TULSA, Okla. >> If Louisiana Tech wins the Western Athletic Conference women's basketball championship Saturday as expected, the Lady Techsters will be the league's only representative in the NCAA Tournament that begins next week. WAC seeks depth
beyond LaTechBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comThat would make it two consecutive seasons just the WAC champion advanced. Only if the Lady Techsters are upset along the way would the WAC have two women's teams playing in an NCAA Regional.
This is a concern for WAC commissioner Karl Benson, but he sees a change coming in the future.
"Obviously, to have a team ranked in the Top 10 brings prestige to the league, but in order for the league to truly gain national recognition, it cannot be just a one-team league," said Benson.
"I think we were expecting programs, and it is not going to happen immediately, but eventually teams will elevate. Will Louisiana Tech bring teams upward? I'm still optimistic that will occur and that we will see improvement from top to bottom."
Whether the perception that WAC women's basketball is a one-team entity worked against Hawaii last year after it lost the title game to Louisiana Tech 53-50 isn't known, but a 23-8 record wasn't good enough for the Rainbow Wahine to receive an at-large bid.
"I think we were all disappointed and surprised when UH didn't get a bid," Benson said. "My reports say they may have been the last team (under consideration or the first team not selected). We looked at it from a league standpoint as a snub, but that goes with the territory."
This year, the WAC is 3-11 against nonconference opponents ranked in the Top 25. Louisiana Tech has two of the victories, over Texas Tech and New Mexico, and Southern Methodist beat Oklahoma.
Tulsa scheduled the most teams ranked in the Top 25, four, with UH and Louisiana Tech next with three. The rest of the league only played four ranked teams. Benson would like to see stronger scheduling, but cautions about going overboard.
"There has to be a balance and, once you play them, you have to beat one now and then," said Benson. "More important, your winning percentage and your won-loss record really does become a significant part of your overall characteristic and how you look. Yes, it's nice to be able to point to a tough nonconference schedule, but you need to win some of those games."
The numbers: Hawaii is 3-2 vs. Tulsa here including a 65-55 victory in the quarterfinal round of the 2001 WAC tournament. The Wahine are 7-6 all-time in the WAC postseason event, 5-3 since eight schools bolted the conference four years ago. ... The Golden Hurricane are 2-5 in the tournament.
Big Dance update: Twelve teams have clinched NCAA Tournament berths, including Tennessee-Chattanooga (Southern Conference), a participant in the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic in December. The other conference representatives in are Austin Peay (Ohio Valley), Harvard (Ivy), George Washington (Atlantic 10), Liberty (Big South), Louisiana State (Southeastern), Manhattan (Metro Atlantic), Pepperdine (West Coast), Texas Christian (Conference USA), Duke (Atlantic Coast), Purdue (Big Ten) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (Horizon).
Along with Louisiana Tech, three other UH opponents this season assured of being in the NCAA Tournament are Connecticut, North Carolina and Texas Tech. The combined record of those four teams is 107-11.