WAC

College Football: 2008 WAC Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:15:47 -0700

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Could this be the third straight season the champion of the WAC crashes the BCS party? Most people like BYU in the Mountain West, but there are two teams in the WAC that could possibly snatch a berth. Fresno State is thought to have its best team in the Pat Hill era, and that just may be the case with QB Tom Brandstater back for his senior season leading ten offensive starters. The key to their hopes will be improving a defensive unit that ranked 73^rd in total defense last season. And given their “anyone, anywhere, anytime” attitude in regards to the non-conference slate (@ Rutgers, Wisconsin, @ Toledo and @ UCLA), the tough schedule outside of the WAC is looked at as an opportunity instead of a challenge in the Valley.

Boise State could make their second BCS appearance in the last three years, led by a deep backfield which features Ian Johnson, D.J. Harper and Jeremy Avery. They only return fourteen starters overall, but the Broncos bring back enough players who were a part of the rotation on both sides of the football to make a seamless transition. Boise State’s non-conference schedule doesn’t lack for challenges either, with trips to Oregon and Southern Miss on the schedule.

After the top two, there will be a tough time figuring out where the next four teams will finish. New Mexico State returns one of the nation’s most productive quarterbacks in Chase Holbrook, but the Aggies need to improve on defense (94^th in total defense in 2007) if they’re to have any shot a bowl bid. Chris Ault’s Nevada squad returns eight offensive starters, including sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who should have an even better grasp of the “Pistol” offense. But they return just four starters on defense, most notably linebacker Joshua Mauga.

Hawaii lost June Jones to SMU, and he’ll be replaced by defensive coordinator Greg McMackin. The good news is that he knows the program well. The bad news is that QB Colt Brennan and a talented quartet of wide receivers are all gone. Not to mention losing Tyler Graunke to off-field issues and this will leave UH without an experienced signal caller. Just nine starters return for the Warriors in 2008, but keep an eye on linebacker Solomon Elimimian. San Jose State has to replace one of the country’s best cornerbacks in Dwight Lowery, but sidekick Christopher Owens is back for his final campaign. He’ll have to lead a secondary in which he’s the only returning starter. Their big question mark on the other side of the ball is who will play quarterback: Myles Eden, Kyle Reed, Jordan LaSecla or Sean Flynn.

Louisiana Tech did some good things in their first season under Derek Dooley, taking Hawaii to overtime and finishing the season 5-7. With eight starters back on offense, the main thing the Bulldogs need is a starting quarterback, and they’ll welcome Georgia Tech transfer Taylor Bennett into the fold along with Ross Jenkins and Steven Ensminger. While the Bulldogs could make their way up the standings in 2008, the same may not apply to Idaho and Utah State.

Rob Akey enters his second season in Moscow with his work cut out for him, but the good news is that seventeen starters return, including all eleven on offense. Running back Deonte Jackson was the WAC’s second-leading rusher last season, averaging just under ninety-eight yards per game. The task of rebuilding is a bit tougher for Brent Guy at Utah State, but nine defensive starters are due back in Logan this season. Linebacker Jake Hutton was a second-team all-conference selection last season, but the Aggies were one of the nation’s worst on both sides of the football. Add to this a non-conference schedule that includes a trip to Oregon and home games against BYU and Utah and you have the makings for a rough 2008.

Players of the Year: QB Chase Holbrook (New Mexico State) and LB Adam Leonard (Hawaii)

Coach of the Year: Pat Hill (Fresno State)

Newcomers of the Year: QB Taylor Bennett (Louisiana Tech) and CB Coye Francies (San Jose State)

Three Best Non-Conference Games

1. Wisconsin @ Fresno State (September 13^th): Give Wisconsin credit for taking this game in the first place, an act that they may regret on the flight back to Madison. If the Bulldogs win this one and get to 2-0 (provided they beat Rutgers September 1^st), look out BCS.

2. Boise State @ Oregon (September 20^th): This game will be the first major roadblock for the Broncos. Autzen Stadium is one of the nation’s loudest stadiums, meaning that BSU will have their work cut out for them.

3. Texas Tech @ Nevada (September 6^th): The Wolf Pack may not win this game, but this game is one that could light up the scoreboard. First one to fifty wins? Maybe.

Conference Game of the Year

Fresno State @ Boise State (November 28^th): The schedule makers got this one right, placing this game at the end of the regular season. At the least, the WAC title could be on the line. But if one (or both) of these teams can get to this point undefeated, a whole lot more could be on the line.

Poll: What Will be the Best High-Major Conference in 2009?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:00:04 -0700

Rise & Fall: High-Major Conference Review

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:01:06 -0700

In recent weeks, the Rise & Fall series has chronicled the progress (or regress) of college basketball's major conference teams. But if I equated each team to a civilization, I was mistaken. It is really the NCAA conference that equates to a burgeoning civilization or nation, each with its sometimes stable and sometimes rotating member states. Like civilizations, the prestige and power of conferences wax and wane..

Today, I'll continue with the status of the high-major conferences before moving up to the big boys. (Check out the Rise & Fall: Data article to see how the league groupings were made).

HIGH-MAJORS

ATLANTIC 10 - RISING (VERY SLOWLY)

The A10 is coming off its best season since the mid-90's, finishing 7th in the RPI, and it was arguably better than the Big Ten (the A10's non-conference RPI and median member ranking trumped the Big Ten.) This was a major turnaround considering 05-06-07 were actually subpar for A10 standards. While a decline is almost certain this time around (the top teams all lose major contributors), a more usual RPI of 9-10 seems about right.

CONFERENCE USA - RISING (SLOWLY)

Judging the CUSA is a bit more challenging than the other leagues. After all, its completely changed since 2005 when Louisville, Cincy, Charlotte, etc, left. Plus, even moreso than Gonzaga in the WCC, no team dominates a league like Memphis does. Since the realignment, the CUSA's RPI has gone up each year from 13th to 11th to 10th. This is mainly due to the strengthening of the conference's mid-level teams like UCF, USM, and Tulsa. Memphis will fall back from last year, but the 2nd tier should once again remain solid.. and bottom of the barrel Rice (3-27) has to improve.. right?

MVC - STATUS QUO

Despite reverting back to a one-bid league last year, the numbers weren't bad at all in the MVC. In fact, the leagues's non-conference RPI of 6th was better than the Big Ten & A10, and was just as good as '06 when Bradley & SIU made tournament noise. So why the sudden lack of respect? I guess there wasn't that one big BCS win to garner some positive PR like in season's past (and the struggles of flagship SIU didn't help either). Regardless, the MVC should be right there (I'm guessing next to the MWC) fighting for the title of best non-BCS league in 2009.

MWC - STATUS QUO

Going by avg. yearly RPI (8.2), this has been the strongest non-BCS league since its inception in 2000. The only thing troubling is how the league's non-conference SOS seems to get worse each year. Thus while it seemed like last year was a banner year with three potential NCAA Tourney teams (BYU & UNLV making it, UNM on the fringe), the big win totals were mostly rung up against bad teams. Due to the decline of Utah (and the departure of Rick Majerus), the league isn't as strong as it was in 02-03-04 but the rejuvenation of UNLV under Lon Kruger has helped the MWC remain strong.

WAC - DECLINING

Last year was as bad as it gets in the WAC.. or as as bad as it gets for any league that considers itself a high or mid-major. With an RPI of 20, and a non-conference RPI of 22, the league trailed such powerhouses as the Southland, Summit, and Patriot League. Not only did the top teams struggle, but the bottom teams were some of the worst in the country. Louisiana Tech, Idaho, even Hawaii at times were absolutely brutal. The positive thing to note is that it can only get better in 2009. Nevada should improve, as will New Mexico State, both of which should fight for an NCAA Tournament bid. The bad news is that the bottom of the league should struggle once again, and even if the RPI improves to 14th or 15th, it would still be considered a down year for this once proud league.

- Note that league power isn't quite as fluid as team power, so seemingly small baby steps end up counting more..

- Up Next: Mid-Majors

BCS

ACC

Big 12

Big East

Big Ten

Pac-10

SEC

High-Major

Atlantic 10

Conference USA

MVC

MWC

WAC

Mid-Major

Big West

Colonial

Horizon

MAC

MAAC

Southern

Sun Belt

WCC

Welser Wonders: WAC Struggles & Sun Belt Battle

Joel Welser — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:53:26 -0800

How can you not feel bad for Brody Angley? And it has nothing to do with the hair. The poor guy is in the 1,000 point club and has been a superb leader for Santa Clara for four years, but he might now be mostly remembered for losing the game against Gonzaga this week. Angley was a little over aggressive at the end of regulation and fouled a Bulldog with virtually no time left on the clock. It was a dumb play, but it was an aggressive foul, and it is hard to blame anybody for hustling. But that led the game to overtime where the Broncos lost. The status of UNC’s Ty Lawson dominates what “Welser Wonders…”

…when Ty Lawson will return?

North Carolina is a different team without their point guard. Usually the Tar Heels could survive thanks to quality depth provided by Bobby Frasor. However, Frasor is done for the year. That leaves Quentin Thomas. Thomas has some of that senior leadership in his favor, but he has never been expected to contribute a large amount of minutes.

This goes beyond the Duke game last night. UNC has had an excuse to lose that one and it’s not like it goes down as a bad loss anyway. Yet, if Lawson is out for a larger period of time, it could put a big damper on the Tar Heels record and seeding come March.

…when the WAC will get better?

If you haven’t noticed, the

Western Athletic Conference still exists. It’s just nobody is paying attention. And that is for a good reason. As a whole, the conference is horrible compared to what we have become used to seeing. Being sandwiched between the Metro Atlantic and Big West on the conference RPI rankings is not a good place to be unless you’re the SWAC. The conference is a one-bid league this year and that is a very odd thing to say in early February. Even if Utah State, Boise State or Nevada win out the rest of the year, it will be very unlikely that they will earn an at-large bid.

Those are the only three teams in the league with a winning record. Louisiana Tech is one of the ten worst teams in the nation, being surprised by such powerhouses like Longwood, Presbyterian and The Citadel according to the RPI numbers. The WAC still has an opportunity to save face this season by winning some of the BracketBusters games, but even most are those are pretty bad match-ups that won’t do much for public perception.

…why the race for the Sun Belt title has gone so widely unnoticed?

Maybe it is the lack of television exposure…most of us would need one heck of a dish to pick up WKYU PBS in Bowling Green, Kentucky. But South Alabama and Western Kentucky are both having great years. The Jaguars (that’s USA (that’s University of South Alabama)) are 18-4 overall. They’ve beaten teams like San Diego and Mississippi State and their four losses are at Mississippi, at Vanderbilt, at North Texas and to Miami (OH) on a neutral floor. Besides the UNT loss, who represented the conference in the NCAA Tournament last year, those are all understandable defeats.

Western Kentucky lacks the quality win to get an at-large bid, but they still have beaten everybody they should beat and are 18-5 overall. South Alabama won the first battle between the two

Sun Belt East leaders, but WKU will look for revenge on their home floor on February 21^st. Yet, it will be the third meeting between the two teams in March that will be the most important.

This is a rivalry that has been very interesting to watch over the last few years. Western Kentucky has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2003 when they nearly knocked off Illinois in the first round, but they have continued to be the team to beat in the conference. South Alabama is trying to become the cream of the crop after winning at least 20 games the last two years. But the pundits have always found an excuse to keep the expectations of USA up where they belong. A coaching change and some key graduations have made most of us, myself included, write off USA as a one year wonder. This year proves that they are not going anywhere and another trip to the NCAA Tournament will cement their spot as the new team to beat in the Sun Belt for years to come.

…what everyone is worried about?

Skipping all that Bob Knight stuff, we’ll jump right to new Texas Tech coach Pat Knight. It was not long ago when we were all worried about the nepotism of college basketball. Dr. Tom Davis handed the reins to his son Keno and, one of my all-time favorites, Dick Bennett gave way to his son Tony. Drake is only 21-1 at the moment and we all know what the younger Bennett has done at Washington State over the last year and a half.

There is something to be said about the traditional road to big time college basketball coaching…paying your dues, working your way up…but it’s not like Pat Knight doesn’t know a thing or two about hoops. The guy has spent his entire adult life preparing to be a head coach behind a man who knows more than a thing or two about the college game.

Daily Dribble: High-Major Power Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:04:25 -0800

Last year, I started doing monthly power rankings divided by the BCS, High-Major, and Mid-Major monikers. I’m continuing that trend once again, starting with the “High-Majors”, which I define to include the A10, CAA, CUSA, MVC, MWC, and WAC. I’m not suggesting that the A10 might not be better than the Big Ten this year, or that a league like the Horizon isn’t better than the WAC (which is real bad right now), or anything like that.. I use these grouping simply for ease and consistency.

1. Memphis 7-0 (CUSA)

2. Xavier 6-1 (A10)

3. Rhode Island 9-1 (A10)

4. BYU 6-1 (MWC)

5. San Diego State 8-1 (MWC)

6. Southern Illinois 3-2 (MVC)

7. George Mason 6-2 (CAA)

8. Dayton 5-1 (A10)

9. Houston 8-1 (CUSA)

10. UNLV 5-2 (MWC)

11. Creighton 5-0 (MVC)

12. UMASS 5-2 (A10)

13. VCU 4-3 (CAA)

14. Duquesne 6-1 (A10)

15. St Joseph’s 4-3 (A10)

16. James Madison 5-1 (CAA)

17. Northern Iowa 6-1 (MVC)

18. Drake 5-1 (MVC)

19. Bradley 6-3 (MVC)

20. New Mexico 7-2 (MWC)

21. UAB 7-3 (CUSA)

22. Drexel 5-3 (CAA)

23. Wichita St 5-2 (MVC)

24. Charlotte 4-2 (A10)

25. UNCW 5-2 (CAA)

26. Temple 3-4 (A10)

27. Utah 4-2 (MWC)

28. Missouri State 4-2 (MVC)

29. Boise State 5-2 (WAC)

30. Old Dominion 4-4 (CAA)

31. Northeastern 3-4 (CAA)

32. Fresno State 4-3 (WAC)

33. Illinois State 5-3 (MVC)

34. Nevada 2-4 (WAC)

35. George Washington 2-3 (A10)

36. Utah State 4-4 (WAC)

37. Colorado State 4-3 (MWC)

38. New Mexico State 4-6 (WAC)

39. Saint Louis 6-4 (A10)

40. Central Florida 4-3 (CUSA)

41. Fordham 3-4 (A10)

42. UTEP 4-2 (CUSA)

43. Hofstra 1-3 (CAA)

44. Air Force 5-4 (MWC)

45. Indiana State 3-4 (MVC)

46. San Jose State 3-1 (WAC)

47. Southern Miss 2-2 (CUSA)

48. Marshall 4-2 (CUSA)

49. Tulane 3-3 (CUSA)

50. TCU 4-2 (MWC)

51. Richmond 4-4 (A10)

52. East Carolina 3-4 (CUSA)

53. La Salle 3-3 (A10)

54. Wyoming 3-3 (MWC)

55. St Bonaventure 4-4 (A10)

56. Tulsa 2-3 (CUSA)

57. SMU 2-4 (CUSA)

58. Hawaii 2-4 (WAC)

59. Georgia State 2-4 (CAA)

60. Towson 3-4 (CAA)

61. Louisiana Tech 1-4

62. Evansville 1-4 (MVC)

63. Rice 1-5 (CUSA)

64. Idaho 1-5 (WAC)

65. Delaware 1-4 (CAA)

66. William & Mary 1-4 (CAA)

Next up will be the “mid-majors”, which will consist of the Big West, Horizon, MAC, Southern, Sun Belt, and West Coast, followed by the BCS leagues.

WAC Player of the Week

Press Release — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:51:57 -0800

DENVER – Utah State forward Stephen DuCharme has been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for November 19-25. This is the first career WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior.

DuCharme, a senior from Andover, Kan. (Hutchinson CC), helped Utah State record a 2-1 record last week and finish in third-place at the 2007 South Padre Island Invitational with wins against Austin Peay (71-68) and Iowa (75-62) and a loss to Vanderbilt (77-56). DuCharme began the week by scoring 10 points and adding four rebounds against Austin Peay. He then scored 20 points to go along with six rebounds against Vanderbilt, followed by 20 points and three rebounds against Iowa. During the two-day tournament in South Padre Island, Texas, he was named to the all-tournament team, averaging 20.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 64.3 percent from the field (18-for-28). Overall, DuCharme averaged 16.7 points and 4.3 rebounds during the week, while shooting 64.7 percent from the field (22-for-34), 50.0 percent from three-point range (1-for-2) and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (5-for-6).

The other nominations were senior forward Tyler Tiedeman, Boise State; senior forward Hector Hernandez, Fresno State; sophomore guard Kyle Gibson, Louisiana Tech and sophomore guard Jonathon Gibson, New Mexico State.

Top 10 Players in the WAC

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 14:22:09 -0800

It seems like its taken forever, but I finally conclude my series of conference player rankings. Like the other lists, this one was finalized shortly before the season started.. so there's a few unlisted guys that have gotten off to great stats. Nevada's Brandon Fields is averaging 12 and 4 assists after 3 games. San Jose State center CJ Webster has been strong in the paint, averaging 13 and 10 boards for the 2-1 Spartans. Meanwhile, heralded WAC freshmen DJ Wright & Herb Pope haven't played so far for various reasons. 1. Jaycee Carroll, G, Utah State 2. Marcelus Kemp, G, Nevada 3. Justin Hawkins, G, New Mexico State 4. Reggie Larry, F, Boise State 5. Kevin Bell, G, Fresno State 6. Fred Peete, G, New Mexico State 7. Matt Nelson, C, Boise State 8. DJ Wright, G, Louisiana Tech 9. Gary Wilkinson, F, Utah State 10. Hatila Passos, C, New Mexico State Next In Line Matt Gibson, G, Hawaii Jamon Hill, G, San Jose State JaVale McGee, F, Nevada Bobby Nash, G, Hawaii Rekalin Sims, C, Fresno State * NMSU freshman Herb Pope was originally on the "Next in Line" list, but has been removed until he becomes officially eligible to play.

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the WAC?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:03:50 -0700

Daily Dribble: 2008 NCAA Tournament Projection

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 15:49:32 -0700

We're only a week through the 2007 Big Dance.. but its never too early to start thinking about next year's Tournament. Here's an early projection of the 2008 NCAA Tournament field: Big East (8) - Louisville - (DePaul, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, UCONN, West Virginia)** Pac-10 (6) - UCLA - (Arizona, Stanford, USC, Washington, Washington State) SEC (6) - Kentucky - (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee) ACC - UNC (5) - (Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State) Big 12 (4) - Kansas - (Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas) Big Ten (4) - Ohio State - (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State) Missouri Valley (3) - SIU - (Bradley, Wichita State) WAC (3) - New Mexico State - (Fresno, Nevada) A-10 (2) - GW - (Xavier) CAA (2) - George Mason - (VCU) Mountain West (2) - BYU - (San Diego State) One-Bid Leagues (20) America East - Vermont Atlantic Sun - ETSU Big Sky - Montana Big South - High Point Big West - UCSB Conference USA - Memphis Horizon - Butler Ivy - Yale MAAC - Siena Mid-Con - Oakland MAC - Akron MEAC - Hampton Northeast - Sacred Heart Ohio Valley - Eastern Kentucky Patriot - Bucknell Southern - Davidson Southland - Northwestern State SWAC - MVSU Sun Belt - Western Kentucky WCC - Gonzaga Next: Georgetown, Iowa, Rhode Island, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Utah State ** I had originally omitted Marquette from the list by mistake. Note: I'll be doing an updated projection later on in the summer once decisions about the NBA Draft are made. (ie, LSU will already have to be changed after the Glen Davis decision). A similar article went online a week or so back, but was lost due to site maintenance. Let me know in the comments section if you agree or disagree with the selections.

WAC Conference Preview

CHN — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:00:14 -0800

Conference Previews | Top 144 | 06-07 Preview Home

WAC Preview

Conference Rank: 10th

Conference Page

All-Conference

Player of the Year - Nick Fazekas, Nevada, F

Coby Karl, Boise St, G

Jaycee Carroll, Utah St, G

Tyrone Nelson, New Mexico St, F

Quinton Hosley, Fresno, F

2nd Team

Ja'Vance Coleman, Fresno, G

Marcellus Kemp, Nevada, G

Fred Peete, New Mexico St, G

Ahmet Gueye, Hawaii, F

David Fisher, New Mexico St, F

Nat'l	Team (Click for Preview)	Conf	Tourney
20	Nevada	1	NCAA
40	New Mexico St	2	NCAA
53	Utah State	3	NIT
74	Fresno State	4	NIT
114	Hawaii	5
168	Boise State	6
209	Louisiana Tech	7
233	San Jose State	8
308	Idaho	9