2024 WAC Basketball Tournament
The WAC Tournament tips on March 13th, with the four lowest seeds trying to play their way into the main bracket. It’s important to note that the #2 seed Tarleton State is not eligible to advance to the NCAA Tournament since they are in their first year in Division I.
The WAC tournament has a double-bye format, meaning Grand Canyon and Tarleton State have byes to the semi-finals, while Seattle and UT Arlington are both slotted into the quarters. Only the top eight teams in the conference qualified to play at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.Â
How to Watch the WAC Tournament
When: March 13-16
Where: Orleans Arena
Format: Ascending Byes based on regular season performance
Watch: ESPN+, ESPNU, ESPN2; Championship Game on ESPN2 on Mar. 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET
College Basketball Odds | College Basketball Betting Splits | Greg Peterson’s Daily Lines | Steve Makinen’s Power Ratings
WAC Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
1. Grand Canyon (-150)
2. Tarleton State (+380)
3. UT Arlington (+550)
4. Seattle (+700)
5. Stephen F Austin (+2500)
6. Utah Valley (+3500)
7. California Baptist (+5000)
8. Abilene Christian (+6000)
(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)
WAC Tournament Bracket
Favorite To Win the WAC Tournament
After a Cinderella run to win last year’s WAC tournament, Grand Canyon enters this year’s tournament as the odds-on favorite to win back-to-back titles. Not only did they dominate the WAC, 17-3 in the conference, but they also have an out-of-conference resume some Power Six schools would be jealous of with wins over San Diego St, San Francisco, last year’s WAC regular season champ Sam Houston, and a close lose to South Carolina. The one bug-a-boo? They lost all three conference games on the road. Grand Canyon has one of the best home court environments in the nation, which they will not be able to lean on in Las Vegas.
I have this Grand Canyon team power-rated right around middle-of-the-road Power Six conference teams, so do not sleep on them in this tournament and beyond. While this is a one-bid league, with Tarleton State ineligible to dance, Grand Canyon would advance to March Madness if Tarleton wins.
WAC Tournament Darkhorse
The bottom of this conference is quite frankly not very good, so I do not like any of the teams that are at double-digit odds. For a longer shot, let’s look at #4 seed Seattle. They played tough in non-conference games versus Washington, San Francisco, and VCU. While they lost all three games, all were one-possession games late. In conference, they split with Grand Canyon and played Tarleton State tough both at home and on the road. They shoot the 3-ball well and are led by two Senior guards, Cameron Tyson and Alex Schumacher. If they can find a way to consistently rebound with their smaller stature, then Seattle is capable of knocking off both of the top two seeds in this league.
Players to Watch in the WAC Tournament
Grand Canyon is lead by the inside-outside duo of Tyon Grant-Foster and Gabe McGlothan. Grant-Foster is the leading scorer in the league, averaging 19.4 points per game on just 13 field goal attempts. McGlothan is sixth in the conference in rebounds per game and chips in 13.5 points. They also have last year’s Most Outstanding Player in the WAC tournament, Ray Harrison, back ready to make another run.
Tarleton State relies on a balanced attack with four players in the top 20 in scoring, but is led by Senior forward Jakorie Smith, who gave Grand Canyon headaches in Tarleton State’s home victory, dropping 24 and adding seven rebounds.
Seattle Guard Cameron Tyson is second in the conference in points per game while leading the league in 3-pointers made and attempted during conference play.
Betting Pick to Win the WAC Tournament
It is tough to go against the favorite Grand Canyon to repeat in the WAC tournament. They are the deepest team and have the best non-conference resume to go along with the 17-3 conference mark, but at -150, they are not playable in my mind. Let’s roll with Cinderella Seattle here at +700. They will need to win a couple of close games but have the talent to do so. With the draw, they will be a dog to Grand Canyon in the semi-finals and would be a dog to both Tarleton State and UT Arlington in the finals, so I would play game-by-game money line parlay vs. taking +700. That should pay closer to 10-1 and squeeze the most value out of Seattle.
Makinen Power Ratings for the WAC
Check out the other previews in our 2024 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.
