Grand Canyon Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Antelopes

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Grand Canyon Lopes fans cheer during the team's semifinal game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament against the Utah Valley Wolverines at the Orleans Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. GCU won 75-60. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 10: Grand Canyon Lopes fans cheer during championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament against the New Mexico State Aggies at the Orleans Arena on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. New Mexico State won 72-58. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

A challenging non-conference slate

The Antelopes won 22 games last season, but conference play is where they made their mark, but one thing this still young Division I team is learning how to win on the road. GCU Arena is one of the best homecourt advantages in all of college basketball and the Lopes did a good job of protecting its turf last year, going 17-2 at home. Which means they went just 5-9 in road/neutral games in 2017-18.

They begin the season with a bang as travel to take on Mike Daum and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits as part of the WAC/Summit Challenge. During the Thanksgiving holiday, GCU takes part in the Wooden Legacy, beginning with a matchup with Seton Hall, followed by a game with either Utah or Hawai’i and they will finish with a game against one of the other four teams, Miami, LaSalle, Northwestern and Fresno State.

The team’s December slate is loaded, with games in Phoenix against Boise State and Nevada, followed by road tilts at Texas and Northern Iowa. They finish their non-conference slate by traveling to face an up-and-coming San Diego squad.

Majerle is looking to take the program to new heights and given the trends over the last five seasons, the Antelopes will get there soon enough, perhaps as soon as this season.