2015 Western Athletic Conference Tournament Preview

(SportsNetwork.com) – With the West Coast Conference Tournament having vacated the premises, it is now time for the members of the Western Athletic Conference to lay claim to Orleans Arena in Las Vegas for their 32nd annual tournament beginning on Thursday.

Like a number of other conferences, the WAC has undergone a massive transformation in recent years and of the eight current members, only one has a winning record in this tournament, New Mexico State (20-4), and only the Aggies have come away with a title (five of them).

As the top seed in the tourney again this season, it appears as though the Aggies (21-10, 13-1) are aiming to make it four in a row, having defeated Louisiana Tech (2012), Texas-Arlington (2013) and Idaho (2014) the last three years for the right to represent the WAC in the NCAA Tournament. As a point of reference, not one of those three programs that faced NMSU in the championship game the last three years is still in the league.

What that means for the Aggies, who will begin play in the event on Friday against the survivor of the Utah Valley/Bakersfield meeting, is that it might be an even easier road to the postseason than ever before.

New Mexico State closed out the regular season last Saturday riding an 11-game win streak, picking up victories in 16 of the last 17 games on the schedule overall. The team even took Colorado State, a team which opened 2014-15 on a 14-game win streak, to overtime before losing by a single point (58-57) back in late December. The Aggies are led by Pascal Siakam (13.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Daniel Mullings (12.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg), both of whom were named to the All-WAC First Team. Siakam, a 58.0 percent shooter from the floor, was also responsible for 55 of his team’s 113 blocked shots, a huge piece of the puzzle when you consider the program held foes to just 59.5 ppg. Both Siakam and Mullings were also named to the WAC’s All-Defensive Team, the former making a huge impression in Las Cruces while being heralded as the Freshman of the Year in the WAC as well.

The other six programs involved in the tournament this season (Grand Canyon will not be participating) are all in action on Thursday in the quarterfinals. Only one of those teams managed to finish with an overall record of at least .500, that being Seattle (14-14, 7-7), which is the No. 3 seed. The Redhawks are led by Isiah Umipig, an All-WAC First Team choice who produced 16.7 ppg as a 43.0 percent shooter behind the 3-point line (102-of-237) this season. But more than just a shooter, Umipig also saw fit to be a facilitator with his 81 assists. While he didn’t have nearly the number of dishes, Jarell Flora (14.2 ppg) was not opposed to getting his teammates the ball in scoring situations either.

Second-seeded UMKC (13-18, 8-6) features the WAC Player of the Year in Martez Harrison, a player who overcame just 29.1 percent shooting behind the 3-point line in order to generate 17.8 ppg for a unit that produced only 65.5 ppg. Harrison, who knocked down 163-of-221 tries at the free-throw line, also accounted for 119 assists and 58 steals, both of which were tops on the Kangaroos. Reese Holiday, a member of the league’s All-Newcomer Team, added in another 9.2 ppg.

Losers of nine of the first 10 games this season, with the opener going to four overtimes before bowing by a score of 100-99 to High Point, fourth-seeded Bakersfield (13-18, 7-7) has to be commended for how well it bounced back after such an awful start. One of the better defensive teams in the league, allowing 62.3 ppg even after that wild season opener, the Roadrunners took their cues from Aly Ahmed (13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Kevin Mays (9.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg) to get back on track.

Underdogs in the quarterfinals, fifth-seeded Utah Valley (11-18, 5-9) hasn’t won back-to-back games since the first two weeks of the season, but the added incentive for the Wolverines is that one of these games will be the last for head coach Duck Hunsaker, who has decided to step down after taking over the program in 2003. While UVU might be able to get by Bakersfield on emotion, that still leaves New Mexico State looming in the next round.

The Chicago State Cougars (8-23, 4-10) and Texas-Pan American Broncs (10-20, 4-10) brought up the rear in the WAC standings this season, so not much is expected out of them, but as anyone will tell you, almost anything can happen in conference tournaments. But, when it is all said and done New Mexico State, with WAC Coach of the Year Marvin Menzies, has the right pieces and the experience to rumble through the event for the fourth year in a row.

Sports Network Predicted Champion: New Mexico State

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball