Probably Only One Berth on Line

The Big West Conference hasn’t had more than one team reach the NCAA tournament since Long Beach State and New Mexico State advanced in 1993.

That pattern isn’t expected to change after the conference’s postseason men’s basketball tournament this week in Nevada’s Lawlor Center.

New Mexico State (20-9) and Boise State (19-7) appear to have only a longshot chance for an NCAA at-large berth if they don’t win the tournament and automatic bid.

Pacific, with center Michael Olowokandi, was 23-9 last season after losing to Utah State in the tournament final but had to settle for an NIT appearance and lost to Fresno State.

But that doesn’t keep Big West coaches such as New Mexico State’s Lou Henson from wishing it were different. “Our conference deserves more credit than it gets,” said Henson, who coached at Illinois for 21 years before coming out of retirement last year to take over at New Mexico State.

Henson points to his team’s victory over Wisconsin in a tournament at Fairbanks, Alaska, early in the season and one at home against New Mexico.

But the Big West’s power rating doesn’t help the situation. Nor does the fact that no team in the Western Division has a better overall record than 14-12.

While Boise State and New Mexico State, both from the Eastern Division, loom as the leading title threats in the tournament that begins today, the eight-team field appears more balanced than in the last two years.

“We think anybody can win this tournament,” Cal State Fullerton Coach Bob Hawking said. “It’s not like in the past with one or two dominant teams.”

Boise State is No. 1-seeded from the East, but the Broncos lost to third-seeded Idaho and fourth-seeded Utah State twice. However, Boise State defeated New Mexico State twice, and swept the Western Division.

The Broncos’ victory over Fullerton, their first-round opponent at 6 p.m. today, was by only one point in Boise.

“I think our kids will have a lot of confidence going into this game,” Hawking said. “We need to be able to defend them well, but we made them work for everything they got the last time we played.”

The Titans (13-13) lost their last two games at home against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Santa Barbara, and got into the tournament seeded fourth from the West only because last-place UC Irvine upset Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Saturday.

One of the keys for Fullerton will be the status of center Matt Caldwell, who suffered a bruised hip and sprained ankle diving for a loose ball in the first half Saturday. Caldwell is expected to play.

Boise State’s Roberto Bergersen, the conference’s top scorer with an average of 22.3 points, has been slowed the last three games by a strained knee.

Today’s other first-round games send Santa Barbara (14-12) against Utah State (15-12) at noon, Pacific (14-12) against New Mexico State at approximately 2:30 and Long Beach State (12-14) against Idaho (16-10) at 8:30.

Santa Barbara, the surprise top-seeded team in the West after being picked to finish last in the preseason polls, won its only meeting with Utah State, 66-65, in overtime in Logan. New Mexico State beat Pacific, 66-61, at home, and Long Beach State won at Idaho, 75-68, to open the conference season.

Santa Barbara lost its first eight games under first-year Coach Bob Williams. “The key was that we didn’t get down on ourselves after that happened,” Williams said. “We’ve gotten better and better.”

Idaho has won 12 of its last 15 games, and two of the losses were by one point at Pacific and Utah State.

“A lot of the coaches I’ve talked with think Idaho is the best team in the league right now,” Long Beach Coach Wayne Morgan said.

Long Beach received a boost from the return of point guard Charles O’Neal, who missed three consecutive games with a back injury before returning Saturday for the 49ers’ victory over Pacific.

Morgan can use all the help he can get after indications from Athletic Director Bill Shumard this week that Morgan’s job might be in jeopardy if the 49ers don’t finish strong in the conference tournament.

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Big West Tournament at Reno

TODAY

* UC Santa Barbara vs. Utah State, noon

* New Mexico State vs. Pacific, 2:30 p.m.

* Boise State vs. Cal State Fullerton, 6 p.m.

* Long Beach State vs. Idaho, 8:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

* Santa Barbara-Utah State winner vs. New Mexico State-Pacific winner, 6 p.m.

* Boise State-Fullerton winner vs. Long Beach-Idaho winner. approx. 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

* Championship game, 9:30 p.m., ESPN.