The 2021–22 WAC men's basketball season began with practices in October 2021 followed by the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November 2021. The conference began play in December 2021. This is the WAC's 60th season of basketball. On July 1, 2021, The WAC officially welcomed four new members: Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, and Stephen F. Austin to grow and revitalize the conference. All four were previously in the Southland Conference. The WAC now has 6 full members in Texas, making it the largest DI conference in the state. Each WAC member will play an 18-game conference schedule.
The WAC tournament was held March 9–12, 2022 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pre-season
WAC Media days The WAC's 2021 WAC media days were October 19–21, 2021 on the (WAC Digital Network).
The teams and representatives in respective order were as follows:
UTRGV – Matt Figger (HC), Marek Nelson (F), Ricky Nelson (G) NM State - Chris Jans (HC), Johhny Mcants (F), Jabari Rice (G) Tarleton - Billy Gillispie (HC), Shakur Daniel (G), Freddy Hicks (G/F) Sam Houston - Jason Hooten (HC), Demarkus Lampley (G), Savion Flagg (G/F) Lamar - Alvin Brooks (HC), Kasen Harrison (G), Lincoln Smith (F) Abilene Chrisitan - Brette Tanner (HC), Coryon Mason (G), Reggie Miller (G) Seattle U - Jim Hayford (HC), Darrion Trammell (G), Riley Grigsby (G/F) Dixie State - Jon Judkins (HC), Cameron Gooden (G), Hunter Schofield (F) Chicago State - Gerald Gillion (HC), Bryce Johnson (G), Coreyoun Rushin (G) SFA - Kyle Keller (HC), Gavin Kensmil (F), Roti Ware (G), David Kachelries (G) Utah Valley - Mark Madsen (HC), Fardaws Aimaq (C), Trey Woodbury (G) California Baptist - Rick Croy (HC), Ty Rowell (G), Dan Akin (F) Grand Canyon - Bryce Drew (HC), Javon Blacksher (G), Gabe McGlothan (F)
+Men's Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll Place Team Points First place votes 1. New Mexico State 138 8 2. Grand Canyon 131 3 3. Stephen F. Austin 106 1 4. Utah Valley 103 -- 5. Abilene Christian 92 1 6. Seattle U 90 -- 7. Sam Houston 86 -- 8. California Baptist 84 -- T-9. Tarleton State 48 -- T-9. UTRGV 48 -- 11. Lamar 41 -- 12. Dixie State 35 -- 13. Chicago State 12 -- Source:
+Men's Basketball Media Preseason Poll Place Team 1. New Mexico State 2. Stephen F. Austin 3. Grand Canyon 4. Abilene Christian 5. Utah Valley 6. California Baptist 7. Sam Houston 8. Seattle U 9. Tarleton State 10. Lamar 11. UTRGV 12. Dixie State 13. Chicago State Source:
WAC Preseason All-Conference First Team
NameSchool Yr. Pos. Ht., Wt. Hometown (Last School) Fardaws Aimaq Utah Valley R-So. C 6'11”, 245 Steveston-London Secondary Jovan Blacksher Jr. Grand Canyon Jr. G 5'11", 165 Shadow Mountain High School Montre' Gipson Tarleton Sr. G 6'8”, 259 DeSoto, TX (Ranger College) Gavin Kensmil SFA Sr. F 6'7”, 260 Paramaribo, Suriname (Iona) DeMarkus Lampley Sam Houston Sr. G 6'2”, 175 Phenix City, AL (Wallace State CC) Jabari Rice NM State R-Jr. G 6'4”, 180 Thurgood Marshall High School Ty Rowell Cal Baptist R-Jr. G 6'2”, 185 Walnut Grove Secondary School Darrion Trammell Seattle U So. G 5'10”, 165 Marin City, CA (City College of San Francisco)
Second Team
Name School Yr. Pos. Ht., Wt. Hometown (Last School) Teddy Allen NM State R-Jr. G 6'6”, 210 Phoenix, AZ (Nebraska) Johnny McCants NM State R-Sr. F 6'7”, 230 Oñate High School Coryon Mason Abilene Christian Sr. G 6'0”, 190 Douglass High School Reggie Miller Abilene Christian Sr. G 6'0”, 160 Klein Forest High School Reed Nottage Cal Baptist So. G 6'7”, 220 Newington College Roti Ware SFA Sr. G 6'3”, 190 Morton, MS (East Central Community College) Trey Woodbury Utah Valley Jr. G 6'4”, 200 Las Vegas, NV (UNLV) Holland Woods II Grand Canyon Sr. G 6'1”, 190 Phoenix, AZ (Arizona State) Preseaon Player of the Year Fardaws Aimaq
Regular season Before the season, the WAC announced a new media deal in which most regular season conference games would be broadcast on ESPN+, with select regular season games and all conference tournament games airing on ESPN Linear Networks.
Early season tournaments
Team Tournament FinishDixie State Good Sam Empire Classic at CSUN 4thNew Mexico State Myrtle Beach Invitational 4thSam Houston Jacksonville Classic 6thStephen F. Austin Cancun Challenge 2ndUtah Valley SoCal Challenge 1st
Records against other conferences 2021–22 records against non-conference foes through (December 29, 2021):
Regular season Power Conferences & GonzagaRecordACC 0–1Big East 0–0Big Ten 0–3Big 12 0–7Pac-12 2–8SEC 0–2Gonzaga 0–2Power Conference Total 2–23Other NCAA Division I ConferencesRecordAmerica East 0–0American 0–2A-10 1–1ASUN 2–1Big Sky 5–4Big South 1–1Big West 6–3CAA 1–0C-USA 4–3Horizon 1–0Ivy League 0–0MAAC 0–0MAC 1–3MEAC 2–0MVC 1–5Mountain West 3–6NEC 0–0OVC 3–0Patriot League 0–2SoCon 0–1Southland 4–3SWAC 7–1The Summit 6–2Sun Belt 4–7WCC (except Gonzaga) 6–1Other Division I Total 0–0 Division II Total 4–0NCAA Division I Total 61–69
Record against ranked non-conference opponents This is a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP Poll):
Date Visitor Home Site Significance Score Conference record Nov. 9, 2021 Dixie State No. 1 Gonzaga McCarthey Athletic Center ● Spokane, WA — L 63-97 0-1 Nov. 12, 2021 Tarleton State No. 3 Kansas Allen Fieldhouse ● Lawrence, KS ― L 62-88 0-2 Nov. 22, 2021 Dixie State No. 24 USC Galen Center ● Los Angeles, CA ― L 71-98 0-3 Nov. 24, 2021 California Baptist No. 8 Texas Frank Erwin Center ● Austin, TX Abe Lemons Classic L 44-68 0-4 Nov. 24, 2021 Tarleton State No. 20 Michigan Crisler Center ● Ann Arbor, MI ― L 54-65 0-5 Nov. 26, 2021 UTRGV No. 14 Illinois State Farm Center ● Champaign, IL ― L 85-94 0-6 Nov. 29, 2021 Tarleton State No. 3 Gonzaga McCarthey Athletic Center ● Spokane, WA ― L 55-64 0-7 Nov. 29, 2021 Sam Houston No. 7 Texas Gregory Gymnasium ● Austin, TX ― L 57-73 0-8 Dec. 1, 2021 No. 12 BYU Utah Valley UCCU Center ● Orem, UT UCCU Crosstown Clash W 72-65 OT 1-8 Dec. 3, 2021 UTRGV No. 7 Texas Frank Erwin Center ● Austin, TX ― L 58-88 1-9 Dec. 18, 2021 California Baptist No. 8 Arizona McKale Center ● Tucson, AZ ― L 60-84 1-10 Dec. 18, 2021 SFA No. 7 Kansas Allen Fieldhouse ● Lawrence, KS ― L 72-80 1-11 Dec. 21, 2021 Chicago State No. 9 Iowa State Hilton Coliseum ● Ames, IA ― L 48-79 1-12
Team rankings are reflective of AP poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking
† denotes game was played on neutral site
Conference schedule This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play.
Abilene ChristianCalifornia BaptistChicago StateDixie StateGrand CanyonLamarNew Mexico StateSam HoustonSeattle UStephen F. AustinTarleton StateUTRGVUtah Valleyvs. Abilene Christian – 0–1 0–1 0–2 1–0 0–2 1–0 2–0 1–0 2–0 0–2 0–2 0–1vs. California Baptist 1–0 – 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 0–1 0–1 1–1vs. Chicago State 1–0 1–1 – 1–0 2–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–0 1–0vs. Dixie State 2–0 1–1 0–1 – 1–1 0–1 2–0 1–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–1vs. Grand Canyon 0–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 – 0–1 2–0 1–1 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–2vs. Lamar 2–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 1–0 – 1–0 2–0 1–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–0 vs. New Mexico State 0–1 0–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–1 – 1–0 0–2 1–1 0–1 0–1 1–1vs. Sam Houston 0–2 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–1 0–2 0–1 – 1–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–0vs. Seattle U 0–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–0 0–1 2–0 0–1 – 0–1 0–1 0–2 1–1vs. Stephen F. Austin 0–2 0–1 0–2 0–1 0–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–0 – 1–0 0–2 0–1vs. Tarleton State 2–0 1–0 0–2 0–1 1–0 0–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 – 0–2 2–0vs. UTRGV 2–0 1–0 0–1 1–0 1–0 0–2 1–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 – 1-0vs. Utah Valley 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 2–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–0 0–2 0-1 – Total 11–7 7–11 3–15 6–12 13–5 0–18 14–4 13–5 14–4 14–4 9–9 3–15 10–8
Points scored
TeamForAgainstDifferenceAbilene Christian 2,519 2,191 +328California Baptist 2,344 2,220 +124Chicago State 1,987 2,380 -393Dixie State 2,247 2,296 -49Grand Canyon 2,204 1,898 +306Lamar 1,778 2,116 -338New Mexico State 2,346 2,081 +265Sam Houston 2,272 2,082 +190Seattle U 2,393 2,132 +261Stephen F. Austin 2,317 2,110 +207Tarleton State 2,002 2,025 -23UTRGV 2,212 2,436 -224Utah Valley 2,279 2,084 +195 Through end of season
Rankings
Improvement in ranking Drop in rankingRVReceived votes but were not ranked in Top 25NVNo votes received Pre Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 Wk13 Wk14 Wk15 Wk16 Wk17 Wk18 Wk19 FinalAbilene Christian APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCalifornia Baptist APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVChicago State APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVDixie State APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVGrand Canyon APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVLamar APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNew Mexico State APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVSam Houston APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVSeattle U APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV Stephen F. Austin APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVTarleton State APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVUTRGV APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV Utah Valley APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVRVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV NVNVNVNV
Head coaches
Coaching changes Many coaching changes were made during the offseason. UTRGV Coach Lew Hill shockingly died during the previous season on February 7, 2021. Jai Steadman then acted as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Several months later, UTRGV announced Matt Figger as Hill's permanent replacement. Chicago State head coach Lance Irvin was fired in the offseason, posting a 7-54 overall record during his tenure. The Cougars tabbed Samford assistant coach Gerald Gillion to be their new head coach. Former Abilene Christian head coach Joe Golding left his position to take on a new position at UTEP, and his replacement was announced to be Brette Tanner, who was the associate head coach for ACU for 7 seasons. Lamar head coach Tic Price was fired shortly after the season ended, and Lamar hired Alvin Brooks, a former Lamar player himself, as their new head coach.
Coaches Note: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season. Overall and WAC records are from time at current school. Team Head coach Previous job Seasons at school Overall record WAC record WAC titles NCAA tournaments NCAA Final Fours NCAA ChampionshipsAbilene Christian Brette Tanner (Associate HC) 1st 0–0 () 0–0 () 0 0 0 0California Baptist Rick Croy Buffalo (assistant) 3rd 50-35 () 23-21 () 0 0 0 0Chicago State Gerald Gillion Samford (assistant) 1st 0-0 () 0-0 () 0 0 0 0Dixie State Jon Judkins Snow College 2nd 8-13 () 4-10 () 0 0 0 0Grand Canyon Bryce Drew Vanderbilt 2nd 17-7 () 9-3 () 1 1 0 0Lamar Alvin Brooks Houston (associate HC) 1st 0-0 () 0-0 () 0 0 0 0New Mexico State Chris Jans Bowling Green 5th 95-27 () 50-9 () 3 3 0 0Sam Houston Jason Hooten (Assistant HC) 12th 0-0 () 0-0 () 0 0 0 0Seattle U Jim Hayford Eastern Washington 5th 64-55 () 25-27 () 0 0 0 0Stephen F. Austin Kyle Keller Texas A&M (assistant) 6th 0-0 () 0–0 () 0 0 0 0Tarleton State Billy Gillispie Ranger College 2nd 10-10 () 5-7 () 0 1 0 0UTRGV Matt Figger Austin Peay 1st 0-0 () 0-0 () 0 0 0 0Utah Valley Mark Madsen Los Angeles Lakers (player development) 3rd 22-30 () 14-14 () 1 0 0 0 Notes: Overall and WAC records, conference titles, etc. are from time at current school and are through the end the 2020–21 season. Records and season totals only include time spent at Division I as head coach. NCAA tournament appearances are from time at current school only. NCAA Final Fours and Championship include time at other schools.
Postseason
WAC tournament