DANVILLE, Ca--Definitely! It is appropriate! In fact, it is almost manditory!
What, you say?
It is appropirate and manditory that, at the midway point in the conference races, I take a look at the current standings and compare them to the predictions I made six weeks ago. This isn't easy. It's kind of like going to Confession. I need to look at the past carefully and report to you honestly.
So, with that preamble, I start:
In the Big Sky Northern Colorado and Montana were my picks. Right now, these two are in second and third, respectively. The conference leader isWeber State is 8-1, and is in the process of duplicating last season's feat, when they won the conference with a 15-1 mark. But, as you know, they lost the BS tourney on thier home court and Portland State got the NCAA bid. Randy Rahe is making sure his troops remember that. Grade: C-.
I picked the Rebels of UNLV to nose out BYU in the Mountain West. My reasoning was UNLV played better road defense. They have played well on the road losing just once and losing once at home. They are 5-2, and in third. The road loss was to...BYU, of course. The Cougars are atop the conference with a 6-1 mark, a half game ahead of the Lobos of New Mexico (6-2). Grade: B.
In the Pac-10, Cal and USC were tabbed. The pick of USC was about a week before Athletic Director Mike Garrett ruined his team's season by his self-imposed sanctions.
I deserve a pass on that one. But, Cal has not disappointed. They are currently tied for first with surprising Arizona. Both are 6-3, with Arizona State a game back at 5-4. The Pac-10 is up for grabs. Even the 10-11 Bruins are in the hunt. Would you believe the Pac-10 could be a one-bid conference this year? I doubt that, but that's what some of the Eastern scribes are speculating. Grade: B-.
Pacific (7-1) is zipping right along with a two game lead in the Big West, as predicted. Long Beach is struggling at 4-4, three games back, which I didn't predict. Instead of it being a two way battle between the afore-mentioned, UCSB is in second place with a 6-3 conference reord. The Gauchos have beaten the Tigers in Santa Barbara; the return match is this coming Thursday in Stockton. Grade: C+.
The West Coast Conference is becoming a little boring. Gonzaga is always at the top; right now they are sharing the top spot with St. Mary's, with 6-1 marks. And, yes, I picked them both. Portland is right behind at 5-2, and the Pilots and Gaels have showdowns in Spokane coming up. They have a shot at the Bulldogs, but they have to be a the very top of their game. Grade: A.
My picks for the WAC were Louisiana Tech and Utah State. Tech (6-2) has been there from the start; but, it has taken some time for Utah State Aggies (6-2) to climb into a tie for the conference. To make it even more interesting, New Mexico State (the other Aggies) is at 6-2, too. A very good Nevada team is 5-3. Grade: A.
Overall grade: 3.0. Hey, not too bad.
So, should I predict the ultimate regular season conference winners? Ok, I'll give it a shot. Because of Montgomery, I pick Cal. Because of Thomason, Pacific. Morrill, Utah State. BYU. Weber State. Gonzaga.
