With the contagious nature of the omicron variant, COVID-19 again looms over league play for a third season. Two Eastern Washington women’s games are off this weekend due to COVID-19 with the Eagles. Currently, Big Sky policy is that games missed in such scenarios will not be rescheduled and the affected team will take forfeit losses in league standings (though such forfeits will not count when the NCAA calculates its NET rating and seeds national tournaments).

A representative of the Big Sky told the Standard-Examiner last week that administrators would meet this week to consider changes to that policy amid the changing circumstances prior to the resumption of league play Thursday. As of Tuesday night, a request for comment or update to that process was not returned.

Other conferences entered the season with similar policies but have since reversed course. The Western Athletic Conference, for example, announced Tuesday its league members voted to enact a new policy that expects teams with at least seven available players and one coach to play as scheduled; teams involved in a postponement should work to reschedule but if they cannot, the missed game will be considered a no-contest, not a forfeit.

With that backdrop, here’s a look at how men’s teams have performed. So far, there’s a chasm between the Big Sky’s top six men’s teams and the five below them.

The rating used below for each team is a combined average rating of the NCAA’s NET and Ken Pomeroy’s rating. Records listed are for games against Division I opponents only.

1. SOUTHERN UTAH

Record: 6-4 (2-0 Big Sky)

Rating: 127

Best win: vs. Utah Valley (106.5)

Worst loss: at Dixie State (285)

Southern Utah avenged an earlier road loss to Dixie State by blasting the Trailblazers by 28 points at home.

The T-Birds look the same as usual: a really high ceiling, with an occasional ability to struggle in a confusing way. But SUU is the fourth-most experienced team in the country and lists nine seniors on its roster, with John Knight III, Tevian Jones, Dre Marin and Maizen Fausett still leading the way.

2. MONTANA STATE

Record: 7-4 (1-1)

Rating: 146

Best win: vs. North Dakota State (195)

Worst loss: at New Mexico (197)

Montana State is a good shooting team that rebounds really well but perhaps hasn’t overwhelmingly impressed as much as may have been expected. The Bobcats lost in overtime to Northern Colorado, then squeaked by a struggling Sacramento State squad and needed every second to beat Portland at home. But Xavier Bishop, Amin Adamu and Jubrile Belo have been boosted by transfer RaeQuan Battle and the Bobcats will be a force to be reckoned with in league play.

3. WEBER STATE

Record: 7-4 (2-0)

Rating: 156.5

Best win: neutral vs. UMass (138)

Worst loss: None (all in top 60)

After a 63-59 true road win at Duquesne, WSU won its next six Division I games all by at least 10 points and by an average of 14.5 points. The Wildcats put down their best defensive effort in the last 20 years against a DI team by beating Northern Arizona 67-44. Then, WSU lost to four teams that would all likely win the Big Sky by several games, but did so in ugly fashion: by an average margin of 23 points and by getting lit up behind the 3-point line.

WSU does most things really well, but it’s that arc that isn’t going well: WSU is currently 257th in 3-point shooting percentage against DI teams, and 343rd in 3-point defensive shooting percentage. At least one, if not both, simply must change, or a team that looked like it was primed to ransack the league may run into more losses than planned as it tries to hang to a top-four spot. The things WSU does well that led to an 8-0 start (getting to the rim and foul line, defensive disruption and steals) are now on film, and four good teams have also put bad things on film for Big Sky teams to try and mimic.

4. NORTHERN COLORADO

Record: 5-6 (2-0)

Rating: 182.5

Best win: vs. Montana State (146)

Worst loss: neutral vs. Hawaii-Hilo (non-Division I)

The Bears shoot the ball really well, which pushes NoCo’s ceiling very high. But the Bears have some highly variable performances, like losing to a Division II team and to lower-half teams like Cal Baptist and San Jose State, while also starting 2-0 in league play and competing well with Texas and Colorado State.

Bodie Hume is shooting only serviceably (32.8% from deep against DI teams) but Daylen Kountz has surged into a legitimate marksman this season (47.9%), with Matt Johnson (41.7%) and graduate transfer Dru Kuxhausen (41.3%) making the Bears a tough out on any night.

5. EASTERN WASHINGTON

Record: 4-6 (0-1)

Rating: 200

Best win: at Washington State (55.5)

Worst loss: at UC Davis (196)

Despite the caveat that Washington State was without three starters, including its leading scorer, in the EWU upset in November, the fact remains that the Eagles have pushed way above their expected station after losing their head coach and all but two rotational players this offseason. Former BYU/Central Arkansas wing Rylan Bergersen and true freshman Steele Venters, especially (the latter is shooting 46.9% from 3), have EWU looking much better than predicted, so far.

6. MONTANA

Record: 5-5 (1-1)

Rating: 221.5

Best win: vs. UC San Diego (236.5)

Worst loss: at North Dakota (346)

The Griz gave North Dakota one of only two DI wins and has zero wins against anyone in the top 220 of either NET or KenPom. But Montana is a team that passes well, takes care of the ball at a high level, and is the second-best free-throw shooting team in the country. They mitigate the nation’s worst 3-point shooting defense by percentage (48.1%) by being in the top 25 in limiting how often opponents shoot the 3.

JUCO transfer guard Lonnell Martin joined the cast of Cameron Parker, Robby Beasley and Brandon Whitney on a skilled guard line.

7. PORTLAND STATE

Record: 1-7 (1-1)

Rating: 299

Best win: None

Worst loss: vs. Cal Poly (298)

The Vikings will make teams work for wins by being good on the offensive glass and by creating turnovers, but PSU has many offensive flaws to overcome.

8. SACRAMENTO STATE

Record: 2-5 (0-2)

Rating: 301

Best win: neutral vs. UC Davis (196)

Worst loss: vs. UC San Diego (236.5)

The Hornets have only played nine total games and lost at home to the Montana schools in the opening conference series. They take care of the ball decently well and limit how often opponents shoot 3s, and will have to lean heavily on super-senior Bryce Fowler to find wins.

9. NORTHERN ARIZONA

Record: 3-8 (1-1)

Rating: 311.5

Best win: vs. Cal State Bakersfield (230.5)

Worst loss: at South Dakota (268.5)

Jalen Cone will probably help NAU separate itself from the two Idaho schools but, beyond that, the Lumberjacks will have to rely on its only other two statistical strengths, which are limiting opponents’ 3-point attempts and using defensive length to create isolation offense from opponents.

10. IDAHO

Record: 1-8 (0-1)

Rating: 329.5

Best win: vs. South Dakota State (100)

Worst loss: neutral vs. Cal Poly (298)

The Vandals can get hot and score but have also been wiped off the floor by Washington State (at home, lost by 48), by Utah Valley (neutral, lost by 38). But they’ve been competitive more often, though it took an otherworldly shooting night to beat a good South Dakota State at home (15 of 27 on 2-pointers, 13 of 24 on 3-pointers, 29 of 34 from the foul line) as their only DI win. Mikey Dixon is the Vandal to watch.

11. IDAHO STATE

Record: 0-9 (0-2)

Rating: 333

Best win: None

Worst loss: vs. Northern Arizona (311.5)

The Bengals look nothing like last year’s squad that went 8-6 in league play (while not playing either of Weber State or Montana State) despite the roster looking very similar.