WAC teams' performance in BracketBuster should mean more

The Western Athletic Conference acquitted itself well in last week's BracketBuster with a 3-1 record thanks to wins by Nevada, Utah State and Louisiana Tech.

The only conference to do better , with more than two teams playing, was the Colonial Athletic Association, which posted a perfect 3-0 record.

Nevada knocked off Akron 88-61 last Friday, Louisiana Tech edged Southern Illinois 54-51 and Utah State posted a 66-63 come-from-behind win over Northwestern State.

The only blemish was Fresno State's 67-62 loss at Creighton, and that game started at 11 p.m. back in Nebraska.

Boise State, New Mexico State and Hawai'i also posted nonconference victories over the weekend. New Mexico State's win was especially impressive. The Aggies knocked off UOP in Stockton 79-69 in overtime. Nevada beat UOP by seven points back in December.

All told WAC teams were 6-3 over the weekend.

"It's a very strong conference," Utah State's Stew Morrill said on the weekly WAC teleconference. "For Louisiana Tech to win at Southern Illinois was huge. Nevada just dominated Akron, and we were able to come back and beat a good Northwestern State team.

"I don't know how much attention the committee pays to the BracketBuster. I think it helped the RPIs and the image of the WAC."

Boise State coach Greg Graham continued his mantra that the WAC deserves a minimum of two teams and probably a third.

"It (the WAC's performance) should mean more," Graham said. "Nevada beat a conference leader. I'm confident that there should be at least three teams in the tournament. This is the strongest the league has been."

Translation: Any team is capable of beating another team. Take for instance fifth-place New Mexico State. The Aggies beat second-place Utah State twice, but lost twice to conference-leading Nevada.

"It's everything I thought it would be," said NMSU coach Reggie Theus. "Us winning at Pacific and Louisiana Tech winning. Fresno State played Creighton very strong. It bodes well for us in general."

Theus emphasized that the WAC's strength as a conference is the reason why he took the NMSU job.

A LONG JOURNEY

The yearly BracketBuster means two things - a chance to play a quality opponent and in some cases, a long road trip.

Louisiana Tech had to travel to Carbondale, Illinois to play Southern Illinois of the Missouri Valley Conference, and Tech coach Keith Richard decided to bus his team to the game.

"That was my call," said Richard of the trip which took 10 1/2 hours going and 10 hours coming. "We could have flown. The best way would have been to charter, but we couldn't do that."

Richard said that by the time Tech took the hour-drive to Shreveport to catch a plane to St. Louis and then bussed two hours to Carbondale, it was just as easy to take the bus the entire distance.

The Louisiana Tech coach said the team encountered an ice storm on the way back home, forcing the bus to go about 5 miles and hour for 60 minutes.

Richard, who said the trip should said another reason why he bussed was because the team left Thursday after classes, giving itself some extra time.

MILLSAP HONORED AGAIN

Louisiana Tech's Paul Millsap was once again named the XBox Live Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

Millsap, Tech's brutish 6-foot-8 250-pound forward averaged 17.7 points and 14.7 rebounds in three games last week, leading Tech to a 2-1 record.

Millsap pulled down a Thomas Assembly Center record 28 rebounds in a win over San Jose State in a 74-63 win, and followed that up with 25 points in a 54-51 BracketBuster win over Southern Illinois.

PERRY GETS SUPPORT

Idaho dropped to 4-20 after Monday's 74-68 loss to Nevada, and you have to wonder what is future is like at Idaho for head coach Leonard Perry.

Perry, who is 48-92, said he doesn't worry about his future.

"I can't afford it (to think about it)," Perry said after Monday's loss. "I have to get the kids prepared. You can only worry about things that you can control.

"I expect to be the coach here for a long time."

Perry has the support of two of his players - Mike Kale and Tanoris Shepard.

"Hands down, he's our coach," said Kale, a sophomore center.

Shepard was one of Perry's first recruits, and he is fond of his coach and hopes the school doesn't pull the trigger.

"I hope they don't make a change," Shepard said. "I think he's a great coach. He needs a little more time to get the program headed in the right direction."

The switch to the WAC hasn't been kind to the Vandals, who have struggled mightily against bigger, more athletic teams. The Vandals need to address those areas in recruiting.

"Absolutely," Shepard said, when asked if recruiting needed to change. "That's why they have to give him time, so he can get some players who can play up-tempo."

BRONCOS ARE STUCK

With four games left to play, Boise State appears headed toward a sixth seed in the upcoming WAC Tournament in Reno March 7-11 at Lawlor Events Center.

The Broncos are in seventh place with a 5-8 record, but since Fresno State is ineligible for post-season play, the Broncos move up to sixth. BSU trails Hawai'i and New Mexico State by three games in the loss column.

"It's one less thing I can use for motivation," Graham said. "The league is so even. The key is to play well."

Boise State, the victim of the WAC's imbalanced schedule which has them playing five split weeks (one home game, one away), the most in the conference.

The Broncos host Utah State, and counting last Saturday's BracketBuster home game, it's the first time that BSU has been home for back-to-back games in quite some time.

Boise State got red-hot last year, and as a No. 8 seed reached the WAC finals before losing to UTEP in the finals.

WHERE ARE THE COACHES?

Only four coaches showed up for the weekly teleconference.

Three of the coaches involved in Monday games - Nevada's Mark Fox, Idaho's Perry and San Jose State's George Nessman weren't available.

Hawai'i's Riley Wallace, who got into Moscow late Sunday night, held practice Monday morning and missed the call. Also unavailable was Fresno State's Steve Cleveland.

Theus, whose team played San Jose State Monday, did participate in the call.

Seems a seven-minute phone call wouldn't be too much to ask. After all, any exposure helps the conference.