Busting Brackets
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WAC Basketball: Examining the 5 newcomer programs for 2021-22 season

By Jason Burgess

Jan 14, 2021; Phoenix, AZ, USA; GCU women's basketball head coach Molly Miller, men's basketball head coach Bryce Drew and Jerry Colangelo (right) talk after announcing that Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin and Southern Utah University will join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during a press conference at the GCU Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona RepublicNews
Jan 14, 2021; Phoenix, AZ, USA; GCU women's basketball head coach Molly Miller, men's basketball head coach Bryce Drew and Jerry Colangelo (right) talk after announcing that Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin and Southern Utah University will join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during a press conference at the GCU Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Arizona RepublicNews /
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WAC Basketball Abilene Christian Wildcats (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
WAC Basketball Abilene Christian Wildcats (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Abilene Christian Wildcats

They also picked the perfect time to extend an invitation to the reigning Southland Conference champions, Abilene Christian. The Wildcats have been a member of Division I since the 2013-14 season and have been eligible for the NCAA Tournament since 2018. In that short time, the team has made a name for itself at the sport’s highest level.

They have averaged 21.75 wins over the last four years, have two trips to the NCAA Tournament, and were the No. 2 seed in the 2020 conference tournament that was canceled. This past season they won 24 games and notched one of the biggest upsets of the NCAA Tournament, knocking off No. 3 seed Texas.

The win made head coach Joe Golding a big commodity this offseason, being named the head coach at UTEP. To replace him ACU tabbed assistant Brette Tanner to replace Golding, Tanner had been a member of Golding’s staff since the move to Division I. Prior to that, he was an assistant for Stephen F. Austin.

The Southland Conference is known for offense and ACU averaged nearly 76 points per game, but what makes ACU different, and what won them the game against Texas is their defense. They gave up just 60 points per game and led the country in turnovers forced. Tanner inherits a roster that must replace its top six scorers. The first-time head coach has plenty of time to rebuild his roster, but if he can carry on Golding’s defensive philosophies the Wildcats should continue to be a handful in their new conference.