WAC still looking like one-bid conference

WAC still looking like one-bid conference

BY DARRELL MOODY

Appeal Sports Writer

With seven games left in the regular season, it's time to look ahead to what's in store for Western Athletic Conference men's basketball teams.

It's still apparent that the WAC will be a one-bid conference this season.

The only team with a decent non-conference resume is New Mexico State, and the Aggies lost all of their big games against major-conference schools. So, it will come down to the WAC Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M., in mid-March, which gives the Aggies a huge homecourt advantage and a decided edge.

The three teams most deserving of postseason are Utah State, with a Ratings Percentage Index of 71, Nevada (80) and Boise State. If neither of these teams wins the conference tournament, all three should be selected for either the National Invitation Tournament or the first-ever College Basketball Invitational.

Utah State is 18-6, Boise State 17-6, Nevada 15-8 and New Mexico State 14-12.

WAC commissioner Karl Benson said he's been in contact with both the NIT and the CBI tournament personnel, and he also is sending weekly reports to the NCAA.

"You have to start thinking about at-large bids and seeding," Benson said of the NCAA Tournament. "The seed is just as important as the selection."

Presently, ESPN's Joe Lunardi, who does a weekly Bracketology report., has Utah State as a No. 14 seed playing third-seeded Stanford in Anaheim in a first-round game.

Would the conference let schools choose between the NIT and the CBI?

"Schools have to make the decision," Benson said. "It has to be an institutional choice. Each basketball program has to do what's in their best interest."

The CBI is a 16-team tournament with a different format, and the final two teams play a best-of-three series.

"It's a different postseason format," Benson said. "It's unique."

The Gazelle Group, producers of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, O'Reilly Parts CBE Classic and the Legends Classic are just a few of the basketball ventures the company has been involved in.

"They have a history in college basketball," Benson said. "They are not neophytes to college basketball."

CARROLL HONORED

For the sixth time in his career, Utah State's Jaycee Carroll was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

Carroll scored 48 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and shot 50 percent from the field to lead the Aggies to wins over Fresno State and San Jose State.

A WIN AT LAST

Louisiana Tech finally got into the win column with a victory against Idaho over the weekend.

'It was a great win for us," said Tech coach Kerry Rupp, whose team hosts New Mexico State this week. "Defensively, it was one of our best games of the year. We did a good job of disrupting them (on offense)."

Rupp wouldn't say if this one win could change things, but New Mexico State assistant Matt Grady thinks it could.

"Definitely I do," Grady said. "They finally reaped the rewards for all their hard work."

A GAME NOBODY WANTS

With the season winding down, there is a battle between Louisiana Tech, San Jose State and Idaho for seventh place.

At first glance you might think no big deal. Wrong. If you finish eighth or ninth, you have to play in the dreaded play-in game, which means your team must play an extra game.

San Jose State is 2-8, Idaho 2-9 and Louisiana Tech 1-9.

"We certainly don't want to play in the play-in game," said SJSU coach George Nessman, whose team plays Louisiana Tech this week. "We're going to fight as hard as we can to win as many games as we can."

"Every game is very important," Idaho coach George Pfeifer said. "We have to focus on playing better."

KUDOS TO GRAHAM

Boise State coach Greg Graham reached a milestone when he notched his 100th career win last week when the Broncos knocked off Louisiana Tech.

Nevada's Mark Fox will be the next WAC coach to reach 100 this season. The fourth-year head coach is four wins away (96-26).

• Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281