The 2022–23 WAC men's basketball season began with practices in October 2022 followed by the start of the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November 2022. The conference began play in December 2022. This is the WAC's 61st season of basketball. The WAC competed again with 13 teams with two teams leaving the conference and two teams joining the conference from the prior year. Chicago State turned independent and Lamar moved to the Southland Conference. Southern Utah University joins from the Big Sky Conference and UT Arlington joins from the Sun Belt Conference. Dixie State was also renamed as Utah Tech. Each WAC member played an 18-game conference schedule. The WAC tournament was held March 6–11, 2023 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pre-season
WAC Media days The WAC's 2022 men's basketball media day was held on October 18.
+Men's Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll Place Team Points First place votes 1. Grand Canyon 1358 2. New Mexico State 1273 3. Stephen F. Austin 111-- 4. Abilene Christian 1011 5. California Baptist 96 1 6. Seattle U 91 -- 7. Utah Valley 85 8. Sam Houston 79 -- 9. Southern Utah 66 -- 10. Tarleton 47 -- 11. UT Arlington 31 -- 12. Utah Tech 29 -- 13. UTRGV 16 --
+Men's Basketball Media Preseason Poll Place Team 1. Grand Canyon 2. New Mexico State 3. Stephen F. Austin 4. Abilene Christian 5. California Baptist 6T. Sam Houston 6T. Seattle U 8. Utah Valley 9. Southern Utah 10. UT Arlington 11. Tarleton 12. Utah Tech 13. UTRGV
WAC Preseason All-Conference First Team
NameSchool Yr. Pos. Airion Simmons Abilene Christian Sr. F Taran Armstrong California Baptist So. G † Jovan Blacksher Jr. Grand Canyon Jr. G Xavier Pinson NM State Sr. G Cameron Tyson Seattle U Jr. G Tevian Jones Southern Utah Sr. G/F Justin Johnson UTRGV Sr. F Trey Woodbury Utah Valley Sr. G † Denotes Preseason Player of the Year Second Team Name School Yr. Pos. Rayshon Harrison Grand Canyon So. G Gabe McGlothan Grand Canyon Jr. F Javion May Sam Houston Sr. G Riley Grigsby Seattle U Sr. G/F Maizen Fausett Southern Utah Sr. F Sadaidriene Hall Stephen F. Austin So. F Jaylin Jackson-Posey Stephen F. Austin So. G Freddy Hicks Tarleton Jr. G/F
Regular season
Early season tournaments
Team Tournament FinishAbilene ChristianVegas 44thCalifornia BaptistSoCal Challenge (Surf Division)4thGrand CanyonHall of Fame Classic3rdNew Mexico StateLas Vegas Holiday Classic2ndSam HoustonFort Myers Tip-Off (Palms Division)1stSeattle UDiamond Head Classic7thSouthern UtahNorth Shore Classic3rdStephen F. AustinMontreal Northern Classic4thTarletonParadise Jam2ndUT ArlingtonGulf Coast Showcase6thUTRGVLeon Black Classic2ndUtah TechNorth Dakota MTE2ndUtah ValleyJamaica Classic (Rose Hall Division)3rd
Records against other conferences 2022–23 records against non-conference foes:
Regular season Power Conferences & GonzagaRecordACC 1–1Big East 0–0Big Ten 0–1Big 12 1–7Pac-12 3–7SEC 0–2Gonzaga 0–0Power Conference Total 5–18Other NCAA Division I ConferencesRecordAmerica East 1–0American 0–4A-10 2–0ASUN 0–0Big Sky 15–4Big South 1–0Big West 9–3CAA 1–1C-USA 2–3Horizon 2–2Ivy League 0–0MAAC 0–2MAC 2–0MEAC 0–1MVC 2–2Mountain West 2–10NEC 0–0OVC 1–0Patriot League 0–0SoCon 1–1Southland 4–2SWAC 5–1The Summit 4–2Sun Belt 2–2WCC (except Gonzaga) 4–3Other Division I Total 60–44 Non-Division I Total 36–0NCAA Division I Total 65–62
Record against ranked non-conference opponents This is a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP Poll):
Date Visitor Home Score Conference record November 17, 2022 Utah Tech No. 14 Arizona L, 77–1040–1 November 18, 2022 Southern Utah No. 6 Kansas L, 76–820–2 November 26, 2022 UTRGV No. 4 Texas L, 54–910–3 December 6, 2022 Tarleton No. 12 Baylor L, 57–800–4
Team rankings are reflective of AP poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking
Rankings
Improvement in ranking Drop in rankingRVReceived votes but were not ranked in Top 25NVNo votes received Pre Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 Wk13 Wk14 Wk15 Wk16 Wk17 Wk18 FinalAbilene Christian APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCalifornia Baptist APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVGrand Canyon APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNew Mexico State APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVSam Houston APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVSeattle U APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVRVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVSouthern Utah APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVStephen F. Austin APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVTarleton APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVUT Arlington APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVUTRGV APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVUtah Tech APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVUtah Valley APNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVCNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNVNV
Head coaches
Coaching changes Only one coaching change was made during the offseason. Greg Heiar was hired on March 27 as the 27th head coach at New Mexico State University to replace Chris Jans who had previously been hired as the head coach at Mississippi State University.
Coaches Note: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season. Overall and WAC records are from time at current school. Team Head coach Previous job Seasons at school Overall record WAC record WAC titles NCAA tournaments NCAA Final Fours NCAA ChampionshipsAbilene Christian Brette Tanner (Associate HC) 2nd 25–11 () 11–7 () 0 0 0 0California Baptist Rick Croy St. Mary's (assistant) 10th 68-50 () 30-32 () 0 0 0 0Grand Canyon Bryce Drew Vanderbilt 3rd 40-15 () 22-8 () 1 1 0 0New Mexico State Greg Heiar Northwest Florida State College 1st 0-0 () 0-0 () 0 0 0 0Sam Houston Jason Hooten (Assistant HC) 13th 235-161 () 140-72 () 0 0 0 0Seattle U Chris Victor (Assistant/interim HC) 2nd 23-9 () 14-4 () 1 0 0 0Southern UtahTodd SimonUNLV (interim HC)7th96-94 ()0-0 ()0000Stephen F. Austin Kyle Keller Texas A&M (assistant) 7th 126-55 () 14–4 () 1 0 0 0Tarleton Billy Gillispie Ranger College 3rd 24-27 () 14-16 () 0 1 0 0UT ArlingtonGreg Young(Assistant)2nd11-18 ()0-0 ()0000UTRGV Matt Figger Austin Peay 2nd 8-23 () 3-15 () 0 0 0 0Utah Tech Jon Judkins Snow College 18th 306-149 () 10-22 () 0 0 0 0Utah Valley Mark Madsen Los Angeles Lakers (player development) 4th 42-42 () 24-22 () 1 0 0 0 Notes: Overall and WAC records, conference titles, etc. are from time at current school and are through the end of the 2021–22 season. Records and season totals only include time spent at Division I as head coach. NCAA tournament appearances are from time at current school only. NCAA Final Fours and Championship include time at other schools.
Postseason
WAC tournament
The conference tournament was played from March 7–11, 2023, at Michelob ULTRA Arena and the Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada near Las Vegas. The first round was played on March 7 at Michelob ULTRA Arena with the remaining rounds March 8–11 at the Orleans Arena. Twelve of the thirteen members were invited to the tournament. While Tarleton and Utah Tech were ineligible for the NCAA tournament, they were eligible for the WAC tournament.
NCAA tournament
Teams from the conference that were selected to participate:
Seed Region School First Four First round Second round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Championship14WestGrand Canyon BidsW-L (%):TOTAL:
National Invitation Tournament Number from the conference that were selected to participate: 2
Seed School First round Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals 3 Sam Houston N/AUtah Valley W-L (%): TOTAL:
College Basketball Invitational Number from the conference that were selected to participate: 2
Seed School First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals 4 Southern Utah 7Tarleton W-L (%): TOTAL:
Index to colors and formattingWAC member wonWAC member lost *Denotes overtime period
Awards and honors
Players of the week Throughout the conference regular season, the WAC offices name a player of the week, and a freshman of the week each Monday.
WeekPlayer of the WeekSchool Freshman of the WeekSchool November 14Cameron Tyson Seattle U Adante' Holiman UTRGV November 21 Freddy Hicks Tarleton Parsa Fallah Southern Utah November 28 Justin JohnsonUTRGV Kobe Knox Grand Canyon December 5 Le'Tre Darthard Utah Valley Brandon Walker UT Arlington December 12 Aziz Bandaogo Utah Valley Parsa FallahSouthern UtahDecember 19Justin JohnsonUTRGVAdante' HolimanUTRGVDecember 27Trey WoodburyUtah ValleyParsa FallahSouthern UtahJanuary 3Tevian JonesSouthern UtahAnthony WrzeszczSam HoustonJanuary 10Aziz BandaogoUtah ValleyChendall WeaverUT ArlingtonJanuary 17Riley GrigsbySeattle UKobe KnoxGrand CanyonJanuary 24Riley GrigsbySeattle UChendall WeaverUT ArlingtonJanuary 30Taran ArmstrongCal BaptistLeonardo BettiolAbilene ChristianFebruary 6Ray HarrisonGrand CanyonChendall WeaverUT ArlingtonFebruary 13Le'Tre DarthardUtah ValleyAdante' HolimanUTRGVFebruary 20Gabe McGlothanGrand CanyonChendall WeaverUT ArlingtonFebruary 27Qua GrantSam HoustonKobe KnoxGrand CanyonMarch 4Ray HarrisonGrand CanyonAdante HolimanUTRGV
Totals per school - Players of the week School Player of the weekFreshman of the weekTotalAbilene Christian University11California Baptist University11Grand Canyon University336New Mexico State UniversitySam Houston State University112Seattle University33Southern Utah University134Stephen F. Austin State UniversityTarleton State University11University of Texas at Arlington55University of Texas Rio Grande Valley246Utah Tech UniversityUtah Valley University55Total171734
All-Americans
All-WAC First team NameSchool Ray Harrison Grand Canyon Qua Grant‡ Sam Houston Cameron Tyson Seattle U Tevian Jones Southern Utah Aziz Bandaogo‡‡ Utah ValleyLe'Tre DarthardUtah ValleyTrey WoodburyUtah ValleyJustin JohnsonUTRGV ‡ WAC Player of the Year ‡‡ WAC Defensive Player of the Year
Second team Name School Taran Armstrong California Baptist Gabe McGlothan Grand Canyon Donte Powers Sam Houston Riley Grigsby Seattle U Maizen Fausett Southern UtahSadaidriene HallStephen F. AustinFreddy HicksTarletonCameron GoodenUtah Tech
All-Newcomer team
Name School Ray HarrisonGrand Canyon Qua GrantSam Houston Cameron HuefnerSam Houston Drake AllenSouthern Utah Aziz Bandaogo†Utah Valley † Newcomer of the Year
All-Defensive team Name School Damien Daniels Abilene Christian Javion May Sam Houston Shamir Bogues Tarleton Aziz Bandaogo Utah Valley Le'Tre Darthard Utah Valley ‡WAC Defensive Player of the Year
Other awards Sixth Man of the Year: Dee Barnes, Southern Utah
Freshman of the Year: Chendall Weaver, UT Arlington
Coach of the Year: Mark Madsen, Utah Valley
2023 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team School/club team − − −
Home game attendance