Conference preview: Western Athletic

The poor Western Athletic Conference continues to bleed basketball schools, losing UTEP and Tulsa from a league that was ranked 12th in the conference RPI last season.

The WAC also lost Rice and SMU, all four of those programs going to Conference USA. The WAC did add one heavyweight in Utah State (from the Big West), and a promising program in Reggie Theus' New Mexico State (Sun Belt), though the addition of Idaho (Big West) won't do much for the WAC's overall appeal.

All told, it was another losing offseason for a league that, since 1999, has lost enough teams to stock a great basketball league: Utah, UNLV, New Mexico, Tulsa, TCU, San Diego State, BYU, Air Force and UTEP.

Nevada and Utah State are two solid programs for the rest of the conference to build around, but Hawaii and Louisiana Tech need to perform this season, and Theus needs to put his renovation of New Mexico State on fast-forward. Then again, he already has. Watch for New Mexico State to join Nevada and Utah State as national players ... next season.

Nevada

Top three: PF Nick Fazekas, PG Ramon Sessions, SF Mo Charlo.

NCAA or bust: Even in a great year for the older, more established WAC, this Nevada team would be good enough to win the league. In a down year for the evolving, weakened WAC? Nevada will dominate. Fazekas and Sessions are the best inside-outside tandem in the league, and Charlo could be a breakout star on the wing after averaging 9.4 points per game off the bench last season as a juco transfer. The loss of C Kevinn Pinkney will hurt in terms of defense and rebounding, but 7-footers Chad Bell and David Ellis and juco transfers Demarshay Johnson and Denis Ikovlev are nice raw materials for coach Mark Fox to work with.

Utah State

Top three: SG Jaycee Carroll, SF Nate Harris, C Cass Matheus.

NCAA or bust: The Aggies are one of the most intriguing conference-switching schools anywhere in college basketball. Utah State dominated the Big West Conference, putting together six consecutive 20-win seasons and being almost unbeatable at home, but the WAC is several rungs up the conference RPI ladder. And while this is not a vintage WAC that Utah State is joining, this also is not a vintage Utah State team for coach Stew Morrill. Primarily, PF Spencer Nelson is gone, and he was the Aggies' leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Still, Morrill returns productive scorers in Carroll and Harris, a huge post presence in Matheus, and juco transfer Chaz Spicer will slip into Nelson's old spot. It says here that Utah State is, until proven otherwise, an annual NCAA Tournament team -- old league, new league, any league.

Louisiana Tech

Top three: PF Paul Millsap, PG Daevon Haskins, SG Corey Dean.

NIT or bust: Coach Keith Richard knows this might be the last year before the NBA grabs Millsap, a junior bidding to become the first player in NCAA history to lead the country in rebounding three times -- so Richard wants to make this season special. To that end he has stockpiled a series of wings, most notably juco transfer Jerome Richardson, and also has retooled the offense to flow through Millsap. Don't be surprised if Millsap, who averaged 20.4 ppg and 12.4 rpg last season, is a 25-and-13 All-American this season. And if he is, be very surprised if the Bulldogs aren't in one of the two national postseason tournaments.

Hawaii

Top three: SF Julian Sensley, SG Matt Gibson, PF Matthew Gipson.

NIT or bust: The Rainbow Warriors are in pretty much the same boat as a year ago: loaded at every position but the most important one. Who's the point guard? Not sure yet, though Hawaii hopes it'll be juco transfer John Wilder. If he can excel at the position, Hawaii is underrated at No. 4 in the league. Sensley is a special player, and the centerpiece of a terrific front line that also includes the 6-9 Gipson and 7-0 Chris Botez. Gibson and Bobby Nash are scoring wings. All the pieces are here -- all but one. Wilder is the key. Last season Gibson had to switch to point guard at midseason, and the result was Hawaii's first postseason-less year in five years.

Fresno State

Top three: SF Ja'Vance Coleman, SG Donovan Morris, SG Dwight O'Neil.

Bust: The Bulldogs will be able to score from the perimeter, but will they be able to rebound or defend in the post? Probably not well enough to reach the postseason in Steve Cleveland's first year as coach. Then again, the university has already taken care of that by withdrawing the team from the 2006 postseason thanks to NCAA violations committed by the previous regime. Coleman and Morris are proven scorers, O'Neil might join them as such this season, and juco transfer Quinton Hosley is a former Providence recruit and another nice piece on the wing. But again, who will rebound? Or defend in the post? Top candidates are sophomore Hector Hernandez and juco transfer Renato Cesar.

New Mexico State

Top three: PF Tyrone Nelson, PG Elijah Ingram, C Trevor Lawrence.

Bust: Before he gets to unleash his transfers next season, new coach Reggie Theus will be led by Lou Henson's transfers this season. The two most important transfers are Nelson, a former Baylor recruit and then the 2004 SWAC rookie of the year at Prairie View A&M; and Ingram, a former McDonald's All-American and double-figure scorer at St. John's. Ingram's foot injury, originally expected to sideline him until December, has healed faster than thought. Unfortunately for Theus, last season's scoring leader, Duane John, is unlikely to return to the program because of academic issues. Still, the Aggies will be a lot better than 6-24 this year. And wait until next year.

Boise State

Top three: SG Coby Karl, PG Eric Lane, PF Tez Banks.

Bust: Here's a bad combination: The Broncos lost their leading scorer (SF Jermaine Blackburn) and their all-time leading rebounder (PF Jason Ellis) from last season's sub-.500 team. Karl, son of longtime NBA coach George Karl, is a versatile wing who might become a 15-5-and-5 player this season. But he doesn't have nearly enough help.

San Jose State

Top three: SG Alex Elam, PF Demetrius Brown, C Matt Misko.

Bust: After redshirting last season, Brown is back and perhaps better than ever. He had 20 points in the Spartans' exhibition opener, almost triple his 2003-04 production of 7.5 ppg. Juco transfer Julian Richardson, a former Oklahoma State recruit, will allow Elam to shift to the wing, where his scoring should blossom. Misko is a solid center. Add it up, and it still equals one tough rebuilding job for new coach George Nessman.

Idaho

Top three: G Tanoris Shepard, G Jerod Haynes, C Mike Kale.

Bust: One of the worst teams in the Big West, Idaho will become the worst team in the WAC. Shepard's a versatile guard, but if there's another WAC-caliber player on this roster, we've got to see it. We were going to suggest juco transfer PF Rob Pankowski ... only he's not on the team's official roster anymore.