Lockdown Lopes begin WAC Tournament

WAC Tournament second round Thursday, March 10 \| 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| Las Vegas, Nev. \| Orelans Arena

	SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS (18-13, 13-5 WAC)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (22-7, 13-5 WAC)

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LAS VEGAS – Since November, Grand Canyon head coach Bryce Drew preached that defense and rebounding were this team's path to a WAC championship repeat.

Holland Woods II

No opponent knows that better than Sam Houston, the one that GCU faces Thursday night as the first step toward that goal of a back-to-back WAC Tournament titles at Orleans Arena. The Lopes' title defense is based in their team defense.

GCU (22-7) must win three games in three nights, starting with the opener at 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) against a Sam Houston team that it limited to 28.9% shooting this season in two meetings. The teams split the season series, but the Lopes flipped a 58-56 Jan. 22 road loss into a 67-41 Feb. 26 home rout of the Bearkats (19-13).

"It's going to boil down to which team gets hot this weekend," Drew said.

GCU is built to keep that from happening to them. For the Lopes, March Madness means driving opponents mad with its defense. GCU ranks No. 5 nationally for opponent field goal percentage at 38.0% and No. 2 for opponent 3-point percentage at 26.8%.

That is reminiscent of last season's team, but sophomore point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. will be the only starter walking on the court who started last season's WAC Tournament games.

"We have the same type of mentality," said Blacksher, an All-WAC first-team selection. "I'm the leader now so it's going to start with me exemplifying it to all the other guys.

"We're getting back on track, trying to get our rhythm back. We have a lot of great basketball ahead of us. If we stay focused and play with energy and passion and together, we can surprise a lot of people."

Even last year's WAC Tournament champions did not arrive in Las Vegas on the type of roll that these Lopes bring. GCU has won four consecutive games by double digits, but Sam Houston posted its most emphatic win of the season Wednesday night to set up Bearkats-Lopes.

"At the end of the day, the biggest concern is our team," Drew said with the team practicing Wednesday in Las Vegas before Sam Houston's nighttime win. "We want to be more concerned about us than them.

"All four games (in the past two weeks), we've won by double digits so I think our guys feel good going into the conference tournament. Now, hopefully we can continue that play and take it up another level, which you have to do in March if you want to advance."

Sam Houston routed California Baptist 65-35 with forward Savion Flagg, an All-WAC first-teamer, posting 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Bearkats held the Lancers to season-worst shooting from the field (24.5%) and 3-point range (11.5%).

Sean Miller-Moore

Flagg, a versatile 6-foot-7, 225-pounder, averages 18.6 points and 8.3 rebounds this season but was kept to 9-for-31 shooting and a 10.0 scoring average in the two GCU games this season. The Lopes threw multiple defenders at Flagg, beginning with graduate swingman Sean Miller-Moore.

"Being focused mentally is what is going to make or break us," Miller-Moore said. "I don't think it's about physicality. It's just about being locked in all the times. I think our chemistry will carry us a long way. We were a really good team last year, but I feel like we're more of a family now."

This team will also have more of a crowd this year. The Lopes won last year's WAC Tournament amid attendance restrictions but will be able to have Lope Nation in force.

GCU has settled into a nine-man rotation, with Blacksher being the only player who started at the WAC Tournament last year and five of them playing in their first WAC Tournament this year.

"I'm letting them know this is a new season and a new slate," Blacksher said. "We can win these games and it can change our lives. So I'm just making sure everybody's focused and ready to go."

Lope tracks

GCU is 17-0 this season when scoring 67 or more points. Over Drew's two seasons at the helm, the Lopes are 26-0 with 74 or more points.
Lopes sophomore power forward Yvan Ouedraogo has an offensive rebounding percentage of 15.2%, which ranks 15th nationally for players who average 20 or more minutes.
GCU ranks seventh in the nation for rebounds per game at 40.7.
Lopes graduate guard Holland Woods II is 64 points away from reaching 2,000 career points. He also ranks ninth nationally among active players with 653 career assists.
Blacksher is one of five players in the nation who are averaging at least 16.0 points and 4.0 assists with at least 40% 3-point shooting this season.
Sam Houston ranks last nationally for free throw percentage at 60.0%.
Bearkats 12th-year coach Jason Hooten is 235-152 as the program's winningest head coach in its history.
Sam Houston takes 42% of its shots from 3-point range, averaging 25.5 attempts per game and making them at a 34.4% clip.
On the other side of the WAC Tournament bracket, Abilene Christian (21-9) faces Stephen F. Austin (22-8) on Thursday with the winner playing a Friday semifinal against Seattle U (23-8).

WAC Tournament second round
Thursday, March 10 | 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) | Las Vegas, Nev. | Orelans Arena

Lope tracks

Players Mentioned

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Sean Miller-Moore

Grand Canyon University Athletics