One will be looking to etch its name on yet another conference championship trophy, while the other will be scrapping for its first ever win at the Orleans Arena.
Theo Lawson | Argonaut
The Vandal basketball teams have three more shots to, in the case of Jon Newlee’s Idaho women’s team, solidify a No. 1 seed, or in the case of Don Verlin’s Idaho men’s team, avoid top seeds New Mexico State and Utah Valley in the first round.
Here are the ideal scenarios for both Vandal teams, two weeks before conference tournament play commences in Las Vegas.
Idaho men
With New Mexico State and Utah Valley having already wrapped up the top two seeds — each team shared 10-3 records before Thursday’s action — six teams control their own fate as 8-4 Grand Canyon, still a Division I transitional, team isn’t eligible for postseason play.
The Vandals check in at sixth place, with road games at Seattle U, Chicago State and the Missouri-Kansas City remaining. Win all three, and Idaho is sitting pretty with likely the No. 4 or 5 seed. The No. 3 seed is up for grabs. Yet Chicago State, which has four games left on its slate, would have to lose three of those, with Idaho winning out if the Vandals were to jump three spots.
At this point, there isn’t necessarily a favorable first-round opponent for the Vandals, who have lost at least once to every team in the WAC, other than Texas-Pan American. The Broncs seem comfortable in dead last and will probably draw NMSU or UVU in the first round.
UTPA is an unlikely opponent for the Vandals, but as long as Idaho can avoid falling back into the seventh or eighth spots, it will avoid the Aggies or Wolverines.
The Vandals have an extremely high ceiling, one that Verlin would probably say Idaho has yet to hit.
This is a team capable of playing with anyone in the conference — NMSU and UVU included. So really, the Vandals should be concerned with their own game come tournament time, because more often than not, Idaho’s only obstacle is itself.
Idaho women
A win Saturday, coupled with a Cal State-Bakersfield loss, would wrap up the top seed for Newlee’s one-loss team.
The Vandals, who finish their season at home, would meet bottom-ranked Chicago State — a team that is becoming more and more accustomed to 30-point blowout losses. It’s good news for Idaho, though, as Newlee should be able to all but remove his starting five after the first half of play.
The semifinal round is where it gets tricky.
It’s in Idaho’s best interest to avoid Bakersfield until the championship game. The Roadrunners are the only team to top the Vandals this season in conference play and by the final score of that game (96-69), they appear to be the team most poised to do it again.
The same goes for Seattle U, a team Idaho couldn’t beat during the regular season a year ago. The Redhawks nearly clipped the Vandals in the 2013 WAC finale, as well.
Idaho will ideally see New Mexico State or Texas-Pan American in the semifinals. Both of these teams gave the Vandals a struggle once, but Idaho steamrolled each of them, as well.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]