Western Athletic Conference NCAA Tournament Betting

Western Athletic Conference NCAA Tournament Betting

The Grand Canyon Antelopes finally made their first NCAA Tournament appearance last year. Grand Canyon knocked off New Mexico State in the WAC Championship Game after losing to the Aggies in 2018 and 2019, and the Antelopes were competitive in a loss to No. 2 Iowa in the first round. This conference is even better in 2021-22 with the addition of teams like Stephen F. Austin, Abilene Christian, Lamar, and Sam Houston State, and any of the top three teams could pull off a first-round upset if they earned the automatic bid.

Newcomer Stephen F. Austin is battling with Seattle and New Mexico State for the top spot in the WAC. The Lumberjacks are 13-4 in conference and 21-8 overall, but they are the fourth-best team in the conference according to Ken Pomeroy’s ratings. They have won nine straight games and went on the road to beat New Mexico State last week, but they lost their lone game against Seattle. Gavin Kensmil has been the top player with 16.2 PPG and 6.8 RPG while making 60.3% of his field goals.

New Mexico State is the top-rated team in the conference despite recent losses to Chicago State and Stephen F. Austin by two points apiece. The Aggies have nice non-conference wins over Davidson and Washington State, so this program could receive the best seed in the NCAA Tournament if they earn the automatic bid.

Grand Canyon and Utah Valley are also teams that can pull off upsets in the WAC Tournament.

Western Athletic Conference Tournament Format

Three WAC teams will be unable to take part in the conference tournament after moving up from Division II last season. Tarleton State, Dixie State, and Cal Baptist are all newcomers, so they will have to sit out this season. Lamar might as well be ineligible too since the Cardinals are 0-17 in conference play and 2-25 overall.

That makes this a 10-team tournament. For the 10th straight season, the entire MWC Tournament will be played at Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The bottom four teams will take part in the first round on Tuesday, March 8, while the top two teams get automatic byes into the semifinals on Friday, March 11, in this gauntlet-style format. The WAC Championship Game will take place on Saturday, March 12, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Most Wins All-Time in Western Athletic Tournament

When all the conference realignment stopped, New Mexico State was more or less left out on an island by itself. Thus, it isn't surprising that this team has dominated the WAC as the conference has only survived by bringing in more and more schools that are transitioning from Division II that don't have homes in other conferences. This conference has become the island of misfit toys with teams from Texas, Utah, Illinois, Arizona, Washington, California, and New Mexico.

The WAC has some stability now though with the addition of Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F. Austin from the Southland Conference. This is now one of the better mid-major conferences.

New Mexico State’s run has been impressive. The Aggies won eight of the 10 WAC conference tournaments contested during the 2010s, and they made it back to the WAC Championship Game again in 2021.

Western Athletic Tournament Championship Games

NCAA Basketball Conferences

• America East
• American Athletic
• Atlantic 10
• Atlantic Coast
• Atlantic Sun
• Big 12
• Big East
• Big Sky
• Big South
• Big Ten
• Big West
• Colonial Athletic Association
• Conference USA
• Horizon League
• Ivy League
• Metro Atlantic Athletic
• Mid-American
• Mid-Eastern Athletic
• Missouri Valley
• Mountain West
• Northeast
• Ohio Valley
• Pac-12
• Patriot League
• Southeastern
• Southern
• Southland
• Southwestern Athletic
• Summit League
• Sun Belt
• West Coast
• Western Athletic

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