Weber State Basketball

The state of Utah has placed at least one of their six NCAA D-I basketball teams in the national tournament every year since 1994, and is continually putting their schools deep in the tourney.

BYU went to the Sweet Sixteen in 2011 and has gone dancing in six straight seasons, and although the Utah Utes haven't gone in a few years, they have been to the Final Four multiple times. Weber State and Southern Utah have also made brief appearances in the last few decades.

So when it is mentioned that the state may not put anyone in the tournament this season, several jaws are sure to drop. The Utes are nowhere close to making it; Utah State is a long shot; and BYU extinguished most hopes of an at-large bid with back-to-back losses to San Fransisco and San Diego.

Sure, if any of those schools win their PAC-12, WAC or WCC tournaments, they will receive an automatic bid, but none are favored to finish even in the top two or three.

So, is there any hope left for Utah schools in the Big Dance?

In fact, there is.

Southern Utah and Weber State are two teams that are rarely ever mentioned in the same sentence as "NCAA Tournament", and although the two have combined for 15 tournament appearances, they have shown up at the Big Dance only three times in this century.

But this postseason could be different. The Wildcats and Thunderbirds are second and third in the conference, respectively, and have both given Big Sky leader Montana a run for their money on the road. In fact, WSU fell by two points in Missoula earlier this year, and SUU overcame a 47-to-5 free-throw shooting deficit—yes, you read that correctly—and lost by only six.

Sure, the conference tourney for the Big Sky is one heckuva challenge to win if you are not the regular-season champ. The first seed gets a bye to the semifinals and home-court advantage, while all of the others play in three different rounds and have to play on the road.

But it is definitely possible. Weber State is 11-2 in conference; Montana is 14-0; and SUU is 8-6. The Griz travel to Ogden and Cedar City to take on the two Utah teams, and still have Sacramento State and Montana State on their schedule. If Weber stays unbeaten and Montana falls in two of those games, the road will be a lot less difficult for the Wildcats.

As for SUU, the only likely route for them is to win the BSC tournament. It is definitely possible, but it will be quite difficult. With scorers like Jackson Stevenett and Damon Heuir, the top two scorers in the league, you can never count the T-Birds out.

It's not yet time to take a stroll down memory lane and remember when the state of Utah had a representative in March Madness for 17 straight years. There is still hope, and that is implanted in Weber State and Southern Utah. With some big wins, and a little bit of luck, we will see a Utah team in the Big Dance this year.

With all the talk about Barnes, Henson, Davis and Sullinger, does anybody really know who leads the nation in scoring?

Junior guard Damian Lillard, from little old Weber State, is averaging 28.2 points a game. The 6'2" guard out of Oakland, California has lead the Wildcats to a 5-1 record so far.

In his first game of the season against North New Mexico, Lillard dropped 25 points in less than 22 minutes of action. His next game would be his worst—he managed only 17 against Utah State. Trying to shake off his bad shooting against Utah State, Lillard dropped 27 on UC Irvine.

The fourth game of the season saw the Wildcats play Jacksonville State. Damian scored 23 points (his second-worst outing this year), but Weber State won.

The Wildcats suffered their first defeat against St. Mary's in their fifth game—but not from a lack of trying by Lillard. Lillard finished with 36 points in that game on 11-18 shooting.

The Wildcats rebounded with a hard-fought win over San Jose State, with Lillard leading with 41 points. He had 13-21 from the field and six were three-pointers.

Following the 2009-2010 season, when Lillard was named the Big Sky player of the year, everyone expected Lillard to have a great 2010-2011 season and then maybe go on to the NBA draft.

It didn't work out. Ten games into his season last year, Lillard broke his foot and was out for the season. His work ethic, though, has him back on top. He is dominating all players in scoring. This should put him on his way to the NBA.

Weber State is a fun team to watch. When it's late at night and you have nothing to do, check out the best scorer in the game and watch Weber State. 

The Doors formed in Los Angeles, Calif., and now Oakland, Calif., is the hometown of one the rising stars in college basketball.

The star point guard of the Weber State Wildcats, Damian Lillard, is one victory away from having his team break on through to the other side and make the NCAA Tournament.

Tonight against Montana, Lillard and his teammates have the opportunity to redeem themselves after losing at home as a No. 1 seed to Montana State in the Big Sky Conference Tournament last season.

A tremendous shooter, Lillard leads the Wildcats in scoring at 19.7 points per game.  In conference tilts, he steps up his game and averages an extra point per game.

Although better suited to play the off-guard position, Lillard's unselfish play allows him also to lead the team in assists at 3.8 per game.

At 6'2", 185 pounds, Lillard possesses a strong frame and good quickness. He also has distance on his jump shot, as evidenced by his 75 made three-pointers this season at a 39 percent clip.

Because of Lillard's strong play this season, he has been named All-Big Sky First Team and Big Sky Conference MVP. Those achievements are just among those Lillard has already received and will deserve as his collegiate career continues.

Last season, Lillard became the first true freshman in Big Sky history to gain first-team honors and just the third player ever from Weber State to be named Freshman of the Year.

Lillard helped the Wildcats overcome their poor shooting last night against Portland State by scoring 23 points and dishing out four assists in 37 minutes of action.

While Weber State and the Montana Grizzlies have split their previous two meetings, Lillard proved to be the best player on the floor on both occasions by scoring 24 and 30 points in those games.

While playing the game in Ogden, Utah, gives Weber State a definite advantage, having the best player in the Big Sky makes the Wildcats an overwhelming favorite tonight.

If Lillard leads Weber State to victory and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcat fans will love him madly.

Big Sky (Ogden, UT)

Seeds: (1) Weber St. (2) Northern Colorado (3) Montana St. (4) Montana (5) Northern Arizona (6) Portland State

2009 Tournament Champion: Portland State (Lost to Wake Forest in NCAA 1st Round)

Game Schedule:

Saturday: (6) Portland State 68, (3) Montana State 65, (4) Montana 81, (5) Northern Arizona 60

Tuesday: (1) Weber St. vs. (6) Portland State, (2) Northern Colorado vs. (4) Montana

Wednesday: Final 9:00 ESPN2

Last year, Portland State became an upset favorite in the NCAAs and Weber State has created the same buzz in past years. With the winner most likely getting a 12 or 13 seed, another upset could brewing for the Big Sky.

Big West (Anaheim)

Seeds: (1) UC-Santa Barbara (2) Pacific (3) Long Beach St. (4) UC-Davis (5)CS-Fullerton (6) Cal Poly (7) UC-Irvine (8) CS-Northridge

2009 Tournament Champion: CS-Northridge (Lost to Memphis in NCAA 1st Round)

Game Schedule:

Wednesday: (5) CS-Fullerton vs. (8) CS-Northridge, (6) Cal Poly vs.  (7) UC-Irvine

Thursday: (3) Long Beach St. vs. Lowest Remaining Seed, (4)UC-Davis vs. Highest Remaining Seed

Friday: (1) UC-Santa Barbara vs. Lowest Remaining Seed, (2) Pacific vs. Highest Remaining Seed

Saturday: Final 8:00 ESPN2

The Big West could produce California's only NCAA Tournament team. With the Pac-10 being way down this year and St. Mary's on the bubble, one of these teams could be the state's lone representative in the big dance.

SWAC (Shreveport, LA)

Seeds: (1) Jackson St. (2) Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3) Alabama St. (4) Prairie View (5) Texas Southern (6) Alabama A&M (7) Mississippi Valley St. (8) Grambling

2009 Tournament Champion: Alabama State (Lost Play-in game)

Game Schedule:

Wednesday: (1) Jackson St. vs. (8) Grambling, (2) Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. (7) Mississippi Valley St.

Thursday: (3) Alabama St. vs. (6) Alabama A&M, (4) Prairie View vs. (5) Texas Southern

Friday: Semifinals

Saturday: Final, 7:30, ESPNU

The winner of this tournament might go the way that Alabama State took last year with a trip to Dayton for the play-in game.

Southland (Katy, TX)

Seeds: (1) Sam Houston St. (2) Stephen F. Austin (3) Texas A&M-CC (4) Southeast Louisiana (5) Texas State (6) UTSA (7) Texas-Arlington (8) Nicholls State

2009 Tournament Champion: Stephen F. Austin (Lost to Syracuse in NCAA 1st Round)

Game Schedule:

Wednesday: (1) Sam Houston St. vs. (8) Nicholls State, (2) Stephen F. Austin vs. (7) Texas-Arlington, (3) Texas A&M-CC vs. (6) UTSA, (4) Southeast Louisiana vs. (5) Texas State

Thursday: Semifinals

Saturday: Final, 4, ESPN2

Unless Southeast Louisiana wins, this conference will have a representative from Texas and could pull an unlikely upset if the winner gets a 14 seed.

MEAC (Winston-Salem, NC)

Seeds: (1) Morgan State (2) Delaware State (3) South Carolina State (4) Norfolk State (5) Hampton (6) MD-Eastern Shore (7) Bethune-Cookman (8) Howard (9) North Carolina A&T (10) FAMU (11) Coppin State

2009 Tournament Champion: Morgan State (Lost to Oklahoma in NCAA 1st Round)

Game Schedule:

Tuesday: (7) Bethune-Cookman vs. (10) FAMU, (8) Howard vs. (9) NC A&T

Wednesday: (6) MD-Eastern Shore vs. (11) Coppin State, (1) Morgan State vs. 8/9 winner, (2) Delaware State vs. 7/10 winner

Thursday: (3) SC State vs. 6/11 winner, (4) Norfolk State vs. (5) Hampton

Friday: Semifinals

Saturday: Final, 2:00, ESPN2

This conference is home to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history with Hampton, who won as a 15 seed. There is a small chance that could happen with the tourney winner who will likely see a 15 or 16 seed.

College Hoopla Conference Tournament Preview Schedule:

Monday Part 2: C-USA, WAC, A-10, MAC, Mountain West

Tuesday: BCS Conferences

The seventh installment of the "Players to Watch" segment features the Big Sky Conference.

Brandon Moore, Eastern Washington Eagles

Moore, a senior at Eastern Washington, is a bright spot for a team that is currently fifth in the Big Sky.  Though his stats may not seem too impressive, he was second in rebounding in the conference last season.  This season, he is leading the Eagles in rebounding, and is a 10th of a point and two rebounds away from averaging a double-double.

Moore lacks consistency, but has shown he has a lot of talent.  In his worst game of the season— against Idaho—he scored zero points and only had five rebounds.  However, he's shown his skill with several impressive performances, such as a game against Seattle University, in which he scored 26 points and had 11 rebounds.

Moore is certainly a valuable asset to Eastern Washington, but needs to work on his consistency.  Another impressive aspect of his game is his shot-blocking ability, as he finished 10th in blocking the in the Big Sky last conference.  Look for Moore to continue to improve in his final season as an Eagle.

Amorrow Morgan, Idaho State Bengals

Morgan, a senior at Idaho State, is one of the team's leaders, and is being asked to take on a different role this year.  Last season, Morgan and fellow teammate Matt Stucki led the Big Sky in assists. 

However, this season Morgan has been asked to become more of a scorer and is averaging 16 points per game.  Morgan has scored in double digits in all but one of his team's 14 games this season—the lone exception was a loss to Notre Dame.

Against Oregon, Morgan put together a great stat line, including 21 points, seven rebounds, and three steals.  With his scoring improved, Morgan would like to increase his number of assists to a level comparable to last year's numbers.

Morgan is an extremely consistent player, who also was fifth in scoring in the Big Sky last season.  Unfortunately, he needs to play even better as the Bengals have already lost 10 games and are off to a disappointing start.

Damian Lillard, Weber State Wildcats

Lillard is only a sophomore, but he is already making his mark on the Big Sky Conference.  Weber State is currently undefeated in conference play and leading the conference with two wins, and Lillard is a major reason for the team's success.

He is currently the top scorer in the Big Sky Conference, and is one of the most exciting young players in the league.  He has put on several exciting performances, including a show against Utah in which he scored 28 points, pulled in five rebounds, and dished seven assists.

Lillard is the future for Weber State, and it is exciting to see such a talented player in a small conference.  Look for Weber State to make some noise this season behind the stellar play of this guard.