WAC Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

By Andy Patton | Mar 10, 2020

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 16: The Western Athletic Conference logo is shown on the court before the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament between the Grand Canyon Lopes and the New Mexico State Aggies at the Orleans Arena on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 15: Johnny McCants #35 of the New Mexico State Aggies celebrates (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) /

Bracketology

It’s a near certainty that the WAC will be a one-bid league, as it almost always is. Even if New Mexico State makes it to the championship game and falls to, say, SeattleU, they still likely don’t have the resume to get an at-large bid despite what would be a 27-7 record.

KenPom currently has them as the 91st best team, and a loss to a WAC team would likely place them outside the Top-100 and in the NIT, at best.

So the WAC will have just one team from the conference in the tournament. If it’s not New Mexico State, you can bet whichever team it is will be a 15 or a 16 seed, as no one else in the conference has the resume or pedigree to be anything higher than that.

If/(when?) it’s New Mexico State, they will get something higher than that – although not by much.

Our latest bracketology has New Mexico State playing Oregon as a 13 seed in the West region. Historically, NMSU has been between a 12-14 seed, so this feels about right.

A 28-6 season is extremely impressive, but with virtually no key victories, it would be hard to give them any seed higher than that.