Rough start for the WAC

This was supposed to be the non-conference season in which the WAC showed it’s an up-and-coming league with rosters loaded with experienced players and underrated teams.

Well, so far it’s not impressing many people.

Utah State and Nevada have been the flag-bearers for the conference for a while and might have been considered candidates to make early runs at the Top 25. That’s not been the case, unfortunately, as the Aggies and Wolf Pack have dropped a combined seven games. USU (4-3 so far) and Nevada (2-4) have played some tough competition, but also have some losses they really shouldn’t have.

USU’s loss at Utah is excusable — the Utes have oodles of talent — but the loss at Northeastern and now to Saint Mary’s will hurt the team down the road. Forget about cracking the Top 25, unless the team goes on another 19-game win streak, Utah State may have shot itself in the foot in regards to a possible at-large berth should the Ags not win the WAC tournament.

Nevada, likewise, has a loss that is not tough to swallow — the Pack lost at North Carolina — but also lost to Pacific, VCU and UNLV in games they would have loved to count as wins.

Even New Mexico State, arguably the most talent-laden team in the conference, is struggling with a 2-5 record.

Only Louisiana Tech and Idaho are impressing people right now. The Vandals beat Utah in Salt Lake City and just beat a (soon-to-be formerly) Top 25 Portland on Sunday. LaTech is 7-1 and looking good.

But much of the WAC is hardly turning heads.

If the WAC expects to ever move into the ranks of conferences worthy of getting two or three teams into the NCAA Tournament, the schools simply must win more games in the non-conference schedule. This year, sadly, has failed to live up to expectations.