Cal State Fullerton will play host to Long Beach State on tonight. There was a time in recent memory when this was the preeminent college basketball rivalry in Southern California. Or at least the most blood thirsty among the fans, once even resulting in a brawl among the fans with 27 fans going to jail like it was an Eagles game or something.There was a time when the Big West actually mattered.
UNLV ruled the college basketball world and produced the greatest team in college basketball history.
The conference had three teams among the field of 64.
The conference actually churned out NBA players on a regular basis.
Now it has come to this -- the Big West is looking at a No. 16 seed. The conference of Jerry Tarkanian is now one of the bottom-feeders in the NCAA.
But the evidence of the Big West's stumble was most evident in ESPN's bracketology this week. The Big West champion is projected to be a No. 16 seed, facing Oklahoma. An easy one-and-done for whomever manages to win the Big West tournament. We all knew that the Big West was a conference out of control, but how did it go this bad?
There was the football exodus when schools such as San Diego State and Fresno State left for greener pastures. That led to the defections of UNLV, New Mexico State and a host of others including Nevada and Boise State to name a few. (And for the record, Tarkanian loved the Big West.)
And those were bad. The most crucial was losing Utah State a few years ago. The league was looking to become a basketball conference, but lacked that one big-name school that could rise the tide for member schools. Funny, Utah State is slated to be a No. 10 seed in the latest projections.
Now, I don't like the way Utah State creates a schedule and will continue to gripe about it, but it is the kind of marquee team that the Big West lacks. Pacific had it's chance a few years ago, but has missed the boat. And unless it can find another Englishman who wants to play at a school near the ocean, that program is never going to be the one. Hindsight showed that letting all of those football schools go was a mistake. Yet, Dennis Farrell and the Big West conference let history repeat itself by allowing Utah State to leave.
Instead, the Aggies were replaced by UC Davis. Who, coincidentially, are the Aggies, too. Only, the sequel is never as good as the original. Now there are a bunch of mid-card mid-majors jockeying for position in the conference. And the last two conference winners -- Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton will play tonight with hopes of eventually winning the conference crown and being the 63rd best team in America.
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