DANVILLE, Ca--If you can remember some of things I written in the past, you may have picked up on the fact that I have little regard for the sports writers in the eastern part of this country, certain BCS conferences (Big East, ACC, and Big-10) in particular, and the geographic bias that exists in the writing, ranking, and selection of college sports.
We see it every year in Football. Just ask Boise State, Utah, Fresno State, and TCU. We see it in Basketball. Just ask St. Mary's or Utah State for example. Teams from the West get the short end of the stick! By contrast, mediocre teams from the East get are fawned over and get positive press far more than they deserve.
Let's look at two teams to illustrate my point: St. Mary's is an outstanding 21-5 and in second place in the WCC and have the best big man on the West Coast in Omar Samhan. If you read some of the articles penned by the Easterners or comments made during telecasts, they are an obscure team from an even more obscure conference. According to those eastern types, St. Mary's HAS to win this game, or that game, in order to be considered an at-large team in the NCAA.
For contrast, there is UConn: The Huskies are a mediocre 14-11, and a dismal 4-8 in the Big East. Yet, dispite that kind of record, they are still being considered (by some) a "Bubble Team," or at least NIT bound. Can you imagine a team from west of Rockies being given that kind of consideration...that kind of preferential treatment?
It would never happen.
I guess the final analysis is this: the Eastern Big Time schools have to LOSE their way out of post-season play...teams from the West have to WIN their way in. Winning is always more of a challenge than the alternative. And, losing in the "rigged" publicity/rankings/commentary system that exists, makes it even easier to maintian their edge in recruiting, TV contracts, and prestige.
There is one rule I would like to establish if I were the head of the NCAA: a team must play at .500 ball in their conference to get into the Dance. Would that be too much to expect?
It would help to tear down the barrier that exists between east and west.
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If you like play in conference to be close, then you had to love the results in the Big West last night. The four conference games were decided by a collective 8 points. That's right 3, 1, 2, 2. Two went to overtime, with the Fullerton/Northridge game going to triple overtime; the final score was a NBAesque 113-112. The home team won two; the visitors won two. Can't get much closer than that.
Such competitive balance is great for the teams of the individual schools. It keeps teams sharper and more focused, and it spurs local fan interest.
Yet, it is precisely that kind of league balance that hurts the Big West in the eyes of the selection committee and mires the conference in its "One Bid" status. What it takes for the conference to get two bids, is for two teams to clearly break away from the pack, both with superb records...like Pacific and Utah State did a few years ago.
