In the final moments of Utah Valley State College's 75-71 win over Arizona State on Saturday, when it had become apparent that the Wolverines were going to hand the Pac-10 school a devastating defeat on its home floor, and as Sun Devil fans poured out of Wells Fargo Arena in droves, an ASU player turned to UVSC's Pierre Thomas and said:

"Dude, this is embarrassing."

Right about then, Thomas realized that the improbable win - as joyous an occasion as it was for a fledgling NCAA Division I program that only three years ago was a junior college - had a down side.

"I hope this doesn't mean big-name teams won't play us any more," said Thomas, a senior. "It was a lot of fun, and it got us a lot of attention, but at what cost?"

The cost to Arizona State, along with the humiliation, was $60,000 for the guarantee game, according to ASU assistant athletic director Mark Brand. That's the "standard in the business," said Brand, who added: "We would welcome the opportunity to play them again."

The payday was more than the Wolverines will make in home gate receipts all season, said UVSC athletic director Mike Jacobsen.

More importantly, news that a Super Six conference school such as ASU will play them again was welcomed by the Wolverines. They have spent the early part of the week reveling in their big win, accepting congratulatory handshakes and hugs from their classmates as they walk around their Orem campus, and phone calls from places as far away as Chicago, Thomas' hometown. They play perhaps their second-biggest game of the season on Saturday, at Boise State.

"Everyone is in total shock," said forward Russell Wesley. "No one can believe it."

But the question lingers: Will the win scare other teams off?

That possibility exists, acknowledged Jacobsen, but the Wolverines have more important things on their minds. Hoping to strike "while the sun is still shining on us," said coach Dick Hunsaker, UVSC is doing all it can to use the win to reach its ultimate goal: conference affiliation.

"It's a headliner for a [limited] time," Hunsaker said. "I would like to think this win will somehow be the springboard to the next big headline: 'UVSC joins a conference.'"

Added Jacobsen: "Hopefully, [a conference] will get desperate for us. I work on [getting conference affiliation] every single day. I am in communication with four conferences right now where we think we would be a good fit."

Jacobsen would not divulge which four, but the obvious one is the Mid-Continent Conference, which includes Southern Utah University. UVSC's inclusion would give the Thunderbirds a travel partner.

"It was a signature win for us, and it makes us that much more legitimate in our quest," Jacobsen said. "But yes, it will impact our scheduling just a bit. . . . It is everybody's worst nightmare, that we could beat them if they play us."

It would help if more in-state schools would play the Wolverines, Jacobsen said. UVSC walloped Weber State 68-49 in Orem last week, and will play the Wildcats in Ogden on Dec. 28. But Utah, Brigham Young, Utah State and Southern Utah are nowhere to be found on UVSC's 2005-06 schedule. BYU did play UVSC in 2003 in an exhibition game.

Utah athletic director Chris Hill said Tuesday the Utes are not opposed to playing UVSC, but that he has had no formal discussions with Jacobsen about it.

Hill said Utah "is almost fully scheduled for next year," but might consider an arrangement with UVSC after 2007. He said it would be similar to the one the Utes have with Southern Utah. Utah (and BYU, for that matter) plays the Thunderbirds almost every year in the Huntsman Center, but never in Cedar City.

"We have to make sure we have a representative schedule that gives us a chance for postseason play," Hill said. Translation: Playing UVSC doesn't help Utah's power ranking.

Because they don't belong to a conference, and won't be eligible to play in the NCAA Tournament for probably five more years, the 5-4 Wolverines' best hope for postseason play is the NIT. But that's such a long shot, Hunsaker concedes, it is not even worth talking about.

And the Wolverines, despite the eye-popping win over an ASU team that was 4-1, have been rather mediocre this year against schools closer to their level. They opened the season with losses to Colgate and Maryland-Eastern Shore in Iowa City, Iowa, and also lost at Idaho State and Montana. Their other wins were over Texas State, Western Illinois, Sacramento State and Weber State, all at home in the McKay Events Center.

Hunsaker said his next task is to bring his team back to Earth, while still allowing it to bask "in the wonderful memory and moment" that the win produced. The longtime coach who won NCAA Tournament games at Ball State and huge conference games while filling in for Rick Majerus at Utah, said the win over ASU was one of his most satisfying as a coach, but probably won't have as big of an impact as people think.

"This doesn't change who we are, or what we are doing," he said. "We are not world-beaters. We are not going to shake the basketball world out there. . . . We are still at the end of the food chain in the state of Utah, and we know that."

More community and student support would be a good way to change that, Jacobsen said. UVSC is averaging only 914 fans per game this season, with a season high of 1,300 for the Weber State game. Last season, despite having a future NBA guard on the floor, the Wolverines drew an average of only 1,354.

"We're having a tough time getting people excited about our team," Jacobsen said.

At least, Hunsaker and Thomas say, and the UVSC media guide proclaims in a full two-page spread, the school's players can dream about playing in the NBA. Former Wolverine guard Ronnie Price, one of the nation's leading scorers last year, proved that by signing a two-year guaranteed contract with the Sacramento Kings earlier this season, giving UVSC more respect that perhaps even the ASU win could bring.

"People look at us like, 'They had an NBA player come out of there, they must have some talent there,' " Thomas said. "Ronnie being here is what first put us on the map."

Northbound I-15 travelers are reminded of that by a large billboard near campus that touts Price's amazing accomplishment.

Now the Wolverines need a sign that says: Conference affiliation wanted - we beat the Sun Devils.

drew@sltrib.com

"It's a headliner for a [limited] time. I would like to think this win will somehow be the springboard to the next big headline: 'UVSC joins a conference.' ''

DICK HUNSAKER UVSC basketball coach

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PRICE OF SUCCESS?

* Utah Valley State College officials hope the school's 75-71 win over the Pac-10's Arizona State is a springboard to conference affiliation.

l The Wolverines play in an 8,000-seat arena, but are drawing fewer than 1,000 fans a game this season.

l Weber State is the only in-state school that will play UVSC, which worries that its big win Saturday will scare off other major-conference schools.

Utah basketball inside

* No. 24 Arizona could be missing two of its key players Saturday when it visits Utah.