It wasn't that CBS or ESPN disrespected the Runnin' Utes on Sunday afternoon, it was more a case that they pretty much ignored Utah in their announcements of the NCAA men's basketball tournament brackets.
From watching the two competing shows, you might have come away with the impression that the Utes' most notable accomplishment this season was to lose to Fresno State twice.CBS referred to those two losses once. ESPN referred to them three times.
Both networks interviewed Fresno State Coach Jerry Tarkanian, and ESPN in particular bemoaned the fact that the Bulldogs didn't get an NCAA berth.
"I think anytime you beat Utah twice, you beat New Mexico, you beat the two top clubs three out of four times, basically, then you lose on (New Mexico's) floor in the tournament, certainly you've got a lot of credentials to battle some clubs for the right to be in," said ESPN's resident loud-mouth, Dick Vitale.
And Digger Phelps concurred.
"I also think when you beat Utah twice and then you turn around and you split with New Mexico and then take New Mexico into triple overtime on their floor - I don't get it. Why not three teams from the WAC?" he asked.
Chris Fowler quickly piped up with the fact that, according to the power ratings, the WAC is way down at No. 9 on the list.
Of course, it's also a compliment that both ESPN and CBS think that beating Utah twice is so impressive that those wins should have gotten Fresno State in the tournament.
But other than announcing that the Utes are in, that they're a fourth seed and that they'll play Canisius in the first round, Utah was ignored. ESPN went so far as to discuss Utah's half of the Midwest regional without mentioning the Utes at all.
Again, no particular disrespect. But no particular respect, either.
REPRIMANDABLE? In the interview with ESPN, Fresno State's Tarkanian criticized a three-shot foul called on his team that kept New Mexico alive in the WAC semifinal game that the Lobos eventually won in triple overtime.
"That was a phantom call. That's what bothers me. That call obviously hurt us," Tark said.
Isn't that publicly criticizing the officiating? Doesn't that run counter to WAC codes of conduct for coaches? Should the WAC office reprimand Tarkanian?
OPTIMISM: So, the title of tonight's special preview on KJZZ (9 p.m., Ch. 14) is "Runnin' Utes: March to the Final Four."
That's what I call optimism.
HOW'S THAT? During BYU's blow-out loss to Colorado State in the WAC tournament last week, KSL analyst Brad Steinke observed that the Cougars had just "caught the Rams on the wrong night."
Yeah, for the third time this season and the fifth time in the last six meetings between the two teams.