The men’s basketball season has come to an end in Las Vegas after losing in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference tournament 69-63 to Seattle University.
With the 2024-2025 season concluded it marks Head Coach Brette Tanner’s fourth season at the helm for the Wildcats. The loss to Seattle U gave the Wildcats their 16th loss of the season, finishing the season 16-16 for the second straight 16-win season for Tanner and ACU. Tanner’s record as head coach of the men’s basketball team is now 70-62.
After starting the season 9-13, ACU won seven out of its last nine games before the WAC tournament including a five-game win streak. Entering the tournament the team was coming off a big win over WAC champion Grand Canyon University.
The win secured the fourth seed in the tournament for ACU. It is the highest the team has finished since joining the WAC.
ACU went 2-3 throughout the season against teams that made the NCAA March Madness tournament. The two wins came against GCU and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The three losses came against Baylor, Texas A&M and GCU, who ACU split the season series with.
Tanner described this season as “one of the most rewarding seasons” he has been a part of. With the additions of many new players, he was unsure how the team would buy in and overcome the struggles. The struggles he noted were injuries, illness and travel.
Eight games into the season, the team lost one of its starters, Joseph Venzant, senior guard from Midland, to a season-ending shoulder injury.
ACU came into the season with eight new players including five transfers and three freshmen.
Two of the transfers averaged double-digit points. Quion Williams, junior guard from Jonesboro, Arkansas, who transferred from Oklahoma State University, led the team in scoring averaging 13.7 PPG. Bradyn Hubbard, junior forward from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who transferred from Connors State, averaged 10.2 PPG.
Two of the three freshmen saw significant minutes throughout the season: Dontrez Williams, freshman guard from Sikeston, Missouri, and Christian Alston, freshman guard from Memphis.
Williams averaged 5.8 PPG in 15.5 MPG and was named to the WAC All-Freshman team and Alston averaged 4 PPG in 8.5 MPG.
In an Instagram post made by Williams on March 20, he announced his intent to enter the transfer portal.
It is unclear right now who on the team will choose to return next season. Nearly every player is eligible to come back and play.
“I think that if the majority of this team can come back, I think there’s something really special brewing,” Tanner said.
