For the majority of visitors, an unpleasant Las Vegas afternoon may consist of a mishap at the slot machines or third-degree sunburns at the swimming pool. However, my experience at the 2012 WAC Tournament confirm that misfortune at the craps table will never compare to college basketball heartbreak.
Weeks ago, I mapped out the perfect conference tournament scenario, which involved an epic WAC Tournament run concluding with Idaho coach Don Verlin cutting down the net at the Orleans Arena as silver and gold confetti rained onto my head.
Logical or not, seven other WAC coaches, who fell at the hands of Idaho at least once during the regular season, did not count it out of the equation.
The same team that was picked to finish No. 5 in the regular season upped the ante to quiet WAC critics and earn the No. 3 seed. A match-up with No. 6 Hawaii seemed satisfactory, after the Vandals manhandled the Warriors a week earlier on the island. After it was announced that Zane Johnson, one of the conference’s premier sharp shooters, would not travel to Vegas, Idaho could all but punch its ticket to the semifinals.
The ensuing sequence of events is still a blur, and something I will never hesitate to blame on the conference tourney bug — the same bug that bit Idaho in last season’s early loss to a less-talented, fluky San Jose State team.
The vibe I felt around this Idaho team led me to believe it deserved conference tournament success more than any WAC member, making the Hawaii loss even less explainable.
Idaho was forced to claw its way out of an early deficit, and led by as many as seven thanks to Joston Thomas’ fourth and fifth fouls through a long-awaited technical.
Hawaii coach Gib Arnold gifted Idaho with two complimentary free throws when his continuous barking toward the referees drew another technical. Verlin had every reason to smile at a Warrior team that had all but snowballed since its early 11-point lead.
Yet simply because Idaho was involved and it was the WAC Tournament, Hawaii’s fourth and fifth leading scorers scored nine of the Warriors’ final eleven points en route to victory.
Shaquille Stokes and Hauns Brereton combined for 19 points in two regular season appearances against Idaho, but some way, somehow the two combined for 34 points in the quarterfinals.
I’ve come to terms with the love-hate relationship I have with conference tournaments. The purpose is simple — give less deserving teams one game to prove something they failed to prove for four months. A Nevada team that dominated the conference in every aspect was left out of the NCAA picture because a lowly La. Tech team had the upper hand for 40 minutes during a miracle semifinal. However, for 560 minutes during the regular season, there wasn’t a more deserving automatic bid than the Wolf Pack. Justice was served when New Mexico State drubbed La. Tech in the final.
Three of the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 seeds slipped up in their conference tournaments as well. But I violently reject any argument that claims Kentucky isn’t the elite team in the SEC.
How does this relate to Idaho and my ailing heart?
Drop the WAC Tournament and Idaho finishes the season behind Nevada and NMSU. The Vandals either accept a bid to the CBI Tournament or fall back into the CIT draw.