WAC worst in the west?

We've addressed this topic as have others and today it was Steve Sneddon of the Reno Gazette-Journal stepping up to the scorer's table with his take:

Pack basketball: Is the WAC the worst conference in the West?
Steve Sneddon
Reno Gazette-Journal
December 18, 2007

For years, the Western Athletic Conference has prided itself on being one of the top-10 college basketball leagues in the nation and putting multiple teams in the NCAA Tournament.

But nothing could have prepared the WAC schools for what they've experienced this season. Things have gone from bad to worse for the WAC. Or in this case, the worst in the West.

According to the Ratings Percentage Index, the conference ranks 27th among 32 conferences.

The RPI measurement takes a team's winning percentage (25 percent), its opponents' winning percentage (50 percent) and the winning percentage of those opponents' opponents (25 percent) in account. It is used as a factor in selecting teams for the NCAA Tournament in March.

Now on college basketball's version of the wrong side of the tracks, the WAC is only ranked in front of the Southwestern Athletic, Big South, Atlantic Sun, Ohio Valley and independents.

Among the other Division I conferences in the West, the Pac-10 Conference is No. 3 and the West Coast is No. 10. The Mountain West is ranked No. 12, followed by No. 15 Big West and No. 20 Big Sky.

"I don't recall the conference ranking, individual rankings being at this level at this time of the year," said Karl Benson, who is in his 14th year as WAC Commissioner.

Nevada, which is 5-4 with a three-game winning streak going into a home game against Colorado State on Wednesday, has the best RPI of any WAC school at 91. The Wolf Pack is followed by Fresno State (No. 144), New Mexico State (No. 150), Boise State (No. 173), Utah State (No. 193), San Jose State (No. 192), Hawaii (No. 325), Idaho (No. 331) and Louisiana Tech (No. 333), among 341 Division I schools.

Benson is still convinced the WAC can improve its RPI, but time is running out as conference play approaches in January.

"It's important that we finish strong in the last two weeks leading up to conference play," Benson said. "It's important we get some wins and a team or two makes a statement before January.

"The RPI is a very volatile rating system. You can move significantly with one win or one loss."

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