The No.3-seeded Seattle Redhawks (13-15) and No.6-seeded Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (8-21) meet in the first round of the WAC tournament at Orleans Arena. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10.
The Redhawks are hoping for a better outcome after their 93-71 loss to Cal State Bakersfield in their last matchup. Despite the loss, William Powell earned his fourth double-double this season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Vaqueros, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the awful 83-44 loss against New Mexico State in their last game. Shaquille Hines had a team-high 12 points.
The ineffective offense of the Vaqueros (313th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 97.5) will attempt to infiltrate the elite defense of the Redhawks (17th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 100.3). The matchup on that end of the floor seems to lean toward Seattle.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Vaqueros had the upper hand in the most recent game, a blowout 67-57 win. Jack Crook put up 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Notes
In its last game, Texas-Rio Grande Valley lost by a margin of 39 points. Seattle is 1-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Texas-Rio Grande Valley has a 1-12 record in blowouts.
The Seattle Redhawks have a defensive rating of 100.3 (ranked 17th), while the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros have an offensive rating of 97.5 (ranked 313th).
Seattle has an average field goal percentage of 42.8%. Texas-Rio Grande Valley is a subpar 2-16 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Seattle Redhawks rank higher based on their field goal percentage (241st) than their effective field goal percentage (253rd). The Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (259th) than their field goal percentage (269th).
Texas-Rio Grande Valley ranks 55th in assists, recording 15.4 per game. Seattle performs worse at 176th with 13.4 assists per game.
On average, Seattle makes 5.9 steals per game. Texas-Rio Grande Valley is a losing 6-16 when it gives up at least 5 steals.
