It's a numbers game.
After superstar guard Damian Lillard went down for the season with a broken foot in December, Weber State's coaching staff added up the number of games he played in (9) and did the math.
In order for the junior NBA prospect from Oakland, Calif., to be considered for a medical hardship waiver and be given back a year of eligibility, NCAA rules state that Lillard must have been injured in the first half of the season and participated in no more than 30 percent of his team's games.
Without knowing how many contests the Wildcats would play in the Big Sky Conference tournament, Weber State's staff wasn't about to take a chance on coming up short and risk losing a year of Lillard's eligiblity.
When the Wildcats went looking for an extra game, it wasn't hard to find a willing opponent, WSU coach Randy Rahe said.
Weber State (18-12) meets Saint Mary's (24-8) tonight at 8 p.m. at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.
With the potential for an NCAA tournament bid this season, Saint Mary's was looking to stay sharp after its West Coast Conference tournament. Adding a game to avoid a long layoff made sense, Gaels coach Randy Bennett said.
"(Weber State has) a good program and the game will be a good test for our team," Bennett said when the game was announced.
After Lillard led the Wildcats to back-to-back Big Sky titles the past two seasons, he entered his junior season as the returning Big Sky MVP and averaged 19.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game before his injury.
Rahe said he would have gotten an extra game for any of his players.
"If a kid gets hurt like that and you're that close to the percentages as far as how many games you can play, we'd do that for everybody in our program, because that's the right thing to do," Rahe said. "With Damian, he's a very good player and he works extremely hard at it. It means the world to him. It's the right thing to do, for him, for our program and for his teammates, because he means a lot to us. He's an absolutely phenomenal kid and it's the right thing to do for him to get two more years to play so he can fulfill his goals."
As it turns out, by reaching the Big Sky tournament semifinals Tuesday, the Wildcats played their 30th game, bringing Lillard's total participation (nine of 30) down to the 30 percent threshold already.
Even after tonight, more games could be on the way for the Wildcats.
Weber State athletics officials have been in contact with officials from the both College Basketball Invitational and CollegeInsider.com Tournament and expressed interest in hosting a postseason home game.
"There are no guarantees. It changes like the wind, but we're hopeful," Rahe said. "Home, road, we're going to relish the fact and hopefully have a chance to keep playing."
Since falling to Montana in Tuesday's Big Sky semifinal, the worn-out Wildcats have focused mostly on getting rested for tonight's contest.
Saint Mary's shared the West Coast Conference regular season title with Gonzaga.
Rahe compares McConnell, the league's player of the year, to another WCC alum basketball fans may have heard of.
"(McConnell) controls the whole game for their team. The best comparison we can make is he's a Steve Nash-type guy," Rahe said. "The best thing he does is he has unbelievable vision and he's a tremendous passer. He sets up his teammates because you've got to give him so much attention and he can really score. When you give him too much attention, he finds his teammates. He makes everybody that much better. He's the unquestioned leader of that team."
Tonight won't just be a tune-up for the Gaels, however.
Saint Mary's will be motivated to avoid a potentially crippling loss to their chances at an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Gaels fell to Gonzaga in the WCC title game Monday, leaving Saint Mary's at the mercy of the NCAA selection committee.
The Gaels were ranked No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll as recently as Feb. 19, when they fell to Utah State in a nationally televised Bracketbusters game.
SMC guard Matthew Dellavedova (13.5 points, 5.3 assists per game) and forward Rob Jones (13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds per game) joined McConnell (16.8 ppg, 6.0 apg) on the all-West Coast Conference team, while Bennett is the WCC coach of the year.
Jones is a fantastic rebounder, Rahe said, while Dellavedova brings great toughness.
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