Before we get to this week's rankings, check out a story on the Journal's website on the ISU men. After finding a way to hold off Montana State, the Bengals are headed out on the road where wins have been difficult to find.
This week marks the halfway point of the Big Sky Conference season. What have we learned?
1) It’s a two-team race for the postseason’s No. 1 seed (and the right to host the Big Sky tournament).
2) Nine teams are vying for the seven postseason berths.
3) Beyond our top two squads, everybody has at least one serious flaw.
4) A conference slate that includes 20 games is long, like really long.
5) The committee (of one) still doesn’t know how good Northern Arizona is, if Portland State can stay in contention or if Idaho State can find ways to regularly finish close games.
Without further ado.
1. Weber State 10-6, 7-1
Last week: No. 3
Weber State has won five in a row after blasting Montana State 86-57 and holding off Montana 68-63 at home.
The committee (of one) battled internally for days about who would take our No. 1 spot. We don’t take these decisions lightly.
The easy decision: Keep Northern Colorado as the No. 1 team. The Bears and Wildcats sport identical 7-1 conference records and UNC currently holds the tiebreaker after beating WSU 70-51 Jan. 9 in Greeley, Colo.
The bold (and correct) decision: Move Weber State to the top slot, recognizing the adage “defense wins Big Sky championships,” and the Wildcats possess the conference’s best defense.
They’re a long, athletic bunch in Ogden, Utah, holding opponents to a league-low 64.2 points a game. In its last three, WSU held Idaho State, Montana State and Montana to a combined 39.8 field-goal percentage.
Joel Bolomboy and Kyle Tresnak’s ability to protect the rim merges with their guard’s aptitude to apply heavy ball pressure for the Big Sky’s stingiest D.
2. Northern Colorado 13-4, 7-1
Last week: No. 1
Northern Colorado is a clean 11-0 at home after outscoring Northern Arizona 87-72 and beating Sacramento State 72-62.
UNC has won eight of its last 10, and six of its victories in the Big Sky have been by double digits.
For all of the committee’s talk of defense above, the Bears haven’t been bad there either. Where Weber is No. 1 in defensive scoring and defensive field-goal percentage, Northern Colorado slides right behind at No. 2.
And we should point out Ken Pomeroy has UNC at No. 147 (WSU is at No. 187) while ESPN’s Daily RPI rankings slot the Bears at No. 144 and Weber State at No. 190.
So call us crazy and deranged for going against the Bears at numero uno in these rankings.
But we haven’t loved the fact that in its last five games, UNC has given up 75, 70, 73, 72 and 62 points.
And consider this: In 11 home games Northern Colorado is averaging 81.4 points a game while shooting 53 percent. In six contests on the road, those numbers drop to 64.3 points a game and 43.6 percent shooting.
3. North Dakota 8-10, 5-3
Last week: No. 5
North Dakota defended its home court in wins over Sacramento State (82-71) and Northern Arizona (84-68).
UND had to have those two games last week in frigid Grand Fork, N.D. (projected high today, 3 below), because now the mascot-less take to the road for their next four. North Dakota isn’t home again until the middle of February (when it will still be freezing cold in beautiful Grand Forks).
4. Northern Arizona 8-11, 5-3
Last week: No. 2
Northern Arizona traveled thousands of miles (literally) to lose to Northern Colorado 87-72 and North Dakota 84-68.
The committee (of one) — really the entire league — was anxious to see how NAU, a surprising 5-1 to start the conference, would react against two of the better teams in the Big Sky on the road .
Answer: Not great. Northern Colorado shot 59 percent against the Lumberjacks, and North Dakota — with the Big Sky’s worst 3-point field-goal percentage — banged home 11 of its 16 3-point attempts against NAU.
Maybe the Jacks just ran into two buzz saws on the road, or perhaps they left their defense at home. They’d better find it again with Weber State and Idaho State visiting Flagstaff this week.
5. Montana 8-9, 3-5
Last week: No. 7
Montana lost to Weber State 68-63 but that came after getting a road split by rallying past Idaho State 59-54.
If the postseason tournament were today, the Grizzlies would not be in it. But the committee (of one) has them all the way up at No. 5 for two reasons.
1) Montana believes. Under head coach Wayne Tinkle, Grizzly players consider themselves the favorites to win the Big Sky championship for the third season in a row. Confidence is an amazing thing.
(Please note: We admire this Grizzly notion but believe their lack of frontcourt scoring/rebounding will be their undoing.)
2) Kareem Jamar is the best player in the Big Sky.
(We reserve the right to change that opinion after Northern Colorado and North Dakota face Idaho State in Pocatello.)
6. Idaho State 7-10, 4-4
Last week: No. 6
The Bengals split a pair of games in Reed Gym, losing to Montana 59-54 and beating Montana State 69-64.
Pessimist’s point of view: Throw out a bad call at North Dakota, find a way to hold on to a second-half 10-point lead against the Grizzlies and Idaho State could be a solid 6-2 in the Big Sky, one game behind co-leaders Northern Colorado and Weber State. Neither of those things happened, though, and the Bengals are firmly entrenched in the middle of the conference standings with five of their next eight away from Pocatello.
Optimist’s point of view: ISU’s starting point guard Tomas Sanchez fouled out of Saturday’s game versus Montana State with more than 4 minutes remaining and the Bengals clinging to a two-point lead. Idaho State still found a way to outscore MSU 16-13 down the stretch without its floor leader to avoid falling below .500 in league standings. The Bengals have surpassed last year’s win total (of six) with 12 games left.
7. Montana State 9-10, 4-4
Last week: No. 4
In a rather negative trend, MSU has dropped four of its last five after losing to Weber State 86-57 and Idaho State 69-64.
The Bobcats caught Idaho State on a night when it shot 36 percent from the floor (ISU’s season average is .452), and sophomore guard Marcus Colbert scored a career-high 23 points.
But they lost the free-throw battle 26-10, and MSU never found a way to consistently attack inside against ISU’s zone.
8. Portland State 9-8, 4-4
Last week: No. 9
The Vikings knocked off Southern Utah 67-64 and beat Eastern Washington 92-83 Monday night.
As a change of topic, the committee (of one) has a serious discussion point. As cities, Portland and Seattle have a real rivarly. So are folks in Portland rooting against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl? Or are they sticking with the Northwest, figuring if anyone is going to win an NFL championship it might as well be someone three hours away?
9. Eastern Washington 8-11, 3-5
Last week: No. 8
Eastern Washington beat Southern Utah 90-83 and lost at Portland State 92-83.
There’s so many things to like about the Eagles. They can score on anyone, Tyler Harvey is a pure shooter and Venky Jois does a little of everything.
But we stuck Weber State at No. 1 with the argument the Wildcats belong there because of their defensive prowess. By the same logic, this spot is the right one for Eastern Washington.
EWU is second-to-last in scoring in defense, and with the exception of holding Montana to 62 points Jan. 9 in Cheney, Wash., the Eagles have allowed every Big Sky opponent to crank out at least 72 points.
Southern Utah’s highest offensive output versus a Division I opponent this year was 61 before the Thunderbirds had a crack at the Eagles’ defense.
10. Sacramento State 6-11, 2-6
Last week: No. 10
On a long road trip, the Hornets lost to North Dakota 82-71 and Northern Colorado 72-62.
Sacramento State is 10th in the Big Sky scoring 65.3 points a game. Not good. The Hornets are third in the league defensively, holding teams to 68.2 points. That’s ahead of teams like Idaho State, Montana State and Northern Arizona.
But according to Ken Pomeroy, Sac State is giving up 112.4 points per 100 possessions. For comparison ISU, MSU and NAU allow between 106.1 to 106.3 points.
In other words, the Hornets’ defensive numbers are deflated because of the slow pace they play, not because they’re exceptionally good on that side of the ball.
11. Southern Utah 1-16, 0-8
Last week: No. 11
In two competitive contests, Southern Utah lost at Eastern Washington 90-83 and Portland State 67-64.
Since losing by 15 to Idaho State Jan. 16, the Thunderbirds have lost three games by single digits. Considering how they had lost 11 of their previous 12 by double digits, that’s a major improvement.
The committee (of one) doubts SUU coach Nick Robinson believes in moral victories, but he has to love how his guys continue to play with energy and heart in the midst of what is now a 16-game losing streak.
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