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Utah Valley at Grand Canyon, 9:00 PM Eastern, FOX10-Arizona/espn3
The WAC regular season championship will be decided over the next two nights, and for only the second time in the last 7 seasons, that crown will not be going to New Mexico State. Instead, either Grand Canyon or Utah Valley will claim a first ever title if either team can sweep the games tonight and tomorrow. If the two teams split, the conference tiebreakers will kick in and the results of other WAC games will be factored in decide the top seed for next week’s WAC Tournament. No matter what the outcome, one of these two schools will win the WAC title for the first time in school history, and will be looking to follow that up with their first ever NCAA Tournament bid.
Utah Valley enters tonight’s game at 10-9 overall and 8-4 in WAC play. The Wolverines have four players averaging double figures in scoring led by Jamison Overton’s 16.7 points per game. However, the team’s star is clearly Fardaws Aimaq, who is averaging an impressive 14.8 points and 15.4 rebounds per game, making him the nation’s leading rebounder by almost 3 rebounds per game over Jackson State’s Jayveous McKinnis. Grand Canyon is 14-5 overall and 8-2 in WAC play. Asbjorn Midtgaard averaged a double-double as well, with 14.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per games, Watching Aimaq and Midtgaard match-up tonight and tomorrow will certainly be worthwhile . . . and they just may face-off one more time next weekend in the WAC title game!
-Kansas was behind by 15 late in the second half to UTEP, but came storming back late to get the 67-62 win in what amounted to be nothing more than a buy game. It was more of a bullet dodged than it was a key win.
OTHER NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES
-Michigan bounced back form their loss to Illinois with a 69-50 blowout win over Michigan State. The Wolverines are back in the driver’s seat for a #1 seed.
-Baylor picked up another impressive win as they held off Oklahoma State. They seem to be pretty close to locking up a #1 seed themselves.
-OLD DOMINION AT WESTERN KENTUCKY (Conference USA). WKU is squarely on the bubble and there is a good chance the selection committee will take them if they can win out and avoid an early loss in CUSA Tourney, but anything short of that and they’ll need the auto-bid.
-GEORGIA TECH AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). We now have Georgia Tech in our field. They certainly appear to be going in the right direction and have the chance to add another road win to their resume tonight.
-COLORADO STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West). Colorado State is squarely on the bubble and this is a tough road test for them. If they win this one and win the next game then chances are they’ll make it into the field.