WAC basketball: Pre-Christmas power rankings

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DURHAM, NC – NOVEMBER 11: Cameron Crazies and fans of the Duke Blue Devils taunt Isaac Neilson /

4. Seattle 7-5 (Preseason rank 5)

The Redhawks might possibly the best offense in the WAC, or at least the most entertaining. The team scores over 80 ppg and lost by five points at Washington, 89-84. After a slow start, Seattle has won five of six games and is starting to get rolling.

Part of it is due to the return of Aaron Menzies, the 7’3 center who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury. He’s come back well from the injury, leading his team in blocks with 21, as well as per game rebounding with 6.4.

The player who makes this team go is sophomore Majej Kavas, one of the top conference scorers at 18.3 ppg. That Washington game was his breakout game, scoring 25 points. He’s doubled his production from a year ago and is shooting 44% from long distance so far.

3. Utah Valley 7-4 (Preseason rank 4)

The Wolverines biggest claim to fame this season isn’t any wins, but rather losing their first two games of the year. In what’s been dubbed as the “toughest 24”, head coach Mark Pope sent his team to face Duke and Kentucky on back-to-back nights.

While the end result was predictable, the Wolverines were more than competitive against Big Blue Nation, leading at the half. A big reason has been former Oklahoma Sooner Akolda Manyang, a seven-footer who has come in and immediately made an impact. He had 17 points and 12 rebounds vs. Duke, and recently had 25 and 15 against Weber State.

Other players joining in are Jake Toolson and Kenneth Ogbe, each averaging over 13 ppg. One development to watch is senior Isaac Neilson, who has taken a backseat in favor of Manyang.