’Bows look to TULSA, Okla. >> An already unprecedented Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament figures to be even more unpredictable once the games start today.
defend WAC title
They open the conference
tournament as the fifth seed
on Thursday against RiceBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comWAC regular-season champion Fresno State is sitting at home after being declared ineligible for the tournament last week, leaving no clear favorite as the nine teams below battle for the conference's lone berth in the NCAA Tournament.
"Whoever starts rolling toward the end is the team to beat," Hawaii guard Carl English said.
Today (first round) WAC tourney
At Tulsa, Okla.; all times Hawaii time
>> UTEP vs. SJSU, 2 p.m.
Thursday (quarters)
>> Boise St. vs. SMU, 8 a.m.
>> Louisiana Tech vs. Nevada, 10:30 a.m.
>> Hawaii vs. Rice, 2 p.m.
>> UTEP-SJSU vs. Tulsa, 4:30 p.m.
The two-time defending champion Rainbows will have to make history in order to return to the Big Dance for the third year in a row. Since the WAC tournament was established in 1984 no team has been able to win three consecutive titles.
Hawaii is the fifth seed and opens its run in the quarterfinals Thursday against No. 4 Rice at 2 p.m. Hawaii time.
Despite going 2-9 away from the Stan Sheriff Center this season, the Rainbows enter the tournament with the confidence that comes with two titles.
"We've won there the last two years so we'll have some confidence," English said. "We're the defending champions so they have to knock us off.
"I know (winning a third WAC title) is tough to do, but nobody thought we could do it two times."
Then there's host and top seed Tulsa, which has lost the last three tournament title games, the last two to UH on the Donald W. Reynolds Center floor. Southern Methodist, Nevada and Rice possess the firepower to make runs this week as well.
And who knows if there's a Cinderella story lurking among the second-tier teams in the tournament.
"It's been an up-and-down season for everyone," said UH forward Phil Martin. "It's just real strange this year. Now you have to keep your heads up because anyone can win."
The tournament opens today with a preliminary round game between eighth-seeded San Jose State and ninth seed UTEP. The winner advances to face Tulsa on Thursday.
The other quarterfinal game features No. 2 SMU against No. 7 Boise State, and No. 3 Nevada faces No. 6 Louisiana Tech.
Perhaps the only certainty this week is that Hawaii and Tulsa will not meet in the championship for the third straight year. The Rainbows and Golden Hurricane are on the same side of the bracket, meaning they would meet in the semifinals should they both prevail on Thursday.
The following is a look at each of the teams heading into the tournament.
1. TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE
Records: 19-9, 12-6 WAC
Coach: John Phillips
Tulsa is 11-3 at the Reynolds Center this season and earned the top seed with a 79-73 win at Nevada on Saturday.
The Golden Hurricane struggled through a rough midseason stretch, but Phillips has his team rolling into the tournament with seven straight WAC wins.
Junior guard Jason Parker leads the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game, followed by senior point guard Dante Swanson (15.1) and forward Kevin Johnson (14.9). Swanson, who drained a conference-best 80 3-point goals, was hobbled by an ankle injury earlier in the season and his absence was noticeable in games where the team struggled.2. SMU MUSTANGS
Records: 16-12, 11-7 WAC
Coach: Mike Dement
SMU has advanced past the quarterfinals just once since joining the WAC in 1997, but enters this year's event with its highest seed ever and the momentum of a four-game winning streak.
WAC Player of the Year Quinton Ross is a silky scorer and won the league scoring title with 19.9 points per game (20.3 in the WAC). Point guard Bryan Hopkins lived up to his preseason billing as the conference's top freshman, coming on during the conference schedule to finish second on the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game.
Forward Patrick Simpson, who posted 13.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in WAC play, is another key contributor.3. NEVADA WOLF PACK
Records: 16-12, 11-7 WAC
Coach: Trent Johnson
Nevada missed out on a chance to claim the top seed on Saturday, but is still a threat to make a run led by Kirk Snyder, who averaged 16.1 points and nine rebounds in conference games.
Snyder, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, paces the WAC's top-scoring offense (77.2 ppg) and is at his best slashing to the rim in the Wolf Pack's free-flowing attack. Guard Terrance Green complements Snyder with 13.4 points per game, while Todd Okeson leads the conference in 3-point shooting percentage, hitting 47 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.4. RICE OWLS
Records: 19-9, 11-7 WAC
Coach: Willis Wilson
After going 10-19 (5-13 in the WAC) last season, Rice climbed into title contention behind the leadership of senior point guard Omar-Seli Mance and the inside play of sophomore forward Michael Harris.
Harris leads the Owls with 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and is shooting an astounding 63 percent from the field. Jason McKreith is another strong player inside and center Yamar Diene has emerged as a force late in the season. Diene scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked three shots in the Owls' 75-58 win over Hawaii on March 3.5. HAWAII RAINBOW WARRIORS
Records: 17-10, 9-9 WAC
Coach: Riley Wallace
The Rainbows are a battered group entering the tournament. Center Haim Shimonovich missed the last three games with a sprained right ankle and backup guard Jason Carter suffered a slight tear in his left knee in Saturday's win over UTEP. On top of that, English and Martin are sporting bandages on their foreheads after suffering cuts that required stitches in last week's games.
Still, the Rainbows are a threat thanks to English, who was second in the conference with 19.3 points per game. Martin has elevated his play over the last month, averaging more than 15 points over the last eight games. Point guard Mark Campbell leads the WAC in assists with 171.
The Rainbows lost their last eight WAC road games this season, but have won seven of their last eight at the Reynolds Center. The fifth seed has won the tournament twice, UNLV in 1998 and Hawaii in 2001.6. LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS
Records: 12-14, 9-9 WAC
Coach: Keith Richard
Since reeling off seven straight wins midway through the WAC season, the Bulldogs have fallen into a serious funk. LaTech lost their last five games, including a baffling 75-57 defeat at last-place UTEP on Feb. 27.
All-WAC forward Antonio Meeking remains one of the league's top talents, averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Lavelle Felton provides outside scoring to complement Meeking's power in the paint with 13.5 points per game.7. BOISE STATE BRONCOS
Records: 13-15, 7-11 WAC
Coach: Greg Graham
The Broncos rank second in the league in scoring defense and feature a talented front-court duo in Aaron Haynes and Jason Ellis. Haynes averaged 14.9 points during the regular season and Ellis is third the WAC in rebounding with 7.6 per game.
A key for Boise State will be the play of junior guard Bryan Defares (14.4 ppg). When Defares, Haynes and Ellis are clicking the Broncos can be a dangerous team.8. SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS
Records: 7-20, 4-14 WAC
Coach: Phil Johnson
The Spartans have proven pesky this season with two wins over Hawaii and one against Tulsa and several close losses against the league's top teams.
Johnson makes up for his team's lack of height and depth by slowing the game down and spreading the floor. Senior guard Brandon Hawkins (12.8 ppg) runs the show, while freshman forward Antonio Lawrence is among the league's top newcomers.9. UTEP MINERS
Records: 5-23, 3-15
Coach: Billy Gillispie
In his first season, Gillispie has forged the undermanned Miners into a scrappy unit. Injuries left UTEP with eight active players, and the Miners' top two scorers are true freshmen.
Forward John Tofi (13.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and guard Giovanni St. Amant (13.5 ppg) provide reasons for optimism in years to come, but the Miners' depth is a problem. Senior forward Justino Victoriano won the league rebounding title with 8.4 boards per game. UTEP has lost its last 26 games on the road.
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