WAC Tournament Betting Guide: Can the Lopes Avoid the Landmines?

WAC Tournament Best Bet: Grand Canyon (-195)

Grand Canyon is a team on a mission. This price is no fun, but they are just on another level compared to their respective challengers within the league. They responded incredibly well to the back-to-back road losses in late February, knocking off their final three opponents by an average margin of victory of 24. Big West immortality isn't the endgame for the Antelopes, the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is.

WAC Tournament Favorite: Grand Canyon (-195)

Bryce Drew has built Grand Canyon into a mid-major powerhouse, and the Antelopes are seeking their third trip to the NCAA Tournament in four seasons. If they were to do so, it'd be the best seeding they had received among any of those appearances, a surefire lock to be on the 12-seed line when the bracket is revealed. But first they have to get there, and they will need Tyon Grant-Foster firing on all cylinders in order to do so. The Kansas and DePaul transfer is a big fish in a small pond, displaying high-major size and skill every time he takes the court. Gabe McGlothan is an excellent Robin to Grant-Foster's Batman, providing a stretch forward who can get dirty inside, rebound, and shoot from the perimeter. This team is balanced on both ends of the floor, and it's evident when they play why they were able to go on a 14-game win streak midseason.

WAC Tournament Challenger: Tarleton State (+500)

Tarleton State was a wagon down the stretch in WAC play, winning 11 of 12 games to close out the regular season, including a home win over Grand Canyon. That win will go a long way for their confidence should they meet the Antelopes in the championship game, but a neutral court is a whole different story. There are two obvious concerns on this team. There is a severe lack of experience outside of their core four seniors, with freshmen wholly rounding out the bench rotation. The other is head coach Billy Gillispie's lack of trust in said bench. The Texans utilize their bench at the eighth-lowest rate in the

WAC Tournament Dark Horse: Seattle (+700)

Seattle has been a more consistent challenger to Grand Canyon than the recent surge from Tarleton State. Head coach Chris Victor continues to prove that his teams are one of the best at the mid-major level at running teams off the three-point line, boasting the seventh-best three-point defense in the nation. The block party in the paint of Kobe Williamson and Brandton Chatfield makes it easy for perimeter defenders to sell out at stopping the three, as both rank top 15 in the league in block percentage. The three-game losing streak entering the tournament is slightly alarming, but the Redhawks have shown their ceiling numerous times with wins over the Antelopes and C-USA favorite Louisiana Tech.

WAC Tournament Best Bet: Grand Canyon (-195)

Grand Canyon is a team on a mission. This price is no fun, but they are just on another level compared to their respective challengers within the league. They responded incredibly well to the back-to-back road losses in late February, knocking off their final three opponents by an average margin of victory of 24. Big West immortality isn't the endgame for the Antelopes, the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is.