GCU seeks another March Madness appearance
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GCU's Sydney Curry dunks in December. Photo: Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Grand Canyon University is knocking on the door of another NCAA Tournament appearance this year.
State of play: The Lopes had their final home game of the regular season Saturday, defeating Stephen F. Austin. The win gives GCU a perfect home record for the first time since the 1991-92 season.
- They're narrowly leading the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and whoever wins the upcoming tournament will likely be its only March Madness team.
- Their final regular season game is Saturday against California Baptist.
Zoom in: Head coach Bryce Drew told Axios GCU is bolstered by a key group of returning players from last year's tournament team.
- They include Ray Harrison and Gabe McGlothan, along with a group of five transfers that includes Tyon Grant-Foster, the WAC's leading scorer.
- "I think the chemistry, it really meshed together from Day One," he said.
What's next: The Lopes have to win only two conference tournament games for the WAC title. The tournament begins March 13.
- The fine print: The WAC uses a seeding system rather than traditional standings to determine seeds for the tournament.
Between the lines: The high-scoring Lopes are averaging 79.9 points per game, and Drew touted their aggressiveness in attacking the rim, noting they're top 10 in the country in drawing fouls.
- One thing he'd like to see improve heading into the conference tournament is the team's defense.
The big picture: GCU is seeking its third NCAA tournament appearance in four years, but they have yet to win a March Madness game.
- They fell in the first round last year to Gonzaga and lost to Iowa in their tournament debut in 2021.
Zoom out: Elsewhere in Arizona's men's college basketball scene, the Wildcats are ranked sixth nationally, and the only question is what their seed will be in the tourney.
- ASU is 14-15 and seems highly unlikely to make the dance, barring a deep run in the Sun Devils' final Pac-12 tournament.
- Creighton, which is based in Nebraska but has a major presence in Arizona, is ranked 12th and will make the tournament.