2009 WAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Predictions

Written March 10, 2009 by Jason Lowry

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The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Men’s Basketball Tournament will get started this Tuesday with No.8 seeded Hawaii taking on No. 9 Fresno State, while the top 7 teams get a little longer break, as they don’t hit the floor till Thursday. The championship is scheduled for Saturday night, and the winner is not only crowned the WAC Champion, but receives the automatic big to the NCAA Tournament. During the regular season Utah State was the best of the bunch going a solid 14-2 in conference play, but they likely still need to win this tournament if they want to make it to March Madness. Here is a look at my 3 favorites to win and a sleeper I feel could cause some problems for some of the top teams. Bet WAC Basketball Tournament at Bookmaker.com.

1. Utah State Aggies (27-4, 14-2 WAC)

The Aggies come into the tournament as the No.1 seed, but this team struggled to finish out the season strong, as they were just 3-3 in their final 6 games after starting the season 24-1. The Aggies have the easiest path to the finals, where they will likely meet the same Nevada team that just beat them, and its going to be up Gary Wilkinson and the rest of the Aggies to make sure they are the team headed on to the NCAA Tournament. Wilkinson leads the way with a nice 16.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

2. Nevada Wolf Pack (19-11, 11-5 WAC)

The Wolf Pack come in with a ton of confidence after finishing off the regular season with 3 strait wins, including that 13 point win over Utah State and a 23 point win over San Jose State, the same team they will open up tournament play against. The Wolf Pack easily have what it takes to win this tournament, but will need a solid tournament from both Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson. Babbitt is the leading scoring and rebounder with 16.4 points and 7.5 rebounds a game, but Johnson gets this team going with this 15 points and 4.3 assists per game.

3. Idaho Vandals (16-14, 9-7 WAC)

The Vandals finished in a three-way tie for 3rd place with New Mexico State and Boise State, but they were the team that earned the No.3 spot in the upcoming tournament, so instead of playing a tough New Mexico State or Boise State team, they get to take on Louisiana Tech team that they just got done beating last week 66-58. The Vandals are led on the floor by Mac Hopson and his 16.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game, and he has to show up every single game if the Vandals want any shot at winning this tournament.

Sleeper: New Mexico State Aggies(16-14, 9-7 WAC)

The Broncos are the No.4 seed, and they open up the tournament with a first round matchup against New Mexico State, who they beat both times this season. The Broncos also have a win over Utah State, but this team is just 2-4 in its final 6 games. The Aggies don’t have a big time scorer, as Mark Sanchez leads the way with just 12.8 points per game, but this is a very balanced attack, as 4 other players average between 9-10 points per game.

Prediction: Nevada Wolf Pack

For all your college basketball betting, be sure to check out our expert college basketball picks and make sure you have the best college basketball odds for all the tournament games at Betfirms.

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