The 2025–26 WAC men's basketball season began with practices in October followed by the start of the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in early November 2025. Conference play began in January 2026. This was the WAC's 64th season of basketball. The WAC competed with seven teams due to two teams having left the conference since the prior season. Seattle and Grand Canyon both joined other conferences since the prior year.[1] The WAC tournament was held in March 2026 with all seven teams competing for the automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. All rounds were played at the Orleans Arena in the Las Vegas-area community of Paradise, Nevada.[2] California Baptist won the tournament title and received the conference's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. It was the first appearance in the program's history.
| 2025–26 WAC men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Teams | 7 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN, ESPN+ |
| Regular season | |
| Regular season champions | Utah Valley (5th title) |
| Season MVP | Dominique Daniels Jr. (Cal Baptist) |
| WAC tournament | |
| Champions | California Baptist (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Utah Valley |
| Tournament MVP | Dominique Daniels Jr. |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Valley | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 25 | – | 9 | .735 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California Baptist † | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 25 | – | 9 | .735 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah Tech | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 19 | – | 15 | .559 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UT Arlington | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Utah | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 10 | – | 22 | .313 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abilene Christian | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tarleton | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 14 | – | 18 | .438 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 WAC tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This was the last season under the WAC's current identity. California Baptist and Utah Valley will join the Big West Conference and Southern Utah and Utah Tech will join the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2026.[3] At that time, the WAC will rebrand as the United Athletic Conference (UAC), previously the name of a football-only alliance between the WAC and the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN).[4] Three remaining teams—Abilene Christian, Tarleton State, and UT Arlington—will be joined by 6 new members of the rebranded UAC.[5]
Pre-season
editWAC Preseason polling
edit| Place | Team | Points | First place votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | California Baptist | 33 | 5 |
| 2. | Utah Valley | 29 | 1 |
| 3. | Abilene Christian | 27 | 0 |
| 4. | UT Arlington | 22 | 1 |
| 5. | Tarleton | 19 | 0 |
| 6. | Utah Tech | 9 | 0 |
| 7. | Southern Utah | 8 | 0 |
WAC Preseason All-Conference
edit- First Team
| Name | School | Yr. | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominique Daniels Jr.† | California Baptist | Grad | G |
| Bradyn Hubbard | Abilene Christian | Senior | F |
| Raysean Seamster | UT Arlington | Senior | F |
| Ethan Potter | Utah Tech | Senior | F |
| Trevan Leonhardt | Utah Valley | Junior | G |
† Denotes Preseason Player of the Year
Regular season
editEarly season tournaments
edit| Team | Tournament | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | Jacksonville Classic[7] | 1–1 |
| California Baptist | Acrisure Series[8] | 3–0 |
| Southern Utah | Urban-Bennett Invitational[9] | 1–1 |
| Tarleton | SMU Multi-Team Event | 1–1 |
| UT Arlington | Weber State Tournament | 1–1 |
| Utah Tech | Rainbow Classic[10] | 1–2 |
| Utah Valley | Cancun Challenge[11] | 3–0 |
Records against other conferences
edit2025–26 records against non-conference foes:
Regular season
| Power Conferences & Gonzaga | Record |
|---|---|
| ACC | 0–2 |
| Big East | 0–1 |
| Big Ten | 0–1 |
| Big 12 | 0–10 |
| Pac-12 | 0–0 |
| SEC | 0–1 |
| Gonzaga | 0–1 |
| Power Conference Total | 0–16 |
| Other NCAA Division I Conferences | Record |
| America East | 0–0 |
| American | 2–0 |
| A-10 | 0–0 |
| ASUN | 1–0 |
| Big Sky | 6–2 |
| Big South | 1–0 |
| Big West | 5–1 |
| CAA | 0–2 |
| CUSA | 2–0 |
| Horizon | 0–0 |
| Ivy League | 0–0 |
| MAAC | 1–1 |
| MAC | 1–0 |
| MEAC | 0–0 |
| MVC | 1–0 |
| Mountain West | 0–4 |
| NEC | 0–1 |
| OVC | 1–0 |
| Patriot League | 0–0 |
| SoCon | 1–0 |
| Southland | 3–2 |
| SWAC | 6–0 |
| Summit | 4–1 |
| Sun Belt | 0–2 |
| WCC (except Gonzaga) | 3–3 |
| Other Division I Total | 38–19 |
| Non-Division I Total | 18–0 |
| NCAA Division I Total | 38–35 |
Record against ranked non-conference opponents
editThis is a list of games against ranked opponents only:
| Date | Visitor | Home | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 7, 2025 | Utah Tech | #13 Arizona | L, 93–67 |
| November 17, 2025 | Southern Utah | #19 Gonzaga | L, 122–50 |
| December 3, 2025 | California Baptist | #9 BYU | L, 60–91 |
| December 16, 2025 | Abilene Christian | #1 Arizona | L, 62–96 |
| December 19, 2025 | Abilene Christian | #10 BYU | L, 67–85 |
Team rankings are reflective of AP poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking.
Rankings
edit| Improvement in ranking | ||
| Drop in ranking | ||
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 | |
| NV | No votes received | |
| Pre | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 |
Wk 19 |
Wk 20 |
Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |
| California Baptist | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |
| Southern Utah | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |
| Tarleton | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |
| UT Arlington | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |
| Utah Tech | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |
| Utah Valley | AP | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| C | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |
Head coaches
editCoaching changes
editNo coaching changes were made during the offseason.
Coaches
editNote: 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 Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | Brette Tanner | (Associate HC) | 5th | 70–62 (.530) | 36–36 (.500) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| California Baptist | Rick Croy | St. Mary's (assistant) | 13th | 118–99 (.544) | 55–61 (.474) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Southern Utah | Rob Jeter | Western Illinois | 3rd | 22–40 (.355) | 9–27 (.250) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tarleton | Billy Gillispie | Ranger College | 6th | 78–74 (.513) | 46–38 (.548) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UT Arlington | K. T. Turner | Kentucky (assistant) | 3rd | 33–32 (.508) | 19–17 (.528) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah Tech | Jon Judkins | Snow College | 21st | 53–96 (.356) | 24–62 (.279) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah Valley | Todd Phillips | (Associate HC) | 3rd | 41–25 (.621) | 26–10 (.722) | 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 2024–25 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.
Post season
editWAC tournament
editThe WAC tournament was held in March 2026 with all seven teams competing for the automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. All rounds were held at the Orleans Arena in the Las Vegas-area community of Paradise, Nevada.
NCAA tournament
editTeams from the conference that were selected to participate: 1
| Seed | Region | School | First Four | First round | Second round | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 |
East |
California Baptist | N/A |
L 60–68 vs. (4) Kansas | DNP | ||||
| Bids | W-L (%): | 0–0 (–) | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–1 (.000) | |
National Invitation Tournament
editNumber from the conference that were selected to participate: 1
| Seed | School | First round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 |
Utah Valley | L 78–79 vs. (4) George Washington | DNP | |||
| W-L (%): | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–1 (.000) | |
| Index to colors and formatting |
|---|
| WAC member won |
| WAC member lost |
*Denotes overtime period
Awards and honors
editPlayers of the week
editThroughout the conference regular season, the WAC offices name a player of the week and a newcomer of the week each Monday.
| Week | Player of the Week | School | Newcomer of the Week | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 10 | Dominique Daniels Jr. | California Baptist | Chance Trujillo | Utah Tech |
| November 17 | Dior Johnson | Tarleton State | Dior Johnson | Tarleton State |
| November 24 | Dior Johnson | Tarleton State | Dior Johnson | Tarleton State |
| December 1 | Ethan Potter | Utah Tech | Jordan Muller | California Baptist |
| December 8 | Jackson Holcombe | Utah Valley | Cam McDowell | Tarleton State |
| December 15 | Dominique Daniels Jr. | California Baptist | Noah Bolanga | Utah Tech |
| December 22 | Ethan Potter | Utah Tech | Cbo Newton | Abilene Christian |
| December 29 | Bradyn Hubbard | Abilene Christian | Marcell McCreary | UT Arlington |
| January 5[12] | Dior Johnson | Tarleton State | Dior Johnson | Tarleton State |
| January 12 | Bradyn Hubbard | Abilene Christian | Dior Johnson | Tarleton State |
| January 20[13] | Ethan Potter | Utah Tech | Dior Johnson | Tarleton State |
| January 26 | Dominique Daniels Jr. | California Baptist | Jaiden Feroah | Southern Utah |
| February 2 | Dominique Daniels Jr. | California Baptist | Elijah Duval | Southern Utah |
| February 9 | Chance Trujillo | Utah Tech | Chance Trujillo | Utah Tech |
| February 16[14] | Dominique Daniels Jr. | California Baptist | Elijah Duval | Southern Utah |
| February 23[15] | Ethan Potter | Utah Tech | Elijah Duval | Southern Utah |
| March 2 | Dominique Daniels Jr. | California Baptist | Tanner Hayhurst | Southern Utah |
| March 9 | Dominique Daniels Jr. | California Baptist | Elijah Duval | Southern Utah |
Totals per school - Players of the week
edit| School | Player of the week | Newcomer of the week | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian University | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| California Baptist University | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Southern Utah University | 6 | 6 | |
| Tarleton State University | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| University of Texas at Arlington | 1 | 1 | |
| Utah Tech University | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Utah Valley University | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 18 | 18 | 36 |
All-WAC
edit- First team
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Bradyn Hubbard | Abilene Christian |
| Dominique Daniels, Jr.‡ | California Baptist |
| Ethan Potter | Utah Tech |
| Jackson Holcombe | Utah Valley |
| Trevan Leonhardt | Utah Valley |
- ‡ WAC Player of the Year
- Second team
| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Martell Williams | California Baptist |
| Elijah Duval | Southern Utah |
| Dior Johnson | Tarleton |
| Marcell McCreary | UT Arlington |
| Noah Bolanga | Utah Tech |
All-Freshman team
edit| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Jordan Muller | California Baptist |
| Elijah Duval† | Southern Utah |
| Andy Sigiscar | Tarleton |
| Jordan Lowery | UT Arlington |
| Tanner Davis | Utah Tech |
† Freshman of the Year
All-Defensive team
edit| Name | School |
|---|---|
| Rich Smith‡ | Abilene Christian |
| Jaiden Feroah | Southern Utah |
| Jordan Mizell | Tarleton |
| Jackson Holcombe | Utah Valley |
| Trevan Leonhardt | Utah Valley |
- ‡WAC Defensive Player of the Year
Other awards
editSixth Man of the Year: Dior Johnson, Tarleton
Coach of the Year: Jon Judkins, Utah Tech
Home game attendance
edit| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | Game 8 | Game 9 | Game 10 | Game 11 | Game 12 | Game 13 | Game 14 | Game 15 | Game 16 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian | Moody Coliseum | 3,600 | 1,523 | 1,025 | 654 | 584 | 923 | 718 | 958 | 1,229 | 1,261 | 1,329 | †1,818 | 1,196 | 1,174 | 1,080 | 15,472 | 1,105 | 31% | ||
| California Baptist | CBU Events Center | 5,050 | 4,386 | †5,088 | 3,766 | 2,617 | 2,425 | 3,601 | 2,012 | 3,438 | 2,264 | 3,907 | 3,052 | 3.079 | 2,871 | 4,294 | 4,681 | 51,481 | 3,432 | 68% | |
| Southern Utah | America First Event Center | 5,300 | 1,489 | 801 | 709 | 565 | 796 | 955 | 805 | 1,151 | 853 | 771 | †2,231 | 1,540 | 602 | 11,126 | 1,011 | 19% | |||
| Tarleton State | EECU Center | 8,000 | 1,661 | 1,353 | 1,123 | 1,358 | 1,213 | 1,351 | 811 | 987 | 1,019 | 1,567 | 2,267 | 2,119 | 2,183 | †3,187 | 1,502 | 760 | 24,461 | 1,529 | 19% |
| UT Arlington | College Park Center | 7,000 | 1,153 | 763 | †2,934 | 1,275 | 1,482 | 841 | 1,373 | 1,457 | 1,140 | 1,140 | 1,152 | 1,466 | 1,555 | 17,731 | 1,364 | 19% | |||
| Utah Tech | Burns Arena | 4,779 | 1,575 | 1,237 | 1,246 | 1,107 | 1,237 | 2,524 | 1,793 | 1,540 | †3,833 | 2,008 | 2,786 | 1,943 | 2,274 | 3,116 | 28,219 | 2,016 | 42% | ||
| Utah Valley | UCCU Center | 8,500 | 1,409 | 2,114 | 1,374 | 1,423 | 1,457 | 1,426 | 2,171 | 1,872 | †2,551 | 2,517 | 1,581 | 2,245 | 2,364 | 2,355 | 2,094 | 28,953 | 1,930 | 23% | |
| Total | 42,229 | 179,585 | 12,396 | 32% | |||||||||||||||||
Bold – At or exceed capacity; attendance is for regular season only
- †Season high
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ Bonagura, Kyle (November 1, 2024). "Grand Canyon flips from WCC, to join MWC by '26". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ↑ "2026 WAC Basketball Tournament - Western Athletic Conference". wacsports.com. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ↑ Press, Associated (June 5, 2025). "Utah Valley set to join Big West Conference for 2026-27 athletic year". KJZZ. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
- ↑ "Atlantic Sun Conference and Western Athletic Conference to Forge Strategic Alliance: WAC to Rebrand as United Athletic Conference" (Press release). United Athletic Conference. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Making sense of FCS conference realignment | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
- ↑ "California Baptist Voted Top Team In 2025-26 WAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". wacsports.com. October 30, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ↑ "College Basketball Tournament | The Jacksonville Classic | Jacksonville". Jacksonville Classic. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ↑ "Toreros Set to Face Cal Baptist for Nov. 25 Return to Acrisure Series in Palm Desert". University of San Diego Athletics. July 21, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ↑ Borst, Adam (August 28, 2025). "Robert Morris MBB to Participate in Pittsburgh Based Multi-Team Event in 2025". Robert Morris Sports Now. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ↑ "Men's Basketball Releases 2025 Non-Conference Schedule". Manhattan University Athletics. September 30, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ↑ "Composite Schedule". cancunchallenge.net. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ↑ "University Credit Union WAC Men's Basketball Player Of The Week Announced". wacsports.com. December 29, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ "University Credit Union WAC Men's Basketball Player Of The Week Announced". wacsports.com. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ↑ "University Credit Union WAC Men's Basketball Player Of The Week Announced". wacsports.com. February 18, 2026. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ↑ "University Credit Union WAC Men's Basketball Player Of The Week Announced". wacsports.com. February 22, 2026. Retrieved February 24, 2026.