BCS hurts college sports, especially basketball

Last month, Boise State head football coach Chris Petersen talked to local reporters about the BCS. Mainly, he simply unleashed a lot of feelings that many of us have, and rightly so for a lot of reasons. Many of us understand that the BCS is hurting college sports, especially college basketball.

From the outset, the BCS was a joke as far as its place in college football is concerned. There is no national championship in the Football Bowl Subdivision; the winner of the BCS Championship Game is like the winner of the NIT Season Tip-Off or the Maui Invitational in basketball, not a national champion. (The Division I national champion will be either Sam Houston State or North Dakota State, who will play on Saturday.) The system is your basic old boy network applied to college football, as it’s designed to benefit the six conferences that were in on the whole deal all along. The Big East has been a laughingstock in football for a while now, yet it still gets its champion into a BCS bowl while more deserving teams – which often have included Petersen’s Broncos – are pushed back into less prestigious bowl games (and ones without nearly the same payout).

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UNLV drafted a blueprint for taking down the Tar Heels

Don’t be surprised that North Carolina lost to UNLV.

The Tar Heels had looked phenomenal in five blowout victories against mostly overmatched teams. But those wins masked an Achilles heel. And the Runnin’ Rebels fired a perfect shot to strike North Carolina in that vulnerable spot, sending the No. 1 team tumbling back to earth.

In short, North Carolina doesn’t do a great job of guarding the perimeter, doesn’t dominate the boards, and doesn’t have well-developed depth behind the front line.

All three of those weaknesses are related to UNC’s vaunted frontcourt, especially Tyler Zeller and John Henson. Those two make a perfect tandem, as Zeller’s offensive game is far more developed than Henson’s, while Henson is a defensive beast with his shot-blocking ability. On defense, they tend to rely on their height and length to stop driving opponents. Not surprisingly, North Carolina ranks among the Division I leaders in blocks, swatting more than 6 percent of opponents’ shots, according to Ken Pomeroy’s statistics.

But that affinity for blocks makes the team susceptible to penetrating guards who only intend to kick the ball out to good perimeter shooters. It makes perfect sense. A guard at the top of the key could sprint off a high screen into the lane, with his man in tow. Henson or Zeller would slide off his defender to get in position to reject a shot attempt into the third row. Someone else would rotate to cut off a pass to anyone else near the post. As the guard enters the lane, he should have at least one perimeter player open.

One pass to the outside might be enough to get an open look. If a Tar Heel defender could get out to the perimeter in time, the odds are that another rotating perimeter player would be wide open, and an extra pass should get a clean look. And that’s pretty much how UNLV attacked North Carolina.

In addition, the Runnin’ Rebels fought for rebounds. When the Tar Heels help out on defense, they occasionally move out of position for rebounds. Coach Roy Williams will probably preach on proper technique in practice during the next couple of days, which is necessary for a team with only middling stats for rebounds despite holding a height advantage over most opponents. Somewhat interestingly, North Carolina actually did better against UNLV at the defensive end despite allowing 13 offensive rebounds. The Tar Heels collected 68 percent of all missed shots at that end, which is slightly better than the 65 percent that they usually get. On offense, though, the Tar Heels grabbed only 24 percent of their missed shots, down from their season average of 32 percent.

Part of the reason that the rebounding was down is that Zeller and Henson’s minutes were down because of foul trouble. Zeller was on the court for 24 minutes in the loss. Henson also had to deal with foul trouble. Although freshman James Michael McAdoo is off to a strong start, there’s not much quality depth behind the starters right now.

UNLV outlined a strategy for taking down North Carolina that is clear and repeatable – for the teams that are actually equipped to execute that game plan. Five Runnin’ Rebels attempted at least 3-pointers, with Chase Stanback and Oscar Bellfield hitting four apiece. It will be tough to beat the Tar Heels without that kind of firepower.

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Updating the NBA Entry List and Honoring a Maryland Legend

BASELINE TO BASELINE

Go coast to coast with a roundup of news from across the nation.

Here’s a quick recap of all the major NBA decisions from the past week. The NCAA’s deadline for early entrants to remain eligible required players to decide by May 8 if they wanted to remain in the NBA Draft or return to school.

Remaining in the draft:

• Boston College’s Reggie Jackson
• Butler’s Shelvin Mack
• Georgia Tech’s Iman Shumpert
• Kentucky’s Brandon Knight
• Kentucky’s DeAndre Liggins
• Louisville’s Terrence Jennings
• Maryland’s Jordan Williams
• Michigan’s Darius Morris
• Stanford’s Jeremy Green
• Tennessee’s Tobias Harris
• Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson
• Texas’ Cory Joseph
• Texas’ Tristan Thompson

Returning to school:

• Kentucky’s Terrence Jones
• Miami’s Reggie Johnson
• Missouri’s Laurence Bowers
• Missouri’s Kim English
• Northwestern’s John Shurna
• Pittsburgh’s Ashton Gibbs
• West Virginia’s Kevin Jones
• Xavier’s Tu Holloway

1. The biggest news of the past few days is Gary Williams’ retirement at Maryland. The Terrapins’ coach unexpectedly decided to call it a career at age 66 after working at his alma mater since 1989. Maryland moved quickly to court Arizona’s Sean Miller, who passed on the the offer by signing an extension with the Wildcats, according to John Marshall of the Associated Press. That makes Notre Dame’s Mike Brey one of the top choices right now, according to the Washington Post.
2. In other Washington, D.C., area coaching news, George Washington picked Mike Lonergan to be the Colonials’ next coach, according to the Associated Press. Lonergan comes back to D.C. after working at Vermont for five seasons, compiling a 126-68 record. Lonergan coached Catholic University to a Division III title in 2001 and worked with Gary Williams as an assistant at Maryland for a few years.
3. Gonzaga needs to find a new starting point guard after Demetri Goodson announced that he’s leaving the team to play football, according to the Associated Press. Goodson averaged 5.2 points and 2.6 assists per game for the Bulldogs this past season.
4. Michigan State Tom Izzo returned the favor for Spartan fans last week. To help boost student morale during final exams week, Izzo joined other Spartan coaches in serving food at the university’s dining hall, according to Diamond Leung of ESPN.com’s ìCollege Basketball Nation.î That’s a nice way to thank the Izzone fans who help give Michigan State one of the toughest home court advantages in the nation.
5. Speaking of Izzo, the Spartans’ coach might be getting some much-needed backcourt help in Valparaiso transfer Brandon Wood, according to the Associated Press.. The Horizon League’s No. 3 scorer is transferring to Michigan State after completing his undergraduate degree. Because of NCAA rules for graduate transfers, Wood might be eligible to play immediately for a team losing Kalin Lucas to graduation.
6. Jeff Capel has returned to a familiar sideline. The former Oklahoma coach, who was fired after this past season, accepted an offer to become an assistant coach on coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff at Duke, according to the Associated Press. Capel played four years in Durham and put up more than 1,600 points.
7. The Pac-10 can’t complain about an East Coast bias for much longer. The conference soon to be known as the Pac-12 signed an agreement with ESPN and Fox Sports worth $250 million per season, tops in men’s basketball, according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.
8. Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt has recruited his first big name as the Cowboys’ new coach. Larry Nance Jr., son of longtime NBA player Larry Nance, will arrive in Laramie this fall after averaging about a double double as a senior in Ohio this past season.
9. Looking ahead to 2012, Louisville might not have the services of Rodney Purvis, a top-rated shooting guard in the class of rising high school seniors who reopened his recruitment, according to Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com’s ìCollege Basketball Nation.î Louisville had received a verbal commitment from Purvis, partially thanks to the hard work of assistant Tom Fuller, who left Pitino’s staff recently to work for Frank Haith at Missouri.
10. Former Cyclone John Lamb, a walk-on who left Iowa State mid-season, was arrested last week and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and a violation of Drug Tax Stamp Act, according to the Associated Press.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

This section is aptly titled for a Washington, D.C., area writer looking to write a column honoring the importance of recently retired Maryland coach Gary Williams.

In his 22 years at Maryland, Williams helped craft the Terrapins into a perennial ACC contender. His continued success eased the path to the construction of the Comcast Center, which is one of the largest arenas in the conference and has one of the best home court advantages. The 20,000-plus fans who fill the Comcast Center haven’t always approved of the quality of the home team, but they consistently fill the arena with rowdy fans, giving Maryland one of the best home court advantages in the country.

After the turmoil of the late 1980s, it’s amazing that Williams was able to get this program back to the top of the ACC so quickly. Trouble started in 1986 with the death of Terrapin hero Len Bias, who seemed destined to become a national hero as a possible heir apparent to Larry Bird in Boston. However, his cocaine-induced death and the subsequent brouhaha in College Park derailed the program, leading to the ouster of coach Lefty Driesell.

Without Driesell, the team fell into mediocrity — and NCAA violations — during the tenure of Bob Wade. With the program on probation and lackluster performance on the court, Williams returned to his alma mater with a tough task at hand.

It took Williams five seasons, but once he got the Terrapins into the NCAA Tournament, they remained fixtures of March Madness until 2005. That includes a Final Four run in 2001 that ended mercilessly with the team’s fourth loss of the season to eventual national champion Duke. But Williams and Maryland vanquished those demons the next season when the Terrapins won the 2002 title.

The championship title was a turning point for Williams’ tenure at Maryland. Until then, the critics liked to talk about Williams as one of the greatest coaches to have never won a title — a fraternity no coach enjoys being part of. With that monkey off his back, Williams then had to deal with detractors who bemoaned that Williams failed to use the program’s success to attract the top recruits to College Park.

Recruiting is a touchy subject for Maryland fans. On the plus side, no one has even sniffed an NCAA violation during Williams’ years. But on the other hand, Williams drew the ire of many fans because he couldn’t keep a lot of the talented kids in Prince George’s County, Md., and Baltimore in-state. Highly touted recruits like Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Ty Lawson, Rudy Gay, Nolan Smith and seemingly half of Georgetown’s starting lineup each season are all locals. That would be acceptable if Williams had a slew of talented recruits on a conveyor belt to College Park from across the country.

But after three NIT appearances in four seasons, the natives became restless. Williams had the misfortune of dealing with a few disastrous recruits, including the much-maligned post-championship class of Chris McCray, John Gilchrist, Travis Garrison and Nik Caner-Medley. That core failed to meet lofty expectations, and the fans nearly revolted at the perceived inability of Williams to coach a great class. But the players just didn’t work out. It happens.

Williams got Maryland back on track with Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes. He helped Vasquez mature from a sloppy point guard and nearly out of control hothead to a dominant ACC player who was a threat to post a triple double nearly any night. The Terrapins returned to the NCAA Tournament three out of four seasons but never advanced further than the second round.

Heading into this off-seaosn, Maryland was at a cross-roads as another disappointing recruiting class — Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker and Dino Gregory — finished their collegiate careers. Jordan Williams, one of the top recruits in recent years to come to Maryland, figured to be the linchpin of next season’s team, but he is heading to the NBA instead.

At age 66, Williams was staring at a complete rebuilding project in an era that makes it increasingly difficult to run a clean and successful program. Williams refused to sacrifice one for the other. That makes now a great time for Williams to step down. To rebuild the Terrapins, Williams would need at least a couple of years to get the right guys around solid building blocks like Pe’Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin. Williams might be pushing 70 before the Terrapins have another legitimate shot at a deep run.

When I’m pushing 70, I hope have the energy to work more than 60 hours a week recruiting, strategizing and representing a major college program. After such a remarkable, program-defining coaching career, Williams has earned this respite.

Larranaga Jumps Into Shark-Infested Waters

BASELINE TO BASELINE

Go coast to coast with a roundup of news from across the nation.

1. Miami finally got its man in hiring George Mason coach Jim Larranaga to become the Hurricanes’ next coach, according to the Associated Press. In Larranaga, the Hurricanes get a coach with a Final Four pedigree, and that’s coming out of the Colonial Athletic Conference. The Colonials’ coach has family roots in Florida, and the opportunity was particularly alluring, even though George Mason is a perennial NCAA Tournament contender in the CAA.
2. IUPUI hired its new coach from within in the program, elevating associate coach Todd Howard to the top spot, according to the Associated Press. Former head coach Ron Hunter left the program to coach Georgia State.
3. It’s a little hard to figure what Hollis Thompson is thinking, but the sophomore Hoya announced he will enter the NBA Draft without an agent, according to the Associated Press. Thompson averaged 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this past season — not exactly attention-grabbing stats.
4. As much as Texas faithful don’t want to hear it, the decisions of Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph and Jordan Hamilton make a little more sense. All three players will go through the NBA Draft process, according to ESPN’s Dana O’Neil. However, only Hamilton has immediate plans to sign with an agent, though Thompson figures to be a possible lottery pick.
5. Former Wake Forest sophomore guard Ari Stewart is heading to the West Coast to play for USC and coach Kevin O’Neill, according to Pedro Moura for ESPN Los Angeles.com.
6. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, you just won the 2011 national championship. Where are you going next? The weed man? Not a great idea. Police arrested the sophomore swingman April 21 and charged him with marijuana possession, according to the Associated Press.
7. Redemption remains a possibility for Coombs-McDaniel, much like it is for BYU’s Brandon Davies, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report. Davies had possibly the most noteworthy sex of any college athlete this year when the news broke in early March that the Cougars would suspend their best big man for violating the university’s honor code, which prohibits premarital sex. However, Davies is confident that he’ll complete the necessary penance to return to campus as a BYU student-athlete, then return to the court as a solid post player for the Cougars.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

The Miami coaching gig is a death trap.

It’s not that the Hurricanes will never succeed, and it’s not that a talented coach can’t attract some talented players to Coral Gables. The problem is that it will be almost always impossible to get fans in the stands, which is one of the primary concerns of athletic departments.

And without a naturally enthusiastic fan base, Miami’s coach must produce fantastic seasons on a regular basis. For new coach Jim Larranaga, that’s a tall order.

The Hurricanes have some talent heading into next season, especially if Reggie Johnson returns to school instead of remaining in the NBA Draft. He would join Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott in south Florida. Unfortunately for Larranaga and the ‘Canes, most people in south Florida are more interested in other teams and activities. The city’s mercurial fan base has the Miami Heat as their primary object of affection on the hardwood. Among the Coral Gables community and student body, ‘Canes football will always be the No. 1 sport on campus.

That leaves Larranaga’s crew fighting for the No. 3 spot in town with other sports teams, including the Florida Marlins, Florida Panthers and Miami Dolphins — NFL lockout permitting. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the allure of the beach and notorious night life. Unless Miami can knock off North Carolina and Duke on an annual basis, getting fans to show up at the BankUnited Center will be a very tough task.

The Hurricanes’ 7,200-seat arena would need about 50 percent of all Miami undergrads present and accounted for just to fill three-quarters of the seats. Larranaga would need to attract some serious talent to generate enough buzz to fill the rest of the arena. And that wasn’t his M.O. at George Mason, nor will ACC rivals like Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Gary Williams and Leonard Hamilton make it easy for him to get the best kids to play at Miami. Within the state of Florida, the Gators have the best shot at recruiting local kids, with Florida State’s Hamilton not far behind.

Despite that shark-infested climate, Miami remains an ACC team with ACC expectations. That means the Hurricanes need to sell out the big games, finish in the top third every now and then, and make a run to at least the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament when talented recruiting classes come through town. Ask Paul Hewitt and Al Skinner how that goes.

Good luck to Larranaga. This won’t be a vacation.

Health Comes Before Hoops

BASELINE TO BASELINE

Go coast to coast with a roundup of news from across the nation.

When forward Emmanuel Negedu transferred to New Mexico, he figured he had a fresh start ahead after heart problems at Tennessee. While with the Volunteers, he entered a sudden cardiac arrest in 2009. He had the all-clear to play, barring any more bad news. But more bad news struck in December 2010 when he a bad reading on a defibrillator, according to Diamond Leung of ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog. And that means Negedu’s playing career is through, though he’ll remain on scholarship to complete his degree as a Lobo.

Washington State fans are holding their breath that Klay Thompson won’t follow junior DeAngelo Casto to the NBA after the Cougar forward announced that he’ll enter the draft and hire an agent, according to the Associated Press. Casto was Wazzu’s top big man last season, with 12 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

In addition to losing Josh Selby and the Morris brothers to the NBA and Tyrel Reed, Brady Morningstar and Mario Little to graduation, Kansas will be without guard Royce Woolridge, who announced he is transferring, according to the Associated Press. Woolridge said he wants more playing time, which he apparently isn’t convinced he’d get in Lawrence despite the roster turnover.

In other transfer news, Loyola Chicago is getting some Big Ten talent in Iowa guard Cully Payne, who will have three years of remaining eligibility, according to ESPN Chicago’s Scott Powers. And sparingly used forward J.J. Richardson is leaving Pittsburgh in search of a better fit, according to the Associated Press.

On the flip side, the Jayhawks could be on the receiving end of a transfer if La Salle’s Aaric Murray picks Kansas over West Virginia. According to Jon Rothstein, the sophomore big man is leaving the Explorers for one of those destinations after averaging 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game this past season.

Miami’s coaching search continues, writes the Miami Herald’s Michelle Kaufman, as new athletic director Shawn Eichorst talked to Wisconsin-Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter about the position. Eichorst has connections to the state after coming to Miami from Wisconsin, where he was an associate athletic director at the school.

Whoever ends up in south Florida as the Hurricanes’ coach might not bring highly regarded recruit Bishop Daniels to Coral Gables. According to Barry Jackson’s “Sports Buzz” blog at Miami Herald.com, Daniels wants a release from his letter of intent so that he can choose Tennessee or Rutgers. Given that the Scarlet Knights are the only team of the three with a returning coaching staff, that could bode well for Mike Rice’s squad.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

You’ve got to feel for New Mexico’s Emmanuel Negedu.

The Lobos sophomore overcame the scare of a cardiac arrest at Tennessee and found a fresh start in Albuquerque. New Mexico is one of the top programs of the Mountain West Conference, especially with BYU bolting for the West Coast Conference.

But it just wasn’t in the cards for Negedu to make an impact on the court. A bad reading on a defibrillator means team doctors won’t clear him to play ever again. It’s just too risky.

Although Negedu must manage his condition carefully, his life is still full of opportunity. The Lobos intend to keep Negedu on scholarship, which will give him the opportunity to earn his degree as a Lobo. And if Negedu has interest in contributing to team activities, the squad should be able to find an off-court role for him.

For players gifted enough to earn a Division I scholarship, the concept of imminent mortality might not be an everyday realization. But Negedu now has a perspective that gives him the opportunity to keep his teammates grounded in the face of adversity and focused on greater goals.

And that’s a perspective that could allow Negedu to make an on-court impact vicariously through the rest of the Lobos.

Globetrotters’ Basketball Soul Outshines Rash of Rough News

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Go coast to coast with a round up of the nation’s top stories.

1. Although Phil Jackson seems pretty convinced that there won’t be a next season for the NBA next season, several college players are gambling that they’ll still be making NBA money within a few months. Here are a few of the players who announced during the past few days that they’ll be entering the NBA Draft.

• Arizona’s Derrick Williams, with agent
• Butler’s Shelvin Mack, no agent
• Connecticut’s Kemba Walker, with agent
• Florida State’s Chris Singleton, with agent
• Kansas’ Josh Selby, with agent
• San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard, with agent
• UCLA’s Malcolm Lee, with agent

2. ESPN.com’s Andy Katz breaks down the NCAA Legislative Committee’s proposal to move up the deadline for declaring for the draft. If the Board of Directors approves the measure, players will need to decide by April 10 whether they intend to declare for the draft — and they can’t turn back. It essentially ends the test-the-waters approach, which isn’t good for the kids, Katz writes.

3. One player who won’t be testing the waters this season is Baylor’s Perry Jones, ESPN.com’s Andy Katz writes. Somewhat surprisingly, Jones will return to the Bears, who had a disappointing season but will return a start-studded team, anchored by Jones.

4. Despite the uproar about the early entry deadline, that’s small change compared to the fiasco in San Diego. The Associated Press reported this week that the FBI is investigating former members of the Toreros program for running a sports betting business, and 10 people have been charged in the case, including the team’s all-time leading scorer, Brandon Johnson. In addition to Johnson, former player Brandon Dowdy is accused of fixing games.

5. Jorts-mania could be coming to a town near you. Kentucky’s Josh Harrellson will be launching a Jorts Tour — after his now-famous nickname — to sign autographs and hawk his clothing line, according to Diamond Leung of ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog.

6. As Nebraska prepares to move to the Big 10 next season, the Huskers have reworked coach Doc Sadler’s deal to pay him an extra $100,000 per year, making his salary $900,000 per year through 2015-16, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report.

7. One of Nebraska’s former Big 12 rivals, Iowa State, is dealing with some drama after police arrested freshman center Jordan Railey for punching a man late Wednesday night along a hot spot for Ames restaurants and bars, according to the Associated Press. Coach Fred Hoiberg has suspended Railey while gathering more information about the incident.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

Man, what a rough week for news in the world of college basketball.

Several players landed in trouble with the law (Nebraska, Florida). An NBA-minded freshman skipped his team’s season-closing banquet to work out in Vegas (Kansas). And speaking of Sin City, the gambling bug apparently migrated south to San Diego, where the very integrity of the game is in question after the FBI unearthed a supposed sports business ring that included former Torero players who are accused of fixing games.

And just to pile on, the NCAA looks pretty selfish and uninterested in the welfare of student-athletes after moving forward with a proposal to give players until about a week after the championship game to decide whether they want to return to school or enter the NBA Draft. Needing only an affirmative vote by the NCAA’s Board of Directors to become official, the proposal applies tortured logic that benefits schools and coaches but not players. And the players already are limited because the NCAA won’t let them profit from their name or likeness in commercial products, such as video games. However, the NCAA is happy to take its cut from those sales.

That’s enough to get you pretty down about the game.

Thankfully, I watched the Harlem Globetrotters play tonight on ESPN. And that evaporated my creeping cynicism. The figure-eight weaves, between-the-legs passes and crowd-pleasing interludes don’t look like traditional basketball. All those fancy moves make for great entertainment, and everyone in the arena is having fun — even the tough-luck Generals.

Basketball is supposed to be fun. Yes, the game can be a means to a career — and a small fortune — for the most talented players. But for the 99 percent of players who don’t come within sniffing distance of an NBA pay check, the game needs to be fun. If it’s not, why play? The Globetrotters take fun to an extreme, but they embody the soul of the game.

Despite the spate of bad news, the game goes on. By November, optimism will be the mood du jour as nearly 350 Division I teams embark on the journey toward a 2012 championship. And with any luck, most of them will have plenty of fun along the way.

Back in Action, With Championship-Level Appreciation

Editor’s Note: We’ve trimmed down the Full Court Sprints because Hoopville’s new design has made some elements redundant. In particular, our new design highlights some of Hoopville’s great coverage in the middle column. In addition, we’ve got recent tweets from Phil Kasiecki and Michael Protos in the right column. There’s no games on tap anytime soon — sadly — so the upcoming games and recent results are irrelevant until November. We do have plenty of news to round up and some quick commentary on recent trends and news.

BASELINE TO BASELINE

Go coast to coast with a round up of the nation’s top stories.

If it’s April, three of the top stories in basketball relate to which coaches are changing jobs, which players are going pro, and which players are transferring. Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman has a list for the latter category. In case you’ve missed some of the player movement of the past few weeks, Goodman lists all the players who have announced that they will play elsewhere.

At ESPN.com, you can track all the coaching movement in Division I in a chart that lists schools, former coach and new coach. As of today, 13 teams are still in the hunt for a new coach.

And if you want to find out whether your team’s best underclassmen will be playing in the NBA or NCAA next season, check out CBS Sports.com’s set of charts.

The most recent team to fill its open coaching position is UNLV, according to the Associated Press. BYU associate coach Dave Rice is moving on from the Mormons’ home base of Utah to Sin City. Rice’s now former boss, BYU coach Dave Rose, said Rice is an excellent teacher and has a history of success, which he’ll be taking to the desert and a Rebels team that has emerged as a perennial Mountain West contender.

St. John’s coach Steve Lavin will begin treatment for prostate cancer after announcing that he was diagnosed with the disease in fall 2010, according to SI.com’s “Fan Nation” blog.

BYU is extending coach Dave Rose’s contract, a rare reward for excellence at the university, according to Fan Nation. Just don’t ask about the financial details.

We already have some drama heading into next season’s North Carolina State vs. Maryland rivalry in the ACC. Granted, in recent years, there’s not much of a rivalry to speak of between those teams. However, Wolfpack Athletic Director Debbie Yow, former boss of Maryland coach Gary Williams, accused Williams of trying to sabotage her search for a new coach. She eventually hired former Alabama coach Mark Gottfried to replace Sidney Lowe, drawing the ire of State fans who wanted Shaka Smart or another hot name. There’s plenty of bad blood between Yow and Williams, according to the “Lost Lettermen” blog.

UCLA finally knows where the Bruins will be playing home games next season while Pauley Pavilion gets a facelift. Eamonn Brennan, of ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog, reports that the Los Angeles Sports Arena will host 14 Bruins home games, with the team playing four others at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Fresh off his third national championship, Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun said he will take some to decide whether he wants to retire, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report. But don’t think that means he’s taking any time off from the recruiting trail.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

I watched every second of Connecticut’s championship game victory against Butler. And that might officially make me a basketball geek — as if there were any doubt about that.

I’ll be the first to admit that the Huskies’ 53-41 win wasn’t the prettiest game I’ve ever watched. But there’s been far too much talk about how terrible the game was, and some commentators have even hinted that the NCAA Tournament has a flawed format in which the best team doesn’t win the title.

To that, I say: horse manure.

The NCAA Tournament has one of the most difficult post-season formats of any sport at any level because a champion must win six — at least — games in a row against opponents that play a variety of styles. A championship run is a testament of a coach’s ability to strategize a game plan and adjust it during the heat of the action. It’s a testament of great players performing at a consistently high level for three weeks.

Even the most talented teams in the country will likely face at least one opponent that plays a style that makes the favorite somewhat uncomfortable. For underdogs, the ability to get a team outside its comfort zone, force mistakes and capitalize on opportunities forms the recipe for an upset. VCU took that recipe and repeated it from the First Four to the Final Four.

The Rams got past USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas with a pressure defense that preyed on inconsistent backcourt play. On offense, VCU rode hot three-point shooting to cover up for a size disadvantage in the post. If the Rams met the Jayhawks in an NBA-style seven-game series, there’s no way I could see VCU winning the series. I’d pick VCU to win one, maybe two games in seven against Kansas. But the more talented team — as NBA analysts Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley frequently pointed out during their stint as NCAA Tournament analysts — would likely advance, barring injuries or a major internal meltdown.

And that’s what makes the NCAA Tournament wonderful. To be champion, you must come to play every game for three weeks. Anything short of your best effort could send you home. And even your effort might not be enough if you’re running the wrong game plan.

So don’t tell me Butler’s 18 percent shooting in the championship ruined the tournament or somehow devalues Connecticut’s achievement. In the game I watched, I saw an outstanding defensive effort in which the Huskies limited the Bulldogs to a tiny number of clean looks at the hoop. However, Butler also failed to make in-game adjustments. The team took 51.6 percent of its shots from three-point range, making only 9-of-33 attempts. After Chase Stigall hit a three to open the second half and give Butler a six-point lead, the team didn’t make another shot from the field for seven minutes and only one shot in 13 minutes. During that stretch, the Bulldogs missed 11 three-pointers.

Brad Stevens realized his teams was overmatched in the post, but the Bulldogs just weren’t getting it done from the perimeter. The team’s stubborn insistence on jacking up bombs — and bricks — led to the dismal shooting percentage and put Connecticut on track to the championship.

More simply put, the Huskies executed their game plan more efficiently and effectively than Butler could, and the Bulldogs couldn’t adjust to do anything about that. In a championship game performance, that’s all you can ask from the winning team, regardless of the score.

Breaking the Studious Silence

Big East Takes on Team No. 17

Now conference realignment is getting just ridiculous.

TCU announced today that the Horned Frogs are leaving the Mountain West Conference for the Big East Conference, starting with the 2012-13 season.

That’s a team from Forth Worth, Texas, joining a conference with 14 teams in the Eastern time zone. The longest road trip in the Big East, previously Providence to Tampa, increases by 35.7 percent to 1,550 miles, from Providence to Fort Worth. The closest Big East rival to the Horned Frogs will be Louisville, which is a stone’s throw away at 755 miles — only a 14-hour drive.

We’re obviously using the word “rival” pretty loosely there. TCU briefly shared familial relations with Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida in Conference USA. But none of those teams shared a heated rivalry that had Horned Frog fans all riled up.

Let there be no mistake about it: This move is 100 percent about football with little regard to any other sport played in the Big East.

With the undefeated Horned Frogs football team in danger of getting shut out of the flawed BCS system’s championship game, this move makes perfect sense for TCU. The Big East has an automatic bid to the BCS and offers nominally better competition than the Mountain West Conference can provide. TCU deserves a chance to earn a football championship, and university officials feel like a move to the Big East would create that opportunity and probably safeguard the rest of the program’s other sports.

“Having BCS automatic-qualifying status was a priority for our football program and a great reward for the success we’ve had the last decade under coach Gary Patterson,” said Chris Del Conte, TCU director of intercollegiate athletics in a press release. “Keeping all our sports together was also critical. We are very excited to accomplish both these goals and look forward to our new home in the Big East Conference.”

But come on now.

Whatever financial security comes with a move to the Big East comes at the detriment of huge travel costs that TCU teams will endure. Those costs go beyond miles logged on an airplane — we’re talking more time away from the classroom for student-athletes. Schoolwork on the road isn’t unusual, but it can’t help when every road game requires a two- to four-hour flight.

In addition, Big East basketball teams will have only two home-and-home series each season against conference foes instead of three. The regular-season title will merely suggest that the team atop the standings is the conference’s best. But with imbalanced schedules and skewed home/away match ups, who can say for sure which team is best? The Big East Tournament becomes even more critical for asserting conference superiority.

College basketball programs remain in the back seat while King Football drives conference realignment. If hoopsters could press the Reset button on conference composition and athletic economics, we could devise a far more attractive conference scheme. Our realignment would preserve traditional rivalries and create new ones in imminently logical geographical regions.

Bracket Breakdown: How the Mountain West Will Fare

The Mountain West Conference demonstrated that it’s a league on the rise as it doubled its number of NCAA Tournament participants from two in 2009 to four this year. But are they ready to dance with the likes of the Big East and SEC?

New Mexico Lobos (29-4, 14-2 MWC)

No. 3 seed, East Region

Regardless of what goes on in the tournament, this will be regarded as the best season in New Mexico’s history. The Lobos won a school-record 29 games — and counting — and claimed the MWC regular-season championship. The only sour note of the year so far was struck by San Diego State, which handed the Lobos half of their losses this season, including one in the tournament semifinals Friday.

The recompense to the Lobos’ exceptional season is a No. 3 seed in the East Region and a game against a I-still-can-not-believe-I-am-here Montana, a team that booked its NCAA Tournament ticket by rallying from 22 points down to win the Big Sky Tournament championship. New Mexico will handle those cats easily and advance to the second round, where Marquette will be waiting.

And although Marquette is a No. 6 seed, this will be where the dream season will come to an end for the Lobos. The Golden Eagles, a Big East team, have been tried repeatedly this season, while New Mexico, part of a far-more-modest conference, has not. It will be close, but Marquette will prevail. Still, the Lobos will go home having won 30 games, an incredible feat.

Brigham Young Cougars (29-5, 13-3)

No. 7 seed, West Region

The Cougars would be considered the best team in this conference hands down if it wasn’t for the simple fact that New Mexico, the actual best team in the MWC, swept them this season. Otherwise, BYU was almost flawless in a season that saw them win a school-record 29 times.

Getting it done both offensively and defensively is what drove the Cougars to this season of distinction. BYU is the second-highest scoring team in the nation at 83.0 points per game. But in the midst of their high-octane offense, they still find time to play defense. The Cougars hold their opposition to 65.2 points per game. That’s a point differential of 17.8 points.

That dangerous combo — along with the brilliance of guard Jimmer Fredette — will make BYU, a No. 7 seed in the West Region, a threat to any team regardless of record or pedigree. The Cougars will make quick work of undeserving No. 10 Florida in the first round and then give Kansas State fits in the second. But the Wildcats and their guard duo of Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente will put an end to the dream season. BYU will also have to say bye-bye in the second round, having won 30 games.

San Diego State Aztecs (25-8, 11-5)

No. 11 seed, Midwest Region

After a 2008-09 season in which they felt snubbed out of the NCAA Tournament, the Aztecs made sure there wouldn’t be a chance for a repeat this season by winning the MWC Tournament title.

San Diego State barely escaped Colorado State in the tournament’s quarterfinals but was more convincing in the semifinals, defeating New Mexico, and the championship game, downing UNLV. That tournament title awarded them a No. 11 seed in the Midwest Region and a first-round meeting with No. 6 Tennessee.

But will the confidence of a tournament championship and a chip on their shoulder from the 2009 snub be enough to push the Aztecs past a team that’s beaten both No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Kentucky this season? Likely not. The Volunteers happened to have lost their last game in shameful fashion, 74-45 to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament semifinals Saturday, and they will not overlook the Aztecs in the first round. San Diego State will not be able to surprise Tennessee and will be one-and-out after a great season.

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (25-8, 11-5)

No. 9 seed, Midwest Region

On paper, the Rebels have an almost identical NCAA Tournament résumé to that of San Diego State. The only difference for UNLV lies in its 55-45 loss to the Aztecs in the MWC Tournament championship game Saturday. They’re even in the same region, the Midwest.

Despite the tourney loss, UNLV was granted a higher seed over the Aztecs, a No. 8. That’s not necessarily going to help the Rebels stick around any longer than the champs, though. They’ll have to play a No. 9 Northern Iowa that has only lost four games all season long and has an edge on experience. The Panthers bring pretty much their whole team back from last year’s NCAA Tournament run, and, unfortunately for the Rebels, that will doom them and give them yet another likeness to San Diego State: a season-ending first-round loss.

Bracket Breakdown: Atlantic 10 and Mountain West Get Little Respect

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 11:15 a.m., March 16, 2010, to indicate that UNLV beat New Mexico once during the regular season.

In the final Mock Tournament this afternoon, four teams from the Atlantic 10 and Mountain West conferences received a No. 5 seed or better: New Mexico, Temple, Richmond and Xavier.

The selection committee only agreed with New Mexico’s position. Even though the Mountain West and Atlantic 10 conferences ranked No. 6 and 7, respectively, in the RPI, they failed to receive much respect in seeding from the committee. Projected to be a No. 5 seed, Richmond fell to No. 7. UNLV also slipped two lines, from No. 6 to No. 8.

Although BYU was only seeded No. 7 by the selection committee, the Cougars might have received the biggest break of any team from the Mountain West or Atlantic 10. They would get to play Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Salt Lake City if they can find a way past No. 10 Florida and probably No. 2 Kansas State. Of course, BYU would have its hands full against the Wildcats in Oklahoma City.

No. 5-seed Temple might feel slighted that power conference teams like Vanderbilt and Maryland received No. 4 seeds even though the Owls have more wins against the RPI top 50 than those teams do. The Owls also won their conference championship, but Vanderbilt and Maryland didn’t make it to their conference championship games.

UNLV’s reward for winning four games against the RPI top 25, including games against No. 3-seed New Mexico and BYU, is a No. 8 seed and has a potential second-round match up against top-seeded Kansas in Oklahoma City. The Mock Tournament projected UNLV to be a No. 6 seed because the Rebels have several quality wins.

Although the Atlantic 10 and Mountain West teams received more difficult draws than the Mock Tournament projected, they can prove their value by knocking off some higher-seeded opponents. Temple matches up well with Wisconsin, and BYU has a real chance to make a deep run in the West region. If the Cougars find a way past Kansas State, they will feed off the home crowd in Salt Lake City against No. 1 Syracuse, No. 3 Pittsburgh or any other highly seeded team that they crosses paths with.

Bracket Breakdown: Mock Tournament 9.0

Less than 36 hours remain until the selection committee unveils the 2010 brackets, and most of the field looks fairly solid. However, upsets in the ACC, Atlantic 10, Big Ten and SEC could lead to trouble for the teams on the precipice of falling out of the field.

A couple of teams out west, namely Washington and San Diego State, have benefited from the failure of Atlantic 10 and Big East bubble teams to solidify their résumés. In the Mountain West semifinals, the Aztecs scored an important second win against New Mexico. They can avoid the need for at-large bid at all if they beat UNLV in the championship game today. Meanwhile, the Huskies simply continue to win, dispatching Stanford in the Pac-10 semifinals. Win or lose against California in the championship game, Washington should be in.

With the late addition of Washington and San Diego State to the field, teams like Rhode Island, South Florida and Dayton are on the outside looking in. And only the Rams can do anything about it because the Bulls and Flyers have already lost in their conference tournaments. Rhode Island can make a stronger case for the NCAA Tournament with a win against Temple in the Atlantic 10 semifinals. The Rams have only one win against the RPI top 50, so even an upset against the Owls might not be enough to make the field.

A slew of automatic bids are on the line today. Check out the bracket as the stand Saturday morning, and let us know if they look right to you or totally out of whack.

Here are the latest brackets and links to previous projections.

• Mock Tournament 8.0
• Mock Tournament 7.0
• Mock Tournament 6.0
• Mock Tournament 5.0
• Mock Tournament 4.0
• Mock Tournament 3.0
• Mock Tournament 2.0
• Mock Tournament 1.0

Teams in bold have won an automatic bid.

Why You Need to Watch the Mountain West Tournament

With three Mountain West Conference teams cruising into the NCAA Tournament and a fourth hoping to come along for the ride, what happens in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas.

The most compelling storyline of the Mountain West tournament will be the performance of San Diego State. Ranked No. 36 in the RPI, the Aztecs are in desperate need of another quality win or two. Two quality wins would probably deliver San Diego State a conference championship and automatic bid. If the Aztecs get past Colorado State in the quarterfinals, they will likely face New Mexico, which they have beaten once this season. A second win against the Lobos would give them two wins against the RPI top 25, albeit against the same team.

If the Lobos can handle their business against Wyoming or Air Force and get past San Diego State or Colorado State, they will have a chance to play for the championship and the possibility of moving up in NCAA Tournament seeding. At 28-3, New Mexico has the opportunity to reach 31 wins if the Lobos win the conference championship. Of those 31 wins, eight of them would probably be against RPI top 50 teams, including at least four wins against the top 25. That’s the kind of profile that a No. 2 seed needs to have. Several Big East teams are in contention for No. 2 seeds, too, but they can’t all win in the Big East tournament. That helps the Lobos.

The other favorite to contend for the Mountain West title is BYU, which is probably itching to avenge two regular-season losses by a combined six points to New Mexico. The first two games were so good that a third match up would be a fitting end to one of the best Mountain West seasons of all-time. A New Mexico/BYU championship game would come two weeks after their most recent battle in Utah, after which Lobos coach Steve Alford was reprimanded for calling BYU forward Jonathan Tavernari an expletive that rhymes with “crass mole” following a late-game confrontation between several Lobo and Cougar players. These teams just don’t like each other. And they are both poised to create problems in the NCAA Tournament, and they want to build as much momentum as possible entering the Big Dance.

However, UNLV could spoil that dream championship match up. The Rebels are hosting the tournament and have lost only three home games this season. Granted, one of those losses was to Utah, which UNLV will face in the quarterfinals. But UNLV already beat BYU once in Vegas and would love to solidify its NCAA Tournament status with another big win against the Cougars in the semifinals. The Rebels could move up to as high as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they protect their home court and win the conference championship.

The Mountain West tournament promises to deliver a couple of thrillers, and the home team figures to be a part of one or two of those.

Bracket Breakdown: Long-Range Assassins Your Team Wants to Avoid

With the first round of the NCAA Tournament set to tip off in about two weeks, teams continue to jockey for better seeds and at-large bids. But regardless of how well teams play down the stretch, a streaking underdog could derail the Final Four aspirations of even the most powerful heavyweights.

The search for a team that has the potential to shock the top dogs starts on offense but ends of defense. Thanks to the three-point shot, teams can remain competitive with the big boys even if they don’t have big guys on the court. If you’re looking for a few potential NCAA Tournament teams that are especially adept at hitting the long ball, check out these teams.

All of those teams are likely to receive No. 4 seeds or worse, and all of them have the potential to catch fire from long range and make life miserable for a highly seeded team. However, to successfully pull off an upset, these underdogs need solid defense to match solid shooting. Using Ken Pomeroy’s efficiency ratings for defense, let’s sort those teams by their ability to frustrate opposing offenses.

When considering defensive efficiency and three-point shooting, Missouri and BYU look especially dangerous. BYU fans might protest that the Cougars are an elite team, especially considering that the Cougars have been a fixture in the polls for most of the season. That’s true enough, but the reality is that BYU is not likely to receive a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed. That means that by the Sweet 16, BYU would be in position to pull off a significant upset against a better-seeded team, barring other upsets.

And BYU and Missouri look primed to create all sorts of problems. Missouri is especially difficult to play against because of coach Mike Anderson’s version of 40 minutes of hell. His pressing defense forces lots of turnovers, and many of those extra possessions translate into three-pointers. Perhaps equally important, Missouri is great at defending the three-point shot, allowing opponents to shoot only 29.7 percent from behind the arc. So Missouri can beat you from long range but won’t let you do the same. That’s a recipe for success.

BYU is less successful in stopping opponents’ shooters, allowing 33.0 percent shooting from three-point territory, but that’s still better than the Division I average of 34.2 percent. Plus the Cougars have the luxury of being one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country and stingiest defenses in the paint. BYU’s three-point shooting can help keep the Cougars in the game against a No. 1 or 2 seed, and the team’s tough interior defense could deliver a major upset — perhaps even a run to the Final Four.

Bracket Breakdown: Why Your Team Really Wants a Top Three Seed

With the Pac-10′s struggles this season, the Mountain West is in position to place more teams with better seeds in the NCAA Tournament. New Mexico, which sits atop the Mountain West, is poised to benefit the most because the Lobos are a viable candidate for a No. 3 seed or better, which might just be the ticket for an improbable Final Four run.

Since 2000, 80 percent of all Final Four participants have had a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Although the George Masons of the basketball nation dream of a Cinderella run to the Final Four, only eight teams in the past 10 years made it with a seed worse than No. 3. And it only happened in four seasons: 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006. Since LSU and George Mason did it in 2006, the top seeds have reasserted their domination with eight No. 1 seeds, three No. 2 seeds and one No. 3 seed filling the 12 spots of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Final Fours.

New Mexico is a long shot to reach the Final Four. Vegas gives the team only 200:1 odds to win the national championship, which matches the odds for Iowa and Iowa State, which have no chance at reaching the NCAA Tournament without an automatic bid. But the Lobos will have a statistically much better chance if they can continue to rack up quality wins and earn a top three seed.

After beating UNLV Wednesday night, the Lobos have seven wins against the RPI top 50, which ties them with Duke for second most. The knock on New Mexico is the lack of an elite win. The best win on the team’s résumé is a neutral court victory against Texas A&M. That makes the Lobos vulnerable to being leap-frogged by teams like Pittsburgh, Tennessee an Temple — all of which have elite victories (Pitt won at Syracuse, Tennessee handed Kansas its only loss, and Temple claims one of Villanova’s two losses).

Logically, teams that are good enough to earn a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed have the proven performance and talent to contend for a Final Four spot. In addition, they have an easier road than No. 4 seeds and lower. Is there really a major difference between the No. 12 and 13 teams in the country entering the NCAA Tournament? Probably not. However, the No. 12 team gets a No. 3 seed and is likely to draw a No. 6 seed — in theory, a team ranked somewhere between 21 and 24 — in the second round. On the other hand, the No. 4 seed most likely draws a No. 5 seed in the second round. Depending on where the selection committee slots teams, the No. 13 team could draw the No. 17 team in the country.

The second round match ups don’t follow a classic S-curve pattern — in which the best No. 4 seed would play the worst No. 5 seed — because the selection committee stops following the pattern after the top 16 teams. From there, they place teams based on other tournament rules, such as avoiding conference match ups and rematches of early season games. For a team like New Mexico, a No. 3 seed could mean a likely second round match up against an opponent such as Xavier or Butler. However, slipping to No. 4 could produce Georgia Tech or Michigan State.

In addition to the luck of the draw, seeding matters in determining where a team plays. The selection committee awards favorable first and second round locations based on seed. So expect to see Kansas in Oklahoma City and Syracuse in Buffalo. Do you think Jayhawk and Orange fans will drive four hours or less to see their teams play? Oh yes. For New Mexico, Oklahoma City is the only location for opening-round games located within a 12-hour drive of Albuquerque. That makes the Lobos’ push for a No. 3 seed — preferably ahead of Texas — even more important. Otherwise, New Mexico could find itself heading to San Jose, where misfortune could produce a second-round match up with Gonzaga and a hostile crowd.

Championship teams require talent, and they often are peaking at the right time of year. For teams on the cusp of joining the elite, the difference between a Final Four run and second-round exit might be one spot on the selection committee’s S curve, giving one team a No. 3 seed and the other a No. 4 seed.

Utah: Slap Earns Henderson One-Game Suspension

After BYU’s Jackson Emery exchanged words with Utah guard Marshall Henderson, the Utes’ freshman whacked Emery in the face with a backhand, earning an ejection and one-game suspension, according to an Associated Press report.

BYU had the game wrapped up, and Emery followed Henderson along the baseline to speak his mind after a play with 34 seconds to go. Henderson, who averages 11.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, did not appreciate the disrespectful actions and slapped Emery with a backhand. Officials immediately tossed Henderson. NCAA rules dictate that players ejected for fighting receive a one-game suspension.

Utah will face Colorado State without one of the team’s best players. The Utes are 3-4 in Mountain West action but have lost two in a row on the road to Wyoming and BYU.

Bracket Breakdown: Pac-10′s Struggles Will Benefit Mountain West, Atlantic 10

With the Pac-10 experiencing more upheaval than the conference has had in 20 years, it’s increasingly likely that the Pac-10 won’t field more than one team in the NCAA Tournament if California wins the conference’s automatic bid.

Since 1989, the Pac-10 has had no fewer than three bids in the NCAA Tournament, and that only happened twice. In the past three tournaments, the Pac-10 has placed six teams in the field. With the sudden decline of traditional powerhouses such as Arizona and UCLA, a couple other conferences stand to benefit, specifically the Atlantic 10 and Mountain West.

Entering the final weekend of January, only one Pac-10 team, California, has an RPI better than 50. And Cal’s solid computer profile — an RPI of 18 — largely depends on the second toughest schedule in the country. But the Golden Bears have fared poorly against those tough teams, losing all four games against top 50 opponents. Only half the conference has any wins against teams in the RPI top 50.

Besides California, every other Pac-10 team has significant hurdles to overcome. The second-place team, Arizona, already has nine losses and is only two games better than .500. The Wildcats probably need to win eight or nine of their final 10 conference games to have a legitimate shot at the NCAA Tournament. Part of the problem is that with so many struggling teams, it’s hard for a team like Arizona to notch any résumé-building victories.

Meanwhile, the Mountain West has four teams in contention for at-large bids. BYU is 20-2 and has an RPI of 22.  The second-place team, New Mexico, is 19-3 and has a higher RPI, at 11. UNLV and San Diego State also are in the top 50 and figure to remain in the at-large discussion until Selection Sunday. In existence since 1999, the conference has never fielded four teams in the NCAA Tournament.

On the East Coast — and Midwest and Southeast — the Atlantic 10 Conference, which has 14 teams, looks ever stronger. The conference’s pre-season favorite, Dayton, sits at seventh place entering the final weekend of January. The Flyers match the Pac-10′s best, California, with a 14-6 record, but Dayton has two wins against teams in the RPI top 50. The team’s non-conference strength of schedule is excellent at No. 20, and the best win is against surging Georgia Tech. No offense to the Ohio Valley Conference’s premier program, but California’s best win is against Murray State on opening day. If you had to pick right now, whom do you want in the NCAA Tournament — California or Dayton?

Besides the Flyers, Temple, Xavier, Charlotte and Rhode Island all have compelling arguments for automatic bids. Temple has the best victory of any team in the Atlantic 10, Mountain West or Pac-10 with an upset of Villanova — the Wildcats’ only loss entering the last weekend of January.

So while the Pac-10 could flirt with one-bid conference status, several strong teams in the Atlantic 10 and Mountain West are poised to seize an opportunity to grab more automatic bids for two non-power conferences. Based on the Pac-10′s performance this season, it’s hard to consider it a power conference on par with the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC.

Mountain West Notebook – A So-So Lobo Return

The view from the Mountain is about what you would expect at this point in the season. Collectively the Mountain West Conference is 52-20 as of December 7.

BYU has the only untarnished record at 8-0. One could argue that they really haven’t played anyone yet as their RPI is 81 and their strength of schedule is 287. The Cougars won’t get their first true test until Dec. 20 when they take on Arizona State in Tempe.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Colorado State is the only team with a losing record, as they sit at 3-5. But even they look to be an improved team this year. In their toughest contest to date, they lost by just one point to Tubby Smith’s Golden Gophers.

San Diego State (7-1) was crowned champions of the Great Alaska Shootout last week and got a big boost with the reinstatement of MWC First Team Player Lorrenzo Wade. A San Diego judge dismissed felony burglary charges against Wade, and he is now practicing with the team. He did not play in SDSU’s victory over cross-town rival USD on Saturday night, but he should see the court against Arizona on Wednesday night.

Wyoming is off to a 6-1 start and may have a more balanced and complete team this year. Last year the focus was all on their two standout guards, Brandon Ewing and Brad Jones. Now that Jones has graduated, Ewing has moved to the point guard position and wants to distribute the ball more and not just be the designated scorer from the two guard spot. It shows as the Cowboys have four players averaging double figures in scoring. With a stronger supporting cast, Ewing may get the opportunity he desires to refine his point guard skills and have a career in the professional ranks once his senior season is over.

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels aren’t looking quite as dominant as many expected, and their 7-2 record shows it. They narrowly escaped with a win in their home opener versus the University of San Diego, even though San Diego had three key players on either suspension or out with an injury. After a couple of easy wins, the Rebels thought they were ready for a bigger test, but when the Bears came to town, the Rebels didn’t have an answer. First it was the Cal Bears, who defeated UNLV by 18 points. The next day, the Cincinnati Bearcats completed the sweep with a two-point victory.

The Air Force Falcons have one of the weakest out of conference schedules to date as indicated by their RP1 of 158 and Strength of Schedule at 226. They lost by 19 points to Stanford, the only team of significance on their pre-conference schedule. But at 6-2 and riding a three-game winning streak, they should rack up a few more wins this month and have some confidence going into conference play.

Utah (5-2) is an early season enigma. They have quality wins over Oregon, Missouri State and Mississippi but bad losses against Southwest Baptist on their home court and against Idaho State on the road.

The 6-3 TCU Horned Frogs are on a five-game winning streak and trying to prove that they are more than just a football school. They had a convincing 16-point road victory over Colorado on Saturday but will be further tested this week at home versus Wichita State before traveling to Indiana.

New Mexico (4-4) is still trying to find its rhythm in the absence of J.R. Giddens, who was last year’s MWC co-player of the year and then selected in the first round of the NBA draft. Tony Danridge, who missed all of last season with a broken leg, was expected to re-emerge as the team’s leading scorer and go-to guy. He led the team two years ago but has been inconsistent so far.

All indicators point to this being a better than average year for the Mountain West Conference, and there figures to be a considerable amount of parity. As teams take on a few more tough out of conference opponents in the next couple of weeks, we will start to see who rises to the top and whether they can hold onto that position by winning on the road.

San Diego State Gets Hot in Great Alaska Shootout

The Aztecs left sunny San Diego for a real taste of winter in snowy, Anchorage, Alaska to participate in the Great Alaska Shootout. They warmed up Sullivan Arena with three victories in three days to capture the 2008 championship.

The Western Carolina Catamounts had the Aztecs on the ropes on Thursday night, but a solid defensive effort and excellent free throw shooting helped the Aztecs come out on top. The Catamounts turned out to be the surprise team in the tournament as they went on to win their next two games and finish in fifth place.

Kyle Spain continued to lead the Aztecs in scoring in the absence of Lorenzo Wade, who is still waiting for his day in court. Spain hit some late free throws to secure the win in the first game over Western Carolina. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Spain led all scorers with 15 points in just 21 minutes in the second game against Seattle University. He had a solid effort in an easy victory over Hampton in the finale. For his efforts, he was recognized as the MVP of the tournament.

The Aztec big men had a good tournament as well. Senior Ryan Amoroso played well at both ends of the court despite lingering back issues. He is also the only player to have won the tournament more than once. Amoroso was on the Marquette squad that was victorious in 2005. JUCO transfer Mehdi Cheriet is also starting to find his form. He scored 11 points in 11 minutes on Friday against Seattle University for his highest D-1 scoring effort to date. He also had three rebounds and one block on the defensive end.

And let’s not forget San Diego State’s quick guards, who took turns sharing the spotlight. Senior point guard Richie Williams had 15 points and four rebounds against Western Carolina. Against Seattle, Williams was limited to just four points, but distributed eight assists and gave up just one turnover. Sophomore guard D.J. Gay led all scorers with 20 points in the championship game, nailing six three-point shots. Gay was named Player of the Game against Hampton.

The Aztecs will take a detour next week to play at Northern Colorado on December 3. Then it’s back home to play USD in the annual cross-town rivalry game on December 6.

Mountain West Preview

Mountain West Conference 2008-09 Preview

by Brad Best

Things are looking up in the Mountain West Conference. With only a handful of premier players moving on to either the next level or the rest of their lives, the conference as a whole is set up for even greater success.

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels are the consensus favorite to claim the conference title and do some damage in the NCAA tournament. The other three teams battling for second-best are BYU, San Diego State and New Mexico. With senior leadership and proven playmakers suiting up for each squad, competition will be fiercer than ever. All the top contenders in the Mountain West do well at protecting their home court, so the true test is winning on the road. BYU holds the nation’s longest homecourt winning streak at 47 games, but look for that to fall this year.

Utah, New Mexico, Colorado State and Wyoming will all be in year two with their new coaches and systems, so look for improvement all around and new recruits to more closely match the playing styles of their programs.

With a couple of the tall trees (6’11″ Trent Plaisted and 7’0″ Stuart Creason) no longer playing the in the Mountain West, the Runnin’ Rebels tagline may be a suitable description for more than just the team from Las Vegas. Up-tempo, high-scoring shootouts will play out nightly in the upcoming season in the Mountain West Conference.

All-MWC First Team
Wink Adams, G, UNLV
Lee Cummard, G, BYU
Brandon Ewing, G, Wyoming
Lorenzo Wade, F, San Diego State
Luke Nevill, C, Utah

Honorable Mentions: Tony Dandrige, New Mexico; Andrew Henke, Air Force; Kyle Spain, San Diego State, Marcus Walker, Colorado State

Conference MVP
Wink Adams, UNLV

Newcomer of the Year
Tre’Von Willis, UNLV

1. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
2007-08 record: 27-8, 12-4 MWC (2nd place)

Projected starting five:
Wink Adams, Sr. G
Tre’Von Willis, So. G (Transfer)
Rene Rougeau, Sr. G
Joe Darger, Sr. F
Beas Hamga, Fr. C

With back-to-back NCAA tournament berths, Lon Kruger has proven he can recruit, reload and re-energize a new crop of talent and remain atop the Mountain while playing in the desert.

Wink Adams will vie for conference Player of the Year honors in his senior season. In the backcourt, help will come in the form of Memphis transfer Tre’Von Willis. With Willis running the point, Adams can focus on scoring, whether it is driving the lane and spotting up for an open three-pointer. His court leadership and tenacity on defensive make him a complete player and future NBA prospect.

The Runnin’ Rebels succeeded without a true big man on the roster last season, but will have a couple of true centers to choose from in the upcoming campaign. Beas Hamga has finally been cleared to play and should have an immediate impact on the defensive end. Back-up 6’10″ Brice Massamba is a transplant from Sweden with more refined skills on the offense than Hamga.

Joe Darger defended the post on many occasions last year but can now go back to the small forward spot, where he is a three-point threat. Matt Shaw played well a year ago but injured his knee and will sit this season out. So the power forward position is up for grabs, but it looks like the Rebels have a sufficient mix of talent at that spot to still be very solid overall.

Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 15 vs. San Diego
Nov. 28 vs. Cal
Dec. 20 vs. Arizona
Dec. 31 vs. Louisville

Kruger did an admirable job of replacing key starters and coaching an undersized team up to the top of the conference. Look for the Rebels to add to their success with their new additions and once again claim the conference crown and NCAA tournament bid.

2. BYU Cougars
2007-08 record: 27-8, 14-2 MWC (1st place)

Projected starting five:
Lee Cummard, Sr. G
Jimmer Fredett, So. G
Jonathan Tavernari, Jr. F
Gavin McGregor, Sr. F
Chris Miles, Jr. C

Trent Plaisted left school early and was selected in the NBA draft, but Lee Cummard withdrew his name from the draft and decided to return for his senior season. With Cummard returning with an average of 16 points and 6 rebounds per night, along with Jonathan Tavernari (13 points, 5 rebounds), Coach Dave Rose has a strong nucleus to build around.

Chris Miles appears to be the frontrunner for the center position as Vuk Ivanovic has moved on as well. Senior Gavin MacGregor should contribute minutes in the middle.

Guard Jimmer Fredette can play either the point or the shooting guard position and will need to step up his production this year. He proved in his freshman season that he can handle the ball and will have more opportunities to shine going forward.

Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 18 at Pepperdine
Dec. 20 at Arizona State
Dec, 30 at Tulsa
Jan. 3 vs. Wake Forest

With the attrition of Plaisted and company, the Cougars will not be able to hold onto their 47-game homecourt winning streak but will still hold a firm homecourt advantage of opponents. If Cummard and Travernari can get some help inside and if the ball bounces their way, they’ll be dancing again.

3. San Diego State Aztecs
2007-08 record: 20-13, 9-7 MWC (4th place)

Projected starting five:
Richie William, Sr. G
DJ Gay, So. G
Kyle Spain, Sr. F
Billy White, So. F
Ryan Amoroso, Sr. F

The Aztecs have a nice blend of youth and experience, but as usual also have an off-court issue that is poised to stunt their success. Preseason All-MWC selection Lorenzo Wade was the go-to guy last season and seemed poised for a solid senior season before his actions led to criminal charges and suspension until court rulings add clarity to the situation. Besides Wade, the Aztecs are stacked with seniors and new additions from the JUCO ranks should give them the depth the sorely needed a year ago.

Senior Kyle Spain served a suspension for violating team rules last season and the team sputtered down the stretch in his absence. He is the Aztecs’ best catch-and-shoot player and will need to regain his form and place on the team in Wade’s absence.

At the point guard position, Richie Williams will need to have a strong senior season and lead the team on and off court. He, too, had his share of challenges last year, missing valuable court time with a suspension and an injured wrist. D.J. Gay showed promise as a true freshman and will share time at both the point and the two guard positions. Senior Matt Thomas was granted a medical redshirt and if his back holds up, he has the size to defend the perimeter and help initiate the break.

Kelvin Davis was slotted to replace Brandon Heath a year ago but proved to have an inconsistent outside shot and was in and out of the starting lineup. After the season, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease and has been undergoing treatments. He has been practicing with the team and whether or not he can go this season remains to be seen. New addition Tim Island comes from one of the top junior colleges in the country and should add some much-needed three-point shooting.

Ryan Amoroso will anchor the Aztecs’ frontcourt again this year. At 6′ 8″, 257 pounds, he has proven to have the strength to guard bigger, taller opponents down low. Freshman of the Year Billy White is the most athletic player on the team. He shined on defense but would disappear on offense at times. Outside of easy putbacks and dunks, he really didn’t focus on getting his own shot. Look for the Aztecs to run more plays for him, especially in Wade’s absence. Junior college transfer Mehdi Cheriet (6’9″) will be a welcome addition to the frontcourt and can step outside and knock down shots.

Freshman forward Tim Shelton played very effectively in four games last year before going down with a knee injury. Coach Steve Fisher is bringing him along slowly, but if healthy, Shelton is a very important member of this team and a leader.

Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 18 vs. Arizona State
Dec. 6 vs. San Diego
Dec. 13 vs. Saint Mary’s (Wooden Classic)
Dec. 22 at Arizona

If Wade can rejoin the team sooner rather than later, the Aztecs can compete for the top of the conference. Otherwise, these Aztecs may finish in the middle of the pack without a go-to scorer and lingering injuries and off-court issues with other players.

4. New Mexico Lobos
2007-08 record: 24-9, 11-5 MWC (3rd place)

Projected starting five:
Tony Danridge, Sr. G
Dairese Gary, So. G
Phillip McDonald, Fr. G
Chad Toppert, Sr. F
Daniel Faris, Sr. F

The Lobos went from eighth place to third under the guidance of first-year head coach Steve Alford. Alford is also working his magic on the recruiting front and appears to be building a solid program in Albuquerque.

J.R. Giddens was a first-round NBA draft pick, but the return of Tony Danridge should help fill the scoring void and the Lobos should have a more balanced team without Giddens in the lineup.

All the talk this year is around freshman Phillip McDonald. This top 100 prospect turned down Big 12 scholarships to play for Alford. Also, Isaiah Rusher is a 6’9″ post player who should get minutes as a freshman.

Daniel Faris cemented his place in the middle of the lineup by starting every game and earning honorable mention All-MWC player last season. He should continue to improve in his senior season and welcome freshman Will Brown, who adds some additional beef in the middle.

Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 16 at Creighton
Nov. 10 at San Diego
Dec. 13 vs. Mississippi
Dec. 20 at Texas Tech

The return of Danridge and another year under Alford should help the Lobos be competitive again this year. The will hold their own, especially in The Pit, but may struggle on the road as they seek to integrate seven new faces onto this year’s roster. They’ll likely earn an invitation to the NIT when the season comes to an end.

5. Utah Utes
2007-08 record: 18-15, 7-9 MWC (6th place)

Projected starting five:
Tyler Kepkay, Sr. G
Lawrence Borha, Sr. G
Carlon Brown, So.G
Shaun Green, Sr. F
Luke Nevill, Sr. C

Coach Jim Boylen put down a solid foundation in his first year as a head coach. As promised, he helped the team increase its defensive intensity, which kept them in more games. He now has a team loaded with seniors and one of the best big men around.

Luke Nevill (7’1″) is one of the most talented big men in the country but has lived in the shadow of BYU’s Plaisted for the last three years. With Plaisted and other big centers out of the way this year, Nevill will have every opportunity to prove that he is NBA-caliber. He has been prone to foul trouble, which has limited his minutes in key games. Kim Tillie, a 6’9″ junior, will provide some help for Nevill down low.

Guard Johnnie Bryant (14 ppg) was instant offense last year and his scoring ability will be missed. Shaun Green had an off year in his junior campaign, but look for him to be right up there with Nevill as far as putting points on the board this year. Tyler Kepkay transferred in last season and secured a role as point guard. Lawrence Borha is the defensive stopper on the perimeter.

Sophomore Carlon Brown started some games as a freshman and should continue to show improvement with additional minutes this year.

Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 28 at Missouri State
Dec. 3 vs. Oregon
Dec. 10 vs. California
Dec. 13 at Oklahoma

If Nevill can stay on the court and out of foul trouble, the Utes are capable of knocking off any team in the conference on any night. This team is filled with seniors, and that combined with Boylen’s discipline should upset a few of the top teams. In the end, they may just be good enough for the NIT.

6. Air Force Falcons
2007-08 record: 16-14, 8-8 MWC (5th place)

Projected starting five:
Evan Washington, So. G
Andrew Henke, Sr. G
Anwar Johnson, Sr. F
Matt Holland, Sr. F
Grant Parker, Jr. F

A sixth-man for the past couple of years, Andrew Henke is the top scorer among returning players at 11 points per game. That says something about the experience of this year’s squad and where they may end up.

The cadets will definitely miss the services of Tim Anderson and his 14 points per game. Anderson was the link to the Top 25 teams from a few years back. Now Henke will need to provide leadership and scoring.

Alongside Henke in the backcourt will be Evan Washington, who was one of the top freshmen in the conference last season. Washington averaged about 7 points per game a year ago and will get more looks this year.

Military schools are typically short on size, and this year’s Air Force roster is no exception. Returning forwards Anwar Johnson and Matt Holland will do what they can inside, but perimeter shooting and movement are the keys to the Falcons success. Freshman Sam Schafer provides some much-needed size at 6’9″ and will try to work his way into the lineup.

Clune Arena has been very good to the Falcons. They posted a 12-4 record at home last season but were just 3-8 on the road. This year may be much of the same.

Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 26 at Stanford
Dec. 6 at Northern Colorado
Dec. 27 at Portland

Air Force will continue to shoot bombs from the outside and look to win with perimeter shooting and controlling the clock. Some nights it will prove successful, but don’t look for them to be one of the top teams in conference this year.

7. Wyoming Cowboys
2007-08 record: 12-18, 5-11 MWC (8th place)

Projected starting five:
Brandon Ewing, Sr. G
Sean Ogirri, Sr. G
Joseph Taylor, Jr. F
Bienvenu Songondo, Jr. F
Travis Nelson, Sr. C

The backcourt tandem of Brandon Ewing and Brad Jones just wasn’t enough to help first-year Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer to a successful season. All too often the Cowboys were over-matched and out-gunned. Ewing is one of the best players in the league and would vie for Player of the Year honors if he played for another school. With Jones gone now, it’s hard to see how the Cowboys are going to see much improvement unless their transfers really hit the ground running.

Wichita State transfer Sean Ogirri should help fill in for Jones on the perimeter, but he only has one year of eligibility. Freshman A.J. Davis will back up Ewing. There is a sharp drop-off after Ewing, who has led the Mountain West in scoring twice.

Mikhail Linskens out of Belgium returns for his sophomore season and provides a big presence in the middle. He will be surrounded by Ryan Dermody at the power forward position as well as Tyson Johnson, who averaged 7 points per game off the bench. Transfer Djibril Thiam from Baylor will be eligible after the first semester and will help improve the frontcourt depth.

The Cowboys have high hopes for Mahamoud Diakite from France. He played at a junior college in California last year and could make an immediate impact.

Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Dec. 3 at Boise State
Dec. 13 vs. Northern Iowa
Dec. 23 at UCLA

With a pretty friendly non-conference schedule, Schroyer will try to integrate a bevy of junior college players into the mix early and try to turns things around in Laramie. This is likely a transition year as Ewing will be the focal point among a number of new faces.

8. Colorado State Rams
2007-08 record: 7-25, 0-16 MWC (9th place)

Projected starting five:
Marcus Walker, Sr. G

Willis Gardner, Sr. G
Andre McFarland, So. F
Andy Ogide, Jr. F
Ronnie Aguilar, Jr. C

The 2007-08 season was a rough year for this Rocky Mountain school, as they failed to win a single conference game at home or on the road. But they did manage a victory over Wyoming in the conference tournament, so maybe that’s a positive sign. Coach Tim Miles, previously from North Dakota State, is better than this and will get things heading in the right direction.

Big man Stuart Creason has graduated and so the Rams are likely to transition from a low-post focused team to one with more emphasis on the perimeter. Ronnie Aguilar will likely start the year at center but will need to stay healthy this year if he is going to be effective. The Rams will also get help inside from two transfers, Andy Ogide from Ole Miss and Dan Vandervieren from Purdue.

Marcus Walker and Willis Gardner will form the backcourt tandem and are the only seniors on the team. Walker was Newcomer of the Year in 2007-08 and averaged 17 points per game as a junior. Gardner averaged about 10 points per game and led the team in assists.

Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Nov. 22 vs. Minnesota
Dec. 2 vs. Nevada
Dec. 10 at Colorado
Dec. 14 vs. Stanford

Miles will have his hands full again this season, but they will win a few conference games this season and regain a little credibility. They have a long way to go before they can compete with the top teams in the conference.

9. TCU Horned Frogs
2007-08 record: 14-16, 6-10 MWC (7th place)

Projected starting five:
Keion Mitchem, Jr. G
Jason Ebie, Jr. G
Kavon Rose, Fr. G
Kevin Langford, Sr. F
Zvonko Buljan, Jr. F

The Horned Frogs successfully got out of the Mountain West cellar last year, even though they were 1-7 on the road in conference play and 1-12 away from home overall. They did manage to pull some upsets at home and will look to do more damage this year.

Kevin Langford led the team with 13 points and 5 rebounds per game last year, which was consistent with his prior year’s performance. He will be called upon to bear much of the scoring burden and provide team leadership in this final season.

Brent Hackett was a streaky outside shooter, and his 11 points per game will certainly be missed on the perimeter. Keion Mitchem should be able to increase his scoring ability with more minutes and experience this year. Junior Jason Ebie will also get plenty of playing time at the guard spot.

Kavon Rose should provide a spark as a true freshman and could crack the starting lineup. He is one of the top-rated freshmen in the league who originally signed with a Pac-10 team.

There aren’t a lot of big bodies on the roster. A couple of international players, Zvonko Buljan and Edvinas Ruzgas will try to fill that space.

New coach Jim Christian from Kent State will try to do what his predecessor Neil Doughtery could not do since joining the Mountain West, which is posting a winning conference record. But don’t expect it this year.

Schedule
Key out of conference games:
Dec. 3 at Colorado
Dec. 8 vs. Wichita State
Dec. 10 at Indiana
Jan. 6 at Texas Tech

The Horned Frogs will struggle again this year. Lots of new faces, only one proven scorer and a new coach do not sound like a recipe for success in the upcoming campaign.

MWC Summary

This figures to be an improved year in the Mountain West. UNLV appears to be the cream of the crop but BYU, San Diego State and New Mexico will test the mettle of the Runnin’ Rebels. With senior-laden teams up and down the conference, experience should translate into exciting and competitive matchups all around.

Look for two teams to go dancing and another two to be included in the NIT when the season comes to a close.