CONSPIRACYVILLE, Nev. -- Oliver Stone might not give a hoot about college basketball, but here's a doozy for his next film project: NCAA Tournament Selection Committee members ... intelligent or imbeciles. The movie might not last five seconds. It's not that tough a call.

Buying into the theory that those who set the NCAA field plot and scheme for and against certain teams and conferences is usually a ludicrous suggestion of those blinded by school colors. Until, that is, the committee does something so ridiculous and unexplainable, it's impossible not to question its brainpower and intentions.

Which brings us to UNLV and its absurd placement as a No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region.

Look at the field of 65 and find a team that was handed a more unjust seed based on resume than UNLV. Stop looking. There isn't one. It's not close. The Rebels were hosed in a way that is as astounding as it is stupid.

There is no logical reason for shipping UNLV to Chicago for a first-round game against Georgia Tech, so let's consider a few of the more imperceptible ones:

This is a seed against the Mountain West Conference and, to a lesser extent, a program whose soiled history with the NCAA is well documented.

The latter is speculative at best, but when something like this happens, you have to consider the possibility that the letters UNLV still make those within NCAA circles cringe more than having to listen to president Myles Brand speak.

If not, conference affiliation is a far more legitimate reason for the snub and actually supported by data. The committee says RPI matters in the selection process. UNLV is 10th. It says a team's record over its last 10 games is important. UNLV went 9-1. It looks at the record against Top 50 schools. UNLV is 4-3. It puts heavy emphasis on road victories. UNLV had eight.

Which means this: If a team from a power conference had UNLV's resume and its 28-6 record, it is no lower than a No. 3 seed. If that team is Duke, the tournament is canceled and the Blue Devils are sized for rings.

Committee members swear this isn't the case. A group of national media that was allowed to assemble and draw a mock bracket based on how the committee supposedly makes decisions also left with the impression a team's conference plays no part.

Bull.

"I don't know what (happened)," a diplomatic but definitely perplexed UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "Surprised is a good way to put it. But I have no control over it. My opinion means nothing. All the factors seemed to be lining up pretty well, but apparently there was something in there missing."

Yeah. The letters ACC.

If you don't believe power conferences have an advantage when the committee closes its doors and breaks out the ice cream, you either don't care about the tournament or attended Princeton, where that genius of a selection committee chairman (Gary Walters) is the athletic director.

Maybe it's not completely deliberate. Maybe it's not even openly discussed. Maybe they're all just a bunch of wackos closing their eyes and pointing numbers at a wall when seeding.

But how can you explain a Duke team that was seeded seventh in its conference tournament, lost in the first round to a No. 10 seed and is a No. 6 in the NCAAs? How is a Southern California team with a 40 RPI, a worse schedule strength than UNLV, records of 5-7 against Top 50 teams and 2-3 in its last five games (including a 24-point loss to Oregon in the Pac-10 Tournament) a No. 5? How is Vanderbilt (49 in the RPI, 19 Division I-A wins, 2-3 in its last five games) a No. 6?

This is how: The Mountain West is the eighth-rated league in America, but a huge zero in the eyes of this particular committee.

Kruger and his players said all the right things Sunday and assuredly meant most of them. Excited about being included. Will use the low seed as motivation to prove the committee wrong. Will arrive in Chicago with a chip on their shoulders.

It might be enough to win a game or two, although a second-round matchup probably would have UNLV playing No. 2 seed Wisconsin in what pretty much amounts to a home game for the Badgers. It's also true the best way to counter this seed is to beat Georgia Tech. Go win the game.

But that doesn't erase the fact UNLV earned a better fate over 34 games and should have been treated as Southern Illinois and Butler (mid-major teams with similar resumes) were in receiving 4 and 5 seeds.

"A little shocked," UNLV junior guard Curtis Terry said. "We did everything we could. Maybe we should have only lost two games."

Now that would have helped.

You have to figure this smart a committee would have made a 32-2 UNLV team at least a No. 6.

Ed Graney can be reached at 383-4618 or egraney@reviewjournal.com.