Automatic NCAA bid for MWC on hold

Steve Carp

Wednesday, April 14, 1999 | 10:04 a.m.

What at first appeared to be a transition slam dunk is turning out to be an excruciating halfcourt possession for the Mountain West Conference as it attempts to acquire an automatic bid to the 2000 NCAA Tournament for its postseason tournament champion.

But the conference received a fresh shot clock and a chance to get another look at the basket Tuesday as the NCAA management council decided to table further discussion on the matter until July.

The fledgling league of eight breakaway schools from the Western Athletic Conference, which includes UNLV, was hoping for good news. And in a way, the postponement was seen as a positive by commissioner Craig Thompson.

According to UNLV athletic director Charles Cavagnaro, Thompson's message to him following the meeting was, "We're alive and fighting and we feel real good about the outcome." Thompson was traveling back to Colorado Springs Tuesday night and could not be reached for further comment.

It's an important financial issue for the new league, which agreed to surrender some 30-plus "units" its members had earned while competing in the WAC. Each unit to the NCAA is worth approximately $285,000.

If the MWC is denied the automatic, it will be at the mercy of the basketball selection committee to grant at-large bids to the new league's champion and any other schools it feels is deserving. There are 34 at-large bids available to the field of 64.

It also brings into question the viability of a postseason tournament. With no automatic berth at stake, why risk injury to a key player or a loss putting a potential at-large team at risk?

But the reality is neither the WAC nor the Mountain West has an automatic bid for the 2000 NCAAs. And the Mountain West is forging ahead with plans to host its inaugural postseason hoopfest, probably at the Thomas & Mack Center, next March. The WAC is doing likewise with Fort Worth, Tulsa, Fresno and Dallas, all in the hunt to host the WAC tournament.

There were two votes taken Tuesday, and the first saw an overwhelming majority of the 34-member management council vote in favor of denying the MWC an exemption, which meant the normal five-year wait would be in effect.

However, there was a reconsideration vote taken later that day and it was decided there to table discussion on the matter until July. Whether that means the MWC will ultimately get the exemption remains to be seen.

Thompson, who also is a member of the basketball selection committee, said he wasn't as optimistic going into Tuesday's meeting in Newport Beach, Calif., as he had been previously.

"Right now, I don't know what to think," he said. "If they follow the letter of the law, we should be in. But there's some opposition."

The opposition came from some of the mid-major and low-major conferences which don't want to risk losing their automatics if the NCAA gives one to the Mountain West.

There was a plan in place to expand the number of automatic bids to 34. But that plan was shot down Monday and the status quo of 30 automatics will be maintained -- much to the delight of the Collegiate Commissioners Association, which is comprised of the 11 major Division I leagues.

The majority of the CCA is willing to back the Mountain West bid now that the number remains unchanged. It is likely that when the issue is revisited in July, the CCA will be on the new league's side.

There are provisions for waivers, one of which states that if a group of six or more schools has been together five or more years in competition, it can petition for a waiver.

The Mountain West believes it meets that criteria as seven schools -- Utah, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, Air Force, San Diego State and Wyoming -- have competed in the same league (the WAC) for 19 years.

The NCAA legislative staff had given a preliminary ruling favoring the Mountain West's bid for a waiver, saying the criterion was met. But several leagues challenged the report. They claim the new league is not an old league with a new name but a brand new conference and should be bound by the existing statues.

The Mountain West vehemently disagreed and the last few months have featured some serious politicking on both sides. The management council apparently overruled the decision of the NCAA staff with its Monday vote.

Now, it's wait until July to see how the final possession is played out.