| WAC women's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference basketball championship | |
| Sport | College basketball |
| Conference | Western Athletic Conference |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | Orleans Arena |
| Current location | Paradise, Nevada |
| Played | 1991–present |
| Last contest | 2024 |
| Current champion | California Baptist |
| Most championships | Louisiana Tech (5) |
| Official website | WACSports.com Women's Basketball |
The WAC women's basketball tournament is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The WAC has held a postseason tournament to crown a women's basketball champion every year since 1991. At first the regular season champion hosted it but at its height, the tournament was held at larger urban venues. With the departure of the Mountain West Conference teams, the tournament had returned to campus, with each game in the tournament being held in one campus venue, each year. Since 2011, the tournament has been held at the Orleans Arena, part of the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. [1]
The winner of the WAC tournament is normally guaranteed a berth into the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament every year. An exception to this was in 2021, when California Baptist won the WAC tournament but was ineligible for the NCAA tournament because the school was in the midst of its transition from NCAA Division II to Division I.
Starting with the 2023 tournament, the WAC adopted a new seeding system based on advanced team metrics, developed in large part by statistical guru Ken Pomeroy. Tournament entry will still be based on conference record. [2]
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Utah | 86–69 | Creighton | Arena-Auditorium (Laramie, Wyoming) |
| 1992 | Creighton | 74–63 | Utah | Salt Lake City |
| 1993 | BYU | 53–50 | Utah | Delta Center (Salt Lake City) |
| 1994 | San Diego State | 51–47 | Colorado State | Delta Center (Salt Lake City) |
| 1995 | Utah | 64–57 | San Diego State | The Pit (Albuquerque, New Mexico) |
| 1996 | Colorado State | 72–65 | New Mexico | The Pit (Albuquerque, New Mexico) |
| 1997 | San Diego State | 56–50 | Utah | Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 1998 | New Mexico | 69–48 | Rice | Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 1999 | SMU | 65–49 | Colorado State | Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2000 | Rice | 71–67 | SMU | Selland Arena (Fresno, California) |
| 2001 | TCU | 66–58 | Hawaii | Reynolds Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma) |
| 2002 | Louisiana Tech | 53–50 | Hawaii | Reynolds Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma) |
| 2003 | Louisiana Tech | 89–57 | Fresno State | Reynolds Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma) |
| 2004 | Louisiana Tech | 76–52 | Rice | Save Mart Center (Fresno, California) |
| 2005 | Rice | 86–66 | Louisiana Tech | Lawlor Events Center (Reno, Nevada) |
| 2006 | Louisiana Tech | 63–39 | New Mexico State | Lawlor Events Center (Reno, Nevada) |
| 2007 | Boise State | 49–39 | New Mexico State | Pan American Center (Las Cruces, New Mexico) |
| 2008 | Fresno State | 72–56 | New Mexico State | Pan American Center (Las Cruces, New Mexico) |
| 2009 | Fresno State | 56–49 | Nevada | Lawlor Events Center (Reno, Nevada) |
| 2010 | Louisiana Tech | 68–66 | Fresno State | Lawlor Events Center (Reno, Nevada) |
| 2011 | Fresno State | 78–76 | Louisiana Tech | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2012 | Fresno State | 89–61 | Louisiana Tech | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2013 | Idaho | 67–64 | Seattle | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2014 | Idaho | 75–67 | Seattle | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2015 | New Mexico State | 70–52 | Texas-Pan American | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2016 | New Mexico State | 80–53 | Texas-Rio Grande Valley | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2017 | New Mexico State | 63–48 | Seattle | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2018 | Seattle | 57–54 | Cal State Bakersfield | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2019 | New Mexico State | 76–73 2OT | Texas–Rio Grande Valley | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2020 | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||
| 2021 | California Baptist | 78–60 | Grand Canyon | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2022 | Stephen F. Austin | 74–57 | Grand Canyon | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2023 | Southern Utah | 82–73 | California Baptist | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2024 | California Baptist | 75–74 | Stephen F. Austin | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| 2025 | Grand Canyon | 65-62 | UT Arlington | Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) |
| Year | Finals Record | Finals Appearances | Championship Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech | 5–3 | 8 | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010 |
| New Mexico State | 4–3 | 7 | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
| Fresno State | 4–2 | 6 | 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 |
| Utah | 2–3 | 5 | 1991, 1995 |
| Rice | 2–2 | 4 | 2000, 2005 |
| San Diego State | 2–1 | 3 | 1994, 1997 |
| California Baptist | 2–1 | 3 | 2021, 2024 |
| Idaho | 2–0 | 2 | 2013, 2014 |
| Seattle | 1–3 | 4 | 2018 |
| Colorado State | 1–2 | 3 | 1996 |
| SMU | 1–1 | 2 | 1999 |
| New Mexico | 1–1 | 2 | 1998 |
| Creighton | 1–1 | 2 | 1992 |
| Stephen F. Austin | 1–1 | 2 | 2022 |
| Boise State | 1–0 | 1 | 2007 |
| Southern Utah | 1–0 | 1 | 2023 |
| TCU | 1–0 | 1 | 2001 |
| BYU | 1–0 | 1 | 1993 |
| Grand Canyon | 1–2 | 3 | 2025 |
| Texas–Rio Grande Valley | 0–3 | 3 | |
| Hawai'i | 0–2 | 2 | |
| Cal State Bakersfield | 0–1 | 1 | |
| Nevada | 0–1 | 1 |
Note: 2021 champion California Baptist began a transition from NCAA Division II in 2018 and thus was not eligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play until the 2022–23 season.