MWC notebook: Commissioner pulling double duty

Steve Addy

Thursday, March 9, 2000 | 10:47 a.m.

Few people would willingly give up a weekend in Las Vegas for one in Indianapolis, but Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson has a good reason.

As much as Thompson would like to be at the Thomas & Mack Center for the MWC's first postseason tournament, he will be at the nerve center of college basketball all weekend as chairman of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.

"It's a little strange (not being in Las Vegas)," Thompson admitted.

Starting Wednesday, Thompson and nine other committee members undertook the painstaking process of choosing the 64-team NCAA field. Twenty-nine bids will go to automatic qualifiers, while the committee must weigh countless criteria to determine the 35 worthiest at-large teams.

That process will culminate Sunday when the field is announced on CBS at 3:30 p.m. PST.

"This might be one of the most wide-open tournaments in recent years," Thompson said. "There is a lot of competition for the top seeds and in general."

Though Thompson said he hopes the Mountain West will be well-represented in the field, he can't go to bat for UNLV or Utah for an at-large bid. When the committee discusses those teams, he'll have to leave the room. That's the rule.

"I have submitted information on the Mountain West teams to the committee, just like the other 30 commissioners have for their teams. I'll leave it at that," Thompson said, guarding against any sign of favoritism.

Of UNLV and Utah's chances, his comments were generic. "I think any team that's still alive in their conference tournament is viable. (The Mountain West) winner is not guaranteed a berth. It will depend on how teams in other conferences do. There is a lot of basketball to be played in the next three or four days," Thompson said.

"It's been said time and again. It comes down to who you've played and who you've beaten."

As for the tournament he is missing, there is always next year. Thompson said the Mountain West will continue to hold a postseason tournament, and paperwork is in the pipeline to give the MWC an automatic bid next season.

* RPI UPDATE: The Rebels are 50th in the RPI rankings, a figure they will likely have to improve to get an NCAA bid. RPI expert Jerry Palm (www.collegeRPI.com) thinks the Rebels have to win the MWC tournament -- and beat Utah in the championship -- to make the field.

"Utah is the only team they have left that could get them a quality win," Palm said Wednesday on "Ron Futrell's Locker Room." "UNLV doesn't have any truly embarrassing losses in terms of which teams they've lost to. But the biggest hole in their profile is that they don't have much in the way of quality wins."

Palm says Utah is a virtual lock to make the field, but that New Mexico is a long shot. "If BYU wins the tournament, they might get some consideration because of their RPI (51st)," Palm said.

* BALLOT BOX: Any change will come too late to help Mark Dickel, but if the all-Mountain West voting procedure is to be revised, it will be up to the eight coaches.

Despite leading the nation in assists, Dickel was chosen to the second team by the MWC coaches, who weren't required to vote by position. The first team contained a center, three forwards and one shooting guard, prompting criticism of the balloting by Dickel supporters.

Mountain West bylaws say a majority of the coaches would have to agree to change the procedure, then make a recommendation to the league's championship committee.

* JENSEN RULES: Though Rebels coach Bill Bayno feels Dickel should've been named MWC co-player of the year with Utah's Alex Jensen, no one has quibbled with Jensen's selection.

The 6-foot-7 small forward averaged 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds in the league and completed an undefeated home career (59-0). He's widely regarded as the MWC's most versatile player.

"I'm very happy for Al, but the award means very little to him right now," coach Rick Majerus said. "Ten years from now, it will have much greater meaning to Al. He's a team-first guy."

* McCLAIN TO MOVE?: Wyoming coach Steve McClain is being touted as a potential replacement for Tom Asbury at Kansas State, but he's trying to keep the rumors on a low flame.

"I am not going to say I'm interested or not interested, because the job isn't open," McClain said. "But I would be foolish to leave a team that can be in the top 25 a year from now."

The Cowboys are 18-11 and have been without junior center Ugo Udezue (knee) most of the season.