WAC-ing time

Both basketball teams start the conference tournament this week after different ends to the conference schedule. While there are clear favorites for both sides, both teams are certainly capable. However, enthusiasm is not where it was last year overall, though the teams seem on different trajectories.

For the ladies, after a previous five-game losing streak, they ended the year with a dominant 87-73 win over California Baptist. After trailing by three at the end of the first quarter, the Mavs got on one of those runs I mentioned were lacking in the five-game losing streak. An 18-7 stretch in the second quarter keyed the victory. A layup by Senior guard Taliyah Clark gave the Mavericks a 26-25 lead and UTA would never trail. The Mav advantage climbed to almost 20 in the third quarter. UTA did give up a 13-4 run in the fourth quarter to narrow their lead to five. Graduate forward Avery Brittingham got back-to-back baskets and the Mavs turned it on the remainder of the way to seal the victory.

On a bright spot, the 10-1 home record this year was the best home winning percentage since a 10-1 mark in 2006/07.

The win was the tenth in conference for the Mavericks. UTA tied with Tarleton State for second with a 10-6 Western Athletic Conference record. The Texans were the surprise team of the conference at an overall 19-12 mark. The teams split the regular season by winning on their home floors. By virtue of their -.0115 score in the controversial WAC resume seeding system that former WAC commissioner Brian Thornton pioneered (and was widely despised by conference members) the Texans earned the second seed. UTA had a -1.585 score.

NOTE: The WAC is so proud of this system that the point totals are not reflective of Saturday's games. The CBU win would not be enough points to offset the Tarleton loss to Utah Valley. 

The Lancers of CBU dropped to sixth in the conference seeding setting up a back-to-back rematch to start the conference tournament in Las Vegas. It is one of two games doing that as Seattle and Utah Valley will play in the eight versus nine play-in game. Top seed Grand Canyon will await that winner. Tarleton will play Southern Utah and Abilene Christian takes on UVU. 

As far as postseason accolades, I've heard a few WBB pundits say GCU will sweep the postseason awards. But not on the same page. I do believe a couple of Antelopes are the front runner for Player of the Year. I think Senior guard Trinity San Antonio is deserving.

But for Coach of the Year, my vote would be for Bill Brock of Tarleton State. The Texans were picked to finish sixth overall in the preseason, barely ahead of Utah Valley. GCU was picked as the preseason favs and has a budget miles ahead of everyone else. With those players and resources, not to mention facilities, I believe every other coach in the WAC would get the same result. While I think Brock would have led GCU to a championship, I can't say the same for Molly Miller doing the same at Tarleton. So I believe Brock is more deserving based on that.

For Newcomer of the Year, I think it is a two-horse race between Graduate forward Koi Love of UTA and Senior guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas of GCU. Using the same logic above, Love is more deserving because UTA does not have the same success without her. While GCU would take a hit without Durazo-Frescas, I don't think they slip in the standings with the other players they compiled in the NIL-era. While they may have dropped a game in the overall record, they would not have dropped in the standings. UTA may not be in the top half of the bracket without Love.

The key to UTA in Vegas will be the same as it has all year. Love will be the centerpiece. When I see this team, it looks to me like she thrives in that spotlight. During the losing streak, Brittingham seemed to be less effective. Against CBU, it seemed like she was back to doing the things we have seen in UTA the last couple of years. If she continues at that level, the offense becomes even more effective. 

But it will still come down to the guard play. Clark has been good during conference play and Senior guard Aspen Thornton dropped 29 in Phoenix. If Junior guard Nya Threatt efficiently runs the offense, the guards play a level higher and someone off the bench provides effective minutes, this team is a tough out. 

Generally speaking, the three is still the Mavs weakness. They shoot .260 behind the arc while allowing a .315 mark on defense. Undoubtedly, the rest of the WAC will try to put UTA in a three-point game on both ends of the court. 

UTA and CBU will start their tournament journeys at the Orleans Arena on Thursday at 4:30 pm Central.

As for the men, this has been one of the most frustrating seasons I've seen in a while. At 6-10 in the WAC, they finished in sole possession of seventh. Overall, the Mavericks are 4-5 in one-possession games. Adding that record into two possession games, UTA is 4-9. In WAC play, the team is 4-4 in those one-possession games and 4-6 when the difference is four to six points. That doesn't factor in losses to Abilene Christian in Arlington where there was a late tie or in some cases a lead, but the implosion of the last two minutes led to a bigger loss in the final score. The team does not that in reverse where they trail late and then surge to a lead.

The last game of the year against CBU was another example of the "missed it by that much" game they tend to play. My stream cut out with roughly two minutes left and UTA was up one. When I was able to get it back, it was tied and UTA sent Player of the Year candidate Dominique Daniels, a senior guard to the line. There was four seconds left, UTA had a foul to give, but the referees watched a replay and ruled Graduate forward Lance Ware committed a flagrant. Daniels made one of two free throws and earned a 69-68 win. 

I complained last week that the Mavs seemed happy to be pushed around, and it looked like they reversed course some. It was a borderline flagrant, but Ware did have a small little touch at the end after the intentional foul that was unnecessary. He shouldn't have pushed him, but in game speed it looked like he was still trying to foul as the whistle hadn't blown yet. But there is a lot of frustration with WAC refs in Arlington as a review shows GCU can kick Ware in the head, albeit softly, and have no problem with the play, but a soft push can send one of the best free throw shooters to the line late in the game on line. The inconsistency is maddening.

I briefly mentioned it last week, but it is things like this that make me ready for the WAC to implode and UTA get a fresh start somewhere else. While I have disagreed with calls along the way while UTA was in the Southland and Sun Belt, it feels like every week, there is something so egregious that the men's team can't get a fair shot. Basketball is the worst sport when it comes to official influence and I just don't have faith in the conference as a fan to put a fair effort on the court. There are rumors of late attempt to salvage the conference, but at this point, I just want UTA and the other Texas schools to head off to the sunset.

It's hard to judge where UTA will fit in with the conference tournament. UTA took the regular season champ to overtime, ended up losing by a possession and had two possession lead on them with a minute in regulation. On the other end of the spectrum, the Mavs lost to the two teams in the play-in game, including a 12-point loss to the last place team in the conference. The Mavericks won at least one game against six of the eight WAC schools while losing a game to all of them. The wildly differing performances are maddening.

This season has shown they have the ability to beat anyone but also get beat by anyone. I tend to think winners find a way. Utah Valley had a similar amount of one and two-possession games but went 15-1 in conference play. They found a way. 

The main issue that led to multiple losses has been free throws. It is a terrible stat to be below average when games are close. As a team, the Mavericks shot .668 from the charity stripe. That is good for last. Ironically, UVU is eighth at .681.Somehow, they were able to make other plays, but that is an exception, not the rule.

The thing to hope for is UTA's shooting. UTA is third in total offense, fourth in field goal percentage and first in three-point percentage. Some games ended in losses due to bad three shooting and some games were easy wins because they could make it anywhere. Any success has to come from that. The defense has been consistently below average, eighth in the WAC in points allowed, so the shooting will have to be up to the task.

If UTA gets hot, they can beat anyone. That heat has to be from all three: free throws, two-point field goals and the three. Unfortunately, the season's body of work makes one game and iffy proposition, let alone three games to win.

The other intangible is that UTA cannot get into a double-digit deficit. Many times this year, at Seattle, versus Abilene Christian, at Southern Utah, etc. the amount UTA was behind was in double digits and they climbed back, only to have nothing left to finish they climb. In some wins, the situation was the same, but the outcome was super close. They proved they can go on runs, but they need to limit the other teams ability to do so.

As for the postseason accolades, Daniels is my pick for Player of the Year. I say that knowing he will not get it. But he leads the conference in scoring by over three and a half points over second place. Like the Brock situation, if he isn't on CBU, I believe the Lancers go from third place to the play-in game. To me, PotY is about value to your team, and no one had more value than Daniels.

Todd Philips is my pick for Coach of the Year. First-year coach, winner of the regular season and predicted fifth in the preseason race. Hard to get much better than that.

As for newcomer, I don't have a clear-cut favorite, but Dominick Nelson, a junior guard from UVU, is the deserving choice, but also believe Senior forward JaKobe Coles of GCU will be right there. Both had huge impacts on their team in getting them into the top of the WAC.

UTA's start to the conference tournament, and as much as it pains me to say for a couple of reasons, likely ends against Grand Canyon. The Antelopes have ended UTA's season the last two years and given the totality of the season, I see little reason it won't be repeated again. Tip-off is Wednesday at 10:30 pm.