2025-26 WAC Men's Basketball Release - Week 5

CBU DROPS FIRST GAME BUT STILL WITH MOMENTUM AT 7-1
California Baptist dropped its first game of the 2025-26 season in a competitive 78-70 decision at Colorado on Dec. 1, but the Lancers remained out in front of their WAC counterparts in nonconference play with a 7-1 record. Both UT Arlington at 6-2 and Utah Valley at 5-3 were on CBU’s heels entering games on Dec. 2.

UTAH TECH’S POTTER WINS WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah Tech transfer forward Ethan Potter, who made the move from conference foe Utah Valley during the offseason, earned his first career WAC Player of the Week award after a strong showing for the Trailblazers last week. Potter averaged 22.0 points and shot 62.5 percent from the floor over two starts. Potter’s 26 points and 11 made field goals during a 77-69 win for Utah Tech against UC Riverside on Nov. 29 were both career highs.

UTAH VALLEY ROLLING ALONG WITH THREE STRAIGHT WINS
Following a hard-luck 75-74 loss at Fresno State on Nov. 15, Utah Valley has found its groove with three straight victories entering a key nonconference showdown at San Diego State on Dec. 3. The Wolverines downed UC Irvine 79-72 at home on Nov. 19 and added wins over South Dakota State (75-52) and Samford (89-45) during the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 25-26 in Cancun, Mexico. Trevan Leonhardt has led the way for Utah Valley during the winning streak with averages of 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game, while Jackson Holcombe has averaged 13.0 points, 7.0 boards and 4.3 assists over his past three starts.

UTA HEADS TO ARKANSAS WITH WINS IN FIVE OF THE PAST SIX GAMES
Entering a nonconference showdown at Arkansas State on Dec. 2, UT Arlington has been one of the hottest teams in the WAC with wins in five of its past six games dating back to Nov. 10. UTA forward Raysean Seamster has continued his sensational season for the Mavericks, averaging 17.0 points on 53.8 percent shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game over his past six starts.

THE FIRST BATCH OF NCAA NET RANKINGS FOR THE SEASON HAVE BEEN RELEASED
The NCAA began publishing daily editions of the NET rankings the week of Dec. 1 for the first time in the 2025-26 season. As of the latest NCAA NET that was posted on Dec. 2, California Baptist checked in as the top team in the WAC with a ranking of 67. Utah Valley was the second WAC team ranked inside the top 75 with a NET of 73 as of Dec. 2.

THE WAC IN THE NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS
As of the latest NCAA Division I statistical rankings that were released on Dec. 1, Utah Valley was ranked sixth in the country in both field goal percentage (53.2 percent) and blocks per game (6.9 BPG), also sitting seventh in field goal percentage defense (36.0 percent) thus far in the 2025-26 season. UT Arlington remained among the best teams in 3-point percentage defense ranked sixth with a 24.4 percent clip against opponents from beyond the arc. Individually, Tarleton State’s Dior Johnson was ranked second in scoring with 23.6 points per game over his first seven games for the Texans. Johnson was also seventh in made free throws with 54-of-63 (.857) shots made at the line. Southern Utah’s Jaiden Feroah was fourth in total blocks with 23, and Utah Tech’s Ethan Potter was sixth in made field goals with 64.