Grand Canyon University is officially a member of the Mountain West, and the Antelopes’ history of success suggests it won’t be long before they’re competing for the conference titles in multiple sports.
The Antelopes’ men’s basketball team claimed its third-straight Western Athletic Conference Tournament title last season. They’ve won it four out of the past five years, and Grand Canyon owns two WAC regular-season titles since 2020.
Grand Canyon has won at least 23 games in each of the past four seasons and won a program-record 30 games in 2023-24. The Antelopes went 26-8 and 13-3 in the WAC last season. They were picked to finish No.4 in the Mountain West preseason poll this year.
The Mountain West will look a lot different in the coming years. San Diego State, Boise State, Utah State, Colorado State, and Fresno State are leaving to join the Pac-12 next season.
Grand Canyon joined the Mountain West a year earlier than expected. UTEP (all sports), Northern Illinois (football), and UC Davis (all sports except football) will join the Mountain West next year. Hawaii will also become a full conference member after its football team has been in the Mountain West since 2012.
They can’t totally replace what the conference is losing, but Grand Canyon, UC Davis, Hawaii, and UTEP will help keep the Mountain West a strong mid-major conference. The Antelopes are a particularly strong addition that should pay dividends for years to come.
Here’s a look at Grand Canyon’s men’s basketball team and why the Mountain West added the Antelopes.
NCAA Tournament success
The Grand Canyon men’s basketball team is no stranger to March Madness, even though it has only fielded a Division I program since 2013. The Antelopes have been to three-straight NCAA Tournaments, and they made the Big Dance in four out of the past five years.
They won the first NCAA Tournament game in program history when the Antelopes beat St. Mary’s in the first round in 2024.
Who is Grand Canyon’s head coach?
Bryce Drew is the second head men’s basketball coach of Grand Canyon’s Division I era. He’s in his sixth season at the helm after replacing longtime Antelopes’ coach Dan Majerle.
Drew is 121-40 at Grand Canyon, and his all-time record is 284-148. He has led three programs to the NCAA Tournament, including Vanderbilt and Valparaiso.
Get to know Global Credit Union Arena
Grand Canyon plays at Global Credit Union Arena, which opened its doors in 2011. Its official seating capacity is 7,000, and it’s usually packed to the rafters. The Antelopes have averaged at least 7,000 fans at home games in three of the past four seasons and four times since 2019. They averaged 7,141 fans a game last season and a program-record 7,223 a game in 2023-24.
The Antelopes are hard to beat at home. They’re 190-41 all-time and 60-7 since 2021. Grand Canyon went 16-0 at home in 2023-24 and 16-1 last season.
Grand Canyon also regularly fills the arena for women’s basketball games and volleyball matches.
Where is Grand Canyon University?
Grand Canyon is in Phoenix, Arizona, which is the fifth-largest city in the United States, with a population of about 1.6 million people. The media market in Phoenix ranks No. 12 in the U.S., according to Nielsen.
It’s the first time the Mountain West has had a team in Arizona.
Well-rounded athletic department
Grand Canyon doesn’t sponsor a football team, but it does compete in 17 sports, many of which have been successful in recent years.
The women’s basketball team swept the WAC regular-season and tournament titles and made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Antelopes have won at least 21 games in each of the past four seasons and went 32-3 last year.
Grand Canyon’s softball team has made four-straight NCAA Tournaments and won a tournament game three years in a row. The Antelopes’ women’s tennis and men’s indoor track teams also won WAC titles last year.
