Conference may add Nevada-Reno

Steve Carp

Monday, March 8, 1999 | 10:06 a.m.

With UNLV leaving the Western Athletic Conference, don't expect the league to be lacking a presence in Nevada for long.

Though he called a published report that had Nevada-Reno WAC-bound "premature," commissioner Karl Benson said the league would definitely look at UNR as a logical choice if and when the downsized eight-team WAC bulks up to nine or 10 schools.

"I think the WAC needs to expand," Benson said before Utah's 60-45 victory over New Mexico in Saturday's WAC men's basketball championship game at the Thomas & Mack Center. "We need to bridge the geographic gap and we need it for stability.

"Nevada would have to be a strong contender. You need schools in the West to ease the travel demand and balance the league.

"That said, we're not close to announcing anything. Nothing is imminent."

When UNLV left the Big West to join the WAC in 1994, there was much talk about including Nevada-Reno. However, the WAC opted not to take the Wolf Pack at that time. But that didn't mean there wasn't interest on the WAC's part.

"Quite the contrary," Benson said. "Nevada was very high on the WAC's list and people thought Nevada was in.

"Right now, expansion is an agenda item for our athletic directors in May and our presidents at their meeting in June. But no decisions have been made. We don't want to lead anyone on."

Benson said he and Big West commissioner Dennis Farrell have stayed in communication since any shifts would affect the Big West.

"We talk every month and we're both on the same page," Benson said, adding that there will be no pursuit of luring Tulane and Houston from Conference USA into the WAC, as had been rumored.

* BID BATTLE CONTINUES: The WAC will petition the NCAA men's basketball committee for a waiver to retain its automatic bid for next year's tournament, even though the conference won't meet the criteria of six schools having played together for five years.

The Mountain West Conference, which does meet the criteria, is waiting to see if the NCAA management council upholds a staff ruling that indicated the MWC was entitled to the automatic beginning next season.

"It's not only a concern to us, but many other conferences," Benson said of the Mountain West's possible right to an automatic in its inaugural season. "We knew from the beginning we didn't qualify for 1999-2000 and we also knew that a one-year hiatus to 2000-2001 was something we could live with.

"But once the Mountain West received its interpretation on its status, we felt it was in the WAC's best interests to seek a waiver."

A decision won't come until summer. Ironically, Benson will be on the management council, having replaced SMU athletic director Jim Copeland.

* SPEAKING OF IRONIES: Did you notice who played for the WAC title Saturday? Utah and New Mexico, two Mountain West schools. But the future WAC got one in the scorebook as SMU beat Colorado State for the WAC women's title.

Of the three NCAA bids, two went to future MWC teams (Utah and New Mexico) while Tulsa represents the "WAC Lite."

* ATTENDANCE DOWN: With UNLV bowing out early, attendance at this year's WAC tourney was down from last year's average of 13,627. The men's tournament averaged 10,814 over the final three days with the semifinals on Friday drawing the best crowd -- 10,858. The Utah-New Mexico championship game drew 10,767, down from last year's UNLV-UNM final which drew 16,101, but slightly more than the 1997 championship between Utah and TCU which drew 10,101.

* STILL PLAYING: For the second straight year, half the WAC will continue playing this week. Utah, Tulsa and New Mexico are headed for the NCAA Tournament while UNLV, Fresno State, TCU, Colorado State and Wyoming are NIT-bound. The NIT tips Wednesday while the NCAAs begin Thursday.