Mid-Major Conferences Find Respect Elusive

Craig Thompson, commissioner of the Mountain West Conference, is looking forward to the NCAA tournament.

Three Mountain West teams -- Utah, Brigham Young and New Mexico -- are ranked in the top 25, and Thompson says those schools and perhaps even two others will receive bids.

“We are finding the balance in the league and competitive quality in our league helps us in the NCAA tournament,” said Thompson, whose conference has sent 14 teams in the last six years.

But although Thompson didn’t say it, probably because he doesn’t want to think about it, conferences such as the Mountain West are vulnerable to getting stiffed by the NCAA selection committee.

Thompson may dislike the term “mid-major” in relation to his conference, but unless you belong to the Big Six -- Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific 10 and Southeastern -- multiple and equitable seedings in NCAA tournaments are elusive.

Since 2000, Southwest Missouri State, in 2001, is the only mid-major to make the Final Four. In the same span, five have made the Elite Eight and 11 reached the Sweet 16.

However, in the last two tournaments mid-majors have been conspicuous by their absence. In 2004, UC Santa Barbara and Louisiana Tech got past the second round. Last year, only Liberty got through.

Despite a wider and deeper talent pool of players overall, the Big Six conferences have advantages in name recognition, tradition, facilities and television contracts.

“Your top-10 teams are [still] getting the best players in America,” New Mexico Coach Don Flanagan said. “When we recruit against Tennessee, Connecticut, Louisiana State, the best high school player still goes to that elite group.”

Santa Barbara Coach Mark French, whose teams have won nine consecutive Big West Conference championships, competes with UCLA and USC for top talent in Southern California.

“I’m constantly frustrated by those who will not give us a serious look because we’re from the Big West,” French said. “And they’ll give looks to teams in past years we might beat, but they are from the Pac-10 or Big 12.”

Even if a mid-major team is having a great year, it can be hard to get seeded higher than 10th. Often they’re seeded 12th or lower.

Which usually means: Thanks for coming, and see you next year.

“Seeding is important,” Utah Coach Elaine Elliott said. “Our Sweet 16 year we were a 5 and played at home [the first two rounds]. But [the NCAA is] moving in the right direction with fewer home games, and that has opened the tournament.”

Not every mid-major conference can clamor for instant respect. Long Beach State Coach Mary Hegarty thinks that, with the exception of Santa Barbara, many Big West teams don’t play enough quality nonconference opponents to argue for better seedings.

But there are mid-major teams capable of going deep in the tournament.

Brigham Young has road wins against UCLA and Seton Hall, Utah has beaten North Carolina State, Temple has beaten Georgia and Rutgers.

And No. 19 Louisiana Tech, which has been in every NCAA tournament and won championships in 1982 and 1988, has rebounded from early losses to Kansas State and Tennessee by winning 17 of its last 18.

“It is tougher for teams like us to make a tournament run, but it’s possible,” Louisiana Tech Coach Malcolm Butler said. “You have to get hot. You have to be balanced. And you need a strong inside-outside combination because everyone you play is going to be good.”

First, though, you need an honest chance to succeed.