WAC Basketball

Okay, let's go ahead and address the elephant in the room right up front in this article. Utah Valley University (UVU) made national headlines late this week for an unprecedented brawl, in which fans of their basketball team got into altercations with players from visiting New Mexico State.

A small number of New Mexico State players and UVU fans alike did the unacceptable by brawling with each other, crossing a line that cannot be crossed in sports. The ugly incident has served as a flash-point for debate about the acceptability of fans storming the court in college basketball.

Lost in all the hoopla surrounding the brawl is the fact that UVU just got the biggest win in school history, in any sport. The game should have made national news, but not for the negative reasons that it did.

The positives of this game for UVU far outweigh the negatives, but unfortunately most people aren't taking notice of that.

If you want to focus on the brawl, focus on the fact that—despite NMSU player K.C Ross-Miller chucking the basketball at UVU's Holton Hunsaker as time expired—not a single UVU player let that provoke them. That's a sign of terrific coaching by head coach Dick Hunsaker, and speaks volumes about the character of the UVU players.

Most importantly, this game could very well be a defining moment in UVU history. To understand why, it's necessary to provide some background on not only the school's basketball team, but on the school as a whole.

UVU hasn't been a university for very long. It was a junior college known as Utah Valley State College, only becoming a university in 2008. Enrollment has skyrocketed, thanks to an open-enrollment policy, but brand recognition and school pride remain minimal. 

The problem is the school's location.

UVU is located in Orem, Utah. While that city name may not ring any bells, the city that it's attached to should: Provo, Utah, home of BYU.

BYU is the biggest sports draw in a sports-crazy state, collegiate or professional. The school's athletics program brings in more money and fans than either the Utah Jazz or Real Salt Lake (the two professional sports teams in the state). The importance of BYU to sports in the state of Utah is similar to the importance that the University of Oregon or University of Oklahoma have in their respective states.

And it's not just sports. BYU is also the biggest academic power in the state. While the University of Utah more than holds its own in both athletics and academics, every other university in the state lives to some degree in BYU or the "U of U's" shadow.

Unfortunately for UVU, they don't just figuratively live in BYU's shadow. They literally live in it, as a drive of just ten minutes separates the campuses of the two schools.

Life as a newcomer trying to make it in the territory of a well-established behemoth is not easy, especially in college sports. It's the same reason why few people outside the local area have heard of Indiana University South Bend, which is dwarfed by nearby powerhouse Notre Dame.

While BYU pride is all over the Provo-Orem metropolitan area, there is almost no UVU pride. Even right next to UVU's campus, BYU signs, flags, and other fan paraphernalia are proudly displayed. That lack of pride extends even beyond sports, as many UVU students transfer over to BYU if their UVU transcript is good enough. While that may have been acceptable when the school was a junior college, that's not something a university looking to establish itself can pride itself on. 

In order to become the school it wants to be, UVU has to establish pride among its students, first and foremost. That's where the basketball team comes into play.

UVU has never had a football team, so it falls to the basketball team to garner recognition for the school and be a point of pride for its students to rally around. This season marks the first real chance they have had to do so, as before joining the WAC this season, they were not in a conference with an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Although the Wolverines were a Division I basketball team, they were among the handful of outcasts who had no real shot at achieving anything noticeable on the court.

Which brings us back to last night's UVU-NMSU basketball game.

The Wolverines found themselves in a surprising position, standing near the top of the WAC in their first season in the conference. The major obstacle between them and a regular-season conference title was a big one however: the New Mexico State Aggies, the powerhouse team in WAC basketball.

On their home court, the Wolverines fought back and forth with the Aggies—tying the game with just seconds left when Keawe Enos pump-faked beyond the arc and drew a foul on NMSU's 7'5" behemoth center Sim Bhullar, and sunk all three free throws to send the game into overtime. After that improbable comeback, the Wolverines took over in overtime, delivering the biggest win in school history and prompting the rushing of the court that ended with the infamous brawl.

Thanks to that win, UVU now has a real shot at winning the conference regular-season title. That accomplishment, though it may not seem significant to most outsiders, would be a milestone in UVU history. While the brawl itself was terrible, the fact that UVU fans had that much passion is a very good thing for the school. Games like this can be the foundation for a solid program that gets the fans excited and becomes a source of pride for the school and its students.

So while a large chunk of the country shakes their head at UVU basketball after last night's game, this die-hard BYU fan applauds them.

After instigating a brawl that marred a fantastic WAC contest between New Mexico State and Utah Valley on Thursday, Aggies junior guard K.C. Ross-Miller has been suspended indefinitely, according to ESPN.com.

Following Utah Valley's 66-61 overtime victory, chaos ensued. While the players were in the midst of a brawl, fans rushed the court to celebrate the Wolverines' big win, exacerbating the situation.

Per Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports, the brawl was initially triggered by Ross-Miller throwing the ball at Utah Valley's Holton Hunsaker immediately after the game:

While it is unclear what prompted Ross-Miller to react in that manner, New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies deemed his actions unacceptable, according to ESPN.com.

No matter what provoked K.C. what he did was inexcusable and hence the suspension. It is an honor and a privilege to wear an Aggie uniform and a responsibility comes with that privilege. I will wait until I've had a chance to talk with our conference officials and university administration before any other disciplinary actions may or may not be taken.

The brawl likely would have occurred regardless after Ross-Miller threw the ball, but having so many fans on the court certainly didn't help matters. Steve Kaplowitz of ESPN 600 Radio in El Paso, Texas, believes that the fans deserve part of the blame as well:

As seen in this photo of the brawl courtesy of Sporting News, it was an extremely dangerous situation for everyone on the court:

In addition to Ross-Miller, a couple other New Mexico State players were prominently involved in the melee too. ESPN.com is reporting that junior guard DK Eldridge appeared to throw a punch at the crowd, while junior guard Daniel Mullings claimed that he was hit.

No disciplinary action has been taken against either player, and it isn't yet known how lengthy Ross-Miller's suspension will be, but further review will help in making those decisions.

While Menzies tried to look for an explanation for why Ross-Miller threw the ball, he came to the conclusion that his players can't allow others to get in their heads.

I don't know what exactly happened. I was kind of going over to shake hands. I want to apologize for K.C.'s actions. From what I understand, he threw the ball after the game was over and had expired. I don't know what provoked it. I mean, Hunsaker's a little chippy himself so he may have said something or done something, but you just can't respond. I mean, we showed them plenty of clips where they do things that can get underneath your skin a little bit and you've got to be tougher than that mentally, and I'm just upset that he did that.

After losing to Utah Valley, the Aggies find themselves in second place in the WAC, although they control their own NCAA tournament destiny—they just need to win the conference tournament. 

Being without Ross-Miller for an extended period of time will hurt as he averages eight points per game and leads the team in assists, but New Mexico State has plenty of depth. Six other players on the roster average 7.7 points or more per contest, while Mullings is capable of taking games over.

A rematch with Utah Valley in the WAC tournament is a very real possibility, and it's only natural that some hard feelings will still exist. Hopefully both teams learn from what happened and don't make the same mistakes next time, but the rematch will be a must-see game for college basketball fans if it comes to fruition.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

The ESPN Tip-Off Marathon and its more than 24 consecutive hours of college basketball is underway right now, and has already given us some exciting games such as BYU's 112-103 win at Stanford and Virginia Tech's 87-82 victory at home over West Virginia.

One game you probably didn't see though was New Mexico State's 95-88 win on the road against Hawaii, which tipped off at five o'clock in the morning eastern time. Yet it was actually a very significant game and not just because NMSU's mold-breaking 7'5", 360 pound center Sim Bhullar was on display. 

The game between the Aggies and the Warriors featured 48 fouls, 70 free-throw attempts, four technical fouls and an ejection due to Hawaii guard Keith Shamburger picking up two technicals. With those kind of stats, one would assume that the game was a rough, chippy, borderline out-of-control game between two teams who played like they hated each others' guts.

Except it wasn't.

While Hawaii did intentionally commit several fouls near the end of the game in order to put NMSU on the free-throw line in an attempt to make the comeback, for the most part the two teams played a very average game with a style of play that isn't overly foul-prone.

The issue here wasn't dirty play or overly emotional or aggressive playing styles. It was the implementation of the new NCAA rules, which can be found here. Basically, hand-checking is no longer allowed, drawing charges is incredibly difficult and defenses aren't allowed to be nearly as physical as they previously were.

There has been much debate over the new rules, with some arguing that they are needed in order to increase scoring and make games more exciting while others argue that the rule changes drastically slow down the game and turn it into little more than a free-throw competition.

In the NMSU vs. Hawaii game, the latter argument was on full display. The game was disjointed and difficult to watch.  Not because the teams played poorly, but because the officiating team was the one who was front and center for the majority of the game. 

This was made abundantly clear from the get-go, with Shamburger being issued a technical near the start of the game for minimal jawing after a play. Technicals were given out throughout the game for offenses so minor that they were almost unheard of in past seasons. Fouls were called on the majority of offensive possessions for both teams as well.

To be clear, the officiating crew called the game correctly according to the new rules.  So this isn't about whether or not they did their jobs correctly.

Rather, this game was a showcase for why the new rule changes don't work and need to at least be revised, if not fully dismantled.

Because despite the fact that New Mexico State won, the most memorable moments from the game all involve the officiating crew, who took center stage for the majority of the contest.

Having the officiating team as the most prominent team on the court is never a good thing.

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, coached by Michael White, are a sleeper capable of making noise in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Don't forget about the Bulldogs when it comes time to fill out your office brackets, because they could be this year's Cinderella.

Currently projected to be a No. 13 seed (Joe Lunardi) in the West, squaring off against No. 4 Georgetown in the first round, Louisiana Tech has posted a 24-3 (14-0 WAC) record as of February 24.

Led by second-year head coach Michael White, the Bulldogs are primed to receive their first bid to the Big Dance since 1991. The young coach himself is no stranger to March Madness. He helped lead his Ole Miss Rebels to three consecutive NCAA Tournament bids (1997, 1998 and 1999), including the program's first win in the NCAA Tournament.

In fact, White almost led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament last season in his initial year at the helm. At 35 years old in his first season as a college head coach, his club nearly ran the table as the No. 5 seed in the WAC Basketball Tournament and captured an automatic bid to the Big Dance. However, New Mexico State ultimately ended the tournament dreams of Tech fans.

Coming within 40 minutes of advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2011-2012, the Bulldogs are destined for a berth this season. Quietly, they have won their past 16 games in a row heading into a February 28 tilt with Utah State. Further, White's squad will get a chance to sweep the same New Mexico State team that knocked his club out of the Big Dance last season when the two meet on March 7.

While sophomore guard Raheem Appleby leads his team in scoring with 14.7 PPG, six Louisiana Tech players are averaging 6.9 PPG or better. The head coach has developed his group into a true team, with 10 players averaging 10.1 minutes per game or more.

At the charity stripe, the Bulldogs shoot over 70 percent as a team, led by eight different players averaging 70 percent or better. The fact that White's team doesn't have to rely on just one or two players could bode quite well for Louisiana Tech when the level of competition goes up a notch in the Big Dance. They have depth.

One area of emphasis for White's club has been aggressive, yet careful play. The Bulldogs are No. 18 in the nation in steals per game with 9.1 per contest, while ranking No. 6 in the country in turnover margin at plus-5.3 steals per game. Come mid-March being able to protect the basketball becomes mission critical, an area in which Tech has been quite successful thus far in 2012-2013.

Averaging 73.9 PPG (No. 41 nationally) and 39.3 RPG (No. 21 nationally) as a unit, White's squad gets things done the old-fashioned way, as a team. If the Bulldogs can manage to win their final four games of the regular season, they would enter the WAC Tournament having won their last 20 contests. There's no denying the cohesiveness of a team both on and off the court, which can rattle off as many wins in a row (16) as Louisiana Tech has done to date.

The two schools that will challenge this group for a conference tournament championship will be Denver (18-8, 13-2 WAC) and New Mexico State (19-9, 12-3 WAC). Having come so close to winning the WAC Tournament in 2012, White should have his players mentally prepared to take home the title.

On Sunday, March 17, Bulldogs players, coaches and fan will circle around the biggest flat screen in Ruston, LA to see who their team will face in round one of the Big Dance. Regardless of who the opponent ends up being, one thing is for sure: Their opponent best not look past these Bulldogs, because they're a team capable of wearing the glass slipper for a while.

If that happens, look for Michael White to be one of the hot young coaching names in America.

I like Louisiana Tech's chances in March, maybe just enough to reach the Sweet 16.

Follow @SephTalksSEC

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have shocked a lot of people this season with their record and their current 11-game winning streak. The 'Dogs haven't lost this year. (Literally.)

With a 19-3 record and a perfect 10-0 mark in conference play, this young team coached by Michael White has yet to see its name in the Top 25. But as a little bit of motivation, they have received eight points in AP votes.

The reason for this is that their strength of schedule is nowhere strong enough to prove they can hang with the big boys. The most significant opponent on their schedule is Texas A&M, which the 'Dogs lost to 71-59. 

Tech has a lot of young talent on its squad that can surely pull an upset on many of the NCAA's Top 25 if given the chance. Their sophomore point guard Kenneth "Speedy" Smith is one of the most energetic and selfless guards in the league, and sophomore Raheem Appleby may fool the world with his more-than-slender body type (6'3", 160 Ibs), but the guy can score. Appleby's currently leading the team with an average of 14.4 points per contest and he can finish.

There are two things that make the Bulldogs different.

Anybody on their roster can take over the game at any given moment, so double-teaming one player won't do much damage to the team. For example, redshirt senior forward Brandon Gibson dropped 20 points on Utah State, senior Cordarius Johnson scored 23 points against University of Louisiana-Monroe, junior guard Kenyon McNeail scorched UTSA with 34 points coming off the bench.

The second thing is, everybody on this squad wants to play defense. Coach White is a defensive-minded coach who doesn't care how many points you can score, but how bad you want to stop the other team from doing so. They have a monster shot-blocker in Michale Kyser, who ranks seventh nationally with 3.32 blocks per game.

The 'Dogs play a 2-2-1 full-court press for the majority of every game the past two seasons and their guards look excited to play it every time. This press is so passive-aggressive that either they will get a steal off an impatient pass, or by time the offense gets the ball pass half court, there is barely time to run a decent play.

The 'Dogs have everything they need (except a dominant post-up player) to compete against the best in the nation. They have plenty of time to make it into the national rankings if they remain undefeated in the last eight games of conference play and may be able to prove themselves further by playing some top-caliber teams in the NCAA tournament.

Whoever gets the 'Dogs in the tournament ought to not sleep on them because they may be in for a rude awakening against potentially ranked talent. 

Wednesday night's college basketball game between Brigham Young and Utah State appears to be cancelled after Aggies guard Danny Berger collapsed at Tuesday's practice.

UPDATE: Saturday, December 8 at 5:03 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

According to KSL Radio personality Greg Wrubell:

USU: hoopster Danny Berger released from the hospital, expected to attend Aggies' home game tonight.

— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) December 8, 2012

That's great news for all parties involved. Berger's situation was scary, and it's wonderful to see him making this kind of progress.

---End of Update---

The Salt Lake Tribune reporter Jay Drew had the report:

As of 9:30 p.m., nothing official had been issued by either school, but multiple sources have said that Wednesday's scheduled Utah State at BYU men's basketball game has been postponed.

The report also mentions that:

USU asked BYU to postpone the game because Aggies junior guard Danny Berger collapsed during practice Tuesday afternoon and stopped breathing.

Berger, from Medford, Ore., was airlifted from Logan to the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, Tuesday night.

Drew also supplies a quote from USU's news release:

Berger was tended to on the court by the USU Athletic Training staff; CPR was performed, and the AED was used on him until ambulance personnel arrived. Berger is currently in stable but critical condition. Tests and evaluations are ongoing, and further information will be released when available.

Once you take all of that in, you realize that postponing the game seems like the right thing to do. Drew's report mentions that no one has an idea as to when the game would be, but that doesn't matter in situations like this.

Scary incidents like this snap everyone back to reality. Berger came to practice that day expecting to run some drills, but he instead found himself in a very serious situation and in the hospital. Because it sounds so unexpected, there's nothing more tragic or scarier than that.

Crazed college basketball fans will always push for a game, but things like this make everyone realize that basketball really is just a game. It's a harsh reality-check.

Hopefully, Berger makes a full recovery. Seeing the word "stable" in USU's release is a great sign, but it doesn't make it any less frightening.

Berger is averaging 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season. He's not a great outside shooter, instead relying on his 6'6'' frame to slice his way into the paint.

He hasn't been the 4-1 Aggies' leading scorer, but he's a vital role player. Even so, his on-court skills pale when you consider the situation he's currently in.

Rather than thinking about Wednesday night's basketball game, keep Berger, his family and his teammates in your thoughts.

Stay tuned for updates.

Before 2003, the Western Athletic Conference had produced multiple NCAA tournament teams for 20 straight seasons. As recently as 1999, the league put three teams into a single year's March Madness.

Until earlier this week, the league was in danger of starting next season with only four teams, period. New Mexico State, Idaho, Seattle and Denver are the only schools set to play basketball in the WAC next season, and the latter two are new arrivals themselves.

On Tuesday, the WAC added Cal State Bakersfield and Utah Valley to its ranks for the 2013-14 season, moving closer to the magic number of seven schools needed to maintain the league's automatic tournament bid. Bakersfield is one of only two Division I independents this season, and Utah Valley is a member of the geographically incomprehensible Great West.

Three Texas schools, Texas State, UT-San Antonio and UT-Arlington, are merely passing through on their way to conferences that aren't ditching football. Louisiana Tech is set to bolt for Conference USA. Utah State and San Jose State are headed for the WAC's ingrateful offspring, the Mountain West.

Even the four still lined up for next season aren't set in stone. Idaho continues to flirt with a return to the Big Sky, but is currently under contract to remain in the WAC for next season.

None of the WAC's anticipated 2013-14 members were part of the league prior to 2005.

A basketball conference that was once home to names like Don "The Bear" Haskins, Tim Hardaway, Shawn Bradley and Keith Van Horn has now added a school like Utah Valley, which is a mere 10 years removed from junior-college status and has only been a full D-I institution since 2009.

The WAC will have until the end of the 2015 school year to boost its membership to seven, or else the automatic bid disappears, leaving the league in the same boat as the newly formed Great West.

That conference will be down to only three members itself next season. Texas-Pan American gained a modicum of fame when coach Ryan Marks wrote some columns for ESPN the Magazine. Chicago State and the New Jersey Institute of Technology have no such claims to fame.

The WAC's only hope for survival may be to channel its inner Donner Party and eat what's left of the Great West. UTPA makes geographic sense, but there are no schools in all of college sports that can arrive and repair the damage done to the WAC's profile.

While New Mexico State is a solid program with two NCAA appearances in the last three seasons, the futures of Seattle and Denver will be key to the league's survival. Denver was a strong competitor in the Sun Belt. Seattle has 11 NCAA tournament appearances in its history, including a runner-up finish led by NBA Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor.

The WAC's history has already been flushed, with the eldest programs only having seven years of connection with the league. Perhaps only fans of the late Southwest Conference can answer whether it's better to watch one's league burn out or fade away.

Fans of New Mexico State have to cling to their conference as their only tournament hope. UT-Pan American fans should be picketing president Dr. Robert Nelsen's office, begging him to try for the WAC's next invitation.

Other leagues have taken damage in the frenzy of realignment. Those lumps are mere paper cuts compared to the WAC's near-death experience. The league that used to be the picture of health, getting three tournament bids and turning out first-round NBA draft picks, has become the emergency room patient learning how to walk again, trying to ensure it can one day keep dancing.

For in-depth previews of every conference in America, check out the Conference Calling 31 in 31 series on The Back Iron.

Follow @4QuartersRadio

University of Hawaii freshman Orel Lev enrolled with the hopes of playing for the Warriors basketball team. Lev practiced with the squad through the end of the 2011-2012 season, but that will be the extent of his UH career. At least for the next three years.

Lev, a native of Israel, was called back to serve his mandatory service in the Israeli military. While delays are granted on occasion, Lev's petition was denied.

Both parties have handled this situation professionally.

"While we are disappointed that Orel won't be able to suit up for us the next three years, we completely respect the military commitment he must fulfill. There is no greater sacrifice than serving your country," said Hawaii head coach Gib Arnold in a press release.

"I'm sorry that I can't come back to Hawaii. The army did not release me even though we tried to get an exemption. The army is very strict and I am not allowed to leave the country for the next three years. I had a great time in Hawaii and I wish I could come back to play for a great coach and great teammates. Thank you for the wonderful experience and mahalo to everyone," Lev said in the same school release.

The redshirt freshman will serve the next three years in Israel and will be considered an open recruit for 2015, after the conclusion of his mandatory duty.

Lev, however, may never play in the NCAA. The 6'4" guard currently plays for Israel's national team and will be allowed to play for other Israeli teams during his military tenure.

Playing for teams in Israel could keep Lev from coming back to the states.

Lev has already played for Maccabi Tel Aviv's U-18 team and I'm sure the professional Maccabi would love to bring Lev into the Euro League.

Maccabi Tel Aviv went 23-2 last season and won the Premier League championship. They are currently ranked seventh in the Euro League rankings.

There are six Israeli teams, including Tel Aviv, ranked in the top 100 of the Euro League.

Regardless of where Lev ends up, his commitment to the Israeli military is admirable. He is the type of role model that prep athletes should emulate in the college ranks.

Best of luck to the Warriors. And Lev, stay safe. You are a true Warrior.

Memorial High School superstar Robert Upshaw and his family were all ready to move to Kansas.

When Kansas State head coach Frank Martin decided to take the head coaching job at the University of South Carolina, things changed.

Today at around 3:00 pm Robert Upshaw signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Fresno State University.

The announcement was made at Antonio's Mexican Restaurant in Fresno, California.

Upshaw is the 12th ranked center by Rivals.com which was last updated 4-11-2012.

The 7-foot 270 pound center credited his relationship with Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry as one of the deciding factors in this huge decision.  "The real thing about it is, I had a relationship with coach Terry that's been lasting for the last four years.  That's what really turned me on," said Upshaw.

Fresno State's newest player is already confident he can help the Bulldogs.  "I felt like I can make this program better as a player and as an individual, I also feel like the team can take it to a further level," said Upshaw on one of the reasons he chose Fresno State.

Fresno State fans can thank Upshaw's mom, Ceylon Sherman, for their new face of the Fresno State basketball program.

Instead of Robert Upshaw signing a national letter of intent, she advised her son to sign a nonbinding athletic aid agreement instead.  This allowed her son to back out of his commitment to Kansas State with no repercussions. He lost no eligibility and was free to choose any school that hadn't already used up all available scholarships.

Unless otherwise noted, the quotes from this article were obtained firsthand by Gean May.