WAC Attack! The Mid-Major Making March Madness Dreams a Reality!

March Madness is just around the corner, and while everyone's buzzing about the blue bloods and the power conferences, let's take a moment to shine a spotlight on a conference often overlooked: the Western Athletic Conference, or WAC. It's a bit of a quirky league, geographically spread out and facing some big changes in the near future, but it could still produce a Cinderella story this year.

WAC Attack! The Mid-Major Making March Madness Dre...

Now, the WAC isn't exactly a college basketball powerhouse. We're talking about a seven-team conference stretching from California to Texas to Utah. Think about that for a second – that's a lot of ground to cover! And to make things even more interesting, the WAC is about to undergo a pretty significant facelift. Come July 2026, California Baptist and Utah Valley are packing their bags for the Big West, while Southern Utah and Utah Tech are headed to the Big Sky. Talk about shake-ups!

That said, let's not dwell on the future too much. For now, the WAC tournament is what's important. With fewer teams involved, they've tweaked the format a bit. The top two seeds get a sweet pass straight to the semifinals, while the bottom two teams have to duke it out in a play-in game. It's a high-stakes scenario where every single game counts.

Right now, Utah Valley is the team to beat. They're the only WAC team sitting in the top 100 of the NET rankings, at number 86. Cal Baptist isn't far behind at 106, and UT Arlington is hanging in there at 148. But here's the thing: Utah Valley has struggled against tougher competition. They haven't been able to pull out any big wins against Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents. Cal Baptist has a similar story, with a rough loss against BYU on their record.

Despite the lack of resume-boosting victories, both Utah Valley and Cal Baptist have the potential to cause some trouble in March. A favorable seed and a little bit of luck could be all they need to make a run. And don't count out Utah Tech, either! They're ranked 165th in NET, but they've been playing well in conference. If they can snag that second seed and the double-bye that comes with it, their chances of making the NCAA Tournament would skyrocket. I think they are an interesting team to watch given the opportunity they have to get that bye. With a strong record in Quad 3 and 4 games, they could be a dark horse.

Oh, and let's not forget about the women's side! Cal Baptist is leading the WAC with a 10-2 record, but Abilene Christian is right on their heels. It's shaping up to be an exciting finish to the season, and anything can happen once the tournament rolls around. So, keep an eye on the WAC this March – you might just witness the next big Cinderella story unfolding right before your eyes!