Woe is the WAC

Okay, okay, we are repeating ourselves but hey, the WAC teams need to provide us an alternative storyline. We're ready and willing.

First, we get a tease with a solid New Mexico State win over arch-rival New Mexico:

Aggies finish strong in nine-point win
Jason Groves
Las CrucesSun-News
12/05/2007

Finishing games has been a point of emphasis for the New Mexico State University men's basketball team this week.

Against their instate rivals on Tuesday at the Pan American Center, the Aggies, losers of four of their last five, showed in the early moments of the second half that they weren't going to let another one get away.

The Aggies defeated the University of New Mexico, 71-62, in front of 6,786 fans to tie the Rio Grande Rivalry Series at 4.5 points apiece. The teams meet again at The Pit Dec. 19.

"This win was special for the community and for the players because they were down," Aggies coach Marvin Menzies said. "Hopefully this will help us in the RPI down the road if we are put in a position to be considered for the NCAA Tournament. I will be pulling for (UNM coach) Steve Alford in every other game except when we play them again."

NMSU was outmuscled and outhustled in the second half during recent losses to Texas-El Paso and North Texas, particularly on the glass, where games are often won or lost...

Go here for the full article.

Then San Jose State loses badly 60-40 on the road to University of San Diego of the West Coast Conference and, exemplifying the world of WAC hurt, perennial league power Utah State gets blasted, creamed, obliterated by its rival Utah:

Utah State's road woes
USU: Another slow start hampers Aggies
Utah State has proven to be a wreck away from Logan, going 0-4 on opponents' courts
Martin Renzhofer
Salt Lake Tribune
12/06/2007

So far, Utah State is just not a good road team. To put it more succinctly, when they have traveled away from Logan, the Aggies have been a disaster.

"There's no good reason for it," said Utah State guard Jaycee Carroll, moments following the 72-48 hammering Utah put on Carroll's Aggies on Wednesday night in the Huntsman Center.

The 24-point margin only served to hammer home the point. USU (5-5), 0-4 on the opponent's home floor and 1-1 on a neutral site, didn't play with near the confidence it has on the Smith Spectrum floor.

"We've got to get the 'S' word out of our vocabulary," said USU forward Tai Wesley, invoking the word soft. "I don't know why we lose our heads on the road."

Wesley blamed poor practices, while USU coach Stew Morrill blamed everyone, including himself.

"We're a poorly coached team," he said. "They just beat us in every phase of the game. We had a lot of guys who didn't compete. We had some no-shows."

Utah State's slow start - Utah jumped out to a fast 11-0 lead - was due as much to its timidity as the Utes' sizzling shooting.

The Aggies looked nothing like the aggressive, physical team that recently outplayed Santa Clara in the Smith Spectrum...

Go here for the full article.

The actual Louisiana Tech 86-31 loss to Texas Tech wasn't a surprise although the point differential raises an eyebrow or two.

This brief article excerpt explains all:

...Texas Tech (6-3) outscored the Bulldogs 46-3 from midway through the first half to midway through the second half, going up by as many as 45 during the run.

Louisiana Tech did not hit a single field goal for more than 19 minutes while turning the ball over 19 times...

Then, even though it was a win, Fresno State barely gets by, of all teams, Cal State Monterey Bay 85-80 in overtime.

Bulldogs' great escape
Miracle 3-pointer gets Fresno State to OT, where they hold off D-II foe
Daniel Lyght
The Fresno Bee
12/05/07

Fresno State needed a lucky 3-pointer at the end of regulation and a strong overtime Wednesday night to beat Cal State-Monterey Bay, a Division II team, 85-80 at the Save Mart Center.

Monterey Bay (1-7) -- picked to finish 10th in its 11-team conference -- was supposed to be an easy test for Fresno State (5-3) to ace. The game was added in October to act as a bridge from the Bulldogs' Nov. 27 game at Winston-Salem State to Fresno State's date with UNLV in Las Vegas Saturday.

Without this crutch, the Bulldogs would have played four straight road games, including challenges against UNLV and Dec. 16 at Arizona.

Wednesday night turned out to be a challenge of its own, though, as the Bulldogs' Bryan Harvey forced overtime by hitting a 3-pointer from about 22 feet with Otters draped over him to tie the score at 75 with two seconds left in regulation.

"Once in a while you get a little lucky and tonight we did, obviously," Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland said. "I'm not going to sit here and tell you we played great because we didn't. We know we can get better. In the end, the most important thing is we won the game."

Go here for the full article.

Sorry for the Mr. Negativity approach but it is up to Utah State, New Mexico State, Nevada, Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, San Jose State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho to provide better storylines. The truth ain't exactly setting us free, at least in regard to the WAC in 2007 so far.