WAC Basketball: 2022 Conference Tournament preview and prediction

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 13: The Grand Canyon Lopes celebrate after defeating the New Mexico State Aggies following the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 13, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Lopes defeated the Aggies 74-56. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) /

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WAC Basketball GCU’s Taeshon Cherry Abilene Christian’s Tobias Cameron Ncaa Basketball Grand Canyon Basketball Abilene Christian At Grand Canyon /

The Western Athletic Conference concluded its 39th basketball season on Saturday. Now WAC Basketball will turn its attention to its postseason tournament, which will be held in Las Vegas from March 8-12. The conference added five teams this past offseason and increased the conference tournament teams to 10.

The first-round games will take place at the Michelob Ultra Arena while the rest of the tourney will take place at Orleans Arena. Tarleton, Dixie State, Lamar will not participate in Vegas this year. Lamar went winless in conference play and won just two games all year, so they did not qualify for the league’s postseason event while Tarleton and Dixie St. are ineligible as they are still in their transitional process.

New Mexico State (24-6, 14-4) earned the top seed for the tournament with a 62-46 victory over Utah Valley on Saturday night behind Teddy Allen’s game-high 20 points. The Aggies finished in a three-way tie atop of the conference with Seattle and Stephen F. Austin but went 3-1 against them.

Seattle (23-8, 14-4) won its final two games of the season, which included a 74-56 victory over Chicago State on Saturday. It is SU’s first-ever WAC title and the program’s first since 2007 when they were a member of the Great Northwest. The Redhawks earned the No. 2 seed as a result of their victory over the Lumberjacks.

Stephen F. Austin (22-8, 14-4) gets the third seed in its inaugural WAC season and enters the postseason on a 10-game winning streak. SFA is followed by Grand Canyon, Sam Houston, and Abilene Christian. No. 7 Utah Valley, No. 8 California Baptist, No. 9 UT Grande Valley, and No. 10 Chicago State round out the field and will play in the first round.

Grand Canyon is the defending WAC Tournament champion. The winner of the 2022 tourney will get an automatic bid in the NCAA field of 68.