Even with Saturday night's loss, Utah is assured of a high seed for this year's NCAA tournament.
Most experts are pegging the Utes as a No. 4 seed, just as they ended up last year. In Friday's USA Today, five top college basketball announcers forecast their top four seeds in each region for the tournament. All five put Utah as a No. 4 seed, with four putting them in the West and only Dick Vitale sticking the Utes in the Southeast.Also, USA Today's Steve Weiberg seeded the whole 64-team tournament and he put the Utes as the No. 4 seed in the West, playing No. 13 Portland U., in Albuquerque.
Although a lot of Utah fans (as well as media members) would just as soon not spend another long weekend in Albuquerque, the Utes figure they'll have sort of a homecourt advantage if they are sent here next week.
"It's like a second home for us," said Keith Van Horn.
Even though it was after midnight, Van Horn and Michael Doleac accompanied Ute coach Rick Majerus to the interview room following Friday night's win over Colorado State.
Earlier in the day, WAC commissioner Karl Benson had chided Majerus in a letter and a phone conversation about not bringing his players to the interview room, according to WAC policy like every other team did. Benson also got after Majerus for his critical comments about the WAC office and the WAC tournament.
When asked about it after Friday night's game, Majerus shrugged and said, "That's about one hundred and one on my list of worries right now."
Benson held an hour-long press conference prior to the championship game Saturday night.
He talked about a variety of subjects about the WAC. Here are some of the highlights that pertain to Utah schools:
- On who will be the future conference basketball champion after it is split into two divisions - "The conference champion next year will be the tournament champion . . . and maybe the nets will come down (a veiled reference to Majerus' comment that he wouldn't cut the nets down if his team won the tournament)."
- On BYU's chances to get an NIT bid: "Colorado State is being looked at heavily and if Fresno makes the NCAA, BYU would receive strong consideration. But I'll rank Colorado State ahead of BYU when the NIT asks me for a recommendation. I don't think three WAC teams can make the NIT."
- On Majerus' comments criticizing the WAC tournament's existence: "Attention by one coach this week about the tournament has been somewhat misrepresented. If you poll the 16 coaches (of the new WAC) I would venture to guess that 12 to 14 are in favor of the tournament. Those coaches against it (which includes BYU's Roger Reid) are not speaking for all the coaches in the WAC."
On the women's tournament: "It couldn't be anything but a gigantic success to have over 10,000 for the finals. It very well could be the highest-attended women's championship game in the country this year."