History: The remaining league members are happy New Mexico State has moved on. From 2010-2023, the Aggies won this tournament nine times, including stretches where they won four and three in a row. The new king of the hill is Grand Canyon, who has won the crown in two of the last three years. The Antelopes are the only current league member who has ever won this title.
Returning Champion: Grand Canyon, the #5 seed, defeated top-seeded Sam Houston and #3 Southern Utah to take the title. They played Gonzaga tough in a 14-vs-3 matchup, losing 82-70.
Format: Eight of the 11 schools make the field. Utah Tech, Southern Utah, and UT Rio Grande Valley didn’t make it. Given that they are in their last year of transitioning to Division I, Utah Tech wouldn’t have been eligible for the NCAA Tournament. Also ineligible is the #2 seed Tarleton State. The tournament is played stepladder style, with the top two seeds automatically placed into the semi-finals.
Favorite: Grand Canyon (27-4, 17-3)
At one point this season, Grand Canyon was an NCAA Tournament bubble team that received Top 25 votes in the AP poll. Back-to-back road losses to Tarleton State and Abilene Christian ended their at-large dreams, but they are still the heavy favorites to win the tournament. They own a Quad 1 win (home over San Diego State) and lost to South Carolina by only seven points. After their 2-game stumble, they finished the season with three wins by 82 points.
Ranked 55th in the KenPom, they are 63rd in offensive efficiency and 56th in defensive efficiency. They average 79.5 points (allow 66.5). The no-doubt leader is senior guard Tyon Grant-Foster, who averages 19.4 points and 5.9 rebounds.
Contenders: Tarleton State (23-8, 16-4), UT Arlington (18-13, 13-7), Seattle (18-13, 11-9)
Live Long Shot: Abilene Christian (15-16, 10-10)
Preview:
Grand Canyon is in the driver’s seat, as the second-best team in the conference isn’t eligible to go to the NCAA Tournament. Given the tournament structure, they may only need one win to earn the automatic bid (if Tarleton State wins their semi-final game, they will be playing for bragging rights in the title game).
Speaking of Tarleton, they own that win over Grand Canyon and are 11-1 in their last 12 games. In the non-conference, there isn’t usually anything to brag about when you lose by 19. However, they did that at Tennessee, which qualifies as a confidence builder. Their balanced attack includes four players who average between 12.2 and 15.8 points. This is their first winning season in four years of Division I play. They can be a threat for years to come.
UT Arlington lost by only two on the road against New Mexico and 11 to Texas Tech in the non-conference. Like Tarleton, the Mavericks are rolling as of late, winning their final six games. By challenging themselves in the non-conference, they built up their confidence to the point where they are a threat to spoil the party.
Seattle was the first team to beat Grand Canyon in conference play. An 0-3 finish left them with the #4 seed, meaning they could see Grand Canyon again in the semifinals. The Redhawks rely on a solid defense (70th according to the KenPom). In the non-conference, they held VCU to 60 points and San Francisco to 62. Additionally, in a home game, they lost to Washington by a 100-99 margin in two overtimes. They have not reached the NCAA Tournament since 1969, spending several seasons (1981-2008) outside of Division I.
Abilene Christian gets the nod as a longshot due to that win over Grand Canyon. In the season opener, they announced their presence when they defeated Oklahoma State by five on the road. Also enhancing their resume is a 7-1 finish to the season, including a win over their first-round opponent (Stephen F. Austin).
Bottom Line:
Grand Canyon is the favorite, but other teams finished the season on high notes. The stepladder format and Tarleton State‘s ineligibility make their job much easier.
Winner: Grand Canyon