Tag: grand canyon antelopes

Grand Canyon and SeattleU accept invites to WCC starting in 2025

The West Coast Conference will add Grand Canyon and SeattleU as full time members starting in the 2025-26 season.

The West Coast Conference approved the addition of both Grand Canyon University and Seattle University as members, with both schools accepting the invitation on Friday.

The two programs will become the 10th and 11th full-time members of the conference starting on July 1, 2025.

“We are thrilled to welcome two institutions of higher education that each will make significant contributions to the future of the West Coast Conference,” Gonzaga University President and Chair of the WCC Presidents’ Council Dr. Thayne McCulloh said. “While each university has a unique and distinctive character, both are deeply invested in the welfare of their students and surrounding communities, are making significant investments in their athletics programs and facilities, and will enhance the competitive profile of the West Coast Conference.”

The WCC previously added Oregon State and Washington State as partial members on a temporary basis while the two programs search for a new home following the dismantling of the Pac-12.

Now the conference strikes again, adding a Grand Canyon program coached by Bryce Drew who has made the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four years, advancing for the first time last year after beating new conference opponent Saint Mary’s.

SeattleU has won 20 or more games in three straight seasons as well, and with new facilities and a promising young coach in Chris Victor it was time for the WCC to cash in and improve the conference’s long term stability in case Gonzaga’s pursuit of a power conference comes to fruition.

Charles Barkley called the Grand Canyon loss to Alabama ‘the dumbest game of basketball’

Charles Barkley ripped the Lopes so much.

Charles Barkley is famously an Auburn alum, so you’d figure he’d show some bias against Alabama given their rivalry.

Nope. At least on Sunday, after Grand Canyon lost to Alabama in the second round of 2024 March Madness, the Hall of Famer congratulated the Crimson Tide on the win while ripping the Lopes.

“That was the dumbest game of basketball I may have ever seen,” he said on CBS. “I don’t think they ran a play the entire second half. … That was some of the dumbest basketball I’ve ever seen grown college men [play].”

“They just went one-on-one every single time. They didn’t run any plays!” he added.

Whew!

A screaming fan on the Grand Canyon and Alabama March Madness broadcast had viewers so annoyed

Who was this? Because everyone was SO ANNOYED.

It happens from time to time: sometimes, on broadcasts, the mics somehow pick up one fan over all the others, or maybe said fan is the guy who whistles the loudest at Vanderbilt games.

In this case, there was a fan during the Grand Canyon and Alabama March Madness game in the second round of the men’s NCAA tournament who was EXTREMELY loud … or this die-hard just happened to be way too close to the TBS microphone that was on.

Either way, for a stretch of the thrilling contest, there were A LOT of complaints. Here’s a roundup from X (formerly known as Twitter):

No word on who it was, but it was a lot.

How to buy Alabama vs. Grand Canyon NCAA March Madness Round of 32 tickets

Get your tickets for the Round of 32 matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Grand Canyon Antelopes in Spokane, WA.

Congratulations to Crimson Tide and Antelopes fans alike, your teams survived and advanced on Friday.

No. 4 Alabama and No. 12 Grand Canyon won their respective Round of 64 games with relative ease and will now face off in the Round of 32 on Sunday, March 24 in Spokane, WA.

SHOP: Alabama vs. Grand Canyon NCAA Tournament tickets

Alabama defeated No. 13 Charleston 109-96 and Grand Canyon won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game with an upset No. 5 St. Mary’s 75-66.

Now, both teams expect to face another tough test as only one Midwest region team can advance from Spokane to Los Angeles and the Sweet 16.

At the time of publication, tickets to the Round of 32 matchup are still available for as little as $43 on StubHub.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon at StubHub” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/xEgpM2D”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon at SeatGeek” link=”https://seatgeek.pxf.io/6e6KXK”]

How to buy Alabama vs. Grand Canyon NCAA March Madness Round of 32 tickets

Get your tickets for the Round of 32 matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Grand Canyon Antelopes in Spokane, WA.

Congratulations to Crimson Tide and Antelopes fans alike, your teams survived and advanced on Friday.

No. 4 Alabama and No. 12 Grand Canyon won their respective Round of 64 games with relative ease and will now face off in the Round of 32 on Sunday, March 24 in Spokane, WA.

SHOP: Alabama vs. Grand Canyon NCAA Tournament tickets

Alabama defeated No. 13 Charleston 109-96 and Grand Canyon won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game with an upset No. 5 St. Mary’s 75-66.

Now, both teams expect to face another tough test as only one Midwest region team can advance from Spokane to Los Angeles and the Sweet 16.

At the time of publication, tickets to the Round of 32 matchup are still available for as little as $43 on StubHub.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon at StubHub” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/xEgpM2D”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon at SeatGeek” link=”https://seatgeek.pxf.io/6e6KXK”]

How to buy Alabama vs. Grand Canyon NCAA March Madness Round of 32 tickets

Get your tickets for the Round of 32 matchup between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Grand Canyon Antelopes in Spokane, WA.

Congratulations to Crimson Tide and Antelopes fans alike, your teams survived and advanced on Friday.

No. 4 Alabama and No. 12 Grand Canyon won their respective Round of 64 games with relative ease and will now face off in the Round of 32 on Sunday, March 24 in Spokane, WA.

SHOP: Alabama vs. Grand Canyon NCAA Tournament tickets

Alabama defeated No. 13 Charleston 109-96 and Grand Canyon won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game with an upset No. 5 St. Mary’s 75-66.

Now, both teams expect to face another tough test as only one Midwest region team can advance from Spokane to Los Angeles and the Sweet 16.

At the time of publication, tickets to the Round of 32 matchup are still available for as little as $43 on StubHub.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon at StubHub” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/xEgpM2D”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon at SeatGeek” link=”https://seatgeek.pxf.io/6e6KXK”]

March Madness: NCAA Tournament West Region odds, picks and predictions

Looking at March Madness futures odds to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament West Region, with expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The regions and seeding for the NCAA Tournament have been decided with Selection Sunday in the rearview mirror. The West Region includes quite a few notable teams with a chance to make some noise in the tournament.

Below, we look at BetMGM Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament West Region futures odds and and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.

The North Carolina Tar Heels (27-7) earned the top seed in the West Region, while the Howard Bison (16-15) and the Wagner Seahawks (18-16) will meet Tuesday in the First Four to determine who faces the Tar Heels in the round of 64. The region’s 2-3-4 seeds are Arizona (25-8), Baylor (23-10), and Alabama (21-11).

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West Region futures odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook’s access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 5:57 a.m. ET.

1 seed: North Carolina +300 (bet $100 to win $300)

2 seed: Arizona +280 (bet $100 to win $280)

3 seed: Baylor +800 (bet $100 to win $800)

4 seed: Alabama +750 (bet $100 to win $750)

5 seed: Saint Mary’s +1600 (bet $100 to win $1,600)

6 seed: Clemson +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)

7 seed: Dayton +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)

8 seed: Mississippi State +2200 (bet $100 to win $2,200)

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9 seed: Michigan State +2200 (bet $100 to win $2,200)

10 seed: Nevada +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)

11 seed: New Mexico +3000 (bet $100 to win $3,000)

12 seed: Grand Canyon +6600 (bet $100 to win $6,600)

13 seed: Charleston +20000 (bet $100 to win $20,000)

14 seed: Colgate +40000 (bet $100 to win $40,000)

15 seed: Long Beach State +20000 (bet $100 to win $20,000)

16 seed: Howard/Wagner +40000 (bet $100 to win $40,000)

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West Region expert pick and prediction

Arizona Wildcats (+280)

The Wildcats (25-8) have the talent to win the whole darn thing, but can they put it together for 6 straight games? That’s the big question. They ended the regular season with a disappointing loss on the road to a middling USC squad and were ousted in the Pac-12 tournament by the eventual champs, the Oregon Ducks. So why I do I like them to win the West Region? Because they have the clearest path to the Elite Eight of anyone in the West.

Guard play is vital in the NCAA Tournament and Arizona has All-American G Caleb Love, who was in the 2022 Final Four with North Carolina. He led the team in scoring at 18.1 points per game (PPG). Arizona also has a pair of 7-footers in the low block, headlined by C Oumar Ballo who averaged a double-double for the season (13.1 points, 10 rebounds). The Wildcats will be a tough out for anyone in this tournament.

Top 25: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

West Region contenders

North Carolina Tar Heels (+300)

I’d be remiss not to mention North Carolina (27-7) as a threat in the West Region as the No. 1 seed. UNC features 4 players averaging double-figures in scoring, led by 1st-team All-American point guard R.J. Davis (21 PPG).

North Carolina is balanced outside and inside with their senior leader F Armando Bacot, who averages a double-double (14.1 points, 10.2 rebounds). He and Davis enter this tournament with big chips on their shoulders from their 2022 National Championship 72-69 loss to Kansas. They are the biggest challenger to the Arizona Wildcats.

Clemson Tigers (+3000)

Clemson (21-10) played an outstanding non-conference schedule and beat NCAA Tournament teams UAB, Boise State, Alabama, South Carolina, and TCU. The Tigers finished 3rd in field-goal percentage offense and defense in the ACC. They may have finished in a tie for 5th in the ACC, but make no mistake, this team earned their spot in the Big Dance.

Senior C PJ Hall leads the Tigers with 18.8 PPG and had 7 double-doubles this season. Clemson got a huge offensive boost from 5th-year senior Syracuse transfer G Joseph Girard III (15.7 PPG). This squad brings a lot to the court which could give other team fits.

West Region long shot

Grand Canyon Lopes (+6600)

The Antelopes (29-4) won the Western Athletic Conference regular-season (17-3) and tournament titles. Grand Canyon’s average margin of victory in the WAC was 11.2 PPG. They are coached by Bryce Drew, one of the legends of March Madness. Drew hit a buzzer beater for No. 13 Valparaiso to beat No. 4 Ole Miss in the 1st round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. He knows what it takes to win in the Big Dance.

Grand Canyon brings a balanced attack,leading the WAC in scoring defense (64.8) and 2nd in scoring offense (75.9). Senior G Tyon Grant-Foster is the WAC men’s player of the year after averaging 19.8 points and 6 rebounds per game and shooting nearly 45% from the field for the season. This team can play with anyone in the country.

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Former Georgia Bulldog Noah Baumann names transfer destination

Georgia Bulldogs basketball guard Noah Baumann is transferring to Grand Canyon Antelopes

Georgia Bulldogs basketball guard Noah Baumann is transferring to Grand Canyon Antelopes. Baumann entered the NCAA transfer portal shortly after Georgia’s 2021-2022 season. Grand Canyon will be the fourth school of Baumann’s NCAA basketball career.

Noah Baumann transferred to Georgia from USC ahead of the 2021 season. He has NCAA Tournament experience and is a good long-distance shooter.

Baumann, a senior guard, is one of numerous Georgia basketball players in the transfer portal. Baumann averaged 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 22 minutes per game for Georgia in 2021-2022. The Dawgs struggled and finished last place in the SEC.

Baumann played in 31 games in 2020-2021 for USC, but he only played an average of 11 minutes per game.  Baumann played with San Jose State from 2017-2019 before coming to USC.

During his final season with San Jose State, Baumann scored 10.8 points per game and shot an impressive 45.5% from 3-point territory. At 6-foot-6, Baumann has good size and will be a key addition for Grand Canyon, which finished 4th in the WAC last season.

Baumann signed with San Jose State as a two-star recruit from Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Arizona.

Jailyn Ingram, Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Kario Oquendo, and Braelen Bridges are Georgia’s remaining scholarship players from last season on the roster. Head coach Mike White and Georgia added Longwood guard Justin Hill via the transfer portal to give the Georgia Bulldogs some much needed experience and talent for the 2022 season.

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