Jumping on the bandwagon

Go Eagles go.

I despise front runners with a passion like Skip Bayless abhors common sense and a thoughtful opinion. Growing up in small town America — miles away from the closest professional sports franchise — I was surrounded by Yankee, Laker, 49er and Cowboy fans.

They were everywhere. They littered the streets and soaked up the championships like they had anything to do with Steve Young’s scrambling ability or Shaq’s dominance in the post.

And of course I was one of them too. Michael Jordan invariably captured my heart with his tongue-wagging, shoulder-shrugging bald head that screamed at teammates and refused to lose.

But as I’ve grown older (and I’m so much more mature now, just ask my wife) I’ve realized how important it is to support local teams. Other than the occasional bandwagon like 2011’s “Beat the Heat”  — once again, thank you Dirk Nowitzki — I try to watch from a neutral perspective.

(Unless we’re talking about my aversion for all things in pinstripe, blue and gold and anyone with the moniker of “America’s Team.”)

Florida Gulf Coast, though, count me as an honorary Eagle.

The public, space-grant university located in Fort Myers, Fla., throws down so many alley-oops that Chris Paul and the Clippers are getting jealous.

FGCU’s motto is “Truth, knowledge and wisdom.”

Well, the truth is, no one had heard of them before last week, and that includes the Eagles’ first-round opponent, Georgetown.

It’s hard to imagine a school that’s younger than me has developed much knowledge or wisdom. Before Florida Gulf Coast rebranded itself as Dunk City, its most famous alumnus might have been Courtney Jolly — a monster truck driver.

But following upsets of the second-seeded Hoyas and third-seeded San Diego State — may James Franklin’s junior year forever rest in peace, along with brackets everywhere — the Eagles made sure the country had heard of FGCU.

It helped that they did it in style.  Sherwood Brown, a 6-foot-4 senior wing, likes to stick out his tongue after hitting a dagger three — and he had five of those against Georgetown and SDSU — and his shaggy dreadlocks flopping around complete the look.

Point guard Brett Comer — did you hear he played with AUSTIN RIVERS IN HIGH SCHOOL! — has been given a black belt for throwing the lob and, um, in case you haven’t heard, he played with Austin Rivers in high school.     More than anything, Comer, Brown and the crew looked like they’re having fun with their head coach Andy Enfield. The NCAA tournament is a serious ordeal — just ask Temple head coach Fran Dunphy, he’s still scowling angrily — but FGCU has embraced the moment while hogging the Cinderella mantle to a point that we’re all forgetting a 13 seed (La Salle) and Wichita State (a nine) made it to the Sweet Sixteen.

Whether Florida Gulf Coast, a program from the Atlantic Sun — the 26th rated conference based on RPI — with losses to Maine, ETSU (who?), Lipscomb (twice) and Stetson can continue playing unconsciously, I have no idea.

I hope they do. Their run represents why sports is truly a place where we can never predict the final outcome. A school, a program and a coach can drag a team into the public consciousness and pretty soon we all learn more than we ever thought there was to know about FGCU.

So, yeah, I’m on the bandwagon. Besides who doesn’t like rooting for a school who’s abbreviation sounds like a nasty way to tell someone off through texting?

Big Sky rankings — Putting 2012-13 in the past

Let’s put a big, fat, bright pink bow on the 2012-13 Big Sky rankings.

Why pink? It should be maroon with silver polka dots in honor of the Montana Lady Griz who rolled through the regular season and postseason tournament in dominating fashion, picking up player and coach of the year honors.

Northern Colorado had a bit of deja vu-ish end to its season, falling short in the Big Sky championship to the host school.

Idaho State continued its winning ways, but the finale jumped up much earlier than expected.

We had a Weber State squad make history (the very worst kind).

And there was a conference race with teams battling for position until the final weekend of the season.

So for the last time, without further ado.
   
    1. Montana 24-8, 16-4
    Last week: No. 1
Yeah, OK, big shock here, I know. Montana’s season ended in the first-round of the NCAA tournament. After a competitive half, the Georgia Bulldogs outscored the Lady Griz by 18 points in the final 15 minutes to advance going away 70-50 (Georgia made it past Iowa State to the Sweet 16, too).

The postseason title is Montana’s 20th. Head coach Robin Selvig received his 18th coach of the year honor dating back to 1982-83, and senior forward Katie Baker was the Big Sky player of the year (the 11th time a Lady Grizzly has earned that distinction).

Personally, I would have tabbed Eastern Washington’s Wendy Schuller for COY and D’Shara Strange as POY, but to the victors go the spoils, I guess.

And they probably should considering Montana won 75 percent of its games, had the conference’s top scoring margin (9.7) and were a combined 10-4 versus the other six opponents that made the postseason tourney.

Montana does lose three starters and its two leading scorers, but 10 players averaged at least 13 minutes and as always with the Lady Griz and Selvig it’s more about reloading than rebuilding.
   
    2. Northern Colorado 21-13, 15-5
    Last week: No. 2
Northern Colorado made it to the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament before falling at home 68-58 to Saint Mary’s.

Of the three teams that did compete in the WNIT from the Big Sky, UNC was the lone program to pick up a win (taking out Wyoming 71-63 on the road).

The Bears’ 21 wins is tied for the school record for a single season. Yet, I wonder if there’s not a feeling of disappointment in Greeley after coming in second again.

Strange, a junior, has started in 95 of Northern Colorado’s 97 games since she joined the program, winning 38 conference contests in the regular season.   

But the Bears lost to Montana in the conference semifinals, to the Bengals in the title game a year ago and to the Lady Griz in the finals a couple weeks back. UNC has been consistently great but never quite good enough.

With Strange back for her last hoorah and a slew of junior and sophomores returning with experience, UNC will contend in 2014. Whether the Bears finally break through might depend on if they can stop finishing as runner-ups and find a way to host the tournament.

    3. Eastern Washington 19-13, 14-6
    Last week: No. 3
In the first round of the WNIT, Eastern Washington lost to Washington 65-60 in double overtime.

In the last rankings, I went through a big hullabaloo explaining why Idaho State was better than Eastern Washington and deserved the No. 3 spot ahead of the Eagles.

Turns out I was wrong.

Powered by its shooting — the Eagles had the Big Sky’s top field-goal percentage — EWU beat Idaho State twice, claimed the No. 3 seed and advanced to the conference semifinals before bowing out to Northern Colorado.

For a team picked eighth in the preseason poll, that’s not too bad.

While the present is pretty good for Eastern (though it’s too bad so few in Cheney are there to witness any of it considering the Eagles averaged 473 fans for home games), the future is even brighter.

All-conference first-team guard Lexie Nelson is a terror to defend and she’s flanked with shooters and talented wings like Aubrey Ashenfelter and Hayley Hodgins.

Eastern does lose one senior starter, Carrie Ojeda. She was their toughest player and a battler in the post. But with the returning talent Schuller has to work with, I doubt they’ll enter next season as such a darkhorse.

    4. Idaho State 18-13, 13-7
    Last week: No. 4
The third team to make the WNIT from the Big Sky, Idaho State lost to its first-round opponent, BYU, 69-54. By the way, the Cougars advanced to the third round after knocking off San Diego State last Saturday.

So the Bengals go from tournament champs in 2012 to preseason favorties for 2013 to today where five graduating seniors — including two of the greatest winners ever at ISU — leave more questions about the future than answers.

Courtesy of Mark Liptak (Kaboom!), the play-by-play announcer for the ISU women, the Bengals’ 60-33 record the past three seasons is the best in the Big Sky over that span. For comparison, Montana and Northern Colorado are both at 58 victories and Weber State has nine (about seven more than I would have guessed).

The point is this: Head coach Seton Sobolewski has things rolling right now in Pocatello, and with a talented recruiting class coming in it’s fair to assume more good times will come. But when? Can Kara Jenkins and Lindsey Reed avoid a “rebuilding” season. Or do the Bengals take a step back for a year?

    5. Sacramento State 19-12, 13-7
    Last week: No. 5
The first team on the list to not make a postseason tournament of any kind.

Sacramento State’s year ended in Missouala when the Hornets were shellacked by Montana 74-53.

Sac State finishes the season at No. 5 in our rankings, and it seems fitting considering it’s where the Hornets were for some time. For a program that relies on 3-point shooting and a fast-paced game — like as fast as they can go — Sac’s ceiling was always about here.

No Big Sky team averaged more points (73.0, 17th in the nation) but only Weber gave up more (71.2, 324th in the country).

When the Hornets looked good (evidence: see game versus Idaho State in the postseason), they looked unbeatable. Forcing turnovers, sprinting in the open court, feeding open shooters off of penetration, Sac could confound teams defensively.

But if they weren’t hitting shots, teams like Idaho State, Montana and Northern Colorado could control the glass, slow the pace of play and methodically take apart the Hornets.

Sac State head coach Jamie Craighead does, however, play an entertaining style of basketball and we’re talking about a program here that was as bad as Weber State is now a decade ago. Things are headed in the right direction.

So can we encourage some fans to show up to a few games? Only Northern Arizona had fewer people at its home contests than Sac State.

    6. Southern Utah 15-16, 9-11
    Last week: No. 7
Southern Utah upset Northern Colorado twice during the regular season, but the Bears solved the Thunderbird riddle in the third meeting when SUU lost 67-56 to UNC in the Big Sky tournament.

An up-and-down season for Southern Utah — the T-birds didn’t capture a postseason bid until the last week of the season — with wins over UNC and Sacramento State but losses to Northern Arizona and anyone any good other than the Bears (SUU was a combined 0-6 versus UM, ISU and EWU).

But I think the biggest victory for Southern Utah this year has been my own personal journey where I’ve now come to accept its mascot, the Thunderbird.

I’ve taken a lot of digs at it the past few months, but one thing has really calmed me down about the whole thing.

At least they’re not the Thundercats.

    7. Montana State 17-13, 11-9
    Last week: No. 6
With wins over Colorado State, Clemson, Utah State and Montana, the Bobcats rode into Pocatello on a seven-game winning streak.

MSU was 14-4 overall. With senior post Rachel Semansky’s scoring inside, plenty of perimeter shooting and tough defense, Montana State looked like a juggernaut.

But after losing to Idaho State by eight in Reed Gym, MSU fumbled its way to a 3-9 finish down the stretch. Fittingly, after a solid first half, Eastern blew out Montana State in the final 20 minutes to win 68-53 in the Big Sky tourney.

    8. Northern Arizona 8-21, 7-13
    Last week: No. 8
After stumbling through its preseason schedule, Northern Arizona was 1-8 but the Lumberjacks, behind the Big Sky’s leading scorer Amy Patton, found a way to seven conference victories and had a chance to reach the postseason.

First-year head coach Sue Darling deserves a lot of credit for keeping her players engaged and believing in the system.

Patton, Paige Hayens, Tyler Stephens-Jenkins and Aubrey Davis are all gone, but Amanda Frost and Erikka Banks might be part of the solution that helps turnaround the program.

    9. North Dakota 11-18, 6-14
    Last week: No. 9
For the most part, mascot-less North Dakota occupied the bottom of these rankings. It wasn’t always easy for UND in its inaugural year in the Big Sky (head coach Travis Brewster was suspended a game for criticizing officials and two players transferred out of the program before the season was over), but with three Division II titles and a strong following (only the Montana schools averaged more fans at home games) North Dakota women’s basketball will contend for the top at some point.

    10. Portland State 12-17, 6-14
    Last week: No. 10
Injuries derailed Portland State but the Vikings were a disappointment from the beginning of Big Sky play, starting out 1-6.

In three short years, PSU has slipped from regular-season champs, to posteason favorites and now to the bottom of the conference.

Portland State was riding the most successful five-year stretch it ever had in Division I, winning 98 games under
the command of head coach Sherri Murrell (compared to 46 the five seasons before Murrell arrived).

So the turnarounds (both the upswing and now the down) have been dramatic. Where do things go from here?

    11. Weber State 0-29, 0-20
    Last week: No. 11
There’s really nothing to say about Weber State is there. Of the 343 teams in Division I, only two lost by more points than WSU did on average, and the Wildcats were the only squad to not post a W in the left-hand column.

In honor of putting this season to a rest for all WSU alumni, I’m not even going to bring up the losing streak until next year rolls around.

Just know “The March to History” continues, and we’re all very excited about it.

Bracket free and not even suffering from withdrawals

I’m free, liberated and unenslaved.

I took the iron chains known as “bracketology” and threw them aside this year. For the first time since grade school, March Madness has rolled around and I shunned any bracket challenge, office pool or friendly wagers.

I didn’t pull out my lucky black-ink pen, print out a golden bracket (one and only one mind you, I am a man of ethics) or waste an inordinate amount of time dissecting if Colorado State’s size, depth and experience can offset Missouri’s foot speed (turns out, that’s a big, fat yes after the Rams beat Mizzou 84-72 last night).

It’s not that I’ve retired from acting like I have any idea which 12 seed will pull the upset (because there’s always one, right?).

No, abstaining from the annual ritual, is something I’ve considered for a long time now. I was like Brett Favre, waffling back and forth, unable to make a decision before ultimately scribbling in my picks, succumbing to pressure and the compulsion to compete.

You see deciding the collective fates of Jayhawks, Ducks and Tar Heels before the tournament all those years ago started off innocently. I didn’t base my picks on logic, RPI or defensive efficiency.

My thought process was more like, “Let’s see, Duke has a defensive terror known as Shane Battier patrolling the perimeter, but my friend — and we’re in Montana here — is a total frontrunner and lover of all things Cameron Crazie, so I’ll take Iowa State in the Final Four just to spite him.” (A poor decision considering the Cyclones lost to Hampton — a No. 15 seed.)

In those early days, life was easy and the stakes were low. It didn’t matter if my elite eight looked as shoddy as Scott Drew’s postseason record. I just enjoyed the ride, loved the madness and soaked in all the non-HD basketball I could.

But as each successive year passed, I began to slowly take more time deciding between Nevada and Illinois or Stanford and Marquette.

I took ownership of my bracket. Suddenly “being right” had some added importance. Manhood, fandom and respect rode on that sheet of paper.

I couldn’t simply cut Duke out in the second round because a buddy happened to swear loyalty as a “fan” of America’s most popular (and least) college basketball team. I had to consider matchups, experience, rebounding, benches, injuries and trends.

What’s sweeter than rubbing your bracket in someone else’s face making sure they knew that you had Butler over Pittsburgh (2011) or Vermont topping Syracuse (2005, and no, I didn’t have that) or Hampton stunning Iowa State (2001, it still hurts)?

I wasn’t rooting for upsets or chaos or even good basketball. When Butler and Gordon Hayward blitzed through to the Bulldogs’ first-ever Final Four, I was infuriated. They destroyed my West Regional picks like “Teen Mom” ruins television.

But shouldn’t I look back at Butler’s historic, improbable and mind-numbingly unpredictable run to the NCAA Championship with awe? Instead, I just remember a bracket that revealed how wrong and feeble-minded I was.

I hated how after every result, the first thing that sprung to mind was how it correlated with my picks, and the fact my self-esteem would actually fluctuate with whatever luck I might have had is repulsive and embarrassing.

So, no, I didn’t feel out a bracket this year and I don’t care about yours. And it’s great.

I can once again vehemently root against Duke and my childhood friend while pulling for upsets, living and dying with the underdogs.

I am free.

But I’m can’t dismiss every vice. There’s no way I’d give up on Fantasy Football. Next season, that title is mine.

ISU-BYU pregame

The Marriott Center 75 minutes before tipoff. 

And this is probably as full at it gets once the game starts, too. During the regular season, the BYU women averaged 699 fans for home games.

One last shot — Vella, Oakes and crew face BYU in the Women’s NIT

The Idaho State women aren’t done yet.

Despite a disappointing 73-60 loss in the opening round of the Big Sky Tournament to Sacramento State a week ago, the Women’s National Invitation Tournament tabbed the Bengals for one of the 35 at-large bids.

ISU will play the Brigham Young in Provo tonight at 7 p.m.

This is ISU’s fourth appearance in the WNIT and BYU’s sixth.

Three teams from the Big Sky are in this year’s WNIT. Northern Colorado was an automatic qualifier after finishing second in the postseason tournament to Montana, and Eastern Washington received an at-large bid like Idaho State.

The Cougars hopes for a spot in the NCAA tournament fell short in the West Coast Conference semifinals when they lost to eventual champion Gonzaga 62-43.

BYU (21-10, 11-5 WCC) averages 63.9 points per game while allowing just under 57 (the second-best mark in their conference).

But what stands out immediately for the Cougars is their 6-foot-7 center, Jennifer Hamson, who also plays volleyball. Hamson missed some time to begin the year, but the Lindon, Utah, native played in BYU’s last 17 contests.

Hamson is the Cougars’ leading scorer, averaging 10.6 points and 8.2 rebounds in less than 25 minutes a night.

BYU did lose star scorer Lexi Eaton early in the season to a knee injury when she was averaging over 17 points a game, but, still, the Cougars’ rotation includes about eight players and a frontcourt that dwarfs Idaho State.

Along with Hamson, senior Keilana Unga is 6-foot-2 and Stephanie Vermunt Seaborn is 6-foot. That doesn’t even mention the 6-foot-2 sophomore forward (Morgan Bailey) coming off the bench.

But the engine that makes the Cougars go is senior point guard Haley Steed. Steed averages 7.4 assists per game (second in the nation) and 2.06 steals.

She’s an offensive threat too, hitting just over two 3-pointers a game while shooting 37.1 percent from the perimeter. And even as the main cog controlling BYU’s offense, Steed keeps BYU’s turnovers at a minimum. She has the nation’s fourth-best assist-to-turnover-ratio (2.64).

The Cougars will provide a stern test with a balanced attack, size in the interior and a quick, versatile guard on the perimeter. And ISU is hitting the pavement for the fourth-straight game in the last two weeks.

After traveling to the Pacific Northwest to finish the Big Sky regular season at Eastern Washington and Portland State, the Bengals returned to Pocatello only to turn right around and head north to Missoula, Mont., for the postseason tournament.

There the Hornets avenged two early-season losses to Idaho State and pulled off the first-round upset, shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line and outscoring ISU by 14 points in the second half.

To make matters worse, and to shorten an already short bench, senior wing Abyee Maracigan may have injured her knee at the end of the game.
But for Idaho State and head coach Seton Sobolewski, the WNIT is the opportunity to compete in a national tournament.

The Bengals and Cougars have played 14 times before, and BYU leads the series 11-3.

The ISU-BYU winner will advance to play the San Diego State-UC Santa Barbara survivor.

Idaho State headed to the Women's NIT

Despite losing in the first round of the Big Sky tournament, the Idaho State women have received an at-large birth to the Women's NIT.

ISU will play in Provo against BYU Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Cougars finished their season 21-10 and 11-5 in the WCC, falling to Gonzaga 62-43 in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

BYU averages 63.9 points per game and allows 56.8 (the second-best mark in their conference).

Coolest nugget about the Cougars, though, they have a 6-foot-7 junior center, Jennifer Hamson.

Hamson has started in 22 games this season, averaging 10.6 points and 8.2 boards a game.

Check back here for more info, including a game preview.

The season is almost over, but the Bengals will keep working

My oh my how perspectives can shift.

Lance Armstrong is revered and after he finally — and mercifully — admitted to the house of lies his life was built on to Oprah (of all places), the public disowned him, seeing him for what he truly was.

Joe Flacco is an average quarterback this time one year ago. But 11 postseason touchdowns and a Super Bowl win later, he’s handed the richest contract in NFL history and labeled as a “winner” by any talking TV head given a microphone.

Twelve months ago, the Idaho State women’s basketball team stood as conference champions. The present was pretty good then — it was an all out party in Pocatello after the regular season and postseason titles — and with nearly the entire crew back to ride again the next year the future held limitless possibilities.

But that didn’t happen. For whatever reason, the 2012-13 Bengals could never find the magic they held before. The elixir that came together on the way to rollicking through the conference with a 14-2 record was too complicated to duplicate.

This column, however, isn’t about what Idaho State didn’t do in 2012. It’s about a time when we won’t see Kaela Oakes stepping over a ball screen, fighting for all she’s worth to stop penetration or Ashleigh Vella calmly stepping into a dagger 3-pointer to seal a win.

Because despite the end to this past season — a 13-point defeat to Sacramento State in the first round of the Big Sky tournament — there was still plenty of victories (18), sweet memories (Vella and Oakes break the 1,000-point barriers in their careers) and magical moments (Abyee Maracigan scores a career-high 21 points on her 23rd birthday).

And, yes, I imagine anytime a preseason favorite doesn’t live up to expectations (or their own high standards) it’s a disappointment. But once any season is over, whether it ends in Missoula, Mont., or before the postseason tournament even arrives, it feels abrupt, crushing and feelings of remorse are all that’s left behind (what could have been!).

Now five seniors are gone to graduation and junior forward Cydney Horton’s status is up in the air after she did not travel or play with ISU over the season’s final three games.

Replacing the seniors is no small task. They accounted for 57.5 percent of the points Idaho State scored and nearly half of its rebounds.

Of course, while production is one thing, it’s the leadership from a large senior class that’s priceless and immeasurable in terms of value.

This is the evolution of a program, though. Vella and Oakes arrive as freshmen, both play right away while taking their bumps during a 15-15 campaign. Then, with help along the way, they win 60 games over the next three years.

Head coach Seton Sobolewski isn’t back to square one. Kara Jenkins and Lindsey Reed have boatloads of experience and are a solid base to next year’s starting five. And there’s players like Alissa Willard, Jessica Jensen, Anna Lee Policicchio, Sheryl Bitter and Justine Joudrey that have been putting work in away from the games, biding their time and awaiting their opportunity.

Plus, six incoming freshmen that represent the future of Idaho State women’s basketball arrive in the fall.

Remember, it’s a shift of perspective. There’s a theme to every season and next year, at least to start, it’s about learning new personalities and watching some players learn their way as they finally get their chance to compete in meaningful games.

“We’re going to see some different faces,” Sobolewski said a couple weeks back. “I think it’s exciting to see what we’ll look like next year.”

The buildup for 2013-14 will not have the pomp and circumstance this season had, and Idaho State won’t be ranked anywhere near the No. 1 spot in silly preseason polls that are only fun for the media and fans to argue over.

No, instead D’shara Strange at Northern Colorado and the bevy of shooters at Eastern Washington will hog the headlines along with Montana (the Lady Griz have now claimed 20 Big Sky championships after knocking off Northern Colorado 56-43 Saturday afternoon).

Meanwhile, Sobolewski, his staff and the players will get down to work.

ISU vs. Sac State preview

(For a feature story on Ashleigh Vella and Kaela Oakes click here)

Since the season began, the Idaho State women have been on a fast track, dumping the role of the favorites along the way and adopting the underdog mentality instead.

The Bengals didn’t have a choice after stumbling out of the starter’s block of the conference season 1-3 and looking like anything but the team that steamrolled through the Big Sky Conference the year before on the way to a championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

With nearly the entire roster back — though it was noted that replacing the five-year veteran, Chelsea Pickering, was no easy task — assumptions from the outside were heaped on Idaho State in the preseason to the point that it seemed like the Bengals would never lose again.

But they did.

And at times this year — a last-second loss at home to Northern Colorado, an overtime killer at Eastern Washington — the journey back to today’s game, the opening round of the Big Sky tournament, had a few more potholes than expected.

That underdog role, though, that’s something the Bengals are not afraid to embrace.

“We’re at a place where we’re much more relaxed and we’re playing better basketball,” said head coach Seton Sobolewski. “As we usually do, we’re playing better in the underdog situation where we’re trying to come back.”

Idaho State may play its best when accepting the role of a darkhorse but don’t call the Bengals a longshot.

Since that 1-3 start, ISU has gone 12-4 in the Big Sky and the trademarked Sobolewski lock-down, drag-out, punch-the-opponent-in-the-face defense that carried Idaho State to its third Big Sky championship has steadily improved along with the win-loss record.

The Bengals have the No. 1 scoring defense and only Montana — the top seed and host of the tourney — outscores its opponents by more points per game.

“Last year, we felt like the underdogs for one reason or the other,” Sobolewski said. “The other team we were playing was just bigger or more experienced or the previous champs or whatever. There was always this picture of them being the underdogs because I think they play better in that role.”

Even tonight, Sobolewski and the Bengals will likely find a way to spin the narrative that they’re the ones fighting to prove themselves against their first round opponent, the Sacramento State Hornets.   

Idaho State beat Sac State in both meetings this season, quite handily 12 days ago in Reed Gym, smacking the Hornets 70-41 over the last 31 minutes after falling behind early.

But, oh, how can perspectives can shift in less than two weeks.

Following that win, ISU had rollicked to three-straight double-digit wins and was within striking distance of the postseason’s No. 3 seed. But the Bengals lost in overtime in Cheney, junior starting forward Cydney Horton is not available for the Big Sky tournament and Sac State is coming off two of its biggest wins of the season.

At home in the aptly named Nest, the Hornets rained in 18 3-pointers in two wins against Montana State and Montana.

“Montana tried to run with them,” Sobolewski said. “And if you’re not making as many shots as they are, if you’re not rebounding at the same level, if you’re not taking care of the ball at the same level, if you’re not getting to the free-throw line as much it’s a tough game if you’re going to play fast with them.”

The Lady Griz were not at full strength — starting guard Torry Hill hurt her shoulder the game before against Northern Arizona and key reserve Shanae Gilham is nursing her knee — but it might not have mattered.

Stepping of the bench, Natasha Torgerson — Sac State’s eighth-leading scorer — bombed in five 3-pointers on her way to 22 points in 25 minutes.

That’s the danger with the Hornets. They attack from all angles and do it as fast as they can.

Idaho State has handled Sac State’s full-court pressure and relentless playing style through the first two matchups. Does familiarity breed confidence or is the Hornets’ offense — held 16.5 points per game below their season average by the Bengals — bound to erupt against ISU eventually?

“We make adjustments and corrections whether we win or lose against anybody,” Sobolewski said. “We don’t just assume because we beat someone before that there isn’t something we can learn from that game.”

The prize for winning, for either the Bengals or the Hornets, is a day off until Friday’s semifinal matchup. Typically, the tournament takes place in three days, but like the women, the Montana men earned the right to host, too.

So a wrinkle has been added to the mix. Play Wednesday, the winners advance to play Friday and two see the light of day for Saturday.

For every team except the host Lady Griz, it’s an apparent advantage to have Thursday off.

“To win the championship game, if you’re lucky enough to make it that far, you don’t have to win three games in three days,” Sobolewski said. “Now you’ve got to win two games in two days. ... It ... negates the top team’s advantage.”

Bad for Montana, but good for the likes of everyone else. Whether it’s enough to help the Bengals over the invisible hump that has seemingly barred their ascent back to the top of the conference is the mystery.

“It’s an exciting time of the year,” Sobolewski said. “This is kind of what the whole season is for, to prepare yourself for the post season, to get as good a seed as you can get, to see if you can play your best basketball towards the end of the year.”
   
NOTES: Under Sobolewski, Idaho State is 3-3 in the Big Sky tournament and 2-2 in its opening round games. ... Horton, who started 21 of the 27 games she played in this season did not travel with the Bengals to Missoula, Mont. A statement from the univerisity wrote, “Cydney Horton will be unavailable for the 2013 Women's Big Sky Conference Tournament. ISU head coach Seton Sobolewski and the Idaho State Athletic Department will have no further comment on Horton's status.”

2013 Big Sky Women's Basketball Championship

First Round - March 13

At Dahlberg Arena, Missoula, Mont.

3 p.m. - No. 7 Southern Utah (15-25) vs. No. 2 Northern Colorado (18-11) 

5:30 p.m. - No. 6 Montana State (17-12) vs. No. 3 Eastern Washington (18-11)

8 p.m. - No. 5 Sacramento State (18-11) vs. No. 4 Idaho State (18-11)

Semifinals - March 15

11 a.m. - Highest remaining seed vs. 2nd highest remaining seed

1:30 p.m. -  Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Montana (22-7)

Final - March 16

2 p.m. Mountain - Semifinal Winners

The Idaho State women have been through the ringer this season — Thursday night was no different

Following a year where every break, loose ball or final shot seemed to fall in ISU’s favor, the Bengals — once again in 2012-13 — experienced nothing but a final note of frustration after falling in overtime to Eastern Washington Thursday night.

In many respects, it was a great college basketball game. One team (the Bengals) jumped out to a 7-0 lead, only to go cold later while the home squad caught its breath.

But a determined Idaho State — no doubt spurned on to not only claim the Big Sky’s postseason No. 3 seed, but also to avenge a home loss from earlier this season — regained an advantage (an eight-point lead) before half, holding Eastern, the Big Sky’s top-shooting team, to 22.7 percent from the floor.

The Eagles, however, behind the play of senior Carrie Ojeda and sophomore Lexie Nelson, stormed back with a 15-1 run to start the second half.

Ojeda, a senior, scored 10 of her 14 points in the first seven minutes after the halftime break, and from there, Nelson, the transfer from Montana, finished the game with 10 of Eastern’s final 16 points on the way to a game-high 24 on 7-of-10 shooting.

It was a night filled with momentum swings that vacillated like Jim Harbaugh’s moods on the 49ers’ sideline. In the end, and despite shooting a better percentage from the field, forcing more turnovers, dominating points in the paint and holding starting point guard Kylie Huerta to 1-of-10 form the field, the Bengals lost.

Four ISU players scored in double figures and they had their chances down the stretch — particularly to end the second half — but EWU made more free throws than Idaho State attempted, hitting a gaudy 81.8 percent from the charity stripe compared to ISU’s 68 percent.

Ultimately, the loss means that Idaho State won’t have the opportunity to slaughter Montana State in the first round of the Big Sky tournament in Missoula next week.


Instead, the Bengals will tangle with Sacramento State in the opening round, a squad they’ve handled twice this season — winning both games by a combined 30 points. But the Hornets’ shooting is as streaky as Manti Te'o’s dating history and Sac’s 34-point blowout against the ’Cats Thursday night was impressive.

Plus, and really this was the driving force for avoiding the fourth seed to begin with, beating the Hornets in the Big Sky tourney likely sets a date with top-seeded Montana in the semifinals (Unless second-seeded Northern Colorado loses to Southern Utah for a third time this year or Montana State stirs out of its coma and upsets Eastern Washington.)

But prognosticating about the postseason seems premature at this point. Today, Idaho State is in Portland for the last game of the regular season and even though the Big Sky tournament is only a matter of days away, I imagine the Eagles’ loss still looms.

It means Idaho State finishes the regular season 0-6 versus the conference’s top three teams.

It means Ashleigh Vella, Kaela Oakes, Lindsey Reed and the crew have to live with season sweeps from the likes of Eastern, Northern Colorado and Montana.

For a bunch as competitive as a 50-year-old Michael Jordan, that’s tough to swallow.

And we’re left to ponder if the six losses to the Big Sky’s upper echelon is a combination of chance and bad luck or something more.

Perhaps this season the Bengals’ ceiling is the No. 4 spot and moving up any higher is beyond their reach. At what time do the losses to those opponents build to a point where the Bengals’ self-confidence falls and they’re left grasping in the dark for what should have been?

Or did Idaho State lose a game on the road to a good team? After the nightmarish 1-3 start, Idaho State has gone 11-4 since. A few more jumpers and free throws here and there throughout the year and the 0-6 record is blown out of the water like the Lakers’ NBA Finals chances.

Heading into Thursday night’s loss, Idaho State had been playing — by my observation — its best, most carefree basketball this season.

With five seniors and a group of experienced juniors on the roster — and don’t forget head coach Seton Sobolewski — it’s hard to imagine that a strong performance against Portland State today can’t erase any negative momentum picked up in Cheney.

NOTES: Montana has clinched the regular-season women’s championship and the right to host the conference tournament. Northern Colorado is the No. 2 seed, and Eastern is at No. 3. If Idaho State beats Portland State, the Bengals will be the No. 4 seed, but ISU cannot fall any lower than No. 5. Montana State has secured the sixth seed and if Southern Utah can beat North Dakota today, the Thunderbirds wrap up the final spot. If the Thunderbirds do lose to North Dakota and Northern Arizona can beat Montana State then NAU takes the final spot.

Big Sky Rankings — The almost last rankings

I’ve got a lot to say, so without further ado.   

1. Montana 21-6, 15-3
Last week: No. 1
In Missoula, Montana improved its record in Dahlberg Arena to 13-2 this season, beating Southern Utah 70-54, and the Lady Griz knocked off Montana State 58-55 in Bozeman.

With a one-game lead in the loss column it’s pretty simple for the Lady Griz at this point. Beat Northern Arizona and Sacramento State on the road this week and they’ll secure home-court for the Big Sky postseason tournament.

If Northern Colorado loses its last game at Southern Utah, then UM needs to only win once. If the Bears win and UM drops one of its games, Northern Colorado will host the tournament.

Or something like that.
   
2. Northern Colorado 18-10, 15-4
Last week: No. 2
After losing its first home game of the season to Southern Utah, Northern Colorado escaped with a 67-66 win against Eastern Washington and then beat down Portland State 63-48.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to present the 2012-13 player of the year honors to UNC junior D’shara Strange. She’s second in the conference in scoring (14.7 points per game), third in steals (2.39) and fifth in field-goal percentage (41.7 percent).

Strange leads the second-place Bears in minutes (32.6) and rebounds (7.0).

So last season’s defensive player of the year is putting up nearly 15 points and seven rebounds a night, plus she has two game-winning shots (the dagger in Pocatello to trump Idaho State and another last Thursday against Eastern).

The Bears trailed by as much as five with just a skosh more than a minute left against the Eagles, but Strange hit two back-to-back jumpers — the last one with 2.1 seconds left — to complete the comeback.

She followed that up with a season-high 28 — including UNC’s first 15 points — against Portland State.

Northern Colorado needs help from Montana to have a chance at hosting the tournament, but it might not matter with Strange leading the way.

(Oh, and I flip flop on decisions like Tony Romo’s play during the course of season, so I totally reserve the right to change my mind on the Big Sky player of the year.)

3. Idaho State 17-10, 12-6
Last week: No. 3
In what might have been its most impressive weekend of the season, Idaho State trounced Northern Arizona 67-46 and Sacramento State 81-61 in the final games at Reed Gym this year.

Ashleigh Vella was great, with a near triple-double against Sac State. Kaela Oakes hit over 50 percent of her field goal attempts while averaging 16.5 points, and Jessa Jeppesen finished with a combined 30 points and 20 rebounds.

Since starting conference action 1-3, the Bengals have gone 11-3, winning six of their last seven. But against the other top three teams — UM, UNC and EWU — Idaho State is 0-5. Vella, Oakes and the crew have a chance to pick up their first win Thursday when they travel to Cheney (and then to Portland Saturday).

Two wins and ISU is the third seed in the postseason tournament, anything less and the Bengals are fourth and possibly even fifth.

4. Eastern Washington 16-11, 12-6
Last week: No. 4
Eastern Washington dropped a nailbiter at Northern Colorado 67-66 and then beat North Dakota 67-58.

Do we have to start thinking about naming EWU’s Wendy Schuller as the Big Sky coach of the year?

She’s won it once before — back in 2010 — when Eastern won the regular season. That’s not something the Eagles will do this year, but Schuller has wins against Montana, Northern Colorado and Idaho State with a team that was replacing conference MVP Brianne Ryan and has juggled a lineup with eight different starters at one point or the other.

Just a thought: She’s a contender along with Jamie White at Northern Colorado, Robin Selvig (Montana) and Weber’s Bethann Ord (just kidding).
   
5. Sacramento State 16-11, 11-7
Last week: No. 5
Sacramento State escaped Ogden with a six-point win against Weber State, and then after a fast start, faded and fell to Idaho State 81-61.

At No. 5, Sac State is a dividing line between teams that can win the Big Sky tournament, those that are a tough out and the others that don’t have a shot.

I can see any of the top four teams taking the postseason tourney, but after watching the Hornets in person Saturday it’s hard to imagine them winning three straight in either Missoula or Greeley.

Kylie Kuhns is good (she averaged 21.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists this past weekend) and the Hornets are dangerous with their unique style of play. But Sac State, for my taste, relies too much on 3-point shooting to carry it. Against teams like Montana, Northern Colorado and Idaho State, they might — might — pull off one upset, but it’s hard to imagine them doing it for three straight nights.

6. Montana State 16-11, 10-8
Last week: No. 9
At home, Montana State lost to Montana 58-55 before upending Southern Utah 56-48.

I had Montana State as low as No. 10 only two weeks ago. The  ’Cats haven’t really done anything to convince me since then that they’re not quite that bad (since dropping six straight, MSU has gone 2-1).

But at least the Bobcats showed some renewed life in the loss to Montana Saturday. That game didn’t go MSU’s way, but despite shooting 27 percent from the field the ’Cats held on for the eight-point win against the Thunderbirds with rebounding, defense and stellar free-throw shooting.

It locked up MSU’s spot in the postseason tournament, but whether Montana State can find whatever the heck it was doing earlier — it seems like an age ago that the Bobcats were 8-1 and in first place — is yet to be seen.

7. Southern Utah 13-15, 7-11
Last week: No. 6
On the Montana road trip, Southern Utah lost to UM 70-54 and then fell at Montana State 56-48.

With two games left, the final postseason spot is completely up for grabs ... well, sort of. I just spent the past 20 minutes trying to figure things out.

In a quick summation, here it goes: Northern Arizona owes the tiebreaker with Southern Utah, because the Jacks beat the T-birds twice head to head.

Let’s say SUU loses its last two games to Northern Colorado and North Dakota, and NAU drops its home contest to Montana and Montana State. We’d have a three-way tie for seventh place between SUU, UND and NAU.

The tiebreaker (thanks to a 3-1 record against the other two) goes to Northern Arizona.

Now there’s also the possibility that Portland State could win both of its last games and cause a four-way tie (assuming SUU and NAU both lose twice). In that case, Southern Utah, I think, wins the tie-breaking process.

Did your eyes just glaze over? Is all of that too much information? Did I just waste 20 minutes of my life working through multiple scenarios, many of which have very small probabilities of ever happening? Yes, yes I did. Tell you what, let’s reconvene one week from now when we know who the sacrificial lamb — um, I mean the seventh seed — is and worry about it all then.

8. Northern Arizona 8-19, 7-11
Last week: No. 7
Northern Arizona lost to Idaho State 67-46, and then the Lumberjacks beat Weber State 65-49.

The Jacks are a bit of an odd team. They have beaten both Eastern Washington and Southern Utah twice, but NAU has also dropped games to North Dakota and Portland State.

NAU has the conference’s leading scorer (senior guard Amy Patton), plus a number of scoring threats. At the same time, looking at the conference statistics, Northern Arizona is in the bottom third of a number (like points per game, scoring defense, scoring margin, rebounding and turnover margin).

Yet here they are, tied with the T-birds going into the last weekend. I’m searching for a reason, an explanation but really I have no idea how NAU has scrounged to find seven conference victories after going 1-8 in the preseason.

9. North Dakota 11-17, 6-13
Last week: No. 8
Mascot-less North Dakota lost in frigid Grand Forks to Eastern Washington 67-58.

In this week’s Grand Forks weather update, it looks like those folks have an expected high of 23 degrees today with a paltry 10 percent chance of snow.

Tonight, the temperature should take a steep dive into the teens before rebounding for a brilliant, sunny 30 degrees Thursday.
   
10. Portland State 11-16, 5-13
Last week: No. 10
In its only game of the week, Portland State was victimized by Northern Colorado’s D’shara Strange in a 63-48 loss.

I make fun of Weber State constantly (because, you know, the Wildcats are really, really terrible), but, in truth, the Vikings have been about as bad for the past month.

PSU’s last win was Feb. 7. Since then — mainly because the Vikings, an average team at best to start with, are dealing with major injury problems — Portland State has lost five games by an average of 19.4 points a contest.

11. Weber State 0-27, 0-18
Last week: No. 11
I’ve had a great time the past couple months making fun of Weber State and its losing streak (which has now set the new Big Sky record with 46-straight losses after losing to Sacramento State and Northern Arizona).

At what point should I scale it back and have a little bit of understanding for what the players, coaches and fans are going through in Ogden? I mean, I’m sure it hasn’t been easy, this whole losing streak thing, right?

But the thing is, Weber has a chance now of going for history beyond the Big Sky. Long Island University lost 58-consecutive games from 1986-89.

So, Weber, I say we take this all the way. Here’s to 59 and a new NCAA record.

“The March to History” continues.