It’s Tough to Pick a Favorite in This Race

A season ago, there wasn’t any doubt Utah State and Pacific were the top men’s basketball teams in the Big West Conference.

Utah State posted a 25-8 record, Pacific’s was 23-10, and they finished 1-2 in the postseason tournament. No other conference team won as many as 20 games.

But this season is another story. Coach Larry Eustachy has left Utah State for Iowa State, and 7-foot-1 Michael Olowokandi is no longer playing for Pacific.

And there appears to be no sure thing in the Big West, whose teams begin their first full round of conference play tonight.

The nonconference portion of the season simply cast doubt whether any Big West team is good enough to win 20 games this season. The conference is only 36-67 against nonconference Division I opponents. Cal State Fullerton (6-4) is the only team in the Western Division with a winning record, but the four Titan losses have been by an embarrassing 31-point average. Fullerton’s turnover margin is the worst in the conference.

Three teams in the Eastern Division--Boise State, Utah State and New Mexico State--each have won seven games and have winning records. However, the Idaho team picked by conference coaches to win this division is only 4-6 and already has been beaten by Long Beach State on its home court in an early conference opener last Saturday.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Long Beach were preseason picks to finish 1-2 in the West. The Mustangs have racked up plenty of points (94.1 per game), but they’ve also given up 86.2. They rank second in the nation in scoring behind Duke and might threaten Nevada Las Vegas’ conference record of 97.7 points in 1990-91.

Until the turnaround against Idaho, Long Beach had lost four in a row; however, two of those losses were at home against Utah and Kansas State. The 49ers are 3-3 on the road after winning only one game away from the Pyramid all last season.

Boise State has the conference’s best player in Roberto Bergersen, who is expected to be a first-round NBA draft choice. Bergersen, a 6-foot-6 swingman, is averaging 26.1 points--second in the nation-- while shooting 57% from the field and 49% from three-point range.

Boise State showed signs early that it might be the conference’s best team, but the Broncos’ 17-game home-court winning streak--ninth longest in the nation--ended last weekend. Gonzaga, the West Coast Conference’s top team, defeated the Broncos, 68-58.

Here’s a look at each team:

Western Division

Long Beach State (4-7, 1-0 in conference)--The 49ers have one of the conference’s best shooters in sophomore guard Ramel Lloyd. Lloyd, who shot 56% from the field and scored 32 points in the victory at Idaho, is averaging 18.6 points, third best in the conference. Long Beach’s 6-11 center Mate Milisa was slowed for three weeks with a sprained ankle, but is returning to form. Point guard Charles O’Neal, a transfer from Florida Community College, became eligible in December and has steadied the offense in the two games he has played.

Cal State Fullerton (6-4)--Fullerton is 5-0 at home, including a 78-68 victory over Pepperdine, but has struggled recently on the road. Ike Harmon (13.9 points) is getting back to full strength after spraining his left ankle twice early in the season. He missed two games and played only half of another. Center Matt Caldwell sat out a loss to Portland because of an injury and a loss at San Jose State because of a one-game suspension for fighting in the Quincy game. The Titans need both players in top form.

Pacific (5-5)--Coach Bob Thomason’s team started 4-0 but has faded in four consecutive losses, including one at Loyola Marymount. Pacific also was beaten by struggling San Diego State last weekend. The Tigers’ only loss at home was to fourth-ranked Stanford, and they have a string of 21 consecutive conference victories at home. Defense and the shooting of Jason Williams are team strengths.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (5-6)--The Mustangs are eligible for the conference tournament for the first time. San Luis Obispo, which has lost four in a row, will get an early indication of its strength in its conference opener at home tonight against Boise State. The Mustangs have formidable scoring threats in Chris Bjorklund (21.7 points) and Mike Wozniak (17.8).

UC Irvine (4-6)--The Anteaters won their most nonconference games since the 1994-95 season, though one came against an NCAA Division II opponent and another against an NAIA team. Victories over Brigham Young and Northern Arizona, however, signaled continued improvement under Coach Pat Douglass. Freshman guard Jerry Green leads the team in scoring (12.2 points), assists and steals.

UC Santa Barbara (2-8)--The Gauchos got off to a slow start under new Coach Bob Williams, who led UC Davis to the Division II championship last season. Santa Barbara lost its first eight games, but four were by one point. The Gauchos came back with consecutive victories. B.J. Bunton (17.1 points) is one of the conference’s top players.

Eastern Division

Boise State (7-3)--The Broncos have Bergersen, but the question is whether the supporting cast is strong enough to win the division. In a victory over Idaho State, Bergersen shot 71% from the field, but the rest of the team shot 33%. Bergersen scored 36 in the loss to Gonzaga.

Utah State (7-4)--The Aggies had a big victory early, upsetting Utah, 62-54, at home as part of a four-game winning streak, but they have lost four of their last six, including their most recent game at BYU. Senior center Donnie Johnson (14.8 points) leads the team in scoring.

New Mexico State (7-5)--Coach Lou Henson’s team, rebuilt with the help of five transfers from the defunct program at Northeastern Illinois, has won five of its last seven games. Two losses were to ranked teams, Washington and New Mexico, and one of its victories came against Wisconsin. Freshman guard Eric Channing leads the conference in three-point shooting accuracy (54%) and Charles Gosa is solid inside.

Nevada (4-6)--Coach Pat Foster lost five starters from last season and has had to regroup around guard John Burrell, a transfer from Antelope Valley College, who is averaging 15.7 points.

Idaho (4-6, 0-1)--The Vandals haven’t measured up to expectations despite the return of Avery Curry, third in the conference in scoring last season. Transfer Gordon Scott has become the top scoring threat with a 14.2-point average.

North Texas (0-10)--The Eagles have played eight of their 10 games on the road, and two have been against top-25 opponents.