Cal Baptist Basketball Surges: Major Upset Puts Lancers on NCAA Tournament Radar

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Cal Baptist basketball has rocketed from regional curiosity to national headline in just one historic week, punching dual tickets to March Madness and putting the Riverside campus squarely on the map of college-hoops power brokers. Less than two years removed from its full Division I transition, California Baptist University captured both the men’s and women’s Western Athletic Conference tournament crowns on March 14, sealing automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The men edged top-seeded Utah Valley 63-61 behind sophomore sharpshooter Dominique Daniels Jr., while the women toppled Grand Canyon with a fourth-quarter surge that showcased the Lancers’ depth and defensive grit. The twin trophies triggered a whirlwind of firsts. Cal Baptist’s men drew a projected No. 13 seed, setting up a prime-time dance with blue-blood Kansas, while the women earned a No. 12 seed opposite UCLA, giving Southern California fans a March-Madness matchup in their own backyard. It marks the first time since 1994 that a WAC program has qualified both basketball teams in the same season. Fueling the rise is head coach Rick Croy, a Riverside native who has methodically rebuilt the roster around pace-and-space offense and transfer-portal savvy. Daniels, the WAC’s scoring leader at 22.4 ppg, partners with graduate forward Omar Lowe to form one of the league’s most lethal inside-outside duos. On the women’s side, head coach Jarrod Olson leans on all-conference guard Reagan Slaughter and freshman phenom Layla Brooks, whose 28-point explosion in the title game earned tournament-MVP honors. Beyond the brackets, the Lancers’ surge arrives at a pivotal administrative moment. CBU will officially exit the WAC and join the Big West on July 1, 2026, a move expected to slash travel costs and intensify recruiting battles across the Inland Empire. University President Ronald L. Ellis called the timing “perfect,” noting that NCAA visibility “sets the tone for our next conference chapter and energizes donor support for the planned $120 million arena expansion.” Local economic impact is already visible. Riverside hotels report a 41 percent jump in reservations for first-round watch parties, and Google search volume for “Cal Baptist basketball” has quadrupled week-over-week, eclipsing regional staples UC Riverside and Pepperdine. Ticket reseller SeatPatrol lists Cal Baptist’s allotted men’s session as the fastest-selling WAC block since New Mexico State’s 2012 run, underscoring the Lancers’ suddenly national fan footprint. Recruiting analysts say the momentum could be self-sustaining. “Southern California teenagers grew up cheering for the Lakers; now they can see a winning D-I program in their own county,” notes PrepWest scout Alicia Trammel. “That matters when NIL deals, social media reach and local branding are part of every pitch.” For now, campus energy centers on the immediate dream: one shining upset. The men are 8-2 this year when hitting double-digit threes, a formula tailor-made for bracket-busting. The women, meanwhile, have forced 19.7 turnovers per game over their current nine-game win streak, a defensive clip that mirrors recent Cinderella squads like Florida Gulf Coast. Whether the Lancers advance or exit early, March 2026 has already etched itself into Cal Baptist lore. As senior forward Lowe put it while cutting down the WAC nets: “People kept asking when our moment would come. This is the moment—now let’s make it last all the way to April.”