UMKC men and women have work to do in WAC seeding race

The men’s and women’s basketball teams from UMKC both need a good February in order to secure favorable seeding in their respective Western Athletic Conference tournaments.

The first week of February for men’s and women’s college basketball teams often acts as a line of demarcation. At this point, it’s evident which teams are going to qualify for the NCAA tournament barring historic meltdowns. Fans can also see now the list of squads which have a shot at securing at-large bids, and which teams will probably need to win their respective conference tournaments in order to claim a spot.

Both the men’s and women’s teams from UMKC currently fall in that final category, with overall records well below .500 and conference records that don’t make a strong case for an at-large bid either. After the past weekend, it’s clear how much the Roos need to string wins together before their tournaments in Las Vegas next month.

The weekend actually began positively this past Thursday. The UMKC women (8-15 overall, 4-4 WAC) hosted Grand Canyon University, looking to complete a season sweep of the Lopes. The Roos managed to stay with Grand Canyon despite the Lopes shooting 50 percent from 3-point range in the first half, trailing 41-36 at halftime.

The Roos overcame not only Grand Canyon’s hot start, but an injury that sidelined leading scorer Aries Washington for most of the second half to force overtime. UMKC combined defensive adjustments that limited the Lopes’ shooting percentage to 41.7 percent in the third quarter with an increased post presence on the offensive end. Forwards Kiana Law and Kristen Moore ultimately combined for 37 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Roos to a 42-26 advantage in points in the paint.

"“I think that if we keep a strong mindset, a killer mindset, and lean on our teammates, that together we will play really well [going forward],” Law stated."

UMKC continued the same approach over the five minutes of overtime, securing the 84-82 win and the program’s first sweep of Grand Canyon since joining the WAC. As the women’s team was celebrating the win, the men’s team was just getting started in their attempt to also secure a win over the Lopes.

"“We talk about having a growth mindset every day in practice,” said UMKC women’s head coach Jacie Hoyt. “With that just comes the thought process that no matter what happens, we can always learn from it.”"

The Roo men (6-19 overall, 1-7 WAC) were looking to avoid a sweep by Grand Canyon, and came out with that urgency. UMKC was able to take an early 15-8 lead, but that would be the high point of the game for the Roos. Multiple scoring droughts by UMKC ultimately led to the 79-62 defeat on the Lopes’ home court.

Saturday brought contests against CSU Bakersfield for both teams, again with the women at home and the men on the road. The Roadrunners are the only WAC team that the men have defeated so far this season, and Bakersfield got their revenge with an 81-58 win. In Kansas City, the women couldn’t build on their momentum from Thursday and suffered a 76-62 loss.

With just about four weeks of conference games to play left for both teams, the Roo men and women have work to do in order to optimize their chances of winning their conference tournaments. The women currently sit behind four of eight teams in the conference standings, with 2.5 games separating them from a top seed in the tourney. The remaining schedule is favorable for them, with four of their six remaining games coming against teams currently behind them in the standings.

On the men’s side, there is more work to be done. UMKC is currently seventh in the standings, and has been eliminated from contention for the WAC regular season title. The Roos are 4.5 games out of the four seed, also with six games left.

The quest to improve their seeding for both teams begins on Thursday, Feb. 8, when the men and women will both face Seattle University. The men will be home while the women will travel.

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In order to qualify for the field of 64/68, UMKC’s men’s and women’s teams will likely need to win their conference tournaments. In that interest, the Roos need to act like their tournament runs have already begun.