Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Mountain West commissioner ‘disappointed’ by basketball scheduling

UNLV vs Duke

Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau

Duke guard Grayson Allen hangs from the rim after a dunk during their NCAA basketball game against UNLV Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Duke won 94-45.

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The Rebel Room

Setting the expectations for UNLV football

Ray Brewer, Mike Grimala and Case Keefer start thinking about football season with the Mountain West Conference coming to town for media days this week. Where does UNLV fit within the conference? Will Armani Rogers prove the Rebels' savior? Is it bowl game or bust in coach Tony Sanchez's third season?

It’s been three years since the Mountain West placed an at-large team in the NCAA basketball tournament, and on Tuesday conference commissioner Craig Thompson said the league has no one to blame but itself.

Speaking at a “leadership panel” during the Mountain West’s football media day, Thompson touched on a handful of league-wide topics, including the need for the MWC’s basketball programs to schedule more quality opponents.

“We’ve been disappointed in our results the last couple years,” Thompson said. “It’s not always about scheduling, but scheduling will help you get and achieve the goals you want to achieve, which for us is a multi-bid NCAA performance.”

UNR earned the league’s automatic NCAA berth last year by winning the conference tournament. No other team was even on the radar on Selection Sunday; the next-highest ranking team (according to RPI) was Colorado State, which ranked No. 69.

According to KenPom.com, no Mountain West team ranked in the top 80 when it came to strength of schedule. Boise State played the toughest slate (No. 84), while Fresno State (No. 92), New Mexico (No. 97) and Utah State (No. 99) also sneaked into the top 100.

Thompson said the Mountain West board of directors will play a more active role in scheduling going forward, setting “guidelines” for nonconference opponents.

UNLV is one of the few teams in the league capable of scheduling home games against quality opponents, and the Rebels have played some tough home-and-home series in recent years against programs such as Arizona, Kansas and Oregon. The rest of the league has more difficulty attracting strong opponents, so Thompson wants to see teams get creative when it comes to nonconference scheduling, urging more MWC teams to get into pre-season tournaments and showcases.

“There’s more emphasis placed on road wins and neutral-court wins,” Thompson said, “so one of the things we’re trying to do is get more of our people into these multiteam events and get everybody to play in an exempt event. That’s one of the guidelines we’re asking for.

“You get the best of both worlds,” he continued. “You get to play on a neutral court with a situation where maybe it’s not 50-50, but if you’re playing Arizona in the Bahamas or the Virgin Islands, wouldn’t you rather do that than play them in Tucson?”

Thompson also touched on the league’s media contracts and said that the Mountain West is focused on figuring out a way to turn new media platforms into revenue streams.

“Media is a huge issue for us,” Thompson said. “We have three years left in a contract with CBS and ESPN and we’re trying to work with our athletic directors to determine just how important linear is, how important digital is and how you want to receive that content.”

Click to enlarge photo

From left, former UNLV Athletic Director Jim Livengood, Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson, and UNLV Athletic Director Tina Kunzel-Murphy chat during the NCAA basketball game between UNLV and Duke Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Duke won 94-45.

The league’s current television contracts with ESPN and CBS run through 2020. When those deals are up, the Mountain West could be facing a different media landscape, with streaming networks and other broadcast options to consider.

“I don’t know where it’s going to be three years from now,” Thompson said. “That’s why we’re trying to stay heavily invested and talk to all the people. About as soon as we make the plans, we’ll be back out in the marketplace in 18 months or so and there will be something we’re not even aware of today.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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