Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Texas Southern on November 2, 2026 at 7 p.m.
M Basketball
7 p.m.
vs Texas Southern
Grand Canyon University Athletics
WAC Tournament mission: 3 wins
3/10/2019 8:25:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
GCU vies for NCAA tourney bid at conference tourney
Grand Canyon put together a five-game winning streak in the first half of the WAC season and a three-game winning streak in the second half.
If GCU beats three conference opponents over three nights this week at the WAC Tournament, Lopes from Las Vegas to west Phoenix will be invited to the Big Dance – the NCAA tournament.
GCU fell one step shy of that goal last season with a WAC Tournament championship game loss but the Lopes can't take another stab at the final step until they take the first step – a Thursday first-round game against Seattle.
The third-seeded Lopes (18-12) are granted a rapid rematch with the sixth-seeded Redhawks (18-13) after losing an overtime game at Seattle on Saturday. They meet for the season series' rubber match Thursday in the 8:30 p.m. nightcap at Orleans Arena, where a quartet of first-round games begin at noon.
Coming off two road losses, the Lopes look to recapture the play that made them the toast of the conference at the midpoint of WAC play this season.
"Confidence is always up," GCU leading scorer Carlos Johnson said. "We're going to bounce back. The tournament is one game at a time and that's how we're going to take it."
Outside the tourney's top two seeds, Seattle is the hottest team in the conference in a wild season that started optimistically with a 12-3 nonconference record, nosedived with a 1-8 WAC start and ended with a 5-1 upswing.
No matter the semifinal opponent, GCU has beaten every possible opponent for the first two rounds. The Lopes split with the Redhawks, winning 71-57 at home and losing 83-76 at Seattle after missing two potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation Saturday.
"I'm not afraid of anybody and I'm afraid of everybody," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said of the WAC Tournament landscape.
Even with two losses to defending champion New Mexico State, the Lopes arguably played the Aggies better than any team with a road loss on a half-court buzzer shot and a home loss that was a one-point game with 1:24 remaining.
"They can turn it around," Majerle said of his team. "They're plenty good. We don't play well (Saturday) and we're still in overtime on their floor. We just have to find a way to get it done."
GCU's WAC Tournament debut provided a lesson on first-round jitters and focus last year. The Lopes were favored heavily to beat Kansas City but had to climb out of an early 20-4 hole to advance to the semifinals, where they beat Utah Valley.
There is no chance of GCU taking Seattle lightly this week with the Redhawks winning just as many games as the Lopes this season, leading the conference in field goal percentage defense and being just five days removed from beating GCU come Thursday.
"I wish we hadn't given them hope but we'll be ready," Lopes senior guard Trey Drechsel said.
Here is how the rest of the WAC Tournament first-round matchups shape up for Thursday:
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Â
If GCU beats three conference opponents over three nights this week at the WAC Tournament, Lopes from Las Vegas to west Phoenix will be invited to the Big Dance – the NCAA tournament.
GCU fell one step shy of that goal last season with a WAC Tournament championship game loss but the Lopes can't take another stab at the final step until they take the first step – a Thursday first-round game against Seattle.
The third-seeded Lopes (18-12) are granted a rapid rematch with the sixth-seeded Redhawks (18-13) after losing an overtime game at Seattle on Saturday. They meet for the season series' rubber match Thursday in the 8:30 p.m. nightcap at Orleans Arena, where a quartet of first-round games begin at noon.
Coming off two road losses, the Lopes look to recapture the play that made them the toast of the conference at the midpoint of WAC play this season.
"Confidence is always up," GCU leading scorer Carlos Johnson said. "We're going to bounce back. The tournament is one game at a time and that's how we're going to take it."
Outside the tourney's top two seeds, Seattle is the hottest team in the conference in a wild season that started optimistically with a 12-3 nonconference record, nosedived with a 1-8 WAC start and ended with a 5-1 upswing.
No matter the semifinal opponent, GCU has beaten every possible opponent for the first two rounds. The Lopes split with the Redhawks, winning 71-57 at home and losing 83-76 at Seattle after missing two potential game-winning shots at the end of regulation Saturday.
"I'm not afraid of anybody and I'm afraid of everybody," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said of the WAC Tournament landscape.
Even with two losses to defending champion New Mexico State, the Lopes arguably played the Aggies better than any team with a road loss on a half-court buzzer shot and a home loss that was a one-point game with 1:24 remaining.
"They can turn it around," Majerle said of his team. "They're plenty good. We don't play well (Saturday) and we're still in overtime on their floor. We just have to find a way to get it done."
GCU's WAC Tournament debut provided a lesson on first-round jitters and focus last year. The Lopes were favored heavily to beat Kansas City but had to climb out of an early 20-4 hole to advance to the semifinals, where they beat Utah Valley.
There is no chance of GCU taking Seattle lightly this week with the Redhawks winning just as many games as the Lopes this season, leading the conference in field goal percentage defense and being just five days removed from beating GCU come Thursday.
"I wish we hadn't given them hope but we'll be ready," Lopes senior guard Trey Drechsel said.
Here is how the rest of the WAC Tournament first-round matchups shape up for Thursday:
- No. 1 New Mexico State vs. No. 8 Chicago State, noon: The Aggies (27-4) were stunned in their conference opener at California Baptist and never lost again, running off 15 WAC wins in a row to rise to No. 47Â in the computerized NCAA NET rankings. With an average WAC scoring margin of plus-12, the Aggies likely will not get any resistance from a Chicago State (3-27) team that went winless in conference play despite scaring UT Rio Grande Valley two weeks ago. New Mexico State has proven clutch with five WAC wins by five points or fewer, including both GCU games.
- No. 4 UTRGV vs. No. 5 CSU Bakersfield, 2:30 p.m.: As the seeding suggests, this game might be the tourney's biggest toss-up. UTRGV (18-15) hit its stride with a five-game winning streak in February but then lost three of its final five WAC games. Bakersfield (16-14) has WAC Tournament championship pedigree but faded this season, losing eight of its last nine games with a five-game losing streak entering the tournament. Bakersfield has the defensive reputation but it has been UTRGV creating defensive havoc this season, getting 8.9 steals per game and inducing 17.4 opponent turnovers per game. Bakersfield boasts potential WAC Player of the Year Jarkel Joiner, the leading scorer in conference games.
- No. 2 Utah Valley vs. No. 7 Kansas City, 6 p.m.: Utah Valley (23-8) has not lost to any team but New Mexico State since Jan. 12. The Wolverines' seven-game winning streak has come on the strength of the WAC's highest-scoring offense and best-shooting team. Utah Valley ranks 16th in the nation for field goal percentage and 12th for 3-point percentage but was a different team at home (13-1) than away from it (10-7). Kansas City (11-21) was skidding on a four-game losing streak until Saturday's win against Chicago State and has struggled on the boards consistently.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Â
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballFriday, August 07
Friday, August 07
Friday, August 07
Wednesday, August 05