Big Sky Rankings — Letting it fly in Sacramento

The committee (of one) is still processing how Seattle didn’t score from the 1-yard line on Sunday. With the title just out of their grasp, the Seahawks best offensive player didn’t touch the fully-inflated football.

It’s like Michael Jordan not having a chance to torch Utah in the ’98 NBA Finals or Idaho State taking the ball out of Justin Arias’ hands when it counted the most.

Live and die with what got you there.

Kind of like Sacramento State in its dramatic win over Montana on Saturday. The Hornets leaned on guard Dylan Garrity in the closing seconds for the biggest shot of the game, ignoring the fact that the senior was 1 for 6 from the field before he hit the game-winning shot.

Shaking our heads, Seahawks.

Without further ado.

1. Eastern Washington
Record: 16-5, 7-1
Last week: Unranked
AdjO - AdjD = 3.1
The Eagles upped their scoring average in the Big Sky to 87.8 points a game after outlasting Idaho 98-95 in overtime.

Eastern guard Tyler Harvey, who is scoring 24.5 points a game in conference play, suffered a quad contusion in the win. But the Spokesman Review is reporting EWU expects Harvey to play Thursday at Montana.

NOTE: A week ago, Eastern Washington couldn’t be ranked because Harvey, the Eagles star guard, had blocked the entire committee (of one) on Twitter. After a swift internal investigation that wasn’t transparent or decisive, the Eagles and Harvey are once again permitted to be dissected and ranked. The committee (of one) is happily and luckily no longer blocked.

2. Sacramento State
Record: 16-5, 7-1
Last week: No. 2
AdjO - AdjD = -2.6
Sac State swept a pair of home games, beating Montana State (75-59) and Montana (70-69).

The Big Sky won’t let the Hornets host the men’s tournament in their 1,102 seat arena called the Hornets Nest, and the folks in Sac are in desperation mode trying to find a suitable location.

3. Montana
Record: 11-9, 7-2
Last week: No. 3
AdjO - AdjD = .2
Montana rolled Portland State 73-54 before losing at Sacramento State 70-69.

The Grizzlies have to feel bummed they blew an eight-point lead with three minutes left in Sacramento. Even after the loss, though, Montana is in position to win the regular season championship.

4. Northern Arizona
Record: 10-11, 5-3
Last week: No. 4
AdjO - AdjD = -3.5
The Lumberjacks whipped Southern Utah 81-60 in Cedar City, Utah.

Montana, Sac State and Eastern Washington have separated from the pack. Northern Arizona, with the league’s second-best scoring defense, might be the one team that can keep pace.

5. Northern Colorado
Record: 11-9, 6-3
Last week: No. 5
AdjO - AdjD = -5.4
Northern Colorado swept Idaho State (79-76) and Weber State (71-57) in Greeley, Colorado.

The Bears can score. For evidence, see UNC’s 12-for-17 3-point shooting effort against Idaho State.

6. Idaho
Record: 8-11, 3-5
Last week: No. 6
AdjO - AdjD = -5.7
Idaho guard Mike Scott scored 23 points on 15 shots while handing out eight assists and no turnovers against Eastern Washington, but the Vandals still lost in overtime 98-95.

In the Vandals final 10 games of the season, seven are away from Moscow where Idaho is 1-7 this season. Despite how good the Vandals have looked in some of their wins (Idaho State, Weber State) and losses (Eastern Washington, twice) they’ll have to play exceptional down the closing stretch just to make the postseason tournament.

7. Weber State
Record: 9-12, 4-6
Last week: No. 8
AdjD - AdjO = -7.6
Weber State did the thing Idaho State couldn’t, splitting a pair of road games with a win at North Dakota 67-60 and a 71-57 loss at Northern Colorado.

For all their athleticism, size and length, the Wildcats just haven’t proven they’re good enough on defense to consistently win every night in the Big Sky. But the committee (of one) is buying stock in the ’Cats, who play five of their last eight at home.

8. Portland State
Record: 11-9, 5-5
Last week: No. 7
AdjO - AdjD = -9.1
Portland State was buried by Montana in a 73-54 defeat, but the Vikings bounced back to knock off Montana State 80-62.

Montana’s league-leading defense smothered PSU, holding the Vikings to 30 percent shooting in the second half. Portland State’s next three games (at Sacramento State, Idaho and Eastern Washington) will go a long way toward determining the Vikings’ postseason fate.

9. North Dakota
Record: 7-13, 3-6
Last week: No. 9
AdjO - AdjD = -11.4
The mascot-less lost to Weber State 67-60 and then took down Idaho State 80-69 in frigid Grand Forks, snapping a four-game losing streak at home.

Northern Colorado buried the Bengals with long-distance threes. North Dakota relied on sophomore guard Quinton Hook’s near triple-double (15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds).

10. Southern Utah
Record: 5-15, 2-6
Last week: No. 10
AdjO - AdjD = -14.7
SUU watched Northern Arizona drain eight 3-pointers in the first half on the way to an ugly 81-60 loss at home.

Since beating Idaho State and Weber State in back-to-back games, the Thunderbirds have dropped three straight.

11. Idaho State
Record: 5-17, 2-8
Last week: No. 11
AdjO - AdjD = -12
ISU lost at Northern Colorado 79-76 and North Dakota 80-69.

The Bengals played well against the Bears, nearly forcing overtime when freshman Geno Luzcando hit a long 2-pointer with his foot on the 3-point line. Then ISU couldn’t rally from a big deficit at North Dakota. And that, in a nutshell, is Bengals basketball in 2015.

12. Montana State
Record: 4-17, 1-8
Last week: No. 12
AdjO - AdjD = -15
Montana State lost by 16 (75-69) at Sac State and 18 (80-62) at Portland State. The ’Cats just don’t have the horses in head coach Brian Fish’s inaugural season.