Thursday, February 24 Aggies, 49ers hoping for at-large attention By Ed Graney Special to ESPN.com

Stew Morrill is a believer. He is a glass-is-half-full kind of guy. He trusts in the theory that if you work hard and take care of business and handle yourself in a respectable manner, good things will happen. He's big on karma nowadays, but some of that comes with his occupation.

Top Games

Pac-10 Arizona State at Arizona (Saturday) You can bet a few will at least think about casting their conference coach of the year ballots for ASU's Rob Evans, who has positioned a team of one star (Eddie House) and a bunch of role players squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. A victory here would be ASU's first against a ranked team this season and go a long way toward those NCAA dreams. Arizona center Loren Woods is out for this game (and likely at least two more) due to a back injury. Mountain West BYU at Wyoming (Saturday) It's all about playing for a high seed in the conference tournament now, despite the fact the league has no automatic NCAA berth. The Cougars and Cowboys each enter with realistic shots at the NIT. BYU (which opens the week at Colorado State on Thursday) still has a chance to end the regular season with 20 victories and at least force the NCAA Tournament selection committee to consider its case, one defined by an RPI of 40 and yet few if any quality wins. WAC Fresno State at Tulsa (Thursday) Here it is, the latest chance for Jerry Tarkanian's team to actually make a statement in the conference race. It won't be easy. Tulsa is 25-2, leads SMU by two games, FSU by 2½, is 13-0 at home and has won 18 of its past 19 games. But it was Fresno State that handed Tulsa its only conference loss, a 75-73 decision Jan. 29. The sign of a balanced team: Tulsa has no player ranked among the league's top 10 in scoring, rebounding or assists.

Morrill, you see, coaches basketball at Utah State.

In the Big West Conference.

In the epitome of NCAA Tournament purgatory, where the winner of the conference tournament is annually rewarded entrance to the pearly gates and everyone else is left to ponder another opportunity lost.

But maybe, just maybe, this year is different.

"I have to believe that our regular season, all those games, have some value to them," said Morrill. "I'd like to think all of this means something and the decision is not going to be based on one weekend. I'd hate for that to happen this time. There has to be a glimmer of hope for a league like ours this year to get one of those at-large berths."

It is a league with two teams -- Utah State and Long Beach State -- winning games at an impressive rate. The Aggies are 21-5 and 12-0 in the East Division entering Thursday night's game at New Mexico State. The 49ers are ruling the West at 19-4 and 11-1, with the lone league loss coming to, yes, Utah State.

But this is also about a mid-major conference (a minor one at that) putting its shaky power rating of 17 atop a résumé searching for a second NCAA bid. History says there is no margin for error here, that the term "good loss" does not apply.

"I think leagues like this have received a closer look recently from the selection committee because of all the material available to us about teams now," said committee chair Craig Thompson. "We know a lot more about everyone than we did 10 years ago, what with satellite television and the Internet. But it's still going to come down to who you played, who you beat and how you finished."

So who are these two Big West hopefuls?

Utah State is a team with eight new players from a season ago, six of them arriving from the junior college ranks, which means this is a very coachable bunch to be this good this fast.

It is a squad of supreme balance, of five guys averaging at least 8.8 points and none more than 12.2. It is a group that defends better than any in the Big West. It has an RPI of 43. It lost to Florida by two and beat USC by a basket. It ranks dead last in free-throw shooting among league teams and yet has won five of its past 12 games at the line late in close games.

"It's hard to say what our kids are thinking right now," said Morrill. "I'm sure they're aware that people are talking more about our league, and that's nice. We don't need to dwell on it because we need to meet the challenge of winning our next game and the one after that. I know that sounds simplistic, but that's the place we' re in.

"We thought maybe next year would be our year, but things have happened faster than we expected."

Said New Mexico State coach Lou Henson, whose team was picked by many to return to the NCAAs and is currently 17-7 and 8-4: "It's going to be very difficult to keep (Utah State) out of the NCAA Tournament. That's a very solid team that can win inside and out. Their record is legitimate."

	Curtis Bobb joined Utah State this season after playing at College of Southern Idaho.

This is a coach who had one foot forced out the door at the end of last season, when his three-season ledger read 36-48. But cooler heads prevailed among top university officials, Morgan was invited back and now trots out a team that is poised and disciplined.

Make no mistake, the 49ers sit alongside Pepperdine as the best teams in Southern California right now. And yes, we're certainly including those two Pac-10 teams in Los Angeles.

But is Long Beach State sexy enough to draw at-large interest should it not at least advance to the conference tourney final?

Probably not, but crazier things have happened.

"I think we've done enough, regardless of who wins the tournament, to warrant serious consideration," said Morgan, the former assistant to Jim Boeheim at Syracuse. "We play who's on the schedule and that's all we can do. We're excited about the possibility."

And why not.

Thumbs up
Larry Abney: Thirty-five rebounds against SMU. Absolutely s-i-c-k.

Arizona: Crush UCLA without Loren Woods? If the Wildcats reach into that bench any deeper, Josh Pastner might actually have to act like a player other than some sideline cheerleader whose lifelong dream is to break down film for a paycheck.

Hanno Möttölä: The only thing missing against UNLV was the S on his chest.

University of San Diego: Wake up, those who choose the NIT field. If the victory at Gonzaga didn't convince you this is a worthy team, nothing will.

Thumbs down
USC: Where to begin? The Trojans say they didn't start the postgame fight at Arizona State. The Trojans say they didn't scribble obscenities on those practice balls, that others conspired against them. The Trojans say it is, in fact, ASU that plays dirty and undisciplined. We would respond to all of it, if we could somehow stop laughing.

Henry Bibby: And now USC's coach says he won't allow his players to shake hands with an opponent the rest of the season. Which means the Trojans not only lack class, but are bad sports, too.

Charles Bradley: He pretty much destroys Loyola Marymount's program and rips a few players on his way out. Nice. May we suggest actually recruiting and coaching next time?

UNLV: Lose to North Carolina by 24. Lose to Cincinnati by 40. Lose to Utah by 44. Such are not results that endears one to a selection committee.

Quotes to note
There's a little extra heat in the desert when it comes to talk of resurrecting a Pac-10 tournament.

ASU coach Rob Evans: "There's two or three guys who selfishly don't want a tournament. It's selfish and ludicrous. I know the excitement it brings. It allows more teams to be involved in the NCAA Tournament. It allows teams to play their way in again."

Arizona coach Lute Olson called Evans' comments "asinine," and suggested "people should spend some time in the conference before spouting their opinion. We tried (four) tournaments and, frankly, they were a bust. We didn't get any more teams in, we got teams knocked out."

Did you know?
San Francisco senior center Kenyon Jones is close to becoming the first player to sweep the West Coast Conference's scoring and rebounding titles since the late Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount in 1988-89. Jones is averaging 17.1 points and 10.5 boards.

Thought for the day
We see you, Brandon Sluga. We see your game adapting to this level, you crazy kid.

Ed Graney of the San Diego Union-Tribune is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.