Checking In On… the WAC
Posted by jstevrtc on November 27th, 2009
Sam Wasson of bleedCrimson.net and Travis Mason-Bushman of Vandal Nation are the RTC correspondents for the Western Athletic Conference.
Current Standings:
- Louisiana Tech (4-1)
- Idaho (3-1)
- Nevada (2-1)
- Boise State (3-2)
- Fresno State (2-2)
- Hawai’i (2-2)
- Utah State (2-2)
- New Mexico State (2-3)
- San Jose State (1-2)
The general consensus among the WAC’s head coaches during the preseason media day teleconference was that on paper this was one of the strongest, deepest set of teams in league history. Through the first two weeks of play, that depth and strength has not translated into as many non-conference wins as the league had hoped. At a combined 21-16, the league has not had the type of showing early that it wanted or needed to prove that it was capable of once again becoming a multiple bid league.
In the first two weeks of play, the WAC had eight head-to-head games against the Mountain West. Only Idaho has come away with a victory, an impressive 94-87 decision on the road in Salt Lake. Only two of the seven other WAC/MWC games, all WAC losses, have been decided by single digits.
Consistently inconsistent would be the best way to describe the league thus far. Idaho followed up that big victory over Utah with a head-scratching 72-65 loss at Texas Southern.
Nevada lost to in-state rival UNLV 88-75 but then followed it up with a now even more impressive 112-99 victory over Houston (as Houston knocked off Oklahoma at the Great Alaska Shootout).
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the young season has been New Mexico State. One of the preseason favorites, the Aggies stumbled out of the gate losing their first game of the season 100-68 at St. Mary’s. They followed that up with a 97-87 loss to in-state rival New Mexico. They snuck past Division II Oklahoma Panhandle State by 10 points and then saw the wheels come flying off in an 84-73 loss to Cal State-Fullerton after the Aggies jumped out to a 25-3 lead over the Titans.
Team Summaries:
Boise State. The Broncos have defeated Loyola Marymount, North Dakota and Eastern Washington but have had double-digit losses to Montana and Wyoming. Boise State will finally open their home schedule against North Texas on Saturday, November 28th. The Broncos have five players averaging double-figures in scoring.
Fresno State. The Bulldogs started off 2-0 but have lost back-to-back games including an 85-84 loss to Seattle University. Fresno State will visit Santa Clara (11/28) and then host Pacific (12/01).
Hawai’i. The Warriors are 2-2 after picking up wins over Southern Utah and McNeese State and dropping games to Northern Colorado (part of ESPN’s 24-hour college basketball marathon) and Brigham Young. The Warriors host New Mexico (11/27) and then make their one trip off the islands in the non-conference when they visit UC-Irvine (12/2).
Idaho. The Vandals started off the season with an impressive victory over Utah on the road. However, that excitement quickly turned sour as they lost to Texas Southern just two nights later. They’ve rebounded to win back-to-back games against North Dakota State and Sacramento State and when they host Eastern Washington on Saturday, they’ll be looking for their first 4-1 start in 21 years.
Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs sport the league’s best record to this point at 4-1 and have wins over UT-Pan American, Arkansas-Little Rock, Nicholls State and Miami (OH). Their lone loss came at the hands of New Mexico in The Pit, a tough place for anyone to pick up a victory. Louisiana Tech heads on the road to take on TCU (11/28) and Louisiana-Monroe (12/2).
Nevada. The Wolf Pack sit at 2-1 after wins over Montana State and Houston sandwiching a loss at UNLV. The Wolf Pack travel to Richmond, VA to take on VCU (11/27) in the return game for last season’s ESPNU Bracketbusters matchup. Two nights later they’ll play their marquee game of the season when they travel to Chapel Hill to take on defending national champion North Carolina (11/29).
New Mexico State. The Aggies are a disappointing 2-3 on the season after losses to St. Mary’s, New Mexico and CS-Fullerton. Their lone two victories are over Division II Oklahoma Panhandle State and North Carolina A&T. The Aggies host I-10 rival Texas-El Paso on Tuesday, December 1st.
San Jose State. The Spartans are 1-2 on the season after picking up a win over William Jessup (the team, not the man) and have losses at No. 14 Washington by only 10 points and a four point loss to UC-Riverside. The Spartans will face a pair of strong mid-majors when they host Pacific (11/28) and St. Mary’s (11/30).
Utah State. The Aggies are 2-2 after wins over Weber State and Idaho State. Sandwiched in between those two victories were losses to Utah and Northeastern, both on the road. The Aggies host a pair of in-state rivals in Southern Utah (11/28) and BYU (12/2).
Upcoming Games Of Interest:
- 11/27 – NEVADA at Virginia Commonwealth – 7:30 P.M. ET
- 11/27 – New Mexico at HAWAII – 8:00 P.M. HT
- 11/28 – Pacific at FRESNO STATE – 1:00 P.M. PT
- 11/28 – Santa Clara at FRESNO STATE – 2:00 P.M. PT
- 11/28 – Eastern Washington at IDAHO – 7:00 P.M. PT
- 11/29 – NEVADA at North Carolina – 6:45 P.M. ET
- 11/30 – SAN JOSE STATE at St. Mary’s (CA) – 7:00 P.M. PT
- 12/01 – FRESNO STATE vs. Pacific – 7:00 P.M. MT
- 12/01 – Texas-El Paso at NEW MEXICO STATE – 7:00 P.M. MT
- 12/02 – BYU at UTAH STATE – 7:00 P.M. MT
