WAC Basketball power poll: USU still on top
This week finally saw some more big-time match-ups in WAC play, most notably with both Nevada and Utah State taking care of business at home against New Mexico State, but there was also a big-time game between Idaho and Boise State which may have shed a little more light on what to expect in the long run from the Vandals.
As it stands, Utah State has a two-game lead on everybody else and an absolute stranglehold on the standings. The conference season is a game shy of the halfway point and it looks like a layup to assume that Utah State will four-peat. Everybody looks to be battling for WAC Tournament seeding at this point, making those No. 2 and No. 3 seeds look decently valuable for any team hoping to avoid the Aggies until the championship game of the tournament. Here is how things are currently shaking down:
1) Utah State (18-2, 7-0)
– The No. 25-ranked Aggies of Utah State don’t have an overabundance of blowout victories to their resume this season, but they have rarely gone down to the wire in games either. In other words, they may win ugly, but they do indeed keep winning. The thing that makes this particularly impressive is USU’s ability to pull out double-digit victories even when they have an off night shooting the ball.
2) Boise State (12-7, 5-2) – The No. 2 spot is about as close to 2a and 2b as it could possibly get. Boise State and Idaho currently have identical records on the season and in WAC play. Even their record both home and away are nearly exact matches. The thing that gives the Broncos a leg-up is their win over the Vandals in Moscow Saturday.
3) Idaho (12-7, 5-2) – Despite losing at home to rival Boise State, the Vandals are still the surprise of the WAC this season. After a disappointing second season a year ago for head coach Don Verlin, Idaho has rebounded in a big way this season. Making it even more impressive is the fact that the Vandals graduated most of their scoring from an underachieving 2009-10 team.
4) Nevada (7-13, 4-3) – Much like the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, Nevada and New Mexico State are locked into a tie for the No. 4 and No. 5 spots, both with 4-3 records in WAC play. Although Nevada’s season record is worse than NMSU’s, the Wolf Pack laid a 19-point beat down on the red Aggies a week ago in Reno to give them the edge. Nevada seems to finally be putting things together with what has been a very young, inexperienced team, but loaded with potential.
5) New Mexico State (10-11, 4-3) – This should be the lowest New Mexico State ever sits on this list for the rest of the year. The size and athleticism of this roster is probably second-to-none in the WAC, but the same could also be said about their disorganization and lack of team chemistry. They’ve got firepower, especially with Troy Gillenwater, but given the quality of basketball the teams in front of NMSU are playing, it will be a tough road for them.
6) Hawaii (12-8, 3-5) – Similar to Boise State, Hawaii is in the first year of a new head coaching regime, and the results look to be good so far. After an 0-5 start to conference play, the Warriors have suddenly won three games in-a-row and put themselves right back into the mix for finishing in the upper half of the conference standings. Zane Johnson is also proving to be one of the best scorers in the conference.
7) Fresno State (7-10, 3-4) – On the flip side to Hawaii’s slow start followed by a resurgence, the Bulldogs started off 3-0 in WAC play and have since lost four straight. Fresno State suffers from the same disorganization as New Mexico State so often does, but does not have the caliber of talent to pick up the slack like NMSU possesses. Chances are that things will continue downhill for Fresno State, too.
8) San Jose State (9-9, 1-6) – The last thing anybody though San Jose State could afford to do was lose Adrian Oliver for any period of time. Ironically enough, when Oliver went down with an injury, the Spartans still managed to nab their lone WAC victory over Louisiana Tech, even without the conference’s best scorer. Still, even with Oliver back in the mix, the Spartans will likely be cellar-dwellers this season.
9) Louisiana Tech (9-12, 0-7) – This team was really 9-4 at one point this season, and it’s tough to figure out how they have not improved by watching them play. They possess two superstar players to go along with a supporting cast that seems decently capable of winning some games when watching them. Yet the Bulldogs remain winless in WAC play, and it looks like it’s officially a battle for last place between them and San Jose State.
– matt.sonn@aggiemail.usu.edu