WAC Tournament Odds, Picks & Schedule 2023

• The Western Athletic Conference Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 7th, in Las Vegas
• Oddsmakers have set this up as a two-horse race between Sam Houston State and Utah Valley
• Below, see the WAC Tournament odds for all 12 teams as well as betting predictions

One of the more unique conference tournaments in college basketball gets going on Tuesday, March 7th with first round action from the Western Athletic Conference. All but one squad from the 13-team conference qualified for a chance to cut down the nets by winning the WAC.

The lone team that didn’t qualify is New Mexico State, last year’s champions and winners of this tournament eight of the last 10 times. It was a disastrous season for the Aggies who completely fell off the map and went through a litany of scandals, contributing to a 2-16 conference record.

With the Aggies out of the mix, there are two clear cut favorites to win the title in Las Vegas. The Utah Valley Wolverines, who finished with the best conference record, but are actually the No. 2 seed and the top seed, Sam Houston State. Check out the WAC tournament odds for all the teams below as we also offer up our best bet.

Western Athletic Conference Tournament Odds

It’s basically a coin flip in the odds with Sam Houston State +125 chalk and Utah Valley sitting right behind them at +150. Both sides were tremendous defensively this season, with the Bearkats ranked in the top 5% of all squads in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom.

Bearing that in mind, Sam Houston State are the side from this conference that are penciled in as a 13-seed in our latest March Madness bracket projection.

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Western Athletic Conference Tournament Format

Seeds 1 through 4 get a tournament bye to the quarterfinals, while seeds 5 through 12 play their first round games on Tuesday. Whoever gets to the final will have to play three games in as many days culminating with the championship contest on Saturday, March 11th.

Unlike every other conference in the country, the WAC does not use conference records when determining seeding. Instead the WAC uses a resume seeding system, based on a formula that also accounts for the strength of non-conference games played and won.

The 2023 WAC Tournament Bracket. #WAC pic.twitter.com/Kz5wXwSNRj

— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) March 4, 2023

That sums up the reason Sam Houston State are pitted as the No. 1 seed despite finishing behind Utah Valley in the regular season conference standings. The winner of the tournament will get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and the final can be seen on ESPN 2.

Two arenas in Las Vegas are playing host to all the tournament action.

Time for a New Winner in the WAC Tournament

As mentioned above, with New Mexico State not participating, this tourney is really up for grabs. Among current WAC members, five have competed in at least one WAC tournament but failed to reach the title game. The two favorites, the Bearkats and Wolverines, are amongst those five squads.

Will they be able to produce with high expectations? That’s yet to be seen. Sporting a defensive unit that can compare to the favorites in the odds to win March Madness, Sam Houston State comes in with a head full of confidence having won 12 of their last 13 matchups.

In their only head-to-head meeting this year, the Wolverines easily handled the Bearkats, defeating them by 16 points at home. If it comes down to the two favorites in the final, you wonder if that matchup will give Utah Valley a mental edge.

Best Longshot Bet to Win WAC Tournament

The odds dramatically drop off after the top two favorites, with Southern Utah owning the 3rd shortest odds to take the tournament crown at +800. That gives them an implied win probability of just 11.11% to stage an improbable upset.

If you’re looking for big cash, our pick is to go with the Grand Canyon Lopes who are the 5th seed and own +2000 odds. They performed admirably against the chalk in the conference, defeating Sam Houston State in overtime this year and losing by a bucket to Utah Valley in late January.

𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 vibes with a 2-0 road trip headed into Vegas. 🗣 #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/GyBEHlCuB2

— Grand Canyon Men’s Basketball (@GCU_MBB) March 4, 2023

While their defense leaves something to be desired, the Lopes have the best adjusted offensive efficiency and effective field goal percentage in the entire conference according to the KenPom ratings.

Led by Rayshon Harrison, Grand Canyon arguably sports the best guard line in the WAC. Excluding New Mexico State, they are the last team to take the WAC tournament title. At +2000, they might be well worth the risk.

Western Athletic Conference Tournament Predictions

These tournaments are almost always won by the favorites and our expectation is that the top seeded team, Sam Houston State, should be cutting down the nets in Vegas this coming Saturday.

However, everybody loves a good underdog and it might be a smart play to spread a little money on Grand Canyon. They should have no issue defeating their first round opponent, UT Arlington, who they stomped 80-48 earlier this year.

Once their offense gets going, this is a dangerous squad to contend with in a single game knockout format. Our pick here is to go with the big payout instead of taking the overwhelming chalk, so throw the dice and a little dough on the Lopes to take the tournament crown for the 2nd time in three years.

Pick: Grand Canyon Lopes (+2000)