Rebels’ MWC tourney seed in limbo

Steve Addy

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002 | 10:33 a.m.

Maybe the Mountain West should abandon its traditional seeding method and draw teams from a hat for next week's conference tournament.

With six teams reasonably capable of winning the three-day event at the Thomas & Mack Center, a random draw would produce compelling matchups just as readily as the MWC's complicated tiebreakers.

Besides, with two nights of conference play remaining, none of the eight seeds has been finalized. The picture will gain focus Thursday, but five seeds could be in limbo until Saturday night when the Rebels host New Mexico to close the regular season.

"It a fan's delight, but it's kind of a nightmare for anybody who's trying to figure out what's going on," Rebels coach Charlie Spoonhour said. "It's probably getting in the way of some people's plans."

UNLV's status is more unsettled than most teams'. The Rebels could finish as high as third or as low as fifth, meaning they will play BYU, New Mexico or San Diego State in the first round.

Armed with that vague information, UNLV will host Air Force on Thursday and then the Lobos, hoping to carry momentum into the tournament in its own arena.

"All we know is we have a game Thursday and we better play the best we can," Spoonhour said. "We won't concern ourselves with anything past that. That's what we have to do, because Air Force has played everybody so well."

The modestly talented Falcons (3-9 MWC) are locked into a seventh or eighth seed, but no one will want to play them in the tournament. Only UNLV has beaten them by more than eight points in league play (66-54), and Air Force went to overtime before losing to Utah (63-57) and at Wyoming (83-76 in four OTs).

That sort of parity -- or mediocrity -- is nearly certain to make the MWC tournament a thriller, regardless of the seedings. Not even co-leaders Wyoming and Utah (both 9-3) are assured of being seeded in the top two.

BYU (7-5) could climb to second by winning its last two and having Wyoming lose its last two. The teams would tie at 9-5, but the Cougars' 2-0 record against Wyoming would win the tiebreaker (they meet Thursday at Laramie). However, BYU would have to win twice on the road, where it is 0-5 in the MWC.

UNLV's situation won't be clear until Saturday. Even if the Rebels beat Air Force Thursday, they could wind up fifth if New Mexico beats San Diego State on Thursday and the Rebels on Saturday. UNLV and the Lobos would tie at 8-6, but New Mexico would get the fourth seed for sweeping the season series.

Regardless, the teams would meet in the first round, with the winner likely running into the No. 1 seed in the second round.

If UNLV wins and New Mexico loses Thursday, UNLV will be locked into a third or fourth seed.

Even if UNLV wins its last two and Utah or Wyoming loses both to create a tie at 9-5, the Rebels are locked out of the top two seeds. They would lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with Wyoming, having been swept by the Cowboys. They would lose a tiebreaker with Utah because the Utes swept New Mexico and UNLV will have split with the Lobos.

Also, if UNLV and BYU tie at 9-5, BYU would get the higher seed. They split the season series, but BYU's 2-0 record vs. Wyoming would rule the tiebreaker.

Confused yet? You're not alone. As Spoonhour said, "We'll just wait and see how it shakes down, then decide if we like it."