Utah University134
Stephen F. Austin State University
Tarleton State University11
University of Texas at Arlington55
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley246
Utah Tech University
Utah Valley University55
Total171734

All-Americans

See main article: 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.

All-WAC

First team
NameSchool
Ray HarrisonGrand Canyon
Qua Grant‡Sam Houston
Cameron TysonSeattle U
Tevian JonesSouthern Utah
Aziz Bandaogo‡‡Utah Valley
Le'Tre DarthardUtah Valley
Trey WoodburyUtah Valley
Justin JohnsonUTRGV
Second team
Name School
Taran ArmstrongCalifornia Baptist
Gabe McGlothanGrand Canyon
Donte PowersSam Houston
Riley GrigsbySeattle U
Maizen FausettSouthern Utah
Sadaidriene HallStephen F. Austin
Freddy HicksTarleton
Cameron GoodenUtah Tech

All-Newcomer team

Name School
Ray HarrisonGrand Canyon
Qua GrantSam Houston
Cameron HuefnerSam Houston
Drake AllenSouthern Utah
Aziz Bandaogo†Utah Valley
† Newcomer of the Year

All-Defensive team

Name School
Damien DanielsAbilene Christian
Javion MaySam Houston
Shamir BoguesTarleton
Aziz BandaogoUtah Valley
Le'Tre DarthardUtah Valley

Other awards

Sixth Man of the Year: Dee Barnes, Southern Utah

Freshman of the Year: Chendall Weaver, UT Arlington

Coach of the Year: Mark Madsen, Utah Valley

2023 NBA draft

See main article: 2023 NBA draft.

Home game attendance

TeamStadiumCapacityGame 1Game 2Game 3Game 4Game 5Game 6Game 7Game 8Game 9Game 10Game 11Game 12Game 13Game 14Game 15Game 16Game 17Total Average% of Capacity
style= width=75Abilene ChristianMoody Coliseum3,6002,489†1,6439747471,2048971,1521,1222,0051,8891,744N/A1,8441,95119,6611,51242%
style= width=75California BaptistCBU Events Center5,0504,4665,050†2,6022,0674,0382,8172,3452,8832,1922,6115,0504,0112,7053,1285,0502,2253,29656,5363,32666%
style= width=75Grand CanyonGCU Arena7,0007,1716,8917,1666,8736,7137,0117,0726,8047,3166,9826,0417,0077,0957,0766,0397,438†7,414118,1096,94899%
style= width=100New Mexico StatePan American Center12,4825,1786,332†4,3464,4604,9424,7055,0924,8645,1074,94849,9744,99740%
style= width=75Sam HoustonBernard Johnson Coliseum6,1101,892†1,3201,1277317771,7023,6861,6741,8451,3321,6131,7721,86621,3371,64127%
style= width=75Seattle URedhawk Center/Climate Pledge Arena999/18,100[11] 8969996831,277‡7807672,2659019282,045†‡1,565‡9999991,17516,2791,163116%
Southern UtahAmerica First Event Center5,3001,7181,5341,1732,1169598731,2042,1781,5832,0934,0131,8624,554†1.4601.85929,1791,94537%
style= width=100Stephen F. AustinWilliam R. Johnson Coliseum7,2032,6102,0492,1282,3392,0231,9391,8412,8142,6443,2862,1803,3032,1803,4883,5544.189†42,5672,66037%
style= width=75Tarleton StateWisdom Gymnasium3,0001,3861,8737768561,5331,1051,4871,424N/A2,155†1,5782,3672,0171,77620,3331,56452%
UT ArlingtonCollege Park Center7,0002,466†1,4291,4751,0111,9311,4191,0171,0521,6631,2711,6914231,5261,90520,2791,44921%
style= width=75UTRGVUTRGV Fieldhouse/Bert Ogden Arena2,500/7,688[12] 6784536,674†‡‡1,355‡‡8656447855177231,1212,6061,0181,8372,7882758861,43124,6561,45058%
Utah TechBurns Arena4,7792,2971,1338334654427101,2561,6891,8783,962†1,9291,3062,14120,0411,54232%
style= width=75Utah ValleyUCCU Center8,5001,4492,0341,3891,4271,1411,9112,4632,9762,8272,9151,8865,168†2,5742,26732,4272,31627%
Total73,523471,37832,51444%

Bold – At or exceed capacity; capacity ratios for Seattle U and UTRGV computed based on smaller home arena

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lorensen . Nick . 2022-11-01 . Mid-Major Madness Independent teams preview . 2022-12-15 . Mid-Major Madness . en.
  2. Web site: Faye . Matt . 2022-07-12 . FAYE: How Lamar's WAC tenure turned into one big mess . 2022-12-15 . Beaumont Enterprise . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2021-03-08 . SUU joins Utah’s Legacy Conference, the WAC . 2022-12-15 . Deseret News . en.
  4. Web site: 2022-01-21 . UT-Arlington set to join WAC this summer . 2022-12-15 . ESPN.com . en.
  5. Web site: 2021-11-11 . Why Dixie State’s name change to Utah Tech University matters . 2022-12-15 . ABC4 Utah . en-US. Facer, Austin.
  6. 2022-07-28 . 2022-23 WAC Championships Schedules Released . en.
  7. 2022-10-12 . 2022-23 WAC Basketball on ESPN . en.
  8. Web site: Greg Heiar Named 27th Head Coach of NM State Men's Basketball Team . 2022-12-23 . New Mexico State University Athletics . en.
  9. 2022-07-28 . 2022-23 WAC Championships Schedules Released . en.
  10. Web site: WAC approves Conference Championship eligibility for Tarleton in recent board meeting . 2022-12-16 . Tarleton State University Athletics . en.
  11. Seattle U uses two home arenas: Redhawk Center, which is located on campus, and the newly renovated Climate Pledge Arena in uptown Seattle.
  12. UTRGV uses two home arenas: UTRGV Fieldhouse, which is located on campus, and Bert Ogden Arena which is also located in Edinburg, Texas and is home to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League.

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