Posted on: Tuesday, December 23, 2003
WAC teams show early strength in RPI ranking
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
After a slow start, the WAC is back on the fast track.
Men's basketball teams in the Western Athletic Conference, including the University of Hawai'i, have made significant strides in recent weeks.
In particular, six WAC teams are ranked among the top 100 in the latest Rating Percentage Index, according to collegerpi.com.
Hawai'i, which is 5-2, is a surprising No. 48, ahead of nationally ranked teams such as Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma.
"It's a little funny sometimes at the beginning of the season," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "But we need to keep winning to stay up there."
The RPI is one of the determining factors for selection and seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
Among the WAC teams, Texas-El Paso is No. 16, Hawai'i No. 48, Rice No. 61, Boise State No. 72, Nevada No. 81, and Southern Methodist No. 91.
Nevada and SMU pulled off big upsets on Sunday, beating Kansas and Purdue, respectively.
"The Purdue win was really impressive because that was at Purdue," Wallace said. "When things like that happen, it's good for the whole conference."
The Rainbow Warriors climbed nearly 50 spots in the last week after posting victories over Oregon State, Texas Southern and New Orleans.
However, Wallace is not putting much importance on the latest RPI rankings. Connecticut, for example, is No. 33 in the RPI, but No. 1 in the latest Associated Press Top 25.
In the Sagarin ratings, which is similar to the RPI, Hawai'i is No. 90.
"That's probably a more accurate picture right now," Wallace said.
• Tough draw: It's no secret that Hawai'i often plays the weakest opponent in the field to open the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic.
It does not appear to be the case this year.
The 'Bows will play Lamar on the opening night of the Rainbow Classic on Saturday.
The Cardinals, who are coached by former TCU head coach Billy Tubbs, are 6-3, and the three losses are by an average of 4.7 points.
"It just kind of worked out that way," Wallace said of the scheduling.
However, he added that he purposely scheduled Lamar on opening night in hopes of luring fans to the Stan Sheriff Center. Tubbs' TCU teams appeared to be building a rivalry with UH before leaving the WAC in 2001.
• Stat leaders: Senior guard Michael Kuebler continues to lead the WAC in scoring with 19.0 points per game.
Senior forward Phil Martin ranks second in the WAC with a .586 field goal percentage.
Sophomore point guard Logan Lee ranks second with 5.0 assists per game. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.0 is by far the best among WAC players. Shantay Legans of Fresno State is second at 2.71.
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
