49ers’ Schedule Among Toughest in Country

The numbers are out again and they are not subjective. Long Beach State, believe it or not, played one of toughest nonconference Division I men’s basketball schedules this season.

It is the hardest among Big West Conference teams and better than most in the more prestigious Pacific 10 Conference. Athletic Director Dave O’Brien always says the 49ers try to play the best, and he has the proof in black and white.

“Last year, our nonconference schedule was ranked the 25th toughest in the country,” O’Brien said. “Our schedule this year is now ranked the 20th toughest in the country, so we take a lot of pride in that.”

He should, because the numbers don’t lie. And these are key numbers.

The 49ers’ nonconference schedule is No. 20, according to the Rating Percentage Index (RPI). The RPI is a complicated statistical tool used by the NCAA men’s basketball committee to help it select at-large teams and to rate teams for the NCAA tournament.

Long Beach, rated 33rd overall in the RPI, played better nonconference competition than 13th-ranked UCLA, the RPI indicates. The Bruins’ schedule is rated 43rd.

No. 15 Utah didn’t face as much pressure either. The Utes’ schedule is 26th. Arizona, ranked 18th and beginning its fold job a little earlier this season, played the toughest nonconference competition among teams in both the Big West and Pac-10, earning the nation’s sixth-best rating.

Of course, this doesn’t mean the 49ers will go into Pauley Pavilion or the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City and beat up on the Bruins and Utes any time soon. The RPI is important--but it’s only part of the equation.

The committee factors in many intangibles--such as overall conference strength, rankings and perceived talent--before handing out those coveted at-large bids. Still, O’Brien says the rating does a lot for Long Beach.

“I think it demonstrates to our fans, and to the basketball world in general, that Long Beach State is serious about playing top-20 basketball both home and away,” O’Brien said. “One of the key ways in which you can achieve your goal of having a top-20 [program] is to make sure you’re playing a nationally competitive schedule, and we’re doing that.”

O’Brien feels somewhat vindicated by the RPI. Long Beach took some heat from the media and the public over its nonconference schedule, which many thought wasn’t top-flight. This although the schedule included Arizona, Nebraska, Hawaii, Miami of Ohio and Oregon State. One opponent created the negative perception: Cal State Hayward. Long Beach embarrassed the over-matched Division II team, 101-52, at the Pyramid on Dec. 2.

“If you look at any top-20 team in the country, there’s going to be a game or two on that schedule where they know it’s more or less a workout for their team,” O’Brien said. “But that’s not our goal.”

There is a simple explanation for the matchup, O’Brien explained. Long Beach had hoped to play third-ranked Cincinnati in a game that CBS would have televised, but the game didn’t come together. Left with an open date and lacking the resources to lock in a better opponent, Long Beach didn’t have much choice.

“We had to scramble,” O’Brien said. “As a growing program which aspires to national attention, we’ve learned many lessons. One of the lessons that we’ve learned is that if you can keep a game or two open on your schedule late into the scheduling year, you stand a good chance of catching a game that might have fallen through someplace else.

“The gamble has worked in our favor at least a handful of times in the last two or three years. It didn’t work this time.

“We think we’re playing an exciting brand of basketball,” O’Brien said, “and we’re moving in the right direction.”

49er Notes

The men’s volleyball team began the season with a nonconference victory at Cal State Northridge on Saturday. The 49ers swept the Matadors, 15-6, 15-12, 15-10. All-American outside hitter Tom Hoff led the team with 22 kills and a .529 hitting percentage. Outside hitter Geoff Cryst had 20 kills and a personal-best 11 digs. . . . A rival Big West assistant basketball coach said forward Akeli Jackson might be the most improved player in the conference. Jackson is averaging 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds.