2023–24 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball season explained

2023–24 WAC men's basketball season
Color:
  1. 800020
Color Text:
  1. C0C0C0
League:NCAA Division I
Sport:Basketball
No Of Teams:11
Tv:ESPN, ESPN+
Season:Regular season
Season Champ Name:Regular season champions
Mvp Link:WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Finals:WAC tournament
Finals Link:2024 WAC Men's Basketball Tournament
Finals Mvp Link:Most Outstanding Player
Finals Mvp Name:Tournament MVP
Seasonslistnames:WAC men's basketball
Prevseason Link:2022–23 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball season
Prevseason Year:2022–23
Nextseason Link:2024–25 WAC Conference men's basketball season
Nextseason Year:2024–25

The 2023–24 WAC men's basketball season began with practices in October followed by the start of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in early November 2023. The conference began play in late November 2023. This is the WAC's 62nd season of basketball. The WAC competed with 11 teams due to two teams having left the conference since the prior season.[1] Both New Mexico State and Sam Houston joined Conference USA effective July 1, 2023.[2] The WAC tournament was held March 13–16, 2024 with the top eight teams competing for the automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament at Orleans Arena in the Las Vegas-area community of Paradise, Nevada.[3]

This was the last WAC season for UTRGV, which announced on March 25, 2024 that it would join the Southland Conference that July.[4]

Pre-season

WAC Media days

The WAC's 2023 men's basketball media day was held on October 16.[5]

Men's Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll
PlaceTeamPointsFirst place votes
1. Grand Canyon 999
2. Stephen F. Austin 872
3 Seattle U 86--
4. Utah Valley 61--
5. Abilene Christian 60--
6. Tarleton 49--
7. California Baptist47--
8. UT Arlington 43--
9. (T) Southern Utah 26--
9. (T) UTRGV 26--
11. Utah Tech 21--

WAC Preseason All-Conference

First Team
NameSchoolYr.Pos.
Ray Harrison†Grand CanyonJuniorG
Gabe McGlothanGrand CanyonSeniorF
Cameron TysonSeattle USeniorG
Sadaidriene HallStephen F. AustinJuniorF
Drake AllenUtah ValleyJuniorG
† Denotes Preseason Player of the Year

Regular season

Early season tournaments

TeamTournamentFinish
Abilene ChristianParadise Jam2nd
California BaptistThe Joust1st
Grand CanyonArizona Tip-Off2nd
Seattle USeattle MTE1st
Southern UtahLouisiana Tech MTE3rd
Stephen F. AustinCayman Islands Classic2nd
TarletonSoCal Challenge1st
UT ArlingtonAcrisure Classic3rd
UTRGVAcrisure Invitational4th
Utah TechLake Erie Classic2nd
Utah ValleyJacksonville Classic (Bay Bracket)2nd

Records against other conferences

2023–24 records against non-conference foes:

Regular season

Power Conferences & GonzagaRecord
ACC0–2
Big East0–0
Big Ten0–0
Big 121–4
Pac-120–8
SEC0–3
Gonzaga0–0
Power Conference Total1–17
Other NCAA Division I ConferencesRecord
America East0–0
American0–2
A-101–1
ASUN1–0
Big Sky5–6
Big South0–0
Big West4–3
CAA0–0
C-USA12–7
Horizon0–1
Ivy League0–1
MAAC0–0
MAC0–0
MEAC0–0
MVC1–2
Mountain West3–5
NEC0–0
OVC2–1
Patriot League0–0
SoCon0–0
Southland4–1
SWAC3–1
The Summit3–2
Sun Belt2–2
WCC (except Gonzaga)4–2
Other Division I Total46–38
Non-Division I Total19–0
NCAA Division I Total47–55

Record against ranked non-conference opponents

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

Date Visitor Home Score
11/19UT Arlington
  1. 3/3 Arizona
L, 56–101
12/5Grand Canyon
  1. RV/25 San Diego State
W, 79–73
12/21Tarleton
  1. 8/7 Tennessee
L, 46–65
1/1UT Arlington
  1. 24/21 Texas
L, 62–79

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

Rankings

See also: 2023–24 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 CanyonAPNVNVNVNVNVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVNVRVRVRVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVNVNVRV
Seattle UAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Southern UtahAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Stephen F. AustinAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
TarletonAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
UT ArlingtonAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
UTRGVAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Utah TechAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Utah ValleyAPNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
CNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV

Head coaches

Coaching changes

Three coaching changes were made during the offseason. Todd Simon accepted the head coaching position at Bowling Green in March 2023.[6] The next month, Rob Jeter began as head coach at Southern Utah.[7] With 20 years of coaching experience at the college level, KT Turner was hired as the new head coach at UT Arlington.[8] Mark Madsen was hired as the head coach at California and Todd Phillips was promoted from associate head coach to the head coach at Utah Valley in April 2023.[9]

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)3rd38–28 18–18 0000
style= width=75California BaptistRick CroySt. Mary's (assistant)11th85-66 38-42 0000
style= width=75Grand CanyonBryce DrewVanderbilt4th64-27 33-15 1200
style= width=75Seattle UChris Victor(Assistant/interim HC)3rd43-21 25-11 1000
style= width=75 Southern UtahRob JeterWestern Illinois1st0-0 0-0 0000
style= width=100Stephen F. AustinKyle KellerTexas A&M (assistant)8th145-68 25–11 1000
style= width=75TarletonBilly GillispieRanger College4th30-33 23-25 0000
style= width=75 UT ArlingtonK. T. TurnerKentucky (assistant)1st0-0 0-0 0000
style= width=75UTRGVMatt FiggerAustin Peay3rd23-40 9-27 0000
style= width=75 Utah TechJon JudkinsSnow College19th320-168 15-35 0000
style= width=75Utah ValleyTodd Phillips(Associate HC)1st0-0 0-0 0000
Notes:

Post season

WAC tournament

See main article: 2024 WAC men's basketball tournament.

The conference tournament is scheduled to be played from March 13–16, 2024, at the Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada near Las Vegas. Eight of the eleven members are invited to the tournament. While Tarleton and Utah Tech are ineligible for the NCAA tournament, they are eligible for the WAC tournament.[10]

NCAA tournament

See main article: 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Teams from the conference that were selected to participate: 1

SeedRegionSchoolFirst FourFirst roundSecond roundSweet SixteenElite EightFinal FourChampionship
12WestGrand Canyondefeated (5) Saint Mary's 75–66lost to (2) Alabama 61–72
BidsW-L (%):TOTAL:

National Invitation Tournament

Number from the conference that were selected to participate: 0

See main article: 2024 National Invitation Tournament.

College Basketball Invitational

Number from the conference that were selected to participate: 1

See main article: 2024 College Basketball Invitational.

SeedSchoolFirst roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals
3Seattle
W-L (%):TOTAL:

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament

Number from the conference that were selected to participate: 2

See main article: 2024 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

SeedSchoolFirst roundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals
N/AAbilene Christian
N/ATarleton
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 newcomer of the week each Monday.

WeekPlayer of the WeekSchool Newcomer of the WeekSchool
November 13DaJuan GordonUT ArlingtonDominique Daniels Jr.CBU
November 20Shemar WilsonUT ArlingtonTyon Grant-FosterGrand Canyon
November 27Jakorie SmithTarletonTyon Grant-FosterGrand Canyon
December 4Tyon Grant-FosterGrand CanyonTyon Grant-FosterGrand Canyon
December 11Gabe McGlothanGrand CanyonCaleb Stone-CarrawellUtah Valley
December 18Gabe McGlothanGrand CanyonPhillip RussellUT Arlington
December 26Cameron TysonSeattle UDuke BrennanGrand Canyon
January 2KiAndre GaddyTarletonElijah ElliottUTRGV
January 8Gabe McGlothanGrand CanyonTyon Grant-FosterGrand Canyon
January 15Tyon Grant-FosterGrand CanyonTyon Grant-FosterGrand Canyon
January 22Dominique Daniels Jr.CBUDominique Daniels Jr.CBU
January 29Dominique FordSouthern UtahDominique Daniels Jr.CBU
February 5Lue Williams, Sr.TarletonPhillip RussellUT Arlington
February 12Jaylen SearlesUtah TechJaylen SearlesUtah Tech
February 19DaJuan GordonUT ArlingtonJohn ChristofilisSeattle U
February 26DaJuan GordonUT ArlingtonDevon BarnesTarleton
March 4Tyon Grant-FosterGrand CanyonTyon Grant-FosterGrand Canyon

Totals per school - Players of the week

School Player of the weekFreshman of the weekTotal
Abilene Christian University
California Baptist University134
Grand Canyon University6713
Seattle University112
Southern Utah University11
Stephen F. Austin State University
Tarleton State University314
University of Texas at Arlington426
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley11
Utah Tech University112
Utah Valley University11
Total171734

All-Americans

See main article: 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.

All-WAC

First team
NameSchool
Tyon Grant-Foster‡Grand Canyon
Gabe McGlothanGrand Canyon
Cameron TysonSeattle
Jakorie SmithTarleton
DaJuan GordonUT Arlington
Second team
Name School
Ali Abdou DibbaAbilene Christian
Dominique Daniels Jr.California Baptist
Ray HarrisonGrand Canyon
Alex SchumacherSeattle
Shemar WilsonUT Arlington

All-Freshman team

Name School
Braden HousleySouthern Utah
Emmanuel InnocentiTarleton
Makaih Williams†UT Arlington
Aric DemingsUtah Tech
Osiris GradyUtah Valley
† Freshman of the Year

All-Defensive team

Name School
Collin MooreGrand Canyon
KiAndre Gaddy‡Tarleton
Emmanuel InnocentiTarleton
DaJuan GordonUT Arlington
Shemar WilsonUT Arlington

Other awards

Sixth Man of the Year: Phillip Russell, UT Arlington

Coach of the Year: Joseph Jones, Tarleton

2024 NBA draft

See main article: 2024 NBA draft.

Home game attendance

TeamStadiumCapacityGame 1Game 2Game 3Game 4Game 5Game 6Game 7Game 8Game 9Game 10Game 11Game 12Game 13Game 14Game 15Game 16Game 17Game 18Total Average% of Capacity
style= width=75Abilene ChristianMoody Coliseum3,6001,895†1,7731,1531,2511,4691,5211,5411,4011,7121,6521,3231,6691,4371,81721,6141,54443%
style= width=75California BaptistCBU Events Center5,0503,2905,0962,5402,0342,0092,3722,8542,5222,5183,676N/A3,1974,8222,5502,2302,1112,5505,363†51,7343,04360%
style= width=75Grand CanyonGCU Arena7,0007,1867,1187,2087,2147,282N/A7,436†7,1057,2337,2397,2767,1247,1177,2687,1927,388115,5727,223103%
Seattle URedhawk Center/Climate Pledge Arena999/18,100[11] 9999991,410‡9998369437055,702‡†7029447951,0009992,354‡96693292699923,2101,289129%
Southern UtahAmerica First Event Center5,3001,4611,1811,3261,3358861,0071,8093,563†1,4221,3521,1751,6138281,11920,0771,43427%
Stephen F. AustinWilliam R. Johnson Coliseum7,2033,2502,0322,3281,7101,4222,1202,0492,3613,649†2,9092,2082,1202,8871,5071,56534,1172,27432%
Tarleton StateWisdom Gymnasium3,0001,0401,3271,2106051,7541,0782,1041,6772,1102,1403,000†2,2762,024N/A22,3451,71957%
UT ArlingtonCollege Park Center7,0002,1852,5121,1191,2801,2751,6961,1121,0091,8242,871†2,3932,1101,6221,7811,87126,6601,77725%
UTRGVUTRGV Fieldhouse/Bert Ogden Arena2,500/7,688[12] 1,6226441,9441,0127181,0315911,0151,5141,9322,0412,766†85765218,3391,31052%
Utah TechBurns Arena4,7792,5011,5011,1761,2131,4921,6581,4551,9042,648†1,6821,7391,4402,38722,7961,75437%
Utah ValleyUCCU Center8,5001,8491,3262,3191,6511,4071,5532,1632,801†2,3811,9852,4742,6012,3572,61529,4822,10625%
Total73,523385,94625,47454%

Bold – At or exceed capacity; capacity ratios for Seattle U and UTRGV computed based on smaller home arena; attendance is for regular season only

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2021-11-05 . C-USA picks Liberty among four new additions . 2023-11-06 . ESPN.com . en.
  2. Web site: Bourne . Isaac . 2023-11-02 . Conference USA Season Preview: A Conference Flipped Upside Down . 2023-11-06 . Mid-Major Madness . en.
  3. Web site: 2023-11-04 . Championship Format And Dates For 2024 Hercules Tires WAC Basketball Tournament Set . 2023-11-05 . wacsports.com . en.
  4. UTRGV Athletics Accepts Invitation to Join Southland Conference in 2024-25 . Southland Conference . March 25, 2024 . March 25, 2024.
  5. Web site: 2023-11-04 . Grand Canyon Chosen By WAC Coaches To Repeat In 2023-24 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll . 2023-11-05 . wacsports.com . en.
  6. Web site: Fowler's Todd Simon comes back close to home, takes over Bowling Green men's basketball program . 2023-11-09 . Lansing State Journal . en-US. Couch, Graham. March 18, 2023.
  7. Web site: Walker . Sean . April 12 . KSL com Posted- . A.m . 2023 at 9:59 . Southern Utah finalizes hiring of new coach Rob Jeter from Western Illinois . 2023-11-09 . www.ksl.com . en.
  8. Web site: Kentucky basketball assistant KT Turner named UT Arlington head coach . 2023-11-10 . The Courier-Journal . en-US.
  9. Web site: 2023-04-07 . UVU has chosen its next head basketball coach . 2023-11-09 . Deseret News . en. Dallas, Kelsey.
  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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