Fans of major-conference bubble teams, with forthrightly avowed ”evil” intent, have already started compiling lists of mid-majors to root against during these critical days. To these fans, I say repeat after me:
Pray for Wyoming to win at home against New Mexico on Saturday afternoon.
That single game’s importance will approach that of a conference tournament championship game. We can say in advance that if the Lobos win they will almost certainly get an at-large bid. If they lose they almost certainly will not. In other words a single game in Laramie will determine whether one more or one fewer bid is available for bubbly major-conference types like Providence, Arizona, Florida, and Michigan.
You may ask: How in the world can we be so sure New Mexico will get an at-large if they win Saturday? After all, they’re nowhere to be seen at ESPN in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology update, not even under “first four out” or “next four out.” (For that matter, New Mexico’s not even on evil lists of mid-majors to root against.)
Yes, but last night the Lobos beat Utah in Albuquerque 77-71, a game that featured an angry mid-court confrontation between New Mexico coach Steve Alford and Utes coach Jim Boylen. (Man, I’m writing the words “angry mid-court confrontation.” I love March.) The win pulled Alford’s team into a three-way tie atop the Mountain West, with New Mexico, Utah, and BYU all having four losses. The Utes and the Cougars are locks for at-larges, but the Lobos need to win Saturday.
A New Mexico win at Wyoming would give them a share of the Mountain West regular season title. And try as I might I simply can’t envision the selection committee denying an at-large to a champion of a league that this year is likely slightly better than the SEC. (A champion, by the way, that would arrive vouchsafed by tempo-free lights as no fluke.) Yes, I know the Lobos’ RPI is sickly (70 before last night’s game). I know they lost at home to UCF and UTEP. But look at what’s happened on the court the past two months.
I am no enemy of the RPI. It does what it does amazingly well. But to deny an at-large to a regular-season champion from a conference this good would be the height of blinkered RPI madness. It would put yours truly and braying antinomian RPI-bashers on the same side of an important question.
If New Mexico wins Saturday and then their name does not pop up while I’m watching Selection Sunday, I will run out onto the streets and overturn the first car I see. Which would be ironic because it would be my car and my wife would yell at me. You get the idea.
First things first. Game time is Saturday, 3:30 Eastern.
