WAC Basketball Tournament: New Mexico State once again the favorite in 2019
By Connor Hope
WAC Basketball has been more-or-less run by the New Mexico State Aggies for the last decade. Can someone deny them their annual trip to the Big Dance?
The West Coast Conference Tournament is not the only big Championship Week event hosted by the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Just two days after the blue and red confetti fell on the Gaels, the WAC Basketball Tournament will tip off with the New Mexico State Aggies against the Chicago State Cougars. This may not be a very enticing game, but there are plenty of other matchups to keep an eye on in this one.
The WAC’s lack of regional rivalries and top-level teams makes it one of the least talked about conferences in the country. With three top 100 teams, and a couple of other worthy challengers, the WAC is certainly deserving of more coverage.
Behind New Mexico State, Utah Valley and Grand Canyon have battled back and forth for the second seed. Seattle U had a good non-conference showing, but injuries kept them from competing at a high level in the early conference slate. Finally, UT Rio Grande Valley proved that they could play well as a team, after Nick Dixon’s graduation.
The tournament’s standard eight-team, three-round format doesn’t benefit the top seeds a ton, but this gives the underdogs the same shot at an NCAA Tournament bid. The task is clear, win three straight games and the bid is yours. Lose and you can kiss your dreams of dancing goodbye.
Let’s take a look at how this underrated mid-major conference tournament could shake out.