Wacky WAC blogs floats toward 2022

 An early looks at WAC hoops shows some positive signs in OOC play. New Mexico St beat Davidson(A10) and UC Irvine(Big West)  and UTEP(CUSA). Cal Baptist beat SJST(MWC). SF Austin beat MTSU(CUSA). 

 Abilene Christian  took TAMU(SEC) to the limit before falling 82-81. Then a reality check, Gonzaga (WCC ) routed Dixie St by 34.

In football Sam Houston St joined the CUSA so they 'll be brief WAC members, and NMST will likely take all its sports programs to the CUSA.

Prior WAC blog

Nov 25, 2021

TX 68 CBU 44: It appears TX jumped on CBU early and never let go. I watched most of the first half of  MICH 65 TAR 54 on the B10N, and the Wolverines were a mess. Montre Gipson TAR - G (17 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST). 

Nov 30, 2021

Is Tarleton with HC Billy Gillepsie improving quickly or are the Zags rebuilding?  GONZ 64 TAR 55. Tahj Small scored 25 for Tarleton.

Jan 9, 2022

Wow, Brandon Betson made a jumper with three seconds left to give Chicago St a 58-56 home win over Cal Baptist

Freddy Hicks(23 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST) led Tarleton St over SFA to keep the Texans within a half game of WAC leaders, NMST and Grand Canyon.

Jan 16, 2022

WAC roundup: NMST and Grand Canyon remain undefeated in conference play after the Aggies beat Abilene Christian and GC rolled Tarleton.

Cal Baptist edged UVU for its first WAC win this season.

Chicago State (6-13, 2-4 WAC) beat Lamar for its first conference road win in five years.

Feb 3, 2022

Abilene Christian is having a solid debut season in the WAC. Chicago St is playing better in its final WAC season and hasn't found new conference yet. They're not ready for the MVC. OVC and Horizon are prospects, but I suspect it will be the Summit Conference.

June 15, 2024

Floating into 2024 sports season. Billy Gillispie returns to HC job from health issues to coach Tarleton at UTEP on Dec 16 as part of WAC/CUSA Alliance matchups. BillyG was HC of the 2003-04 UTEP NCAA Tournament team.

July 30, 2025

The WAC changes its name to the United Athletic Conference (UAC) on July 1, 2026. Tarleton is part of that merger with ASUN in 2026

GCU, Cal Baptist, Seattle are on the move

CBU to the Big West

Seattle and GCU  to the WCC

SFA and UTRGV went to the Southland in 2024

Let me backtrack on GCU. I forgot about the mess with MWC. which they are joining for 2025/26

Seattle , a Jesuit school, rejoined the WCC after a 45-year absence

Aug 21, 2025

Dallas Baptist will join the Pac-12 in baseball starting July 1 of 2026, and its first season is spring of 2027. I like it.

Aug 26, 2025

Tarleton St (1AA-UAC)) visits Army(AAC) this Friday in their first football matchup. Perhaps another step in a move toward the 1A as a member of the CUSA.

Aug 30, 2025

Tarleton State tops Army in 2OT for second-ever win vs 1a team. They beat NMSU in 2020.

Brad Larson hit the winning FG in a 30-27 W

Sept 2, 2025

Coach Billy G  and his Tarleton squad start off their final WAC hoops season facing two tough OOC teams, SMU & Baylor.

Jan 16, 2026

Checking in on Billy G. D. Johnson scored 40 for TARL but they fell in OT to  SUU 106-105.

Cal Baptist defeated  AB UTA beat UTU

Feb 6, 2026

Messy end for UVU leaving the WAC for  the Big West Exit fee of 1M is  due but they ain't paying., It could keep their sports teams from playing in championship competition.

Wacky WAC blog lands in 2021

 The WAC grabbed my attention in the early 90's, however it started in 1962 with these six-teams. Arizona, Arizona State, Brigham Young, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.  It's most well known recent star is #PascalSiakham,  former #NMST player and budding NBA star with the Toronto Raptors. Grand Canyon  has moved to the top of the league this season, and new coach Bryce Drew has been a big reason  for their success. ASBJORN MIDTGAARD leads the team with a 14.6 ppg. Meanwhile  New Mexico St, the perennial league leader, has fallen to the middle of the pack.

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2019/11/wac-hoops-201920-hunches.html

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2018/11/wac-hoops-201819-hunches.html

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2020/07/pacific-northwest-hoops-chatter-in.html

march 7, 2021

 Tarleton (10-10, 5-7 WAC) has won its last three games but Coach Billy Gillispsie's squad will not get a chance to vie for a Dance ticket  WACT left Tarleton and Dixie St out because they are transitioning to 1A, and are ineligible for the Dance, but is moving forward with a six team tournament in Las Vegas.  Chicago State canceled their season. 

MARCH 12, 2021

Seattle beat Cal Baptist 83-66 and will face Grand Canyon while NMST beat UTRGV to face UVU. NMST. 3 seed NMST doesn't want to lose their annual hold on the WAC dance ticket.

March 14, 2021

Grand Canyon beat NMST in the WACT to make it to its first Dance and on the 23rd anniversary(3/13/98) of  their head coach, Bryce Drew, hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for Valparaiso to beat 10th-ranked Mississippi in the Dance.

March 16, 2021

Grand Canyon faces Iowa in rd1 and have ASBJORN MIDTGAARD , a 7' center, but I don't know if he can handle Garza.

March 21, 2021

Both centers had solid games, but the Hawkeyes shot better as a team in 86-74 win over GC

A. Midtgaard GC(18 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST)

L. Garza IOWA(24 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST)

March 25, 2021

I missed this story in February. Lew Hill, the head men’s basketball coach at UTRGV(WAC), died at the age of 56,  after suffering through a variety of medical difficulties. He was an assistant on the Oklahoma staff that reached the F4 in 2016. They haven't hired a permanent replacement.

April 8, 2021

 #MattFigger, who compiled a 76-51 (.598) in four seasons at Austin Peay (OVC) ,is  the new men's basketball head coach at #UTRGV. For my buddies in Alabama he was an assistant at South Alabama (2003-07)

May 18, 2021

#WAC travel (Texas to Seattle ,WA) will get longer in 2022 with the addition of  four teams, Sam Houston, Abilene Christian, and Stephen F. Austin from the Southland Conference, and Southern Utah from the Big Sky. 

July 9, 2021

#FardawsAimaq ,the 6-11 Utah Valley(WAC) center who, averaged a double-double (13.9 ppg, 15.0 rpg) last season,  withdrew from the NBA Draft and will return to UVU for the 2021-22 season. Smart move!

July 10, 2021

Jeff Hurd, who helped bring Lamar University and three other Texas schools into the WAC for 2022, will step down as Commissioner at the end of this year. He joined the WAC in 1985 as Director of Conference Relations, then worked various jobs before taking over as commissioner in 2012. That 's a long stint in one conference.

Aug 8, 2021

Coach Billy Gillispsie's Tarleton St squad visits Kansas on Nov 9. The last time  he coached against KU was during the 2011/12  Big 12 season when he was HC at Texas Tech. Last year's matchup was canceled.  

WAC Officially Welcomes ‘Texas Four’ to Conference .  

Abilene Christian University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University and Stephen F. Austin State University  

Aug 9

it doesn't  appear that WAC  football will be 1a soon , but they just formed a schedule  alliance with the ASUN . 

 New Mexico State, a WAC member competes as an FBS 1A football independent, IS WATCHING THIS CLOSELY.

 The invitations of membership stated that during the first year of  WAC membership, “football-playing institutions will commit to an analysis of all implications of a move to FBS.” 

 Oct 6, 2021

New Mexico St , whose favored by many to win the WAC despite Grand Canyon winning the WAC 2021 title has a nicer travel schedule with the new Texas teams in the conference this season.

 Jan. 13: vs. Tarleton

Jan. 15: vs. Abilene Christian

Jan. 20: @ Sam Houston State

Jan. 22: @ Stephen F. Austin

In OOC play they face  Washington St  of the Pac 12  this season.