NMSU has been the dominant force in WAC basketball for the last decade.

Is there a school poised to take up that mantle or will things be wide open?

(03-08-2022 07:22 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  NMSU has been the dominant force in WAC basketball for the last decade.

Is there a school poised to take up that mantle or will things be wide open?

GCU is the only school that has shown promise (in this aspect). Too early to tell if the Texas schools are capable. Though I would bet on SFA from that group.

Kyle Keller is a good coach cut from a similar cloth to Chris Jans… and SFA has been impressive in their last few NCAA trips. The fight for top dog will most likely be between GCU and SFA. Just my opinion.

I doubt there will be a dominant school like Gonzaga in the WCC or how NMSU was in the WAC prior to 2020. More parity at the top should bode well for the WAC.

Chill out we’re not gone yet lol

(03-08-2022 08:47 PM)YesCubanB Wrote:  Chill out we’re not gone yet lol

Ha!

When NMSU leaves, I think SFA, ACU and GCU will be in the mix most years.

(03-09-2022 10:38 AM)PojoaquePosse Wrote:  When NMSU leaves, I think SFA, ACU and GCU will be in the mix most years.

Can’t disagree with that. I wonder who Madsen is gonna get up at UVU after Aimaq leaves. He seems to get a lot out of his players but that’s gonna be a very difficult void to fill.

(03-08-2022 07:22 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  NMSU has been the dominant force in WAC basketball for the last decade.

Is there a school poised to take up that mantle or will things be wide open?

NMSU could stay and it's still gonna be pretty wide open. You'll have 3 or 4 teams who can win it every year.

(03-09-2022 01:44 PM)TallTexan Wrote:  

(03-08-2022 07:22 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  NMSU has been the dominant force in WAC basketball for the last decade.

Is there a school poised to take up that mantle or will things be wide open?

NMSU could stay and it's still gonna be pretty wide open. You'll have 3 or 4 teams who can win it every year.

NMSU has been in the top 3 of the WAC for 16 straight seasons (WAC 1.0, WAC 2.0 and WAC.3.0).

WAC basketball is a step up from the Southland and there are four or five potential dominant basketball programs already in play. What is great is the WAC will likely have different champions in different years. That is a good thing, I think. One thing I have personally observed is teams like ACU (which is my admitted favorite) are bringing more emphasis on pressure defense to the WAC which already had a very strong offensive bent. Watching the year unfold, it just seemed the step up in improved defensive emphasis was apparent from several teams. This is going to make the WAC a stronger factor nationally because college basketball is being refined overall with more emphasis on defense compared to the past. If you have watched ACU, they definitely put more energy into defense than any aspect of their game. The Wildcats play frantically.

(03-12-2022 01:07 PM)RCI Wrote:  WAC basketball is a step up from the Southland and there are four or five potential dominant basketball programs already in play. What is great is the WAC will likely have different champions in different years. That is a good thing, I think. One thing I have personally observed is teams like ACU (which is my admitted favorite) are bringing more emphasis on pressure defense to the WAC which already had a very strong offensive bent. Watching the year unfold, it just seemed the step up in improved defensive emphasis was apparent from several teams. This is going to make the WAC a stronger factor nationally because college basketball is being refined overall with more emphasis on defense compared to the past. If you have watched ACU, they definitely put more energy into defense than any aspect of their game. The Wildcats play frantically.

But do they try to win every game?

(03-12-2022 04:48 PM)PojoaquePosse Wrote:  

(03-12-2022 01:07 PM)RCI Wrote:  WAC basketball is a step up from the Southland and there are four or five potential dominant basketball programs already in play. What is great is the WAC will likely have different champions in different years. That is a good thing, I think. One thing I have personally observed is teams like ACU (which is my admitted favorite) are bringing more emphasis on pressure defense to the WAC which already had a very strong offensive bent. Watching the year unfold, it just seemed the step up in improved defensive emphasis was apparent from several teams. This is going to make the WAC a stronger factor nationally because college basketball is being refined overall with more emphasis on defense compared to the past. If you have watched ACU, they definitely put more energy into defense than any aspect of their game. The Wildcats play frantically.

But do they try to win every game?

(03-08-2022 07:40 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(03-08-2022 07:22 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  NMSU has been the dominant force in WAC basketball for the last decade.

Is there a school poised to take up that mantle or will things be wide open?

GCU is the only school that has shown promise (in this aspect). Too early to tell if the Texas schools are capable. Though I would bet on SFA from that group.

If you guys play like you did this year , you will also be in that conversation. I really don't see a school that can't win the league.

For the conference the best thing that can happen is several, if not all schools defeating teams from other mid-major conferences in the non-conference portion of the season and then not necessarily one team above the rest but several teams fighting for the championships. I think if NMSU were staying they would probably most years be in the mix, but I doubt that they would have the kind of run they have had over the past decade. There are too many good schools and, in the future, will be few if any schools transitioning to D1. Stability helps create parody. Even though NMSU is leaving in another year or so, a two or three game run in the NCAA is needed for the conference.