Rainbows wrap up
messy WAC season
FRESNO, Calif. >> With one more Saturday left in the Western Athletic Conference's regular season, today's action will determine the top seven seeds in the conference tournament, also in Fresno.
Texas-El Paso (13-4 WAC) and Nevada (12-5) continue to battle for the regular-season title, while Boise State, Rice and Hawaii (all 11-6) are deadlocked in third.
Depending on the outcomes of Hawaii's game at Fresno State and two other games around the WAC tonight, the Rainbows can finish:
>> Third, if UH wins, UTEP beats Boise State and SMU beats Rice.
>> Fourth, if UH, UTEP and Rice win or with a combination of UH, Boise State and SMU victories.
>> Fifth, if UH loses, or if UH, Boise State and Rice win.
But with parity reigning over the conference this season, seedings may not matter much after all.
"You just go out there and play and sometimes it takes care of itself," UH coach Riley Wallace said. "It's the luck of the draw."
Fresno State can secure sixth with a win tonight. Should the Bulldogs lose and Louisiana Tech beat Tulsa, the host team will face San Jose State in a play-in game on Tuesday.
UTEP can clinch the top seed by beating Boise State. A Miners loss combined with a Nevada win over San Jose State gives the Wolf Pack the top seed.
The only seeds that have been determined are SMU (eighth), Tulsa (ninth) and San Jose State (10th).
On tour: Wallace had to wait a while to check into his room when the team arrived in Fresno yesterday. It seems the hotel staff was still preparing after the previous occupant left.
The last person to stay in the suite -- Britney Spears.
The pop princess played a concert at the Save Mart Center last night and stayed at the same hotel the Rainbows will occupy for the next week. However, there wasn't a Britney sighting among the group yesterday.
From the commish: WAC commissioner Karl Benson, who also happens to be on the committee that selects teams to the NCAA Tournament, said he thinks the conference deserves two berths in the 65-team field.
"There are five outstanding teams in the WAC, all with the possibility of 20 wins," Benson said in a phone interview earlier this week. "All five are worthy of postseason play. It's not unreasonable to think two could make the (NCAA) tournament.
"How are UTEP and Nevada different from Air Force or BYU? (The WAC teams) are just as worthy as any teams being considered across the country."
Short shots: Former Fresno State and UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian stopped by UH's practice at North Gym yesterday. Wallace and Tarkanian became friends while coaching against each other in the WAC. ... UH forward Jeff Blackett and Fresno State forward Jack Marlow were teammates at Salt Lake Community College last year.