Straight Outta WAC: Recent Episodes
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Another week and another episode focusing on the wild 2020-21 season for the New Mexico State Aggies.
First WAC games came at GCU…then the splits happened following that two-game sweep against the Lopes. Win one, lose one. Until late February when things changed and the Aggies made it known they were back…somewhat.
Tennessee Owens and Bryce Rewalt joined the podcast to talk about all that went on between January and into early March.
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2020-21 will go down as perhaps the wildest college basketball season ever. At least for the New Mexico State Aggies.
From not being able to fully practice, to having to live in Phoenix for over two months, to a bevy of cancelled games and more.
The Covid season was wild for the Aggies. And a former member of the 2020-21 squad is here to talk all about it. Part 1 goes through the decisions made, the emotions after a 19-game win streak was cut short due to Covid and much more.
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Welcome to March, everyone! It is a new episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast where Derryl and Kyle talk women's hoops, the race for 8, share a special tribute that Seattle U men's basketball put out today and much more. Make sure you hit that like and subscribe button. #WAChoops #WAC #collegebasketball #wacvegas
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In this episode, we take a look at the resume seeding system, talk about the WAC Vegas bracket as well as talk with GCU women's basketball head coach Molly Miller about her team, and about the big game on Saturday in Riverside.
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It is the Valentine's Day episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast. Hope everyone has a good day.
Tarleton needs a win at UT Arlington on Thursday to punch its ticket to WAC Vegas.
And we chat with the Voice of the Lancers, Braiden Bell about the week ahead.
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On this episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast, Kyle goes on a rant regarding an article that came out about potential changes to the NCAA Tournament and some greed within the Power 4 Conferences.
Also, we answer your questions that you sent us on Tuesday morning. Make sure you hit that like button and subscribe to WAC Hoops Nation.
Also, get your All Session tickets for WAC Vegas by clicking on the image below.
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Thanks for listening to the Straight Outta WAC podcast. Make sure you hit that like and subscribe button.
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This episode features the announcement that 2024 WAC Tournament All Session tickets are now on sale.
Link: https://orleans.boydgaming.com/entertain/entertainment-calendar/2024-march-western-athletic-conference
Also, a look at the resume seeding system as we talk about the trio of teams who have already clinched a spot at #WACVegas and a little tidbit about Coach of the Year candidates.
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In this episode, I share some quick thoughts on the matchups taking place around the WAC including a revenge game in Phoenix.
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There were a lot of questions in the mailbag this weekend. Questions about GCU were prevalent. Another question about officiating was prevalent. Postseason Award watch and much much more.
Share your comments after giving it a listen.
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Derryl and I break down the first half of the 2023-24 season, WAC play resumes, some thoughts on the seeding system and mailbag questions. #WAChoops #Basketball #StraightOuttaWAC
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A new episode of Straight Outta WAC Live as we take a look at the Seattle U men's game from Wednesday night plus some other things going on around the WAC and in college basketball.
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Another WAC Wednesday has come and gone as CBU stayed perfect, the UTRGV men got their first Division I win, Breaunna Gillen became Utah Tech's all-time leading scorer and there is a surprise 2-0 team in WAC play.
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It's a big night for WAC Hoops as four men's games are on the slate featuring a Quad I and Quad II opportunity and two in-state games.
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It's another week of the 2023-24 college basketball season and the first NET rankings are out. We also recap a busy and wild weekend. The GCU men's basketball team has a big week ahead and Jakorie Smith is electric.
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In this episode, Derryl and Kyle recap the WAC openers that had some big performances and some surprise finishes including a wild one in East Texas.
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WAC Openers are upon us so it is time to take a look at these early season WAC matchups.
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On this episode, we break down the lines for Seattle U as they host Prairie View as a double digit favorite. Utah Tech opens the season on the road at Santa Clara of the West Coast Conference.
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It was a wild Opening Night of the 2023-24 season with buzzer beaters, first year head coaches getting wins, upset road wins, and some heartbreak.
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The 2023-24 season is just three days away so it is time to reveal our preseason awards.
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It is throwback Thursday and we are four days away from tip off of the 2023-24 season. There has been a lot going on from a vote by the NCAA on the NIT, to exhibition games and overreactions to outcomes, plus some thoughts on opening night for WAC teams.
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The Trailblazers were picked to finish 11th in the preseason poll and Jon Judkins is excited to show the WAC they were wrong. Lots of new faces and a lot of youth are in St. George in the final transition year for Utah Tech. WAC Freshman of the Year candidate Aric Demings and some JUCO and Division I transfers will look to shock the world.
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First year head coach KT Turned jumped on the podcast today to talk about the UT Arlington men's basketball team. Turner takes over for a squad that struggled in their return to the WAC. However, Turner has a win now mentality and believes his players have bought in.
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The UVU women's basketball team had quite the year in 2022-23. Injuries, a late, unexpected transfer and just overall struggle kept the Wolverines in the lower half of the WAC. Now, Dan Nielson has a squad with experience and more athleticism in quite some time. Nielson jumps on to talk about the Wolverines.
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The Vaqueros have four starters back, size, and a lot more athleticism in 2023-24. Add in all the growth going on in Edinburg and South Texas and you can see where the excitement comes from.
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ACU head coach Brette Tanner jumped on the podcast to talk ACU hoops, Morgan Wallen, practice playlist and more.
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First-year head coach Skyler Young joined the podcast to talk about living in Seattle, playing style, and more.
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UTRGV men's basketball head coach Matt Figger jumped on the podcast to talk about the Vaqueros, the size, crazy February conference schedule, and more.
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The former Purdue All-American and Hall of Famer Shereka Wright jumped on the podcast on her birthday to talk about the Lady Mavs.
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The Tarleton Texans are in their final year of the transition period to Division I. Billy Gillispie is excited for the future, the new event center, and more as the Texans gear up for another challenging non-conference slate and WAC schedule.
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ACU women's basketball head coach Julie Goodenough joins the Straight Outta WAC podcast to talk about women's sports, Madi Miller, and a roster led by Addison 'Big Country' Martin.
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The SFA head coach took time out of his vacation week to hop on the podcast to talk about the Jacks, a hot dog competition, and more.
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Utah Tech is motivated in 2023-24 with four starters returning, two key players returning from injury and some size with the newcomers. Head coach JD Gustin is excited for his group.
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GCU women's basketball head coach Molly Miller joins the podcast to preview the Lopes, the depth and experience on the roster, and getting over that hump to get to the NCAA Tournament.
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It is another season and it is highly likely the defending WAC tournament champs will be the preseason favorite. Head coach Bryce Drew embraces it as well as shares his thoughts on his core guys, the return of Jovan Blacksher Jr., and more.
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The 2023 WAC Tournament MVP, Ray Harrison, jumped on the podcast on WAC Wednesday to talk about the Lopes, returning for another year, the NBA draft waters and more.
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First year SFA women's basketball head coach Leonard Bishop jumps on the podcast on a hot day in Nacogdoches. Bishop took over for Mark Kellogg in April and has hit the ground running.
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First year head coach Rob Jeter joins the podcast to talk about Cedar City, mountain biking, schedule news, and more.
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Spencer and Kyle end the week on a high note with another episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast. The duo talk about the vote on limiting non-DI games, WAC seeding system, scheduling and more.
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Southern Utah women's basketball head coach Tracy Sanders jumped on the podcast. Sanders talked about her relationship with her daughter, Sam, what she loves about Cedar City, signing an extension, and more including a non-conference scheduling teaser.
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First-year Utah Valley head coach Todd Phillips jumped on the podcast today to chat about the Wolverines, some schedule updates, growth with some young guys, and challenges of building a whole new roster.
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Southern Utah guard Tomekia Whitman jumped on the podcast to talk about SUU hoops, the shot heard round the world, winning a title, and so much more. Check out the newest episode of arguably the leader of the defending champs.
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WAC associate commissioner Drew Speraw jumped on the podcast to chat with Kyle and Derryl regarding WAC hoops, schedules, seeding system and more.
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Trailblazer Super Fan Dallas Clifford jumps on the podcast to talk Utah Tech hoops, Blazer Nation Network and more.
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June 17, 2023 brings us a new episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast where we visit with two of SFA men's basketball biggest fans. Jaclyn and Alex run the PartinMeAlex podcast where they preview and recap all of the SFA men's basketball games.
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Chelsea and Derryl are back to talk about women's basketball in the Western Athletic Conference. In this first episode of the 2023-24 season, the dynamic duo talk about the transfer portal, some way-too-early rankings and more.
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Michael Sudhalter spoke with Tarleton Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Lonn Reisman on the newest episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast. Reisman is in his 29th year as the athletic director at Tarleton. Reisman was also the head men’s basketball coach at Tarleton for over 30 years.
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Alex and Jacks go over the entire season and give out our own awards! Then we discuss WACVegas Tourney and all our fun experiences!
We want to thank EVERYONE who has supported us over the last 5 seasons of doing this.
We don't get paid. We still have full & 2 part-time jobs each that we have to contend with during the season. We don't have unlimited funds to travel and buy tickets to every sport nor are we retired with nothing to do but attend games. WE ARE TIRED by the end of the season. We support every sport and team. We COVER the men's basketball team. That is all we have time for. That is all we have room for in our schedules.
But we do this out of love for basketball & the coaches but especially the players. We do this because we want to and we can't wait for next season already!
We will have a few more episodes during the off-season as per usual and one about March Madness as a whole. But until then...
AxeEm
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Last two games of the year vs the two top teams in the WAC. Rough ending but we are proud of our team! #AxeEm
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Kyle and Matt discuss SFA men’s basketball as the Jacks have a big week in front of them. The Battle of the Piney Woods and a trip to Orem to take on Utah Valley. Opportunities aplenty for the Jacks.
Image courtesy Natalie Wright/SFA Athletics
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Former UVU guard Colby Leifson jumped on the podcast to talk about the Wolverines this afternoon. Leifson played at Utah Valley for the past two seasons and was part of the 2020-21 WAC regular season co-championship team.
Image courtesy UVU Athletics.
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Eddie Smith is in his second year at Utah Valley. In his first season, the Wolverines hit the most home runs since 2010, rose 84 spots in the RPI and won the most games since 2016’s title run.
Image courtesy UVU Athletics.
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ACU men’s basketball head coach Brette Tanner jumped on the podcast to talk about the Wildcats, change in mentality, and playing more relaxed. And the Voice of the Wildcats, Grant Boone, jumped on to confirm those thoughts, talk about the wild WAC, and preview Sam Houston.
Image courtesy ACU Athletics.
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CBU women’s basketball head coach Jarrod Olson jumped on the podcast. The Lancers are 7-2 in WAC play and coming off a Texas sweep of UT Arlington and Stephen F. Austin.
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Kyle Crews, the Voice of the Tarleton Men’s Basketball team, joined the Straight Outta WAC podcast to talk about struggles on the road, winning at Wisdom, and playing with effort.
Image courtesy Toby Rhodes/Tarleton Athletics
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The Voice of the CBU Lancers, Braiden Bell, jumped on the podcast to talk about the Lancers, the Texas two-step split, and how impressive the CBU women have been as of late.
Image courtesy CBU Athletics.
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New Mexico State broadcaster Adam Young jumped on the podcast to talk about the Aggie men’s and women’s basketball teams, a big week ahead for both teams, and stil holding onto some hope.
Image courtesy NMSU Athletics.
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The Voice of the Lancers talks Lancer basketball, Crumbl Cookies, and more on the newest episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast.
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Spencer McLaughlin is the Southern Utah broadcaster and will be on the call on Thursday night when the T-Birds host Utah Valley. In this episode, we preview the game, talk about the week that was for the T-Birds and more.
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Chris Victor is on the verge of win No. 40 as head coach of the Seattle U Redhawks. But a big road trip to East Texas is looming this week. Riley Grigsby is playing really well recently. And the Redhawks have depth as Cam Tyson has quietly been averaging 20-plus points per game.
Seattle U was in a similar situation at this point last season. But a difficult road trip to GCU and New Mexico State had some bad results. Can Seattle do it differently this season?
Image courtesy Seattle U Athletics.
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Southern Utah went off on Thursday night. Who won’t make it to WAC Vegas? Saturday could play a big role in deciding that. And the Seattle U Redhawks continue to win, especially in different ways.
Image by Andrew Khauv/Seattle U Athletics.
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UT Arlington head coach Greg Young jumps on to talk about the Mavericks, inconsistency, getting a road win, Chendall Weaver and more on the newest episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast.
Image courtesy UTA Athletics
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GCU women’s basketball head coach Molly Miller jumped on the Straight Outta WAC podcast on WAC Wednesday. The Lopes are coming off the biggest win of the year and head to Texas for a pair of games.
Miller talks about growth, executing down the stretch, and learning from previous fourth quarter struggles.
Image courtesy Garrett Ohrenberg/GCU Athletics
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The ACU Wildcats head to Edinburg to take on UTRGV in a rematch of last year’s thrilling come-from-behind win at UTRGV Fieldhouse.
On Saturday, ACU takes on Tarleton for the second time in 15 days, but this time in Stephenville at Wisdom Gym.
Depth, playing style and more are all discussed on the newest episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast.
Image courtesy ACU Athletics.
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Braiden Bell, the Voice of the Lancers, jumped on the podcast today to talk about a pair of wins this week including a wire-to-wire win at New Mexico State. Bell also discusses the big week ahead for the Lancers who host Utah Valley and GCU.
Image courtesy Ella DuPree/CBU Athletics.
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The Southern Utah women’s basketball team is off to a 2-0 start in its first year in the WAC. And head coach Tracy Sanders jumped on the podcast to talk about the success, how the non-conference slate played into the mindset, and more.
Image courtesy SUU Athletics.
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In this episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast, New Mexico State broadcaster Adam Young jumps on to talk about the Aggies, their WAC opener vs. Southern Utah, and the Quick Lane Bowl win.
Image courtesy NMSU Athletics.
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The Voice of the Wildcats, Grant Boone, jumped on to talk ACU basketball, non-conference results and WAC play as well as what changed since an awful trip to Las Vegas in November.
Image courtesy ACU Athletics.
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The UT Arlington Mavericks have been close. Oh, so close. And on Monday night on the West Coast, the Mavericks finally got over the hump. UTA led wire-to-wire in a road win over San Francisco, the best win of the 2022-23 season and the Voice of the Mavericks Josh Sours joins me on the podcast to talk about the game, the mental toughness, and the potential of this squad.
Image courtesy UTA Athletics
Footage courtesy UTA Athletics
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The Bearkats are 9-2 with two games left in the non-conference slate. And the Voice of the Bearkats Carlos Zimmermann joins Kyle to talk about things around the Sam Houston men's basketball program. Javion May is among the topics discussed. And lots of other topics are discussed. Give it a listen.
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SFA women's basketball head coach Mark Kellogg jumped on the show today to talk about the Ladyjacks. Kellogg talked highly of his freshman guards as well as some of his key veterans for the 8-2 Ladyjacks.
It is the WAC Wednesday pre-game show where Derryl and Kyle breakdown all four games on the slate starting with the Tarleton women hosting Northwestern State. Special guests Matt Adkins and Carlos Zimmermann stop by to chat about SFA and Sam Houston and we preview the big matchup in Moraga.
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Here are some thoughts on the WAC seeding system. I know there are a lot of questions surrounding it and many who don't like it. My advice is to let it play out. It will not be the determining factor for the regular season title. But, in my opinion, it is designed to create an opportunity for a higher seed at the NCAA Tournament.
Be patient. It will work itself out.
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GCU insider Paul Coro joined the podcast on Tuesday afternoon. Coro talks about the Wyoming win, Jovan Blacksher Jr's injury, and more as the Lopes get set to host Loyola Marymount on Wednesday night at GCU Arena.
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The voice of the CBU Lancers Braiden Bell joined the podcast on Tuesday.
Kyle and Braiden talk about the Lancers inconsistency, ability to hit shots, getting in a rhythm over the final four games of the non-conference slate, and more.
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New episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast where the Voice of the Bearkats jumps on to preview Sam Houston's final Power 5 game of the non-conference slate, to talk about the first NET ranking, and some players to keep an eye on Tuesday night at Oklahoma State and more.
WAC associate commissioner of basketball Drew Speraw came on the podcast to talk about the first NET rankings of the 2022-23 season.
Listen to his thoughts on where teams stand, what to watch for as well as when the WAC Sports website will have the updated rankings that could change daily.
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Stephen F. Austin athletic director Ryan Ivey jumped on the podcast to talk about the success of Fall sports, the basketball teams, and the culture as well as giving insight on the Board of Regents voting to join the University of Texas system.
There are some thoughts on SFA's men's basketball game last night plus a clip from Kyle Keller's presser that is quite interesting.
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Derryl, Chelsea and Kyle jumped on a late Thursday podcast episode to recap WAC Wednesday, recap some early games on Thursday night and share some thoughts around the WAC as we enter the month of December.
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Here are some thoughts on the New Mexico State situation regarding the incident on Nov. 19 that left one 19-year-old dead and an Aggie basketball player in the hospital.
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It is Super Tuesday. And unfortunately, it's not as super as we had hoped as the WAC no longer has an undefeated team.
But, perhaps a pair of games on Tuesday night can right the ship and get the WAC back to its winning ways.
Here is a recap of both Sam Houston and Seattle U from Big Monday. And a preview of Tarleton hosting Weber State and GCU hosting Alcorn State on Super Tuesday.
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Big Monday was once a big thing for the Western Athletic Conference. You know, those late Monday tip-offs between Utah and BYU. Or San Diego State-BYU and so forth. Sellout crowds at the various arenas where the game was broadcast as part of ESPN's Big Monday and Super Tuesday games.
Those were a blast. And in a wild twist of fate, the WAC gets a Big Monday once again.
Okay, the games won't be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks like they were in the 1990's, early 2000's. But, it is a Big Monday nonetheless. At least for the Sam Houston Bearkats and the Seattle U Redhawks.
The Bearkats and the Redhawks are the lone unbeaten teams in the WAC. Sam Houston is 6-0. Seattle U is 5-0. And both have big time matchups on Big Monday.
Sam Houston is generating a lot of buzz early in 2022-23. The Bearkats have wins at Oklahoma and at Utah and just smoked Northern Illinois and South Dakota at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Monday night at the Lawlor Center, the Bearkats have another opportunity to make a statement. Nevada has already beat three WAC schools in Utah Tech, GCU and UT Arlington. And it is another opportunity for a KenPom top-100 win for the Bearkats.
Seattle U is led by Cam Tyson who is one of the top scorers in the country. The Redhawks swept Portland State and Portland. But, Seattle U is looking to solidify its start when they take on Washington on Monday night.
Give a listen to the podcast episode to hear what Jason Hooten and Chris Victor had to say about tonight's Big Monday games.
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You asked for it and now you got it. Here are the first WAC Hoops power rankings of the 2022-23 season via podcast. Give it a listen, share your thoughts, and debate all you want. These will come out weekly as the season goes along. It's been a fun two and a half weeks and it's only going to get better.
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In the newest episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast, Chelsea, Derryl and Kyle talk about surprises around the WAC, games that stand out, and some impressive starts as we head into Thanksgiving.
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The New Mexico State women's basketball team and the Utah Tech women's basketball team both picked up huge wins on Tuesday night. The Aggies beat in-state rival New Mexico. And the Trailblazers put on both an offensive and defensive clinic to blow out in-state foe Utah State.
Aggie head coach Jody Adams joined the podcast as did Trailblazers head coach JD Gustin to talk about the wins, where they feel things are at and more.
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Sam Houston Bearkats radio voice of the Bearkats Carlos Zimmerman joined the Straight Outta WAC podcast. Zimmerman talks about his call in the upset over Oklahoma, what has surprised him so far early in the 2022-23 season, and more.
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New Mexico State broadcaster Adam Young joins the Straight Outta WAC podcast for the Aggie Weekly episode to talk about men's and women's basketball, excitement around Aggie Land and more.
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Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you to all the Vets and what they have done and continue to do for this great country of ours!
00:00 - Intro/Thankful For Veterans 1:58 - Ups and Downs of Week 1 2:29 - SFA Win Over Gardner Webb 4:26 - Derryl Joins the Podcast 4:52 - Flop Rule 8:21 - Commercial 9:12 - UTRGV WBB Win 12:31 - SFA WBB Breakdown 21:19 - Non-DI Thoughts 29:58 - Friday Night Games 31:40 - Call to Action - Get Your Gear 34:08 - Podcast Outro
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UTRGV men's basketball head coach Matt Figger is in his second season in Edinburg. And the 2022-23 roster is deeper and has more size. Three players 6-11 or taller grace the roster including GCU transfer Dima Zdor who Figger is really high on. Freshman point guard Adonte' Holiman along with teammate Will Johnston have looked in practice. And Figger believes that the Vaqueros are going to shock people. He also knows many will pick the Vaqueros to finish 13th in the WAC based off last season. But it will be a much different group and team than it was in 2021-22.
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UTRGV women's basketball head coach Lane Lord joined the Straight Outta WAC podcast today to talk about the Vaqueros, the crazy week to end the 2022-23 season, the culture being built at UTRGV, schedule news, and some new faces along with seven veterans returning.
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The Utah Valley Wolverines women's basketball team loses 75 percent of its scoring from 2021-22. This includes All-WAC selections Maria Carvalho and Josie Williams. But head coach Dan Nielson isn't fazed and is looking forward to perhaps a different style of basketball in 2022-23. On the newest episode of the podcast, Nielson talks about the Wolverines, recruiting, schedules and so forth.
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Utah Valley men's basketball head coach Mark Madsen stopped by to visit the podcast. Madsen is in his fourth year as the Wolverines head coach. And during that time, Madsen has a WAC regular season title, a win over a nationally ranked opponent and a win over a Power 6 opponent. The Wolverines are loaded as they return nearly everyone from a 21-win team. And while they lose Fardaws Aimaq, they also get a healthy Trey Woodbury back. Keep an eye on the Wolverines in 2022-23.
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Utah Tech men's basketball head coach Jon Judkins is the all-time winningest collegiate coach in the state of Utah. Along with that, Judkins is the longest-tenured coach in the WAC, entering his 18th season in St. George. Judkins just signed a 5-year extension right as the Trailblazers enter a new era where they are finally eligible for the WAC Tournament. Rosters schedules, recruiting and more are in store for those watching this episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast. Image courtesy Breanna Biorato/VisuallyBreanna.
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The Utah Tech women's basketball team has had an eventful transition to the Division I era. The first season was cut short due to the health and safety of the student-athletes. 2021-22 was the first full season at the Division I level. And now the Trailblazers, under a new brand, are primed for the 2022-23 season and a run to WAC Vegas. Head coach JD Gustin is excited for his squad that has some veterans as well as some freshmen that will play a big role for the Trailblazers.
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As the UT-Arlington Mavericks return to the Western Athletic Conference, Greg Young makes it very clear he is trying to rebuild a once proud program from the ground up. From being fired to coming back to UTA, Young and the Mavericks are, well, young. Nine new players will down the blue, orange and white. And as of right now there are questions about the roster, who will be 'The Guy' and a somewhat steep learning curve. Listen to what Greg Young has to say.
The Lady Mavs of UT-Arlington come into their first season in the WAC as conference champions. Starr Jacobs and the Lady Mavs won the Sun Belt Conference tournament and earned the auto bid to the NCAA Tournament. Yes, the Lady Mavs fell to 3-seed Iowa State but the growth and experience is what head coach Shereka Wright is most excited about. Listen to what she has to say.
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Tarleton women's basketball head coach Misty Wilson has been at Tarleton State as a player and a coach for over 25 years. And as the Texans prepare for their first season of eligibility for the WAC Tournament, Wilson is excited to get going. On this episode, Wilson talks about the growth of the university and about her team and what to look for.
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Billy Gillispie says the goal for Tarleton is to win a national title. And the Texans have the resources to do just that. Now it is about finding the best players to come to Stephenville. On this new episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast, Gillispie talks about Tarleton, the resources, NIL, the return of Shakur Daniel, and more as the Texans are now eligible for the WAC Tournament. Be sure to hit that like button and subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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SFA women's basketball head coach Mark Kellogg joined the Straight Outta WAC podcast on Wednesday morning. The Ladyjacks are coming off a WAC regular season and tournament title and another appearance in the NCAA Tournament. There were some big losses and an even bigger offseason loss for the Ladyjacks. Kellogg breaks it all down in this episode.
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The SFA men's basketball team is coming off a year in which they won 10 straight games to end the regular season and earn a share of the 2021-22 WAC regular season crown. Head coach Kyle Keller felt it was one of the better seasons his team had considering the circumstances. Now, with a bevy of sophomores, the return of Roti Ware and Nigel Hawkins finally being cleared to play, the Jacks are ready for year two in the WAC.
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The Southern Utah women's basketball team has experienced a lot of success recently. And head coach Tracy Sanders is excited about the new challenge ahead as members of the WAC. Size, athleticism and the ability to play multiple lineups will be key for the Thunderbirds especially with a brutal non-conference schedule that features three Pac-12 opponents and a trip to Spokane to take on Gonzaga.
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It is #TBirdNation week which means we preview one of the two newcomers to the WAC in Southern Utah University. Men's basketball head coach Todd Simon came on the podcast to talk about the T-Birds, joining the WAC, having a group of veterans back and so much more as we look forward to the 2022-23 season.
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Seattle U women's basketball head coach Suzy Barcomb stopped by the podcast to talk about the Redhawks, the youth movement in the Pacific Northwest, traveling to Greece and the importance of the trip as well as dropping some news on the non-conference schedule.
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Seattle U men's basketball head coach Chris Victor joined the podcast to talk about the Redhawks. Victor discusses the growth of the squad, the run to a regular season crown, Riley Grigsby and Cameron Tyson as well as some of the newcomers and much more.
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Sam Houston women's basketball head coach Ravon Justice joined the podcast to talk about the Bearkats, the craziness of the 2021-22 season, winning streaks, transfers, Faith Cook and more. Justice is excited for her first full season in the WAC after missing the first seven games during a leave of absence.
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Jason Hooten is one of the longest tenured coaches in the WAC. Hooten enters his 13th season as head coach of the Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball team. And while superstar Savion Flagg isn't walking out of the tunnel, the Bearkats are deep. Seven returners will don the Orange and White one more time and face a really difficult non-conference schedule. Hooten discusses this and more on another episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast.
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Stephen Wagner of the Las Cruces Sun News joined the podcast this week to talk Aggie hoops. Wagner began covering the Aggies in the Summer of 2021 and will bring you more Aggie hoops news and information in 2022-23. The Texas native talks about the new head coaches at New Mexico State as well as what fans can look forward to with Aggie hoops and more.
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First year head coach Jody Adams joins the Straight Outta WAC podcast. Adams takes over an Aggie program that has struggled in recent years and is looking to leave its mark in its last season in the WAC. Adams played for Hall of Fame coach Pat Summit at the University of Tennessee and came to Las Cruces knowing only that athletic director Mario Moccia lived there.
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The California Baptist men's basketball team is garnering some offseason hype. And for good reason. As it prepares for its first season of eligibility for the NCAA Tournament, Croy and his staff loaded up the roster. Five Division I transfers will don the navy and white in Riverside. Add those transfers to WAC Freshman of the Year Taran Armstrong along with returners Tre Armstrong, Reed Nottage, and Juhlawnei Stone. On paper, the Lancers are extremely deep. But, it isn't about what's on paper and Croy knows that.
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On this episode of the Straight Outta WAC Podcast, CBU women's basketball Jarrod Olson joins Kyle, Derryl and Chelsea. Olson talks about the offseason, roster turnover, Trinity San Antonio, Summer trip to Italy and more.
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For the GCU men's basketball team, the 2021-22 season was a good one but didn't end the way the Lopes would have liked. And in the offseason, the Lopes loaded up with four Division I transfers including Presbyterian transfer Rayshon Harrison. Add these transfers with returners Jovan Blacksher Jr., Gabe McGlothan, and Chance McMillian among others and you have a solid squad heading into the 2022-23 season.
New Mexico State broadcaster Adam Young joins the podcast to talk about the Aggies. Young gives a report from the Bahamas, who has surprised thus far, thoughts on athleticism, length and the Aggies being the best team from America this week. And even shares some thoughts that Buddy Hield shared with him about the Aggies performance this week on their foreign trip.
Young also discusses the playing style and other things to look forward to including the depth the Aggies have for 2022-23.
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In this episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast, first-year head coach Greg Heiar joins the podcast to talk about the Aggies. Heiar also talks about building a roster, playing style that fans can expect, some scheduling information and what he has learned about the Aggie fan base.
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GCU women's basketball head coach Molly Miller is a winner. She won as a head coach at Drury College and now is winning as a head coach at GCU. The Lopes have played in back-to-back WAC Tournament title games. And in 2021-22, the Lopes had a 22-win season and an appearance in the WNIT.
Now, with the addition of Aaliyah Collins and Sydney Palma, Miller believes this team is ready to take the next step.
Miller discusses her squad and also shares a little tidbit about a massive non-conference game that will take place at GCU Arena possibly toward the end of November.
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It is another episode featuring the Voice of the Lancers, Braiden Bell. On his way to getting ready for the Home Run Derby and taking some photos for a car dealership, Bell takes some time to talk Lance basketball, broadcasting for other CBU sports in 2022-23, having his spot taken by a current CBU coach, and more. Most of the talk surrounds the men's basketball team which is receiving a lot of hype midway through the Summer. Give it a listen.
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ACU head coach Julie Goodenough lost her top two scorers and her starting point guard following the 2021-22 season. It was the first season in the WAC for the Wildcats and it had its challenges. Now Goodenough has to start her second season with a bevy of youth while leaning on a pair of veterans in Bella Earle and Madi Miller. Give this a listen as Goodenough talks about the challenges, the recruiting philosophy and even being able to play in Moody Coliseum in 2022-23.
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In this episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast, Abilene Christian men's basketball head coach Brette Tanner joins us to recap his first season as head coach while looking ahead to the 2022-23 season. And Tanner also gives insight into his bearded look.
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It is July 7, 2022 and the Straight Outta WAC podcast is back. Derryl and Kyle start up a new season of the podcast and introduce a new contributor to WAC Hoops Digest. Chelsea Mendelson is a GCU student who also does some broadcasting. And she will bring a great perspective and knowledge of the game of basketball.
Crazy things have been happening. Transfer portal news, conference realignment, and so forth have dominated headlines. And the trio talk about these things as well as what they are looking forward to in the 2022-23 season.
Remember to follow WAC Hoops Digest on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The life of a coach's wife has a lot of ups and downs. There is the notion that you might not be in the same place year after year. You have to be the calming effect for the family. There are obstacles to deal with such as a crazy COVID year in which you are in a bubble quite a bit.
But, choosing to be a coach's wife comes with those understandings. It comes with the knowledge that you have the opportunity to impact the lives of others and that you now have extended family.
It comes with knowing when to share thoughts on a game and when not to. And Sheri Jans has seen it all. The championships won to a wild loss at Chicago State. Being in a bubble in Phoenix, Arizona because of COVID restrictions in the home state of New Mexico.
And on, and on. But, for someone who has come to love the outdoors despite a fear of heights, it is about perspective, support and patience. Perhaps that is why she bakes cookies for the players. By, the way, the most requested cookie she gets is basically already pre-made. It is a Reese's Pieces cooking. All she has to do is cut the dough, place it on a sheet and bake. And then watch the smiles on the players' faces.
If you have any question about how a coach's wife feels about the players, just look at what Sheri Jans did Saturday night. Sheri was Clayton Henry's escort with a huge smile on her face on Senior Night.
Ups and downs and handling them with a smile. It is what being a coach's wife is all about.
Here are some thoughts on the WAC postseason awards as voted on by the coaches around the conference.
Teddy Allen is the Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Fardaws Aimaq repeats as Defensive Player of the Year. Taran Armstrong is Freshman of the Year and Jaylin Jackson-Posey is 6th Man of the Year.
And it should come as no surprise that Seattle U head coach Chris Victor is Coach of the Year.
Remember, these awards were voted on by the Coaches around the league.
And more as we get ready for WAC Vegas to start on Tuesday afternoon at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay.
The unthinkable happened on Saturday. New Mexico State lost at Chicago State. Yes, you read that correctly. And in the process, the Aggies made the road to the regular season crown a little more difficult. Instead of clinching a share of the regular season crown and the No. 1 seed on Saturday, the Aggies now have to win twice in order be the outright regular season champs. If New Mexico State loses on Wednesday against Stephen F. Austin, and then Seattle and SFA win out and the Aggies beat Utah Valley, all three teams would share the regular season title. New Mexico State would still be the 1-seed.
But, the Aggies don't lose at home. In fact, under Chris Jans, the Aggies are undefeated at the Pan Am Center in conference games. So, that is the good news. The bad news is the Aggies get red-hot Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday and then have to take on Utah Valley on Saturday in the regular season finale. Not an easy two-game stretch.
SFA has won 8 straight games. And Utah Valley is the lone WAC team to beat the Aggies at the Pan Am Center since 2012.
It is all about focus for the Aggies as Adam Young eludes to in this episode of Aggie Weekly.
Image courtesy Charlie Hurly/NMSU Athletics.
Sam Brief made a bold prediction that Chicago State was going to get an eyebrow-raising win in 2021-22. And on Saturday, courtesy of a Brandon Betson layup, the Cougars did just that. And Sam was on the call. Listen to Sam's thoughts on the win, the change of culture in the Windy City, not liking the fact the Cougars will leave the WAC after this season and more.
Image courtesy of Jim Christman/Chicago State Athletics.
It is another busy day of WAC Hoops. And want to wish you good luck on your picks for the day. There are six games on the slate highlighted by Sam Houston at Grand Canyon at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
Another big game is Abilene Christian at Stephen F. Austin at 3 p.m. MT. Big time seeding implications on the line for all four teams.
New Mexico State is at Chicago State with a chance to clinch a share of the regular season crown and potentially the No. 1 seed for WAC Vegas.
Good luck to all today on this second to last Saturday of the regular season. Pretty crazy to think that two weeks from today is championship Saturday.
Braiden Bell joins the CBU weekly podcast episode to talk about the Lancers. It is crazy to think how the Lancers are a few shots or even seconds from being perhaps 12-2 in WAC play this season. It is about finishing games strong and the Lancers have had their struggles.
With four games left, the Lancers are looking to get some momentum heading into WAC Vegas. And this team is capable of making a run. It is just a matter of finishing games strong.
It all starts Thursday at Dixie State.
New Mexico State went 3-0 in a week where KenPom had the Aggies losing two of three. With the three wins, the Aggies are once again on top of the WAC standings with three games to play. The good news is New Mexico State finishes up the regular season at home and the Aggies control their own destiny.
Adam and Kyle talk about the Aggies, Will McNair Jr., the play of Mario McKinney Jr. and more. Give it a listen.
The Dixie State Trailblazers are playing the spoiler role down the stretch of the 2021-22 season. Dixie State is not eligible for the WAC tournament as it is in the second year or a 4-year transition to the Division I level.
And so far, GCU and Utah Valley have felt that pain. New Mexico State escaped the Trailblazers twice. And CBU, Seattle, ACU and Grand Canyon better all be on their toes.
Hunter Schofield has been a big part of the Trailblazers' success. And Dixie State never gives up on a game as shown in the wins over GCU and UVU plus an earlier win over CBU.
Here was the all-time winningest collegiate coach in Utah has to say about his squad, the WAC and what he has learned in year two.
Image courtesy Breanna Biorato.
Big Monday is back in the WAC. And Derryl and Kyle talk about the races on both the men's and women's sides. Who are the Coach of the Year candidates? There is still a ton of basketball to be played. Races may come down to the final weekend of the season, once again. Will the SFA women win out and get a 10-12 seed to the NCAA Tournament? Could the WAC have teams play in the NIT? So many things to think about as we wind down the regular season. Give it a listen.
The newest episode of WAC Wager is live. Austin and Kyle talk WAC Hoops and the busy Saturday slate. The highlight of the day is the big rivalry game in St. George between Utah Valley and Dixie State. The Old Hammer Rivalry is renewed at Burns Arena.
In Phoenix, a big game is taking place. New Mexico State heads into GCU Arena to take on the Lopes looking to stay atop the WAC standings. And for GCU, it is a must-win situation to keep hold of one of the top-4 seeds for WAC Vegas.
Austin and Kyle share their thoughts on other games around the WAC. CBU takes on Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena and both are on the Redhawks at -6.5.
Both are taking the under of 145 in the Sam Houston at UTRGV game. And Kyle shares his underdog bet that might surprise some people.
Have a great day everyone.
Image courtesy Charlie Hurley/NMSU Athletics.
In this episode of the podcast, Adam Young comes on to talk about the Aggies and the big game at GCU on Saturday night.
What matchup to watch, who are some players that could have a big impact on the outcome and how it will go a long way in determining the WAC regular season champion.
Lopes won both games in Phoenix last season. But, Jabari Rice, Johnny McCants, Donnie Tillman and company have a big chip on their shoulders after last season. Aggies won the first matchup in Las Cruces, 71-61, behind a second half push.
Teddy Allen and Jovan Blacksher Jr. are both Player of the Year candidates and this game could have a lot in the say of that.
Check it out.
5 games on the slate on Wednesday night. And a lot of games featuring those wanting to play spoiler roles against teams at the top of the WAC. All lines are from Draftkings Sportsbook.
Chicago State at SFA -19 O/U 138 5:30 pm MT on ESPN+ Jacks won the first contest on Feb. 10 81-61 at the Jones Convocation Center. SFA is on a 4-game winning streak where they have been red hot from the field, averaging 80+ points in the four games. Only one of the four wins has been within single digits and that was a road win at CBU. Chicago State has been fading lately. The Cougars have lost six straight and four of those losses were by double figures. SFA has been really good at home as the Jacks are 5-1 in league play at Johnson Coliseum. Arguably the hottest team in basketball right now has had a week off to prepare for this contest.
The Bet: SFA -19, U138
Utah Valley -1.5 at Tarleton O/U 126.5 6 p.m. MT ESPN+ Utah Valley won the first matchup on opening weekend of WAC play by 22. The Texans were short-handed and coming off a big win over Dixie State two nights earlier. Tarleton will have its full roster on Saturday as Tahj Small didn’t play in the first meeting. The Texans love to turn teams over and Utah Valley is a team prone to turning it over. The big question is how will the Texans match up against Utah Valley’s size? The other question is how will Utah Valley respond after coming off a big win over New Mexico State on Saturday at home? This really feels like a game that could go either way. I am going to stay away from the line for that reason. I think there is going to be a lot of transition buckets in this contest.
The Bet: O126.5
Seattle U -6.5 at UTRGV O/U 151.5 6 p.m. MT ESPN+ How will Seattle handle being on top once again in a road game? When the Redhawks were all alone atop the WAC standings, they went on the road and lost a pair of games at GCU and at New Mexico State. And now they get to face a scrappy UTRGV squad that likes to get up and down the floor. The bigger question is can the big 3 from Seattle in Riley Grigsby, Darrion Trammell and Cameron Tyson shoot better than they did this past weekend in a pair of home wins? UTRGV likes to attack and take people off the dribble. They also like to get out in transition and use a smaller lineup. A long trip on a short week to South Texas is a tough one. And it could be a trap game for Seattle. There are a lot of things are playing against Seattle on Wednesday night.
The Bet: UTRGV +6.5, ML
Dixie State at New Mexico State -16 O/U 144 7 p.m. MT ESPN+ Yes, Dixie State hung with New Mexico State last Thursday in St. George. And Yes, Dixie State beat GCU on Saturday night at Burns Arena. But, the Aggies don’t lose in back-to-back games under Chris Jans very often. The last time the Aggies lost a game, they returned the favor with a 14-point win at SFA. However, the largest margin of victory for the Aggies in WAC play was 17 over Chicago State on opening weekend. And NMSU has to go to GCU on Saturday so this could be somewhat of a trap game at home. The Aggies will win but Dixie State will cover.
The Bet: Dixie State +16
GCU -4 at CBU 8 p.m. MT O/U 135.5 8 p.m. MT ESPN The Seattle/UTRGV game has some intrigue to it. But this might be the game of the night. The Lopes are coming off a 61-60 road loss at Dixie State on Saturday. CBU did exactly what it should have done against Lamar and UTRGV and got back to the old school Lancers by throwing up a lot of 3-pointers. Tre Armstrong knocked down 10 combined 3-pointers in the two wins for the Lancers. The matchup is there as these are two guard-heavy teams. The first meeting was an ugly offensive showing for both teams that GCU was able to win 56-50 at GCU Arena on Feb. 5. I love Jovan Blacksher Jr. and Holland Woods and when they are on, they are really good. But it seems like it is a struggle for GCU on the road. And the CBU Events Center will be rocking on Wednesday night. This is another one of those games that is a trap game.
The Bet: CBU +4, ML
Another big night of WAC Hoops with a lot on the line as we continue to move toward WAC Vegas. Road trips are not easy in this league. But it will be a very entertaining Wacky Wednesday. Enjoy the games and good luck in your betting choices.
Utah Valley got a big win over New Mexico State on Saturday. But the Wolverines also lost to GCU on Thursday. So, which Utah Valley team will we get this week as the Wolverines travel to Texas to take on Tarleton and then St. George to take on Dixie State.
Fardaws Aimaq continues to play at a high level as he picked up two double-doubles this past week and won WAC Player of the Week honors. Aimaq leads the nation with 21 double doubles. The Wolverines also got solid contributions from point guard Blaze Nield as well as sixth man Justin Harmon.
The Wolverines look to stay in the mix for a higher seed at WAC Vegas and it starts in Texas on Wednesday.
Image courtesy UVU Athletics.
With three weeks left, Seattle U has put itself in a position that it has never been in since the revamped WAC began in 2013-14. The Redhawks control their own destiny for a regular season crown. After getting back in the win column with wins over UTRGV and Lamar, the Redhawks gladly celebrated when Utah Valley knocked off New Mexico State on Saturday.
It mean Seattle U was back in a tie for first place in the WAC standings. And it is a big four-game stretch for the Redhawks. Seattle travels to South Texas to face UTRGV for the second time in six days in Edinburg. Then, the Redhawks return home to host CBU on Saturday before hosting New Mexico State on Monday in a makeup game from the first week of WAC play.
Following that, Seattle U heads to the Rocky Mountains to take on Utah Valley on Thursday and Dixie State on Saturday.
Can the Redhawks put themselves in a position to win the WAC? Have to keep an eye on it.
Image courtesy Seattle U Athletics.
Coming off a pair of home wins, confidence is soaring for the CBU Lancers. And it is a good time for it, as well. CBU hosts GCU on Wednesday and then heads to Seattle on Saturday in a pair of big games for the Lancers, who could play spoiler.
Braiden Bell joins the podcast to talk about the Lancers, the morale, the big week ahead, perhaps pulling off an upset or two this week and more.
Image courtesy CBU Athletics.
Now that the Super Bowl is over, it is time to focus back on #WAChoops and the final three weeks of the regular season.
So far, it has been a fun 2021-22 season. Lots of surprises along with some upsets, teams having their best season in 40 years, great single-game performances and so forth. Been a long time since the WAC has had 7 teams in the KenPom top -150.
But that is where we are at. Two teams, New Mexico State and Seattle, sit atop the WAC standings with identical 10-2 records in WAC play. Sam Houston is a half game back. SFA and GCU are in the mix at 8-4 and Abilene Christian has won six straight.
This past week was a wild one in the WAC, especially on Saturday. If you weren’t paying attention, New Mexico State and Grand Canyon both lost on Saturday on the road in the state of Utah.
Utah Valley knocked off the Aggies 72-68 behind Fardaws Aimaq’s nation leading 21st double double and despite a golden opportunity to get back in the regular season title race, GCU couldn’t hold off pesky Dixie State in a 61-60 win for the Trailblazers at Burns Arena.
And so, the final three weeks of the regular season are going to be Wild and WACky.
So let’s talk first about the KenPom projection for the finish of the regular season. It is going to surprise a ton of people. Well, perhaps one team won’t be surprised by the projections. But there is going to be one fan base that is going to vehemently disagree with the final standings.
Just want to make a disclaimer. I only have the schools eligible for the WAC tournament in this section.
Tarleton is projected to finish 9-9 in WAC play. Dixie State is projected to finish 5-13 in WAC play.
With regard to these final projected standings, lets look at the schedules for each team. Some have more favorable schedules down the stretch including Grand Canyon which finishes with three straight home games.
Others like Utah Valley have arguably the most difficult finish playing four out of its final six games on the road including finishing up with Grand Canyon and New Mexico State.
It is going to be a wild ride over the next three weeks. Remember, the 1-2 seeds get a bye to the WAC semifinals. 3-4 get a bye to the quarterfinals. The teams who are the 7-10 seeds would have to win five games in five days to win the WAC tourney. This is why the regular season matters so much. The WAC wants to protect those higher seeds because they did more during the regular season. It’s not unreasonable to be honest. It’s the right thing to do. It just puts that much more emphasis on the regular season which is a good thing.
Another episode of WAC Wager is live. Austin and Kyle breakdown Saturday's busy slate of WAC Hoops. Six games are being played highlighted by New Mexico State at Utah Valley. A rivalry game takes place in West Texas when Tarleton hosts Abilene Christian.
Can CBU shoot the lights out again when the Lancers host UTRGV? What about Sam Houston? Can they keep pace for one of the top-4 seeds at Chicago State on Saturday? Seattle looks to come out a little stronger on Saturday against Lamar. And could GCU be in a trap game spot?
Austin and Kyle discuss all these things in this episode of WAC Wager.
It is another episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast. This episode is all about the CBU men's basketball team. The Lancers are 2-8 in WAC play and the average margin in all 10 games is around five points. That is how close the Lancers have been to being 8-2 in WAC play. The struggle to finish games is real and the Lancers are coming off a pair of road losses at New Mexico State and Grand Canyon.
Taran Armstrong is back so that should help. But the Lancers have to figure out a way to win the close games. It all starts on Thursday night when CBU hosts Lamar.
Image courtesy CBU Athletics.
Austin and Kyle are back with a new episode of WAC Wager. Five games on the slate on Thursday and four of them have double-digit favorites. The biggest game on the slate is GCU at UVU at the UCCU Center in Orem. This is more of a rivalry than GCU and New Mexico State. The Lopes hold an 11-8 advantage in the series and the teams are the defending regular season co-champs after splitting the season series last season.
New Mexico State, Stephen F. Austin, California Baptist and Seattle are all double-digit favorites tonight. The Aggies are at Dixie State. SFA is at Chicago State. California Baptist hosts Lamar and Seattle hosts UTRGV at Climate Pledge Arena.
Kyle and Austin share their thoughts on each game. Austin had two bets in for WAC Hoops today as he is taking CBU -12 and the over of 142.5 in the New Mexico State/Dixie State contest.
Kyle is coming off a 5-1 Saturday in which Utah Valley ruined his parlay ticket. But Kyle has UVU -1.5, Lamar +12, SFA -12, and the under of 155.5 for UTRGV at Seattle. Kyle's best bet is New Mexico State -10.5 at Dixie State.
The SFA women's basketball team has had a lot of recent success. Since taking over the program in 2015-16, SFA has won 18-plus games every season under Mark Kellogg. In 2021-22, the Jacks are 19-3 overall and 10-0 in WAC play. And this season, Kellogg hit the 400-win mark.
Having the right players both on and off the floor are essential and Kellogg and his staff have done a great job of sustaining that success.
Image courtesy SFA Athletics.
Utah Valley play-by-play voice Brandon Crow joined the podcast to talk about the Wolverines.
On this Wolverine Wednesday as it is referred to in Orem, the Wolverines have a pair of HUGE games this week at home. Utah Valley hosts GCU on Thursday and New Mexico State on Saturday. A pair of wins could vault the Wolverines back into the regular season title discussion. A pair of losses would really hurt. Plus there is a bit matchup of Player of the Year contenders on Saturday when Teddy Allen and Fardaws Aimaq go head-to-head.
Crow and I recap the win over Sam Houston, talk the SFA loss and give some thoughts on this weekend's big games in Orem.
Image courtesy UVU Athletics.
GCU women's basketball head coach Molly Miller joined the podcast on Wednesday. Miller talks about her team, the growth, moving on from Katie Scott and Laura Piera and more.
GCU is 15-6 overall and 8-2 in WAC play, second in the WAC standings. The Lopes are coming off a big win at defending champ CBU and have three home games over the next week including a WAC semifinal rematch with Utah Valley. What is even more impressive is the Lopes have not lost a road game in WAC play.
Amara Graham and Kennedi Shorts are a few names Miller talks very highly of in this episode.
Image courtesy GCU Athletics.
Abilene Christian started off WAC play with a pair of road wins. Then the wheels came off for five games including the first losses at the Teague Center in nearly two years.
But, the Wildcats have now reeled off five straight wins including an 83-66 win over UTRGV on Saturday. What has been the key to success? Why the struggle through the first half of the conference season? And can ACU make a run at a higher seed for the WAC Tournament?
Play-by-play voice Grant Boone talks about the Wildcats and discusses the season up to this point.
It is the Aggie weekly episode featuring play-by-play voice Adam Young. The Aggies are back on top of the WAC standings after a pair of double digit wins. On Thursday, New Mexico State beat California Baptist. And on Saturday, New Mexico State beat Seattle to sit along atop the WAC standings.
Teddy Allen has been really good. The Aggies have more size than they have under Chris Jans. And now a big road trip after a 3-0 home stand.
At 19-3 and 9-1 in WAC play, the Aggies are right where everyone expected them to be.
New Mexico State guard Teddy Allen is making a statement for WAC Player of the Year honors. The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks are back in the mix of things after a pair of dominant wins. Seattle had a rough weekend in its bid to win the regular season crown. And the WAC just keeps getting better and better. It is a fun league and one that people need to start paying more attention to.
It is a weekend recap of thoughts from another busy weekend of WAC Hoops.
Sam Houston associate head coach Chris Mudge stopped by the podcast to talk about the Bearkats. At 8-1 in WAC play and 13-9 overall, the Bearkats have come alive in WAC play. Sam Houston beat California Baptist on Wednesday and now head to the Pacific Northwest for a battle for first place.
Mudge talks about the team and how the players have bought into winning. Along with this, Mudge discusses role players stepping up, the high basketball IQ of the squad and facing adversity.
Saturday's game features two teams that are red hot. Both Sam Houston and Seattle are 9-1 in their last 10 games. Both sit atop the WAC standings at 7-0 and 8-1. So, the Redhawk Center should be rocking on Saturday in a battle for first place.
Image courtesy of Sam Houston Athletics.
Imagine shooting 54 percent from the field. That should equate to a win in the minds of many. And imagine committing just eight turnovers in the game, as well. It should have been an easy win.
Well, unfortunately for Chicago State, despite shooting 54 percent from the field and only committing eight turnovers on Thursday night, their opponent shot a little better.
Utah Valley shot 69 percent from the field and 73 percent from 3-point land in the 101-87 win over the Cougars.
Good news for Chicago State is they scored the most points any opponent has against Utah Valley this season. And the Cougars were fully healthy. They just caught Utah Valley in one of its best shooting nights in program history.
Josh Hunt and Kyle recap the game, preview Saturday's showdown with Dixie State and give thoughts on the Cougars moving forward.
Image courtesy Chicago State Athletics.
For the California Baptist Lancers, every game in conference play has been close. This is true in both victory and defeat. A buzzer-beater at Chicago State. Giving up an 11-0 run to lose by three at home to Dixie State. A two-point win over Utah Valley. And it just goes on and on.
On Wednesday, it was Savion Flagg and Sam Houston that beat CBU in another close game. Braiden Bell stops by to talk about the frustration and what has to happen to get over the hump.
Along the way, we talk about the SFA matchup and what the key matchups are. Braiden also gives his pick to win the game between Sam Houston and Seattle on Saturday after having seen both in person. Give it a listen.
On this episode, Seattle play-by-play voice Russell Brown chimes in on the win over SFA on Wednesday. The Redhawks are off to their best start in almost 40 years. At 16-4 overall and 7-0 in WAC play, the Redhawks are the lone unbeaten in conference play.
The big three have carried this team. But, the Redhawks are getting contributions all around recently. The win over SFA sets up a huge showdown against Sam Houston on Saturday with first place on the line at the Redhawk Center.
Image courtesy Andrew Khauv/Seattle U Athletics.
Conference games continue to get better and better. But, let's reference to WAC Wednesday as WACky Wednesday.
UTRGV had four players foul out and had to run and get a uniform so a walk-on could get on the floor so the Vaqueros could finish the game with five players. What is even more impressive is UTRGV actually had a chance to beat Abilene Christian.
Lamar had more players in street clothes on its bench but had a chance to beat Tarleton. Montre Gipson made sure the Texans didn't lose five straight, though.
Just when CBU thought it had Savion Flagg corralled, the WAC Player of the Year candidate scores 24 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to lead the Bearkats to another win.
And people need to get on the Seattle bandwagon. I have been since the offseason. Redhawks are now 7-0 in WAC play and off to their best start since 1963-64.
Image courtesy Andrew Khauv.
The conference season continues to roll along. And on Wednesday night, we have four more games ready to tip off. Two of the games feature teams playing in specific arenas for the first time ever. Two other games feature the Texas two-step.
Two of the games have big implications on the line. Seattle is looking to stay unbeaten when it hosts SFA at Climate Pledge Arena. Sam Houston is looking to stay atop the WAC standings at CBU tonight.
And Tarleton goes on the road to take on Lamar who is winless in WAC play. ACU looks to stay in the win column when the Wildcats travel South to Edinburg to take on UTRGV.
Should be another fun night. Good luck on your picks today.
It's that week again. The week that prior to last Thursday, everyone was hoping was going to be the biggest game in the Western Athletic Conference in a long time.
But, it's the wild, wild WAC and things change. Both New Mexico State and Grand Canyon got beat up pretty bad on Thursday. The Aggies and Lopes both lost by 25 points at Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin. And for good measure, Grand Canyon lost at Sam Houston on Saturday while New Mexico State beat Stephen F. Austin.
So, now both the Lopes and Aggies go head-to-head on Saturday in Las Cruces. It is a must-win situation for the Lopes according to Adam Young. And for the Aggies, they haven't lost a WAC game at home under Chris Jans. So, something has to give.
Here is the preview, thoughts and some hot takes on this weekly episode of New Mexico State basketball.
It is a busy Saturday of #WAChoops. Kyle and Derryl preview each game on both the men's and women's side of things. Russell Brown opens up the episode talking about Seattle U and trying to stay perfect in WAC play.
Only one game has been postponed from today's slate which hopefully is a good sign. SFA and New Mexico State have rescheduled their women's game for February 14 in Las Cruces.
But, other than that, it is game on today and games tip off at 1 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
It is another busy day of WAC Hoops. All six men's games are being played today beginning with tip off at 1 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
Austin in is Las Vegas enjoying himself so Kyle presents two bets Austin gave him. Plus, Kyle breaks down his thoughts on each game and which way he is leaning.
Austin was 3-0 on Thursday in his bets. Kyle went 3-3 in his. Give it a listen. Good luck with your wagers. And enjoy the day.
Sam Houston was 5-1 in WAC play coming into Thursday night. After opening its game against New Mexico State on a 10-0 run, the Bearkats never looked back. Savion Flagg had another big night in just 24 minutes of floor time. And the rest of the Bearkats did their part to push Sam Houston to 6-1 in league play.
Play-by-play voice Rob Hipp got on the podcast to talk about the big win, his takeaways from the game and how Sam Houston has set itself up atop the WAC standings.
Image courtesy Brian Blalock/SHSU Athletics.
Perhaps it was the physicality. Or maybe one team overlooked the other. Whatever it was, Stephen F. Austin made a statement with a 71-46 win over Grand Canyon on Thursday night at Johnson Coliseum.
Jovan Blacksher Jr. kept GCU in the game in the first half with 18 points. In fact, SFA led just 32-31 at the break.
And then slowly, and painfully for GCU, the wheels started to come off in the second half. SFA put on the defensive clamps and continued to twist the dagger over and over again until the final horn blew.
Here is reaction from both sides of the aisle.
Tried to do this as a live podcast episode. Going to do it more often so you will have to sign up and follow on the Podbean App. But what a wild night of WAC Hoops as both NM State and GCU lose by the same exact score and in arenas named Johnson Coliseum.
UVU, CBU and Dixie State all got wins on the night.
And Seattle's big 3 led them to another win to improve to 5-0 in WAC play. The Redhawks are the only undefeated team in the WAC.
Here is a short episode previewing UTRGV at Utah Valley on Thursday night at the UCCU Center. Wolverines has lost two straight while the Vaqueros are coming off their first conference win a week ago.
Can the Vaqueros fast pace throw off the Wolverines? Or will the size advantage of Fardaws Aimaq cause UTRGV a lot of problems?
A lot of questions in tonight's game that tips off at 6 p.m. MST on ESPN+.
Another episode of WAC Wager is live. Austin and Kyle get your Thursday morning started off with their underrated games of the night, letting the under dogs eat and their best bets on a busy Thursday of WAC Hoops.
On this episode, Kyle and Derryl discuss their Player of the Year candidates and give their reasons behind the picks. You have to listen to the episode to hear the breakdown.
Also, both Kyle and Derryl share some of their big games for the weekend. And you may be surprised at a few of the games that are discussed. Either way, this is a must-listen episode.
Sam Houston is 5-1 in WAC play and the Bearkats have played well since finishing the non-conference slate with a win over NC Central.
Head coach Jason Hooten now holds the most wins in program history at 226. And what a better way to do it then beating your rival on your home floor.
Savion Flagg continues to grow into a leader both on and off the floor for the Bearkats. He also stuffs the stat sheet on a nightly basis, too.
Other Bearkats are stepping up into their roles. And it is leading to success for Sam Houston.
Sam Houston play-by-play voice Rob Hipp breaks it all down for us on this weekly episode of the Bearkats.
The California Baptist Lancers got a gutsy win over Utah Valley on Saturday. But, the Lancers couldn't secure a defensive rebound in the waning moments of regulation against Seattle and then lost in overtime to the Redhawks on Monday.
Playing with a depleted lineup and missing freshman guard Taran Armstrong, the Lancers have had a chance to win all four conference games thus far. But the Lancers just haven't gotten over the hump. Braiden Bells recaps the week that was and previews the upcoming road trip to Abilene Christian and Tarleton this week.
The Lancers are 1-3 in WAC play and 11-6 overall.
Another week of WAC Hoops has come and gone. New Mexico State sits atop the standings tied with GCU at 5-0. The Aggies got a huge performance from Teddy Allen on Saturday night. Allen posted a career-high 41 points in the Aggies win over Abilene Christian. Perhaps the only knock from head coach Chris Jans is Allen not playing defense as well as he should have.
The Aggies are cruising, though. 15-2 overall, 5-0 in WAC play. And the focus this week is on a trip to Texas to face Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin.
If the Aggies sweep the week to improve to 7-0 it could potentially set up arguably the biggest conference game in some time on Jan. 29 in Las Cruces.
Aggies can't get caught looking ahead because Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin are dangerous.
Normally, donors and season ticket holders have some sort of tie to a university. That could be as alumni or perhaps a family member attended the school. That is just kind of the norm.
But, sometimes, all it takes is a little recruiting to entice others to become season ticket holders. In the case of Matt and Allie Canaday, that is exactly what happened. Between the recruiting by athletic director Jared Sumsion and then-head coach Mark Pope, the Canaday's became season ticket holders for the UVU men's basketball team.
And, after watching Utah Valley beat BYU on Dec. 1, 2021 at the UCCU Center, the Canaday's decided to make a small contribution to the school. Owners of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory of Lehi and Auntie Anne's Pretzels on Traverse Mountain, the Canaday's will donate $100 for every Utah Valley win in 2021-22.
Matt joined the podcast to discuss the decision, becoming a Utah Valley fan, and more.
On Thursday night, GCU earned a statement win over Abilene Christian. Against one of the best defensive teams in the country, GCU shot 60 percent from the field and put up 95 points against the Wildcats.
In a battle of 2021 NCAA Tournament teams, GCU got the best of ACU at GCU Arena. Jovan Blacksher Jr. had 19 points in 27 minutes. Taeshon Cherry had 16 points in 17 minutes and 12 Lopes scored a point in the win.
GCU is off to its best 15-game start in the Division I era. Bryce Drew and his staff continue to win despite losing four starters from the 2020-21 WAC Tournament Championship team.
Blacksher and Holland Woods make up one of the best guard duos in college basketball. The pair combined for 31 points, 12 assists and just two turnovers on Thursday night.
The Lopes host Tarleton on Saturday night on ESPNU.
There are four games on the WAC Hoops slate for Thursday. And it is an over kind of day plus a favorite kind of day.
Will we see a healthy Lamar squad finally? The Cardinals host Sam Houston in the first game of the night.
Will Chicago State win another WAC game or does UTRGV get its first conference win?
How will ACU handle the GCU Havocs? And can GCU keep pace at the top of the WAC standings?
Is Tarleton for real? Or, will New Mexico State show the Texans that the Aggies are still the Kings of the Mountain?
Lots of intriguing matchups and in this episode of WAC Wager, Kyle gives his thoughts on each game as well as his bets for each game.
Kyle's bets for the day:
Sam Houston -5, Over 136.5
UTRGV -9, Over 149.5
GCU -3.5, Over 133
NMSU -9.5, Over 128.5
We just don't know who is playing for Lamar. But, we do know that Sam Houston has the best player on the floor in Savion Flagg. And the Bearkats are 3-1 in WAC play and coming off a thrilling road win at Abilene Christian. Lots of what ifs for Lamar while we know what we are getting from the Bearkats.
UTRGV is desperate for a conference win. The Vaqueros are 0-4 in WAC play under first year head coach Matt Figger. UTRGV hasn't been healthy all season. And Chicago State is coming off its first conference win since 2018. It is a perfect storm for UTRGV and to hit the over as both teams can score and like to get up and down the floor.
I like GCU tonight to pull away late. The interior presence of Gabe McGlothan is going to cause problems as is the athleticism of Sean Miller-Moore. The guard lines will be fun to watch battle it out all night. GCU takes care of the ball rather well which is the kryptonite of ACU who likes to create turnovers. And how will ACU handle the Havocs tonight? Should be a fun one between two good basketball teams.
And last, but not least, I like New Mexico State tonight to reign supreme. The Aggies are at home in Las Cruces, have more size and depth and simply a major chip on their shoulders. Love Tarleton but the Texans lack depth and size which is what led to the 22-point loss at Utah Valley two weeks ago. Aggies by 12 tonight while hitting the over.
At the CBU Events Center on Wednesday night, it was shades of the Duke-Maryland game from 2001. Do you remember that? 10 points in 54 seconds for Jay Williams to lead the Blue Devils to the win.
On January 12, 2022, it was almost repeated. The only difference is that Dixie State scored 11 points in a little over a minute to earn a 79-76 win over CBU. The Lancers held a 76-68 lead with 1:26 to play.
And then all the craziness broke loose. Dixie State forced four CBU turnovers in the final minute and used an 11-0 run to pull off the thrilling win. Shades of Jay Williams.
Isaiah Pope had five of the 11 points in the run. The and-1 conversion with nine seconds to play by Pope was the dagger.
Cam Gooden finished with a game-high 26 points in the win. Dan Akin led CBU with 23 points. The Lancers were short-handed on Wednesday night. Taran Armstrong and Te'Jon Sawyer were both out with a non-COVID illness and Malik Wade is battling a knee injury.
Dixie State avoided starting WAC play 0-4 with the win. CBU drops to 0-2 in WAC play.
In the other game of the night, the Big 3 for Seattle saved the day. Utah Valley led 54-44 with just over six minutes to play. But, from that point on, scored just 11 points. And Seattle took advantage led by Riley Grigsby, Darrion Trammell and Cameron Tyson.
Grigsby hit a 3-pointer out of a timeout with just over a minute to play to give the Redhawks a 62-60 lead. After Connor Harding hit one of two free throws for Utah Valley, Tyson hit the dagger with a three from the wing to make it 65-61. And Seattle hit free throws down the stretch to seal the statement win.
Seattle was 0-7 from deep in the first half. And then exploded to hit 10 3-pointers in the second half. Cameron Tyson finished with 25 points, 21 of those were in the second half. Trammell finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. And Grigsby finished with 13 points.
"I don't know if we win this game a month ago," said Interim Head Coach Chris Victor. "But tonight we showed how much we've grown as a group. Towards the end of the first half we started getting frustrated, taking bad shots and forcing it. At halftime we told the guys, 'you've put in the work, you're great players and great shooters, you're going to start making them.'"
Fardaws Aimaq finished with 16 points and nine rebounds for Utah Valley. The Wolverines were without starter Tim Fuller who was dealing with a non-COVID illness.
Just a fun, fun night of WAC Hoops on Wednesday and it only gets better.
There are two games on Wednesday night. Utah Valley travels to the Emerald City to take on Seattle U at Climate Pledge Arena. And California Baptist plays host to Dixie State.
The Redhawks have flown under the radar a bit. But don't let that fool you. Seattle returns All-WAC performers Riley Grigsby and Darrion Trammell. And Seattle added Cameron Tyson to form the 'Big 3' per se. Along with these three, Seattle U has some size they can throw at Utah Valley big man Fardaws Aimaq. Brandton Chatfield came over from Washington State and Kobe Williamson is also back for the Redhawks.
However, I am leaning Utah Valley +1.5 in this contest. Fardaws Aimaq has proven that no matter who you throw at him, he is going to get his numbers. A lot of that is because the Wolverines are shooting much better from the perimeter and have multiple role players who can knock down shots.
I am also leaning the over of 141 because both teams shoot at a high clip. It should be a fun one on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. MT.
The second game of the night features a pair of teams winless in WAC play thus far. California Baptist is coming off a bad loss at Chicago State. Dixie State is coming off a rivalry loss at Utah Valley. So, something has to give. The Lancers will most likely be without star freshman guard Taran Armstrong who is still battling an illness. And Dixie State lacks some depth in the paint. I still am going to lean Dixie State and the points.
The Trailblazers can score especially when they take care of the basketball. And it's not like Lancers force a ton of turnovers. And I am going to lean on the under of 151. Both teams are on a short week and are familiar with one another so I don't know that this will turn into a track meet.
It has been a dark few days for the California Baptist Lancers. Some games you win and some games you lose. But, sometimes a loss hurts quite a bit more than others. And on Saturday, the Lancers lost at Chicago State in their WAC opener. The win by the Cougars was their first conference win since March 3, 2018. Not the type of loss the Lancers wanted to have.
And now, CBU hosts Dixie State on Wednesday night at the CBU Events Center with a chance for a bit of redemption. Perhaps getting back on the floor that quick is a good thing. But, the Lancers might be without star point guard Taran Armstrong who is still battling an illness.
Either way, Reed Nottage has to play better. Ty Rowell will have to pick up the scoring punch. And the Lancers have to play with more energy on Wednesday night.
Plus, CBU has three games in a span of six days due to a rescheduled game against Seattle on Jan. 17. It's a tough challenge but the Lancers do not want to start WAC play with back-to-back losses.
The Seattle U men's basketball team got WAC play started on the right foot with a 16-point win at Chicago State last Thursday. Now, the Redhawks come home to Climate Pledge Arena to host Utah Valley on Wednesday night.
The last time the two teams met in 2021, Utah Valley came away with a 93-92 overtime win on a Trey Woodbury buzzer-beater. But, Woodbury won't be playing Wednesday night and the Redhawks hopefully get Riley Grigsby back after missing the Chicago State win.
Redhawks play-by-play voice Russell Brown joins the podcast to review the Chicago State win and preview the Utah Valley game. Brown also gives us the matchup to watch on Wednesday night and it might be different than what most think.
Utah Valley play-by-play voice Brandon Crow hopped on the Straight Outta WAC podcast on Monday night. Brandon and Kyle talk about Utah Valley, the early season success and the role players.
The key for Utah Valley is taking pressure off WAC Player of the Year Fardaws Aimaq. And role players Blaze Nield, Connor Harding, Tim Fuller and Le'Tre Darthad are doing that on a consistent basis. Asa McCord and Tim Ceaser have been bit for Utah Valley, as well.
The Wolverines head to the Pacific Northwest to take on Seattle on Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena. The last time the two teams met, Utah Valley guard Trey Woodbury hit a 3-pointer with a second to play to propel the Wolverines to the 93-92 overtime win at the Redhawk Center.
On Wednesday, the Wolverines will still be without Woodbury and perhaps Justin Harmon. The matchup to watch will arguably be between Riley Grigsby and Connor Harding. Keep any eye on this one. Should be a fun one at Climate Pledge Arena.
WAC play has been so entertaining through the first two weeks of conference play. Unfortunately, for New Mexico State, the Aggies have only been able to play two of their scheduled four games. One game was postponed to a different date. And the other was canceled and put down as a forfeit for the WAC standings.
Now, after an 85-73 road win at UTRGV, New Mexico State returns home for arguably its toughest tests of the conference season thus far. The Aggies host Tarleton on Thursday night and then host ACU on Saturday night.
Both teams love to get after you defensively but the Aggies have a major size advantage over both teams.
Adam and Kyle talk about the improvement of Will McNair Jr who had 17 points at UTRGV. Teddy Allen has become a complete ball player since coming to Las Cruces. And the Aggies are just deep right now. But, according to their coach, they simply haven't played up to the level he wants them to, yet. Kind of a scary thought.
The goal is to win now. And rather than re-build, it is simply about re-tooling. Chicago State head coach Gerald Gillion joined the podcast to talk about the culture, winning, and the changing of the guard in the Windy City.
Chicago State is fresh off its first conference win in nearly four years. Brandon Betson hit a floater with 1.5 second left to give the Cougars a 58-56 win over California Baptist on Saturday.
The last time Chicago State won a conference game was March 3, 2018 when the Cougars ended the regular season with a win over Kansas City.
Led by Betson and freshman guard Jahsean Corbett, the Cougars now have five wins on the season. The last time Chicago State won 5-plus games in a season was 2016-17 when the Cougars won six games.
And the confidence is there for the Cougars. Gillion even mentioned he has already booked the trip to Las Vegas for the WAC tournament.
The Cougars have a big road trip at UTRGV and at Lamar this week.
It is another episode of WAC Wager as Austin and Kyle give their best bets today and thoughts on a busy Saturday of WAC Hoops. Give it a listen.
It is the second episode of WAC Wager. Kyle and Austin are here to share information, share their picks and thoughts on a busy Thursday night of WAC Hoops.
Yes, COVID is rearing its ugly head with the Omicron variant. And we will see what the new NCAA guidelines say when they come out this week. But, for now, we have four games to focus on.
Austin and Kyle both like Tarleton State -3.5 at home against Sam Houston. The Texans can defend the perimeter and they get after you defensively. The Bearkats are led by Savion Flagg who is a double-double machine. But, what is Sam Houston's strength in shooting the 3 plays right into the defensive game plan of Tarleton.
Austin and Kyle differ on the GCU at UTRGV matchup in Edinburg. Listen to their different takes on this game. The last time GCU played, the duo was on the same page with their bets in episode one. But on Thursday night, it's a different story. Listen to their breakdown of this game.
In game three, Kyle decides to put a little underdog sprinkle as the bettors on Wager Talk would say. Chicago State hasn't won a conference game in nearly four years. March 3, 2018 was the last time the Cougars won a WAC game. And on Thursday night at home against a Seattle team who hasn't played in nearly two weeks, that streak is in serious jeopardy, according to Kyle. Austin likes the Cougars at +10. Kyle likes the line, as well but is also putting a money line sprinkle in his upset bet on the Cougars.
The final game on the slate is a big one. Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian know each other well. They have similar playing styles and a lot of ties between the two squads. ACU hasn't lost a game at the Teague Center over the past year and half. The Wildcats are 21-0 and have won each of those 21 contests by double figures. This is why Kyle makes ACU -6 as his best bet of the night. Austin, on the other hand, likes the first half under which is set at 66.5.
It should be a fun night of hoops. And, fortunately for now, we have games we get to bet on.
Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian know each other pretty well. ACU head coach Brette Tanner was an assistant at SFA prior to coming to Abilene. The Jacks and Wildcats have split the last three years. ACU swept the season series last season. SFA swept the season series in 2019-20 and the teams split the season series in 2018-19. Both have been to the NCAA Tournament in recent years.
And both schools wear purple and white. So what will give in perhaps the game of the week on Thursday night at the Teague Center?
Matt Adkins talks about SFA, the two games from 2021 and how there will be some rust for the Jacks. SFA hasn't played in nearly two weeks since Dec. 18 at Kansas. COVID protocols created a mess for SFA's opponents. And who will step up alongside Gavin Kensmil? Who can provide that scoring punch? Adkins gives his take in the first part of this episode.
In the second part ACU play-by-play voice Grant Boone gives his take on the game. But Boone also discusses the WAC, the intriguing matchups and so forth. ACU has won 21 straight games at the Teague Center. And in all 21 of those games, the Wildcats have won by double figures. Will that change Thursday night against former Southland Conference rival Stephen F. Austin? It remains to be seen. It is why we play the games.
The Chicago State Cougars have not won a conference game since March 3, 2018. In the final game of the regular season Deionte Simmons led five Cougars in double figures in a 96-82 win over Kansas City.
That is an impressive streak to break. And after an 0-2 start to WAC play in 2022, the Cougars are still looking for that elusive conference win. It could possibly come this week. The Cougars host Seattle on Thursday night at the Jones Convocation Center. Seattle has been off for nearly two weeks due to COVID issues. So, with the long travel, and perhaps overlooking the Cougars, Thursday might be the night.
Jahsean Corbett and Brandon Betson lead the team in scoring. Coreyoun Rushin has played multiple positions despite the lack of size. And the Cougars need to get healthy and get Bryce Johnson back on the floor. It would give Chicago State a third scorer to take the pressure off Corbett and Betson. If Ali Abdou Dibba can replicate his performance against GCU consistently, it would also give the Cougars another scorer.
Either way, this Chicago State team is playing with some confidence. Add in the energy coming from head coach Gerald Gillion and there is a belief that the Cougars will win some games in their final season in the WAC.
The Abilene Christian women's basketball team opened WAC play with a pair of victories. And both victories came in different fashion. Head coach Julie Goodenough joined Derryl and Kyle on the podcast on Tuesday to talk about the Wildcats, the WAC, COVID and other interesting topics.
It is another one of the daily podcast episodes. Adam Young comes on and will be on every Monday to talk about the Aggies.
In this episode, Young and Kyle talk about the win over Chicago State, the depth issue for the good facing Chris Jans, the fluidity of COVID, and a young Chicago State team.
Give it a listen.
It was a fun first weekend of WAC Hoops. We had a Quad I win. There were also three road wins. Three teams were playing shorthanded in Tarleton, Lamar and Chicago State.
And that led to the first power rankings of 2022. Remember, these are weekly power rankings. Thus, they will fluctuate from week-to-week. I live in the here and now not what a team did a month ago. That is for the bracketologists. These power rankings are more of a 'what have you done for me lately' kind of mentality. I am not a big analytics guy. I leave that to the guys at Heat Check.
That is why ACU is at the top. A pair of road wins including a Quad I win at UVU puts the Wildcats at the top of the list. Sorry but road wins are better than home wins. At least that is what the argument was when New Mexico State beat Washington State. I was inundated with tweets about how that win was better than GCU's win over higher-ranked and undefeated San Francisco.
So, just be patient. The rankings will come out every Monday after the weekend wraps up. There are some thoughts on Tarleton, Lamar and Chicago State all missing players. Montre Gipson played all 40 minutes of both games this weekend for the Texans. Chicago State has some really good freshman guards who put up big numbers in both losses. Lamar was without three of its leading scorers and still nearly knocked off Sam Houston.
It's going to be a fun conference season and it's just getting started. There will be COVID issues but hopefully those are minimal with the new policy the WAC has put in place. Either way, enjoy the episode and enjoy your night.
Abilene Christian play-by-play voice Grant Boone joined the podcast this morning to preview the Wildcats. Boone believes that many, including himself, overlook the Wildcats especially because of their lack of size this year.
However, what ACU lacks in size, they make up for on the defensive end. Brette Tanner's crew wants to force 20-plus turnovers per game. And over the 9-game win streak, that is exactly what ACU has done.
Now, the Wildcats get to play their first-ever WAC game at Utah Valley who boasts one of the best big men in America. It is also the first time ACU is playing away from the Teague Center in over a month.
Give it a listen as Boone breaks things down ahead of this very intriguing WAC opener.
New to the Straight Outta WAC podcast is a segment we refer to as WAC Wager. Austin Montgomery and Kyle will be providing this segment twice a week prior to games starting.
Austin writes for aarontorresonline.com with NFL, college football and college basketball gambling articles.
Kyle, well he is just connected to the WAC. And both hosts give their thoughts on the point spreads, over/under and some of their bets for WAC games. This will be coming to you all throughout the season.
In the first game of the night, Lamar at Sam Houston, Austin leads toward Sam Houston -9.5 while Kyle is afraid of the line due to reports of only 8 Cardinals making the trip. Kyle takes the over of 134.5.
In the second game, Abilene Christian at Utah Valley, Kyle is taking Abilene Christian on the money line while Austin is going with Utah Valley at +1.
In the third game, Austin and Kyle are both on the same page, taking Chicago State +22 at Grand Canyon. The line is just too high and without the Havocs in town due to Christmas break, this may make it easier for the Cougars to cover.
In the fourth and final game, Austin is taking the over at 133 while Kyle is taking Dixie State +3.5 due to news that came out from the Texans on Wednesday. Tarleton is without two starters including the second leading scorer on the team Tahj Small.
Keep an eye out for these episodes to come out twice a week throughout conference play.
The week thus far has been a blast. We have talked with coaches, play-by-play voices and now we have an insider. GCU insider Paul Coro came on the Straight Outta WAC podcast to talk about the Lopes, the culture, Jovan Blacksher Jr., Holland Woods and Bryce Drew.
In just his second season at GCU, Drew is once again showing what a quality coach he is. The Lopes are 10-2 overall, have arguably the best win in program history, and the second best win in the WAC in 2021-22. GCU is 27-9 since Bryce Drew took over last season. And the Lopes are led by junior guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. who is quietly putting his name out there for WAC Player of the Year. Paul Coro discusses what makes Blacksher Jr. so special and how his game has changed since coming to GCU prior to the 2019-20 season.
Coro also discusses the role of Arizona State transfer Holland Woods. Woods is the second leading scorer for GCU, right behind Jovan Blacksher Jr. Had Woods not missed the Wyoming game, perhaps the Lopes would be 11-1 rather than 10-2. Either way, the Woods-to-Blacksher Jr. combination is paying dividends for the Lopes.
Coro also discusses the culture and change of play GCU has installed this season. Last season, the Lopes could lean on their big men in Asbjørn Midtgaard and Alessandro Lever. However, in 2021-22, the Lopes are a little more guard oriented and get up and down the floor a little quicker.
One thing Coro does talk about is the relationship of Oscar Frayer and Sean Miller-Moore. You need to listen to it as it is more impressive than typing it out.
Voice of the Lancers Braiden Bell, Voice of the Lancers, came on this episode. There wasn't much of a preview of any game as the Lancers won't play a conference game this week. CBU was slated to play Seattle on Saturday night in Riverside. However, due to Covid protocols, Seattle had to postpone its first two WAC games. CBU is looking to get a game on the schedule. But that is still unknown at this time.
But, Bell has a different plan in place if there is no game this weekend. You will have to listen to his plans with his family.
In this segment, we talked about head coach Rick Croy and his staff who find the right fits to come to Riverside. Think Gorjok Gak, Brandon Boyd, Milan Acquaah, Ferron Flavors Jr., Dan Akin, Chance Hunter and more. It's about finding the right guy, not necessarily the best guy at CBU. And it has worked since joining the DI ranks in 2019.
It's a good segment for a good episode so make sure you give it a listen.
On another daily episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast, we are talking Bearkats and Cougars. Sam Houston play-by-play voice Rob Hipp drops in to talk about the Bearkats. And special guest head coach Jason Hooten joins the cast as well to talk about the difficulty of preparing for a conference opener with COVID on the table, too.
Savion Flagg has been really good for the Bearkats. Unfortunately, there has been inconsistency around him, which has led to a struggle throughout the non-conference slate. Tristan Ikpe, Javion May and others need to step up if the Bearkats are to have success when WAC play opens on Thursday. The Bearkats face a well-known foe in Lamar. The Cardinals knocked the Bearkats out of the Southland Conference tournament in 2021 so there is a little redemption on the mind of the Bearkats.
In the second segment, we talk with Josh Hunt who breaks down Chicago State. The Cougars have four wins in the non-conference slate. All four wins have come against Division I opponents. And the four wins are the most Chicago State has had in a season in nearly three years. The Cougars haven't been healthy all season with a pair of freshman still dealing with nagging injuries. JUCO transfer Brandon Betson has been really good for the Cougars under first-year head coach Gerald Gillion. Chicago State opens WAC play at Grand Canyon and at New Mexico State. Not a good combination.
It is episode three of the daily podcasts. It is the start of having two podcast episodes a day leading up to games starting on Thursday. The conference opener for both Seattle and Tarleton takes place on Thursday. The Redhawks host preseason favorite New Mexico State. And Tarleton travels to St. George to take on Dixie State.
Play-by-play voice of the Redhawks Russell Brown joined the episode. Brown discusses the Big Three in the Seattle lineup. Riley Grigsby, Darrion Trammell and Cameron Tyson can all light up the scoreboard. But, what is most impressive is the Redhawks have won nine games thus far and its usually been two of the three putting up big numbers. We have yet to see all three in the same game put up monster numbers. That is scary.
Brown also talks about the experience and leadership especially considering former head coach Jim Hayford had to resign two days before the season started. Chris Victor was named the interim head coach and has led Seattle to one of its best starts in program history. The Redhawks have a little more size but have the versatility to put multiple different lineups on the floor. And they open against the King of the Hill so there is a lot of motivation going into the WAC opener.
Is Tarleton for Real? Texans play-by-play voice Casey Hogan stopped by to talk about this simple fact. We talk about what makes Freddy Hicks so tough despite being outsized on most nights. The Texans know how to defend and teams rarely have a time when there aren't two or three hands creating a lot of chaos on the defensive end.
Billy Gillispie is a hard-nosed coach and that is what he gets out of his players. Tarleton has a 6-7 man rotation and that probably won't change. Gillispie trusts these players who have earned that right. Shamir Bogues is one of the nation's leaders in steals with 29 total. Montre Gipson plays like a giant despite being one of the smallest players on the floor. And Texan players love playing for Gillispie according to Hogan.
Opening WAC play at Dixie State presents its challenges. However, after playing the toughest schedule in the nation in November, the Texans have the confidence to compete with anyone.
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The daily podcast episodes are going to start coming. Fast and hard. And you won't want to miss an episode. On this second episode, New Mexico State television broadcaster Adam Young joins the podcast. Young talks about the potential of the Aggies, big wins, and some unexpected changes certain players are showing.
Perhaps two of the biggest names are Will McNair Jr. and Teddy Allen. Teddy 'Buckets' as his coach has referred to him, has made a name for himself on the defensive end of the floor. And in the rebounding category and is slowly but surely becoming a complete player. All this despite averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game. McNair Jr. is playing at perhaps the highest level he has since becoming an Aggie. Averaging nearly 9 points and 7 boards per contest, McNair is gaining confidence right before our eyes. It is something Adam Young has his eyes on as the season goes forward.
In the second segment, Matt Adkins joins the podcast to talk about the Lumberjacks. Stephen F. Austin has had some ups and downs in the 2021-22 season. And Adkins discusses the struggles with inconsistency. Gavin Kensmil has ben a beast night in and night out for the Jacks. But, the loss of guard Roti Ware for the season could have a significant impact.
The big question for SFA is who will step into those shoes? Nigel Hawkins will play a much bigger role. Day-Day Hall has to be a little better. And perhaps the true freshman Jaylin Jackson-Posey's role will become larger. And opening night of WAC play isn't a walk in the park when the Jacks host Lamar. The Cardinals split with SFA last season. Keep your eye on this.
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WAC play is upon us. Hopefully Covid will stay away long enough for fans to get a look at what conference play will be like. This is the first episode of daily content during WAC play.
Morning anchor Nick Canizales joins the episode to talk about Lamar. The Cardinals have been dealing with injuries all season. Those injuries are a big reason Lamar has just two wins and no wins against Division I competition. First-year head coach Alvin Brooks has had his work cut out for him. In fact, Lamar has had just two players play in all 13 games this season. Davion Buster has missed the past two games. But, Lamar got Kasen Harrison, C.J. Roberts and Jordyn Adams all back on the floor this past week.
Once this team is fully healthy, we should know more about where they stand in the WAC. Canizales talks about that as the injury problem is what is talked about most in Beaumont.
As far as Utah Valley is concerned, the Wolverines open at home against Abilene Christian. The Wolverines are coming off a pre-Christmas win at Washington. It is the second Power 6 win for a WAC squad this season. And it was on a night when WAC Player of the Year candidate Fardaws Aimaq had a 'quiet' 15-point, 15-rebound double double. Utah Valley is off to its best start in program history at 9-3 and the Wolverines have the best win among WAC schools in the non-conference slate.
The Wolverines play the same way their head coach Mark Madsen played. Hard-nosed, intense, aggressive and they out-work opponents. And on Thursday night to open WAC play, it's going to be a dog-fight. Abilene Christian loves to play defense and they want to force 20-plus turnovers per game. Well, Utah Valley hasn't taken care of the ball all that well this season. The Wolverines are averaging nearly 15 turnovers per contest. In fact, in the win over Washington, Utah Valley committed 20 turnovers. Keep an eye on this on Thursday night.
We will have more content each and every day of the week for the next 10 weeks. Subscribe to the podcast through the Podbean app, on Apple podcasts and even on Google Podcasts. We are also on Spotify but I have to update a few things. But sign up for a free account on the Podbean app so you can listen to our live podcasts that will come out on Thursday and Saturday afternoons.
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On this episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast, Kyle breaks down his top-5 wins of the non-conference slate. Utah Valley over BYU. New Mexico State with two wins on the list. Grand Canyon and Stephen F. Austin all part of the top-5 wins.
In all reality, it was a pretty solid run for WAC teams. At least at the top. Chicago State won four games and all against Division I competition. That is pretty wild. One of those wins was a true road game, too.
It should make for an interesting conference season. Three teams are now considered Quad I wins. New Mexico State, Utah Valley and Grand Canyon are 67, 68, and 69 in the NET Rankings. Abilene Christian is also in the top-100 at 96.
Could this make the WAC a two-bid league? It is possible but slim. Kyle explains his thoughts on how this could possibly happen.
And Kyle also explains why you need to subscribe to the podcast with a ton of content coming up throughout the conference season. It all begins Monday so buckle up.
California Baptist is off to its best start as a Division I program at 8-1. The lone loss came at No. 7 Texas. And the Lancers also feature one of the best young players in the game in freshman Taran Armstrong. Yes, Armstrong has the ability to put up a triple-double night in and night out. But, it is the other little things like learning how to play defense, the competitiveness and so forth that are setting him apart. Add in the fact that, according to both Rick Croy and Braiden Bell, his teammates love playing with him, and you have a solid mix.
California Baptist has more depth than normal in 2021-22. With transfers Chance Hunter and Dan Akin, the Lancers got some veterans out of the transfer portal. These two go well with Ty Rowell, Reed Nottage and Tre Armstrong who have all been in the program for multiple years. Plus, having Te'Jon Sawyer and Malik Wade back again after their freshman campaigns makes life a little easier for Croy.
California Baptist has a big game at UC Riverside on Sunday before going to Tucson to take on Arizona the following week. Rick Croy is doing amazing things in Riverside and the Lancers continue to get stronger.
New Mexico State men's basketball beat writer Stephen Wagner joined the podcast on Thursday morning. Wagner talks about the transition from Austin to Las Cruces and the culture shock that took some time to get used to.
Wagner also talks about the rivalry wins for New Mexico State and which seemingly meant more and why. Great description of the New Mexico rivalry and how it has a little more meaning than UTEP.
The Las Cruces Sun beat writer also talks about the importance of Nate Pryor and the Aggies getting healthy. Wagner also gives some places to eat in Las Cruces.
It has already been said that some wins are just simply bigger than others. And on Wednesday night at the UCCU Center in Orem, that is exactly what happened. Fardaws Aimaq and Justin Harmon both had a game-high 24 points and Utah Valley knocked off No. 12 BYU for its first win over a ranked opponent in program history. Here is a reaction from the game as well as head coach Mark Madsen's thoughts on the contest.
Daybreak anchor Nick Canizales joined the Straight Outta WAC podcast to talk about the Lamar Cardinals. Canizales goes into detail about what new head coach and Lamar alum Alvin Brooks is doing to bring the winning ways back to Beaumont. We talk about injuries that are hurting the Cardinals. And we also talk about New Mexico State transfer C.J. Roberts and how he is having a solid season so far at Lamar. Size is an issue for the Cardinals and it is something that Brooks will address as time goes along. And Canizales gives us some places to eat in Beaumont.
Derryl and Kyle are back with the Straight Outta WAC podcast. In this first real episode of the 2021-22, the pair talk about the scheduling debate seen on Twitter on Sunday. Along with this, Derryl gives his breakdown of Molly Miller's 200th win as a head coach. And we give a big shoutout to the Chicago State women for their first win of the season at Big Ten foe Wisconsin. It is just the start as we will have plenty more episodes for you to listen to this season.
The WAC Player of the Year returns in 2021-22. Utah Valley big man Fardaws Aimaq had a monster season for the Wolverines in 2020-21 averaging 13.9 points and 15.0 rebounds per game. Utah Valley won a share of the WAC regular season crown and Aimaq also won Defensive Player of the Year.
Aimaq shares what he learned while testing the NBA Draft waters. And at 6'10 and referred to as Big Maple by his teammates, Aimaq talks about the current state of Utah Valley basketball.
Sam Brief is the Voice of the Chicago State Cougars and has some great insights on the athletic department. Sam also gives us his choice for best deep dish pizza in Chicago although he can't eat it due to a dairy allergy. Sam also gives a bold prediction for the men's and women's basketball teams.
As a Las Cruces native, Johnny McCants is excited for one more run with the New Mexico State Aggies. Fans will get to fill the Pan Am Center which McCants is so excited for. Along the way, McCants will become a father, as well and the raw emotion is there in this episode of the Straight Outta WAC podcast. Give it a listen.
GCU is playing in its first-ever NCAA tournament, CBU women are playing in the WNIT and Utah Valley women are in their first-ever NCAA Tournament plus some other bullets from around the WAC.
Image courtesy David Kadlubowski/GCU Athletics
Utah Valley Athletic Director Jared Sumsion joined the podcast to talk about the challenges he faced during the pandemic. Sumsion also gives credit to the student-athletes for the way they handled things as well as his colleagues around the WAC and how they have become a little closer throughout this crazy time.
The 2020-21 school year has been a crazy one and perhaps none more so than for the New Mexico State Aggies. Covid restrictions forced the men's and women's basketball teams to relocate for a period of time. Other sports have had to compete on the campus of rival UTEP. It has just been a wild year. And New Mexico State athletic director Mario Moccia felt the brunt of it but with the help of his staff, things have worked out alright for the Aggies.
In this episode, Derryl and Kyle talk about the postseason awards. CBU head coach Jarrod Olson won Coach of the Year. CBU point guard Ane Olaeta won Player of the Year. Katie Scott swept Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year. And Seattle U's Bree Calhoun was the Defensive Player of the Year.
Derryl and Kyle also talk about the quarterfinal matchups for the women's side of WAC Vegas plus a prediction on the first game of the tournament between 4-seed New Mexico State and 5-seed Seattle.
Should be fun in WAC Vegas.
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GCU Lopes insider Paul Coro came on the podcast once again to talk about the big series happening at GCU Arena this weekend. The Lopes host Utah Valley with the WAC regular season title on the line for both schools. A sweep by either team means outright champions. A split means co-champions. Either way, it is a big series in the desert.
And it's a series that could determine the WAC Player of the Year as well. It's a battle of the two best big men in the WAC. UVU's Fardaws Aimaq is averaging a nation-best 15.4 rebounds per game. And GCU big man Asbjørn Midtgaard is shooting well over 70 percent from the field. Both lead the nation in those respective categories.
The game could come down to the guard play. UVU features Jamison Overton and Trey Woodbury. GCU counters with Jovan Blacksher Jr. Or perhaps it will come down to the benches which are very similar in style, as well.
Either way, it should be a fun weekend at GCU Arena.
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Image courtesy GCU Athletics.
Ben Aird, Keawe Enos, Mitch Bruneel and Zach Nelson joined the podcast to reminisce about the 2013-14 season. Aird and Enos were seniors on a Utah Valley squad that went 13-3 in its first year in the WAC to win the regular season title outright.
A brawl that marred a really good basketball game, and receiving a technical on an exclamation point dunk are all part of this episode. Plus these former UVU players have some advice for Utah Valley as the Wolverines travel to Phoenix with a chance to win the WAC on the line at GCU on Friday and Saturday.
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Image courtesy UVU Athletics.
Another episode of the WAC Hoops Digest Podcast where Kyle and Tyler discuss the weekend. Also in the discussion is post-game celebrations and how we both feel about them. Give it a listen.
New Mexico State shot the lights out. Utah Valley held off a pesky UTRGV squad that is playing with a lot of emotions. And Seattle U got defensive in its win over Grand Canyon on Friday night.
On the women's side, Tarleton State picked up one of its biggest wins of its first year at the DI level, beating New Mexico State in El Paso. Utah Valley and GCU kept pace for second place in the WAC standings. The Wolverines won at UTRGV and GCU dominated Seattle.
Craziness is the narrative of this 2020-21 season. And it's only going to get crazier as the regular season winds down.
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Image courtesy NMSU Athletics.
CBU women's basketball head coach Jarrod Olson and point guard Ane Olaeta joined the podcast on Wednesday. The Lancers are the WAC regular season champs after sweeping GCU last weekend. Olaeta was the WAC Player of the Week and will perhaps earn WAC Player of the Year honors prior to WAC Vegas in a little under two weeks.
CBU is 20-0 overall and 12-0 in WAC play and looking to finish off an undefeated season. Due to not being eligible for the NCAA Tournament, the Lancers will play in the women's NIT when it begins the following week after the WAC Tournament.
Olaeta also talks about what she will takeaway from her time at CBU. In fact, Olaeta has started all but two games since coming to CBU prior to the 2017-18 season. And her head coach has some high praise for his talented guard who couldn't speak any English when she first came to Riverside.
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Image courtesy CBU Athletics
Three more WAC series ended in splits this past weekend. Friday night winners lost on Saturday night. Just making the WAC race that much more interesting. Plus some thoughts on WAC Vegas and how the seeding will work.
In this episode, Tyler and Kyle break down the weekend that saw all three series split between opponents. Winners on Friday night lost on Saturday night. It was a wild weekend. And series are going to continue to get heated as the regular season begins to wind down.
UTRGV currently sits atop the WAC standings but has only played two conference games. GCU had its 7-game winning streak snapped by CBU. Utah Valley and New Mexico State split their weekend series in El Paso. And the series between the WAC newcomers ended in a split, as well. It is just a wild season in 2020-21 and Kyle and Ty talk a little about that.
Kyle and Tyler also talk about preparing for WAC Vegas and how these back-to-back games are something teams can learn from as they prepare for the WAC tournament in just under three weeks.
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Image courtesy New Mexico State Athletics.
Halftime breakdown of a big WAC series in Riverside. CBU leads 39-36 over GCU. Katie Scott leads all scorers with 14 points. No Lancer was in double figures. The Lopes also forced 12 turnovers despite only shooting 25 percent in the second quarter. Fun game that could determine the WAC regular season champion.
Just trying out a live podcast as we preview the GCU at CBU women's game that has huge implications for the WAC regular season crown. The Lopes and Lancers do battle in Riverside at CBU Events Center.
The Utah Valley women's basketball team was a preseason favorite to win the WAC regular season crown. But, a slow start added with COVID issues has kind of made the Wolverines a bit of an afterthought. UVU is 6-3 overall and 4-2 in WAC play. The two losses were at the hands of undefeated California Baptist in the first conference series of the 2020-21 season.
Dan Nielson explains how his team has dealt with the adversity of this pandemic season. In fact, he uses the fact that UVU has taken a back seat to GCU and CBU as motivation to get his team ready to play. The Wolverines are coming off a sweep of Chicago State last weekend where UVU didn't play particularly well. Nielson attributes some of that to being on pause for nearly two weeks.
The second-year coach is excited to have a few more practices under their belt before UVU hosts GCU on Friday and Saturday. The series was set for the last regular season weekend but both teams put it in motion to play a bit earlier after both had open weekends.
Josie Williams and Maria Carvalho are big pieces Nielson relies on. And Carvalho has to be her All-WAC self this weekend against GCU's pressure.
Both games are set to tip at 2 p.m. MT on the WAC Digital Network.
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Image courtesy UVU Athletics.
Grand Canyon women's basketball head coach Molly Miller is a winner. Plain and simple. At Division II Drury, Miller was 67-1 over her final two seasons and led the Panthers to a perfect 32-0 season in 2019-20. And all she has done at GCU is bring that winning mentality to the desert. The Lopes are 13-3 overall and 5-1 in WAC play, sitting in second place behind undefeated California Baptist.
Miller attributes her success to her players buying in to the culture. That culture consists of being in shape, putting forth effort night in and night out and focusing on controlling what the Lopes can control. GCU features a full-court press and runs very few offensive sets. Miller wants her team to outplay, out-hustle and simply outwork their opponents.
The crazy part about all of this is the Lopes have just one senior on the roster. The fact that the youth on GCU's roster have bought into Miller and her staff so quickly is impressive. And doing it all amidst a pandemic where practices are limited, workouts are limited and interactions are limited makes it even more impressive for Miller and her staff.
GCU faces a difficult two weeks. The Lopes go on the road for the first time in nearly a month. GCU travels to Orem to take on Utah Valley in a series that was moved up nearly three weeks. The Lopes then travel to Riverside the following week to take on undefeated CBU.
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Image courtesy GCU Athletics.
Jarrod Olson joined the podcast on Tuesday afternoon. The California Baptist women's basketball head coach is coming off a series sweep over New Mexico State in which Olson picked up his 200th win as the Lancers' head coach. However, at the time, Olson didn't even know it would be his 200th win. He is more focused on his Lancers and continuing to focus on the goal of winning the WAC regular season championship.
CBU is well on its way to doing that. The Lancers are 16-0 overall and 8-0 in WAC play. CBU has four players averaging in double figures but on any given night, could have one of perhaps nine players have a big night. Leadership, experience, and an understanding of the culture are what is leading to the success of the 2020-21 season.
Olson also discusses the Lancers' trip to Edinburg. The CBU women have never won at UTRGV and with travel issues and so forth, Olson knows its not going to be an easy task. Add in the fact that CBU hosts second-place Grand Canyon next weekend, and there is concern of a letdown.
Olson also discusses the mindset behind adding 10th-ranked Oregon to the schedule late in the season.
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Image courtesy CBU Athletics.
Another week of WAC Hoops has come and gone. With it, some bad news came as well. UTRGV head coach Lew Hill passed away in his sleep on Sunday morning. Hill was 55 at the time of his death and it has created a shockwave around the coaching circles. There is also speculation that the Vaqueros will shut down the season after the loss of their beloved coach.
It's tough to really put together an episode after talking about this heartbreaking news. But, life sometimes has to go on. Kyle and Derryl talk about the weekend that was. The CBU women continue to dominate and are 18-0 overall and moving up the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 rankings. GCU continues to keep pace in the women's race for the regular season crown. Molly Miller is a winner and has the Lopes right in the mix after a sweep of UTRGV. Utah Valley continues to stay in the mix and host the Lopes this upcoming weekend in a big series for both teams.
On the men's side, New Mexico State got in the win column after a dominating performance Saturday night against California Baptist. Jabari Rice had a season-high 20 points to lead the Aggies who scored 97 points in the win. Seattle earned a split of the weekend at Dixie State. Redhawks guard Darrion Trammell was the WAC Player of the Week after posting 30 points in back-to-back games this weekend.
You can find the WAC Hoops Digest podcast the Anchor app and on all your favorite podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Image courtesy NMSU Athletics.
It is Friday afternoon and I should have been in Edinburg, Texas by now. At the very least, checked into my hotel in McAllen. Disappointing times this COVID-19 has caused a lot of people. For what it is worth, two Dixie State series have been cancelled when I have requested credentials. The second game of the UVU-Seattle series was cancelled. That was frustrating because Tyler and I were in Seattle to cover that series. And now another series gets cancelled due to COVID-10. Perhaps I am just a bad luck charm or something.
Anyway, I discuss the issue at hand about fans at games, the comment from Jamie Boggs to the Las Cruces Sun News and more in this episode of the podcast. I am all for having fans at games as long as protocols are being followed. Is there a correlation between 900 fans at the GCU basketball games this past weekend and the postponements for this weekend? Probably not. The fans aren't even close to the floor. And Boggs even stated the same thing in her comment to the LCSN.
There are people on both sides of this. The Twitter banter has been quite interesting. People have their positions and aren't really wanting to budge either way. For what it is worth, organizations and institutions have a lot more data to process in regard to these decisions than people on Twitter will ever see.
Anyway, after that rant, I discuss the games this weekend. New Mexico State hosts California Baptist at Eastwood High in El Paso. Dixie State hosts Seattle who hasn't played in three weeks. It should be another fun weekend of WAC Hoops.
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The California Baptist Lancers are riding high. CBU is one of the best offensive teams in the nation. And CBU play-by-play broadcaster Braiden Bell joins the podcast to talk about this Lancer offense.
The Lancers rank in the top-25 nationally in a variety of offensive categories including points per game, 3-point field goal percentage and rebounds. CBU is tops in the WAC in 3-point field goal percentage, free throw percentage and points per game. It is quite unique considering that the Lancers lost the majority of their offense from 2019-20.
However, Ty Rowell, Reed Nottage, Tre Armstrong and Gorjok Gak have stepped up. And Mark Carbone and Elijah Thomas also provide an offensive spark at times.
It has led to mixed results, however. CBU is 8-5 overall and 3-3 in WAC play. The Lancers lost on Saturday night at the CBU Events Center to Dixie State.
Bell also talks about how excited he is to call this week's CBU game at New Mexico State. The game is being played at Eastwood High School in El Paso. Just listen to Bell describe his thoughts when he first saw pictures of the 'arena'.
Along with this, Bell also describes his feelings toward the EA Sports announcement on Tuesday. It might surprise you.
And last but not least, the CBU play-by-play broadcaster has a request for New Mexico State fans. And it is important so help him out Aggie fans.
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Image courtesy CBU Athletics.
GCU is off to a 10-3 start under first-year head coach Bryce Drew. The Lopes are also 4-0 in WAC play after sweeping weekend series at Tarleton State and at Dixie State. Currently, GCU is on a 6-game winning streak. Wichita State transfer Asbjørn Midtgaard has been a huge part of that success.
Coro delves into what the big man's game and his skill set. Perhaps the Wichita State faithful are watching Midtgaard and wondering why he never got a shot with the Shockers. Coro believes that Midtgaard is the difference-maker on the interior that the Lopes haven't had. It gives Alessandro Lever a chance to be more of a stretch-4 and also gives the Lopes a rim protector.
According to Coro, Gabe McGlothan is the energizer bunny off the bench. McGlothan is physical and attacks the boards. In fact, it was offensive rebounding in the first game against Dixie State that really made the difference in the Lopes' win. McGlothan, Sean Miller-Moore, and Even Chance McMillian are keys to the Lopes depth under Bryce Drew.
But, all roads lead through New Mexico State. According to Coro, the Lopes aren't taking the Aggies lightly despite all the challenges the Aggies have had to face this season. Keep an eye on the guard play between Evan Gilyard and Jovan Blacksher Jr. Coro believes Aggie fans will be justified in saying this series didn't matter because the Aggies weren't at full strength. If GCU were in the same position, Coro would believes GCU fans would say the same thing.
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New Mexico State has finally taken the floor once again. And with it comes perhaps what some considered the biggest series of the season this weekend. The Aggies travel back to Phoenix to take on Grand Canyon in their first WAC series of the season.
The Aggies came off pause last week and played their first game since Dec. 28 on Monday at the Haskins Center in El Paso. And no, it wasn't against rival UTEP. The Aggies beat up on Division III opponent Western New Mexico.
However, the Aggies weren't at full strength on Monday. Jabari Rice and Clayton Henry were still in boots. Donnie Tillman wasn't available. Rashaun Agee, Marcus Watson and Mayan Kiir were all out, as well. Add in that Johnny McCants and Evan Gilyard didn't play significant minutes.
But the Aggies played a game and that was all that mattered.
Now, the question is, how will the Aggies fare in their first WAC series? Like Adam Young says, if anyone can pull some magic out of a hat, it would be NMSU head coach Chris Jans.
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Image courtesy NMSU Athletics.
It is the first-ever WAC Roundtable. Monitor News writer Andrew McCulloch and Inland Sports Senior Writer Derryl Trujillo join Kyle and Tyler to talk about WAC expansion as well as WAC hoops.
The WAC added Sam Houston State, Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin, Lamar and Southern Utah on Thursday morning. All four Texas schools will join the WAC in July, 2021 while SUU will join in July, 2022.
With the new additions, the conference is set to sponsor football once again. And the new additions give the basketball side of things a little more exposure. Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian have been to the NCAA Tournament in recent years and SUU is off to a solid start in this COVID-crazy 2020-21 season. In fact, the T-birds have wins over future WAC opponents Dixie State and Utah Valley this season.
Along with this news of WAC expansion, some basketball games are going to be played this weekend, too.
Tarleton State heads to Riverside to take on California Baptist. Both teams are vying for their first conference win after getting swept in their conference-opening weekend one week ago. Dixie State is heading to Edinburg to take on UTRGV in the conference openers for both teams. And Utah Valley heads to the Pacific Northwest to take on Seattle. The Wolverines are 2-0 after sweeping California Baptist while Seattle will be playing its first conference games.
And according to tweets, all three series are set to go.
In this episode of the WAC Hoops Digest podcast, expansion is the big topic. Also on the agenda is the weekly power rankings and breaking down why I have the rankings the way I do.
I also tried a new video episode that is on our YouTube page so check that out. I would love to hear any feedback from fans on what I can do better or what they would like to see.
Expansion is happening in the WAC. On Thursday in Houston, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, Lamar and Abilene Christian will be announcing their intention to join the WAC beginning in the 2021-22 year. Southern Utah is expected to join the WAC as well but not until 2022-23.
Football is back in the WAC and basketball is just going to get better.
GCU sits atop the power rankings this week after going 2-0 at Tarleton State to open WAC play. Utah Valley comes in at two as they are also 2-0 after sweeping California Baptist.
All other WAC teams were either idle, on pause or played non-DI opponents. Watch out for UTRGV and Seattle in these power rankings. UTRGV got big man Jeff Otchere back from injury and Javon Levi is expected to take the floor this weekend for the first time in nearly a month.
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Conference play is upon us. Friday night four WAC teams are in action...against other WAC teams. Yep. Totally stoked. And on this episode of the podcast, California Baptist head coach Rick Croy and Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen share some thoughts on this weekend.
The Lancers and the Wolverines have played just one game since Dec. 12. Technically, Utah Valley has played one game while California Baptist has been on pause due to COVID issues.
But, both squads are excited to get back on the floor and relieved that the games are actually going to get played.
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Image courtesy of UVU Athletics.
Monday Madness Thoughts. Sounds reasonable now that we are a little over a week away from conference play beginning. The madness technically began last week with the Chicago State news.
Add in the madness New Mexico State has gone through just to get another game scheduled.
And the madness that is choosing the WAC Player of the Week and you can see why the name of the episode.
On this episode of the podcast, I talk about the selections for Player of the Week honors. GCU swept the award with Asbjørn Midtgaard winning on the men's side and Katie Scott winning on the women's side. Both had solid performances in their respective games this week. Unfortunately, there wasn't much depth in terms of games played so it is to be expected. Midtgaard and Scott are both well-deserving. Hopefully more games are played this week prior to conference play starting next week so we get a look at other players throughout the WAC.
Adding to the madness is Chicago State.
Chicago State suspended its men's basketball season last week. And there has been a lot of speculation going on about the decision. Athletic director Elliott Charles said it was due to the safety of the student-athletes. And it very well might have been. The amount of speculation going on via Twitter and social media is kind of crazy. Are there financial issues within the Chicago State athletic department? Absolutely. With the lack of success, should the Cougars move down to Division II? Perhaps. Again, all speculation at this point.
The one fact is that the men's basketball team has been hindered a great deal by injuries. Andrew Lewis, Isaiah Lewis, Lou Demuth, Jordan Polynice, and Solomon Hunt all among players who have missed a good deal of time. Chicago State has had to play with 6-8 players over the last three contests and four players are averaging nearly 30 minutes per game. That's not healthy and can create long-term issues. We don't know what the discussion was behind closed doors. And remember, we were all critical of Chicago State making the decision not to travel to Seattle or Utah Valley last March. Look what came of that.
Let's put it this way: it wouldn't be Monday Madness if we didn't talk about New Mexico State.
And finally, New Mexico State takes the floor once again. Aggies have been off for 26 days and just recently came off quarantine last week. Now, New Mexico State faces its first Division I opponent of the season in CSU Northridge. The Matadors haven't played a game since Dec. 19. Mayan Kiir gets his first minutes in an Aggie uniform. Perhaps there will be rust but New Mexico State should be able to use its athleticism and strength to make it 22 wins in a row.
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Image courtesy New Mexico State Athletics.