Compact Model One-Division Big West Has Usual Favorites

Sat., Dec. 9, 2000

By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com (509) 459-5585

The Big West has changed. The pecking order hasn’t.

Utah State, which went 19-0 against conference basketball foes last season, put the rest of the Big West on alert by downing 22nd-ranked Utah 58-57 on Wednesday.

“It’s still probably natural to pick Utah State and then Long Beach State in the top two,” Idaho coach Dave Farrar said.

The Big West is now a nine-team league after spending several seasons with two divisions and 12 teams. New Mexico State, North Texas and Nevada left for different conferences. Among the remaining nine, the top eight advance to the Big West tournament in Anaheim. Most Big West coaches feel the new schedule - facing all eight teams home-and-home - is more equitable. Previously, Idaho played five East Division opponents home-and-home and one game against each West Division foe.

“It’s the way it should be,” Boise State coach Rod Jensen said. “We should have a truer indication by playing everyone home-and-home. In the past, sometimes one division was stronger than the other.”

Idaho gets an early chance to take the conference lead or rest in the cellar, the latter being where most preseason polls project Idaho to finish, when it entertains Long Beach State tonight. The game was moved up to accommodate a Long Beach State contest to be televised in January.

Both teams are short-handed in the paint. Idaho is without sophomore center Chris Monroe (10.2 points), who is serving a two-game suspension for violating athletic department policy.

Long Beach State is minus three injured inside players - 6-foot-9 James “Rudy” Williams, 6-8 Tadeu Souza and 6-8 Vance Lawhorn.

“As far as the influence of losing a guy who we have invested a lot of time in and we run a lot of offense through, that’s never a plus,” Farrar said.

This sidebar appeared with the story:

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Compact Model One-Division Big West Has Usual Favorites

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