Long layoff ends for WAC opening set

Jan. 8-9 \| 6 p.m. MT \| Stephenville, Texas

	TARLETON TEXANS (2-2)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (4-3)

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The game jerseys have not come out for 17 days, the longest stretch that Grand Canyon men's basketball has gone without a game during a season since 2000.

Absence has made the Lopes' hearts grow fonder for action, but the tougher task is recapturing the focus and precision that GCU was finding during an impressive mid-December stretch of beating Nevada (8-3) and challenging Arizona State (4-3), Colorado (8-3) and San Francisco (7-5) deep into games.

The work since summer has been to build toward the WAC schedule that begins with a Friday-Saturday set at conference newcomer Tarleton (2-2) in the conference's pandemic-minded scheduling. Canceled games and practices turned this week into a tighter prep time.

"For us, it's just been about trying to get back on the court and get back in shape since the long break," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "The great thing is the strides that we made and the improvement that we made last month, we have that in us to show that we can play at a good level offensively and defensively. The big question is can we go back to that level of intensity with the long layoff and take it to another level, which you need to when conference starts."

The Lopes have company in the predicament. Tarleton, in its first Division I transition year, will be playing for the first time in 30 days when it makes its WAC debut at its Wisdom Gym, where Tarleton is allowing 50% capacity in Stephenville, Texas.

The Texans won 13 conference championships over 26 years in Division II, but proved determined to compete at a higher level by hiring Billy Gillispie as head coach. The former Texas A&M, Kentucky, Texas Tech and UTEP head coach has guided four teams to the NCAA tournament and collected more wins than any Texas college coach (457).

Gillispie has overhauled the program with 15 newcomers, including five who played for him at Ranger College, his previous stop running a junior college program. Three of those Rangers players have started in a lineup that tops out at 6 feet 6, making perimeter pressure a key against GCU's size.

This weekend's games pits Tarleton's shortest WAC roster against GCU's tallest WAC roster, which has helped the Lopes rank sixth nationally for rebound margin (plus-12.6 per game).

"They've got a 7-footer (Asbjørn Midtgaard) that's a legit professional player," Gillispie said on his Tarleton show. "He'll play for however long he wants to stay healthy. And then they've got a 6-10 player (Alessandro Lever) that is a tremendous player. Both those guys will be pros next year. And then they have a really good roster around them, but it's led by one of the best point guards in anywhere (Jovan Blacksher Jr.). He's a guy who really understands how to play the position."

Tarleton's last six games have been canceled for COVID-19 protocols, but the team has been practicing since Dec. 26. The Texans have lost games against top-10 opponents Gonzaga, Baylor and Kansas. They are forcing 23.5 turnovers per game but two of the four games have been against non-Division I programs, including its last game, an 84-43 victory against Arlington Baptist on Dec. 9.

The format has GCU and Tarleton meeting at 6 p.m. (Phoenix time) on Friday and Saturday, leaving a short turnaround for adjustments.

"It's been really interesting looking across the country at scores on back-to-backs," Drew said. "You'll see games that aren't close one night and then the other team will win the next night. It's new for all the coaches so there's a sense of excitement to it also. Sometimes, it's hard to play well one night and do it less than 24 hours later so there's a psychological component that goes into it."

Lope tracks

GCU is 6-1 in WAC openers.
Lopes senior power forward Alessandro Lever needs three points to move into fourth place for career scoring at GCU.
Lever is one of six players in the nation who has posted at least 1,400 career points (1,418) and 48% shooting (48.3%).
GCU senior center Asbjørn Midtgaard leads the nation in field goal percentage (73.8%) for players with at least three appearances. Lever is also shooting a career-best 56.5%.
The Lopes have scored at least 32 points in the paint in six consecutive games.
GCU is 2-0 against Tarleton with wins in 1995 and 1997.
Tarleton graduate manager Noah Radatz is a former four-year GCU student manager.

Jan. 8-9 | 6 p.m. MT | Stephenville, Texas

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Players Mentioned

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Alessandro Lever

Grand Canyon University Athletics