The Massive Sky Match is ready to get underway this week at Michelob ULTRA Enviornment and Orleans Enviornment in Las Vegas, with the winner punching their computerized bid to the 2023 males’s NCAA match. The WAC is more likely to be a one-bid league this yr, which suggests the whole season comes all the way down to the convention match.

There’s, properly, so much to speak about in the case of the WAC this season. New Mexico State, one of many preseason favorites within the convention, suspended their season after quite a lot of off-court incidents. Ahead Mike Peake was allegedly concerned in a capturing in November the place he was lured onto the campus of the College of New Mexico and after being shot at, returned hearth. Brandon Travis, a 19-year outdated and one of many people who allegedly lured Peake to the campus, died following the incident.

NMSU then suspended their season in February after allegations of hazing on the staff surfaced. Head coach Greg Heiar was fired days later.

Utah Valley completed the season with one of the best convention report, at 15-3 (24-7 general) however they would be the No. 2 seed within the match this week. As a substitute it’s Sam Houston, with their 14-4 convention report (24-6 general) that enters the match as the highest seed. Why? As a result of the WAC altered how they construction the seeding for the convention match.

As a substitute of utilizing convention report, the convention is utilizing a “resume seeding system,” Developed together with Ken Pomeroy, the WAC is utilizing a method to take a look at a staff’s whole resume, together with the energy of their opponents. Losses in opposition to powerful groups are usually not judged as harshly as losses in opposition to weaker opponents. Conversely, wins in opposition to good groups are given extra credit score than wins in opposition to inferior opponents.

On the energy of this method, Sam Houston is the highest seed, whereas Utah Valley will likely be second.

Curiously sufficient, these groups met simply as soon as this season, with Utah Valley successful by a ultimate rating of 80 to 64. That recreation got here again in the long run of the December, and it was the conference-opener for each groups.

2023 males’s WAC match bracket

WAC

2023 males’s WAC match schedule

March 7 First Spherical

Sport 1: California Baptist 69, Abilene Christian 62

Sport 2: Grand Canyon 82, UT Arlington 77

Sport 3: No. 7 Tarleton vs. No. 10 UT Rio Grande Valley, 9 p.m., ESPN+

Sport 4: No. 6 Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 11 Utah Tech, 11 p.m., ESPN+

March 9 Quarterfinals

Sport 5: No. 8 California Baptist vs. No. 1 Sam Houston, 3 p.m., ESPN+

Sport 6: No. 5 Grand Canyon vs. No. 4 Seattle U, 5 p.m., ESPN+

Sport 7: Winner Sport 3 vs. No. 2 Utah Valley, 9 p.m., ESPN+

Sport 8: Winner Sport 4 vs. No. 3 Southern Utah, 11 p.m., ESPN+

March 10 Semifinals

Sport 9: Winner Sport 5 vs. Winner Sport 6, 9 p.m., ESPN+

Sport 10: Winner Sport 7 vs. Winner Sport 8, 11 p.m., ESPN+

March 11 Championship

Sport 11: Winner Sport 9 vs. Winner Sport 10, 11:30 p.m., ESPN2