My New Year’s resolution is to put together the perfect set of rankings.
With that impossible set of criteria laid out, I figure there’s no better way to start 2013 then with a complete failure.
This week’s rankings incorporate more of the non-conference results. For example, North Dakota — No. 9 last week — moves up to No. 7 because it receives major points for bouncing back from two conferences losses and beating Utah in Salt Lake City.
And Southern Utah takes a big leap up because, well, shoot, because the Thunderbirds are 7-4 and averaging 71 points a game.
Remember, don’t fret over a ranking too high or low. The list is fluid and just about any team is bound to have its ups and downs like a Cowboys fan watching Dallas attempt to make its way into the playoffs.
Without further ado.
1. Eastern Washington 6-5, 2-0
Last Week: No. 1
Beat Warner Pacific 58-47 at home.
Warner Pacific who? That’s the Knights, an NAIA school out of Portland, Ore. Not an impressive win — at half it was a 25-all tie — but the lackluster performance can be somewhat overlooked considering there was a reported attendance of 202.
Anyway, Eastern retains the No. 1 spot for at least another week and they do so in no small part because of Lexie Nelson’s brilliance. Against the Knights, in 31 minutes, Nelson has 19 points, four rebounds and three assists. She’s now the third-leading scorer in the Big Sky.
Here’s the question for Eastern, though. Can it protect its home court when Montana (Jan. 3) and Montana State (Jan. 5) come to visit?
2. Montana 8-3, 2-0
Last week: No. 2
The Lady Griz were off.
Montana hasn’t played anywhere else other than the friendly, to them, confines of Dahlberg Arena since Nov. 25. They’re 6-1 at home with the lone loss to Wyoming Dec. 6. But 10 of their next 18 are on the road, starting with Eastern in Cheney, Thursday, and then Portland State Saturday.
3. Northern Colorado 4-6, 1-0
Last week: No. 5
The Bears waxed Johnson & Wales to a tune of 102-33. Stunning stat from the game: Northern Colorado outrebounded Johnson & Wales 71-25. The Bears receive no bonus points from feasting on a cupcake of such epic proportion, but they move up from the fifth spot because of ISU’s loss. And Sacramento State’s only Big Sky win (over Montana State) is looking weaker after the Bobcats lost to Montana State-Billings.
4. Idaho State 6-5, 1-1
Last week: No. 3
ISU lost to Arizona State 60-53 on the road.
Where, oh where to put the Bengals. Once again, Idaho State played well on the road, nearly upsetting a team from one of the major conferences (it was 46-46 with five minutes to play). But the Sun Devils closed with a 14-7 run to pull away late.
Ultimately, it’s Idaho State’s second-straight loss and the Bengals will have to recover on the road at North Dakota Thursday and then at Northern Colorado Saturday.
As always, the Bengals will rely on the Big Sky’s top-ranked scoring defense (54.6 points per game).
5. Southern Utah 7-4, 1-0
Last week: No. 8
The Thunderbirds beat Utah Valley 66-49. Is Southern Utah for real? The T-Birds average 71 points a contest (best in the conference), and still play a little defense (only ISU has a better field-goal percentage defense). Throw in the fact that Southern Utah leads the Big Sky in rebounding margin, and they may continue to climb these rankings (which I’m sure is all their concerned with).
6. Sacramento State 6-5, 1-1
Last week: No. 4
In the best game of the week, the Hornets beat UC Davis 66-65 in overtime. Following a go-ahead 3-pointer by the Aggies, Sacramento State’s Alle Moreno dropped in a runner from the lane with one second remaining to nab the victory.
So why in the world do the Hornets drop two spots after winning? First, their lone conference win over Montana State is looking less impressive. Second, while the Hornets are second in the conference in scoring, they’re one of the worst defensive teams in the country, allowing 72 points a game (that’s 318th in the nation).
More than anything, Sacramento State dropping is a testament to the quality and depth of the Big Sky. We’ll know if Sacramento State is any good by the night of Jan. 17, because the Hornets next four opponents includes Southern Utah, Portland State, Eastern Washington and Idaho State.
7. North Dakota 5-6, 0-2
Last week: No. 9
Mascot-less North Dakota traveled to Utah and beat the Utes 62-56.
OK, I’ll be honest. When I heard the score, the first thing I did was look up Utah’s record, assuming it was well under .500. Well, it’s not. The Utes entered the game 9-1.
So what’s the recipe for North Dakota to pull off the upset? Hold the Utes to 33.8 percent shooting from the floor, including 1-of-16 from the field, while simultaneously limiting turnovers (10 for the game), shoot 47.6 percent in the second half and outscore Utah 18-9 from the free throw line.
And NAU’s Madi Buck — Co-Big Sky player of the week — finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five blocks.
8. Portland State 7-4, 1-1
Last week: No. 7
Portland State beat Portland 64-61. Like Sacramento State, the Vikings drop in the rankings despite winning, but North Dakota’s victory over 9-2 Utah is better than Portland State’s over 5-8 Portland.
And, really, these rankings will shake themselves out now that we’re into Big Sky action full time starting this week.
For a moment, let’s focus on Courtne VanBrocklin. In 40 minutes, against the Pilots, she had 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block.
9. Montana State 7-4, 1-1
Last week: No. 6
Losing to Sacramento State at home is excusable, especially without leading scorer Kalli Durham. The Bobcats seemed to recover with a by-the-book, 17-point win over Northern Arizona two days later. But losing to Montana State-Billings, a Division II team, at home, is flat out embarrassing. Shaking salt over the open wound, it was an exhibition game for MSU-B — meaning it wouldn’t count on its schedule — but it certainly did for the Cats.
Now Montana State is 1-2 without Durham, who was leading the Cats with 13.8 points a game, compared to 6-2 when she was in the starting lineup.
10. Northern Arizona 1-10, 0-2
Last week: No. 10
NAU took an extended holiday break.
Are you a Lumberjacks’ fan and looking for a bright spot during a 1-10 season? Then cherish Amy Patton who is the nation’s 12th leading scorer at 21.5 points per game.
11. Weber State 0-11, 0-2
Last week: No. 11
Mercifully, for Wildcat fans, Weber State took a week off from losing.
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