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Friday, January 5, 2001
Aztecs among many mysteries of MWC
By Ed Graney
Special to ESPN.com
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The thing is, Fran Fraschilla didn't laugh when he said it. Not even a giggle. Didn't clear his throat. Didn't pause. Nothing.
He was dead serious.
"I thought last year they were one of the best-coached teams in our conference," Fraschilla said. "You could see it on tape. They had kids out there trying to execute some very well-designed things at both ends. They just didn't have the talent to get it done."
San Diego State does this season.
And the face of Mountain West Conference basketball has changed overnight.
|  | | Junior forward Randy Holcomb has helped rejuvenate San Diego State. |
League play opens Monday and in no way is the predicted order of finish the same as it was two months ago. Off-court distractions have made some favorites slip, while those once thought destined for more losing ways are suddenly being taken seriously.
Fraschilla and his New Mexico team opens conference play in San Diego, where Steve Fisher in his second season has breathed life into a once pathetic program, one that went 9-45 the previous two years and has one winning season since 1985.
Now?
SDSU is 8-3 and has won four straight entering its home game against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi on Thursday. The Aztecs have a Sagarin rating of 93, up 169 spots from preseason rankings. They have one of the league's top transfers in junior forward Randy Holcomb (16.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and former Vanderbilt player Deandre Moore running the point.
Two scores stand out:
SDSU 64, Arizona State 62.
SDSU 87, Oklahoma State 66.
"I said we would be competitive and we have been," said Fisher, who welcomed seven new players to this year's team and has two highly-regarded transfers (Tony Bland from Syracuse and Brandon Smith from Michigan) sitting out. "But being a better team doesn't necessarily guarantee us we can make a significant jump in conference."
And still ...
Utah is 8-6 and has struggled without head coach Rick Majerus, who is on an indefinite leave with heart and knee problems. Nevada-Las Vegas is 8-5 and already had coach Bill Bayno fired after NCAA sanctions stripped the Rebels of post-season play this year.
BYU has played well of late after a shaky start and is still big enough to cause everyone problems. Wyoming is the league's most talented team, and Colorado State can still shoot lights out. Air Force will struggle, but so will opponents once the Falcons figure out new coach Joe Scott's Princeton scheme.
New Mexico, sitting with a 10-1 record and RPI of 39, is the league's most athletic and consistent team to date.
The conference RPI is 10, meaning it could be looking at just one NCAA Tournament bid. It has a shot at two, but it's no given right now.
"The way I see it, teams like us and San Diego State are still probably a year away," Fraschilla said. "But our guys are looking at it like 'Let's go for it now.' No one has really jumped up and played like a dominant team yet. It's there for the taking. (UNLV) can't participate in the conference tournament (in Las Vegas), meaning it will truly be a neutral court.
"Last year, I think the conference was competitive from one through six teams. Now, it's that way one through seven at least."
One of the better stories out West is San Diego State starting off-guard Al Faux. The junior from Shoreline Community College in Seattle turned down scholarship offers from Gonzaga and Oregon State to walk-on with the Aztecs.
The 6-foot-2 Faux (pronounced FOX) is averaging 10.3 points and shooting 51 percent from three-point range. He scored a career-high 28 against Oklahoma State, including seven-of-eight on threes and 11 straight points in one stretch.
No scholarship?
"I'll tell you what," said Aztecs coach Steve Fisher. "With what (Faux) gets in school loans and aid, I bet some of our scholarship players would rather have his deal than the one they're on."
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Games of the Week
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Stanford at Arizona
Saturday
It's early, very early, but this could well set the tone for Pac-10 play. Stanford coach Mike Montgomery likes the way point guard Michael McDonald has directed the team to its 11-0 start, but the senior struggled guarding Duke's Jason Williams and will encounter another talented lead guard here in Jason Gardner. Depth isn't as major a problem for Arizona as it was with Duke when the Blue Devils couldn't sustain down the stretch against Stanford. Montgomery's post players -- see Jason and Jarron Collins -- must be aggressive in taking the ball at Loren Woods. Those who hesitate against Arizona's center are usually the ones who suffer most.
Fresno State at Tulsa
Saturday
The Bulldogs (who play at Rice on Thursday) enter the week having won seven straight and 11 of 13. Tulsa might not offer the NCAA Tournament-caliber team of recent seasons, but is 6-1 at home and has won three straight. It's the type of game Jerry Tarkanian's team needs to win. It's a statement game for the Bulldogs, who think and want to prove themselves the WAC's best over the likes of Texas-El Paso, SMU and Texas Christian. FSU point guard Tito Maddox hasn't played in enough games to qualify among conference leaders, but averages of 33 minutes, 18.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 10.1 assists pretty much tells the story. Which is this: He's really, really good.
Wyoming at Utah
Monday (midnight ET, ESPN)
Big Monday offers this Mountain West Conference opener, and it will be interesting to see how the Utes defend Josh Davis. The Wyoming forward averages 13.5 points and 9.8 rebounds for the league's deepest team. Despite its early struggles and the absence of coach Rick Majerus, Utah still defends. The Utes allow an average of just 59.8 points. Utah is not a team of gaudy statistics -- point guard Kevin Bradley averages a team-high 11.1 points. Wyoming features the league's best free-throw shooter in Marcus Bailey (90.1 percent).
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Around the West
WCC parity: There isn't much difference between the Mountain West and West Coast Conference this season. A group of teams bunched among records like 8-3 and 8-5 and 6-4 and 6-7. No one outstanding. No one all that great.
But the WCC could also offer its most competitive race in years when league play begins next week. Gonzaga's success in March the past two seasons has motivated others -- ie: Pepperdine, San Diego and San Francisco -- to try and duplicate the magic.
The favorite still has to be USD. Brad Holland's senior-led team stumbled a bit lately in losing a home-and-home with Wisconsin-Milwaukee (who did that scheduling?), but the Toreros will host the conference tournament in their new on-campus arena, the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Why also to like USD: It's the league's best defensive and rebounding team, traits that win close games now and in a few months.
Scary Bruins: Pac-10 play begins Thursday and all the talk is about Arizona, Stanford, USC and Oregon.
And no one is really saying much about UCLA.
And that has some concerned.
"UCLA is scary," said Cal coach Ben Braun. "It's not a team to ever overlook, no matter what the circumstance. It's a dangerous team with a lot of talent."
The Bruins, 5-4 and fresh from a win at Purdue, open conference play with home games against the Washington schools.
Who's Hot
San Diego State's shooting: The Aztecs made 13 straight shots (including six from 3-point range) to open the second half against Oklahoma State. Most teams can't do that playing H-O-R-S-E.
Brandon Armstrong: Pepperdine's junior guard went for 41 against Charlotte and 29 against Ohio in leading the Waves to the AZcentral.com Classic title.
Who's Not
Washington: Does Marques Tuiasosopo have a jump shot?
Cal State Northridge: The Matadors snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Vanguard Cleaning Supply by 45. But that doesn't really count, does it?
Quote to Note
"No Krispy Kreme doughnut or hot fudge sundae ever tasted as good as that pain pill."
-- Utah coach Rick Majerus last week on how he relieves pain from his surgically-repaired knee.
Four days later, he underwent a heart procedure.
Thought for the Day
It seems Bill Bayno has a new job on UNLV's campus, assisting with special fund-raising projects and helping coordinate summer camps. Our best guess: Bayno's list of potential donors doesn't include local dentists.
Ed Graney of the San Diego Union-Tribune is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at ed.graney@uniontrib.co.
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