Category: San Diego State

2020 New Year’s Resolution For The Mountain West

J 2020 New Year’s Resolution For The Mountain West What goals do you want to see for your team in 2020? Contact/Follow @MWCwire Resolution time. Now that 2019 has come and gone, we have asked our staff to hand out some resoultions for their team and …

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2020 New Year’s Resolution For The Mountain West

What goals do you want to see for your team in 2020?

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Resolution time.

Now that 2019 has come and gone, we have asked our staff to hand out some resoultions for their team and the league as a whole. If you have any of your own respond to this embeded tweet below.

Mountain West

Raj: Boise State is the Mountain West and jokes aside; the MWC better find a way to campaign more for the Broncos to get into future NY6 games along with finding a way to get the Broncos in better bowl matchups. And yes, go get the standard bearer of the conference the money we deserve in this new TV deal.

Jeremy: Gotta agree with Raj, the league needs to promote itself better for whatever team is in position for a New Year’s Six Bowl or when it comes to the NCAA selection committee which could see the Mountain West have a top-three seed in San Diego State and maybe three teams overall in Utah State and New Mexico.

Be more vocal and don’t just spew that the stats speak for themselves. No need to go full Mike Aresco but speak up for the league more often and accept more media interviews.

Tron: The Mountain West needs to find a way to be more competitive as a conference, in both football and basketball. In football they need to find a way to campaign for better bowl games whenever possible. In basketball they need to find a way to get more teams to the tourney consistently, possibly by adding a round robin tournament into the schedule the way other mid majors are considering, in order to give your best teams more quad 1-2 competition. Adding a good basketball only school (like they tried with Gonzaga) could help a lot too, in terms of getting more teams into the tourney, which generates more money for the conference and the teams in it. 

Roger: The MWC must continue to schedule big games on National TV, do what they can to get more national exposure to generate both respect on the national stage and of course generate more  income. They can start by doing a top to bottom upgrade to their web site that was good 10 years ago but must keep up with the times, web site is clunky, maybe do push notifications on favorite teams and when they play games Take a look at the SEC website for some tips. Something much more media & social media emphasis.

Josh F: Craig Thompson needs to find his voice. We make fun of the AAC a lot, but he constantly puts his conference out there in national discussions. Meanwhile, Thompson sits in his office drinking coffee doing nothing. 

Ted M.:  The Mountain West needs a successor for Commissioner Craig Thompson. In charge since its inception, he held the conference together years ago when TCU, Utah and BYU left. But that was nearly 10 years ago. In sports, one must regularly prove one’s mettle. It has been a very long time since Thompson has made notable progress. He did not recognize the value of integrating Wichita State whose Final Four caliber basketball program wanted to join the Mountain West in a big way.

Thompson openly blew off the Shockers.  For a conference with just eleven basketball teams it was a missed chance. He recently muffed a potential Gonzaga integration, and turned a private discussion about BYU’s return into the Mountain West – very public. No progress was made. Today, the conference is misrepresented and under-recognized. Games are hard to watch due to late airings, and being poorly televised- if at all.  The Mountain West is grossly underrated. Until change is made it will remain so. Looking at the the American Athletic Conference, which has demanded Power 6 status, it’s clear that with strong leadership so much more can be realized by a strong G5 like the Mountain West.  

Larry: Basketball for the conference as a whole seems to be in a better place than they were last year, I know that sounds crazy with Musselman in Arkansas and Neemias Queta injured on the bench but hear me out. The middle of the pack looks stronger and you can see guys like Medvid, Alford and Hutson building programs at their respective schools (slowly but still doing so) and recruiting on a higher level than before. I would love to see this continued momentum and a respect for the conference nationally, which has been hard to obtain in recent years. The conference is on the up and up and with San Diego State and New Mexico returning to past form that helps. But to return to 3+ big league living in the shadow of the infamous 2013 season some changes need to be made. Scheduling for most of the conference has improved with games against Auburn, Florida, LSU, Duke and more helping team’s national profile. It’s hard living in mid-major land and to find that aforementioned national respect you need to be dominant, and Utah State and San Diego State are doing just that. We can use more as a conference but the improvement isn’t going unnoticed. 

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Mountain West Basketball Jan. 1 Scoreboard, Schedule, Odds

Mountain West Basketball Jan. 1 Scoreboard, Schedule, Odds Mountain West hoops on New Year’s Day Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Full slate of league games. For some reason the Mountain West decided to go all-in on playing conference play on …

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Mountain West Basketball Jan. 1 Scoreboard, Schedule, Odds

Mountain West hoops on New Year’s Day

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Full slate of league games.

For some reason the Mountain West decided to go all-in on playing conference play on New Year’s Day but regardless we have you covered with picks, scheduled, odds and once games go final the results and some highlights.

Fresno State at San Diego State 3 p.m. ET TV: WatchStadium

KenPom: Aztecs -13

https://www.facebook.com/MWCWire/posts/810520102727646?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBH5YcHMyiORLr-8mrOVJsAGO3PnBExpsWQwHCxzZ5WrgDBicqBtiNpUKOUewwkTjokenbYcm11Wdo9TFqre0fbAr67z0LxZ5FRShL_0kQ6lPSq6CJlAoeRJ8NToPCWC5RvJnWQPMISbKU-T5tiYcGiI1yyN6WGmVACqO78APeCM8-lmLVSbYfTnep0-J1dkKCxg_4fmqZzdIAkHgfEGzphdTizhpzpn5C8dfj7oDYZfz9Yw3melyp9RCnbsXAZG7hNyYDDD72jVJyjhTvHtLNpSfKpwIAwkE1LOx06nHWh3uhuWK3JH8oGwYv33b_HgA2s6Z7gbLV2ZJ9mLvQDEphRbyrarF9xM9w0yuEfOC7kfsWwVrBYxvgV6MJsMQAVKS0InmLregjD8TbUGVNcu0B5-BQuJLiP-dLiY34wRSCvO5sg1Ezq5wNjXNERK1RSEPMTFH1Ktheysly4BPTZLqUopWIeNyY5GyeJOAODn-8k8_TtFvHpoTRKEMeeoK6zhpab8A&__tn__=-R

Jeremy: San Diego State

Logan: SDSU

Larry: SDSU

Eric: San Diego State

Wyoming at Boise State, 8 p.m. ET: TV: Mountain West Network

KenPom: Broncos -16

Jeremy: Boise State

Logan: Boise State

Larry: Boise State

Eric: Boise State

New Mexico at San Jose State. 10 p.m. ET. TV: Mountain West Network

KenPom: Lobos -11

Jeremy: New Mexico

Logan: New Mexico

Larry: New Mexico 

Eric: New Mexico

Colorado State at Nevada, 10 p.m. ET, TV: AT&T Sports Net

KenPom: Wolf Pack -7

Jeremy: Nevada

Logan: CSU

Larry: Nevada

Eric: Nevada

Utah State at UNLV, 11 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network

KenPom: Aggies -6

Jeremy: Utah State

Logan: USU

Larry: USU

Eric: Utah State

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Fresno State vs. #13 San Diego State: Game Preview, TV, Live Stream, Radio Schedule, Odds & More

Fresno State vs. #13 San Diego State: Game Preview, TV, Live Stream, Radio Schedule, Odds & More Fresno State coaches Justin Hutson and Tim Shelton return to Viejas Arena for a homecoming against Brian Dutcher’s Aztecs. Contact/Follow @tedmcgovern & …

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Fresno State vs. #13 San Diego State: Game Preview, TV, Live Stream, Radio Schedule, Odds & More

Fresno State coaches Justin Hutson and Tim Shelton return to Viejas Arena for a homecoming against Brian Dutcher’s Aztecs.

Contact/Follow @tedmcgovern & @MWCwire

The undefeated Aztecs roar into the ’20’s hosting the Bulldogs on New Year’s Day

San Diego, CA-  San Diego State (13-0, 2-0 MW) faces the Fresno State Bulldogs (4-9, 0-2 MW) at 3pm, EST on Wednesday, New Year’s Day at Viejas Arena.  The Aztecs are coming into this game in high gear.

San Diego State ended 2019 by taking down the Cal Poly Mustangs 73-57 to end up undefeated in non-conference regular season play.

The Aztecs are ranked #1 in the new NET ranking system that replaced the RPI system.  They are #12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.  What does the delta between the two reveal?  Perhaps this is the margin of West Cost bias.

Fresno State, on the other hand,  Fresno State lost to the California Riverside Highlanders(?) by a score of 60-57. It’s notable, though that forward Orlando Robinson, who had 27 points along with five blocks and five rebounds.

Many are asking Why is the nation’s 13th-ranked team not on TV?

It’s all too easy to point out that Commissioner Craig Thompson is out of it, but it’s also true that CBS Sports chose Utah State at UNLV back in the summer, months before it knew the Aztecs would be so great. ESPN, which has second pick, passed with New Year’s Day football bowl games abound.

It’s no big surprise that San Diego State is favored by 13.5 points.  The Aztecs have, however, have missed the spread in four of their seven home games.

In their last meeting, San Diego State lost 76-74 in a highly intense, neck-at-neck game. There’s a good probability they’ll make up for it this afternoon.

GAME DETAILS

WHO: Fresno State (4-9, 0-2 MWC) at SDSU (13-0, 2-0 MWC)

WHEN: Wednesday, January 1, 2020 — 300 P.M. EST / 12:00 P.M. PST

WHERE: Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl, San Diego, CA

WATCH: Stadium/Facebook web stream

https://www.facebook.com/MWCWire/posts/810520102727646?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBQ3R9PMqvZ9qOKLBbSHVFYuBnKa0lCBwMetWCxcuJ4JiwynGa10mrYpGJ9e7o_-AHVbG41C5-gFlwjV6G6KrGi6Cik7RPDTCfndWFriZU3LYkFH5ZA635MTnnyWR19hf4McbnURdlD3ZTHH7ZjWz9C2_6z5XlQvHS_UlDj-gmH34dXMii1XW1SuWIsjeoDycxNyu6nJ_3XHk3cUCUH5vkcRHE-PW7aMQKhDQofCV5TbLgW3uw253w5CBwM41s9fhRk6bF5ZBDFw08V8XrzEvTtKg6VGXOW-cfbehvqRsky28JgmsHLyX1KyapHazy0Gqs9p_hpHexY_Q2y-diHjSqcHjaD3VSPqAUFdzBiLRSJuEfvYImy_8uBBF-hruCumWQO5DhWkdR94kIrM74sgdYnfvs8JzhoPP4HhnMDF8xH1_dV5SZMqu2nQzTOyjkiRTdRSP7lhvvaaOONgP0xd9f_AQwAxNyHrvndmQcNKaxIytdsw_TaCCQhQAMc0kWA73XPaA&__tn__=-R

LISTEN: 1360-AM, 101.5-FM

ALL-TIME RECORD:This is the 119th meeting, the most of any opponent in SDSU history. The Aztecs lead 62-56 but have lost seven of the last ten. The Bulldogs swept the season series last year.

ODDS: San Diego State -13.5

OVER/UNDER: 126

GAME PREDICTION

Aztecs 79, Fresno State 63

 

UP NEXT

The Aztecs head out to Logan, Utah to face the Aggies at Dee Allen Spectrum, and Fresno State hosts San Jose State- both on Saturday.

MWwire’s 2010s All-Decade Mountain West Football Team

Who were the best Mountain West football players of the 2010s? We make our picks.

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Mountain West Wire’s 2010s All-Decade Mountain West Football Team

Who were the best Mountain West football players of the 2010s? We make our picks.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

The best of the best from a memorable decade.

The decade in Mountain West football began with an upset. Unranked Utah defeated #15 Pittsburgh at home on September 2, 2010, and in doing so set the tone for the ten years that followed. One Rose Bowl, one Fiesta Bowl, and seven All-Americans later, the conference has a lot to live up to at it heads into its third decade of existence.

As the 2010s come to a close, we wanted to look back to highlight the best players from the decade. If you disagree with our choices, of course, feel free to let us know what you’d have done differently on Twitter or Facebook.

First Team

Offense

QB – Brett Rypien, Boise State
RB – Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State
RB – Jay Ajayi, Boise State
WR – Rashard Higgins, Colorado State
WR – Davante Adams, Fresno State
TE – Gavin Escobar, San Diego State
C – Keith Ismael, San Diego State
G – Nico Siragusa, San Diego State
G – Chase Roullier, Wyoming
T – Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
T – Austin Wentworth, Fresno State

Defense

DL – Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State
DL – Eddie Yarbrough, Wyoming
DL – Malik Reed, Nevada
DL – Curtis Weaver, Boise State
LB – Tank Carder, TCU
LB – Miles Burris, San Diego State
LB – Logan Wilson, Wyoming
CB – Leon McFadden, San Diego State
CB – Damontae Kazee, San Diego State
S – Weston Steelhammer, Air Force
S – Andrew Wingard, Wyoming

Special Teams

K – Dominik Eberle, Utah State
P – Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado State
KR – Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
PR – Avery Williams, Boise State

Second Team

Offense

QB – Derek Carr, Fresno State
RB – Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State
RB – Brian Hill, Wyoming
WR – Michael Gallup, Colorado State
WR – Keesean Johnson, Fresno State
TE – Crockett Gillmore, Colorado State
C – Weston Richburg, Colorado State
G – A.J. Wallerstein, Air Force
G – John Molchon, Boise State
T – Nate Potter, Boise State
T – Marcus Cannon, TCU

Defense

DL – Alex Barrett, San Diego State
DL – Tyeler Davison, Fresno State
DL – Brock Hekking, Nevada
DL – Stansly Maponga, TCU
LB – Zach Vigil, Utah State
LB – Cory James, Colorado State
LB – Carmen Messina, New Mexico
CB – Donte Deayon, Boise State
CB – Jalen Davis, Utah State
S – Darian Thompson, Boise State
S – Derron Smith, Fresno State

Special Teams

K – John Baron II, San Diego State
P – Brian Stahovich, San Diego State
KR – Savon Scarver, Utah State
PR – Jojo Natson, Utah State

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Eight

We are tracking the best players of the Mountain West hoops season on a weekly basis.

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Eight

Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Eight.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Who is in the running for Player of the Year? The list welcomes three new faces and the board has a new leader.

The staff at the Mountain West Wire wanted to do something a little different this year. We are going to keep track of the top performers from teams around the Mountain West throughout the year and vote on who had the best performances that week. 

How it works description now at the bottom of the article

The order for the eighth week is as follows:

1. Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard Boise State (5 Points)

32 Points, 2 Rebounds and 6 Assists against Portland

23 Points, 9 Rebounds and 6 Assists against UTEP

17 Points, 5 Assists and 3 Rebounds against CSUN

Derrick Alston Jr. has made the jump in production we all hoped he would going into his junior season in Boise. After averaging 24 points a game this past week while the Broncos played in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu and a home game this past weekend against CSUN, Alston has his team riding a three-game winning streak and nestled in sixth place in the Mountain West at 9-5 (1-1 MW).

Alston has made three past appearances in our top-five but hasn’t had a first place finish until now. That coupled with his consistency throughout the season has him in first place on our big board with 14 points total. He is a talented player with professional attributes but has been forced into a go-to scorer role that has him taking 14.7 field goal attempts a game (a conference-high). He can certainly score, but as a 6-9 guard, he also has a playmaking ability that is overlooked by the need to knock down shots.

Some help arrived at semester break, which could help distribute the offensive burden a bit and we should see the same consistent play from Alston Jr. that we have seen to thus far, but keep an eye on his ability to facilitate offense for others going forward. As it will be needed if the Broncos hope to break into the top-five of the conference and challenge the current big 3.

2. Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (4 Points):

14 Points, 7 Assists, 5 Steals and 5 Rebounds against Cal Poly

3.  Orlando Robinson, freshman forward Fresno State (3 Points):

24 Points, 7 Rebounds and 2 Blocks against San Francisco

27 Points, 5 Rebounds and 5 Blocks against UC-Riverside

4.  Corey Manigault, senior forward New Mexico (2 Points):

20 Points, 11 Rebounds and 4 Steals against UC Davis

5. Abu Kigab, junior forward Boise State (1 Point):

3 Points, 2 Assists and 1 Steal against Portland

11 Points and 10 Rebounds against UTEP

33 Points and 11 Rebounds against CSUN

Past Weeks:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3| Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7

Current Overall Point Totals:

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (14 Points)

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (11 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (11 Points)

Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (9 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (9 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (7 Points)

Hunter Maldonado, sophomore guard Wyoming (7 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (6 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (5 Points)

Carlton Bragg Jr., senior forward New Mexico (5 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Justinian Jessup, senior guard Boise State (5 Points)

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Isaiah Stevens, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Orlando Robinson, freshman forward Fresno State (3 Points)

Roderick “RJ” Williams, senior forward Boise State (3 Points)

Corey Manigault, senior forward New Mexico (2 Points):

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Abu Kigab, junior forward Boise State (1 Point):

How It Works: 

Each person will award 15 points in total to five players and should award it as so:

1st place (Player of the week): 5 pts

2nd place: 4 pts

3rd place: 3 pts

4th place: 2 pts

5th place: 1 pt

The player with the most points total will be our player of the week and we will keep track of the point totals every week so that the player who has the most at the end of the year will receive the Mountain West Wire Player of the Year award. Just copy the players below and type your names above it like we do for the pick them docs we get and award your points. 

Now some guys made the list and others didn’t. A big thing to think about was consistency throughout the week. Something that hurt some guys was having a decent game one day and a bad one the other day. Guys who made the list had a great game one day and a good one on other days, or good games both days.

This column will come out on Sunday nights or Monday mornings depending on how late some games finish on Sundays. 

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Week 9 College Basketball Rankings: San Diego State Moves Up In Latest Poll

San Diego State keeps going up the polls to No. 13 by the AP.

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Week 9 College Basketball Rankings: San Diego State Moves Up In Latest Poll

Aztecs are one of two undefeated teams.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

San Diego State moves up to No. 13

The latest Associated Press top 25 poll is rewarding San Diego State for remaining undefeated with its 13-0 record. This past week the Aztecs played just one game and defeated Cal Poly, 73-57.

That win and maybe the pollsters noticing the Aztecs topped Utah the week prior is why San Diego State jumped Maryland and Michigan State. There is only one other undefeated team and it is Auburn who is 12-0 and currently sits at No. 8.

This point of the year when league play starts could see San Diego State stall in the rankings even with winning. They do get a big game vs. Utah State in Logan for the second game of league play and that will carry some pull as the Aggies are receiving votes in the latest poll. It is possible that the Aztecs ould be a top 10 team after beating Utah State, plus Fresno State which they resume league play against on Jan. 1.

AP TOP 25 POLL

1. GONZAGA (13-1, LAST WEEK: NO. 1)
2. DUKE (11-1, LW 4)
3. KANSAS (10-2, LW 5)
4. OREGON (11-2, LW 6)

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5. OHIO STATE (11-2, LW 2)
6. Baylor (9-1, LW 7)
7. Louisville (11-2, LW 3)
8. Auburn (12-0, LW 8)
9. Memphis (11-1, LW 9)
10. Villanova (9-2, LW 10)
11. Butler (12-1, LW 12)
12. Michigan (10-3, LW 11)
13. San Diego State (13-0, LW 15)
14. Michigan State (10-3, LW 14)
15. Maryland (11-2, LW 13)
16. West Virginia (11-1, LW 22)
18. Florida State (11-2, LW  17)
19. Virginia (10-2, LW 16)
20. Dayton (10-2, LW 18)
21. Penn State (11-2, LW 20)
22. Texas Tech (9-3, LW 23)
23. Iowa (10-3, LW 25)
24. Wichita State (11-1, LW NR)
25. Arizona (10-3, LW 24)

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No. 15 Aztecs Quash Cal Poly 73-57 To Become 13-0

Surprised by a plucky Mustangs team that took a brief first half lead, San Diego State turned on its dominant brand of play to win handily.

No. 15 Aztecs Quash Cal Poly 73-57 To Become 13-0

Cal Poly gives SDSU an early run for the money during the first half before the Aztecs break the game open for another dominant win.

Contact/Follow @tedmcgovern & @MWCwire

The dynamic Aztecs went undefeated in regular season non-conference play against many formidable foes.

San Diego, CA-  San Diego State (13-0, 2-0 MW) started off firing on no cylinders at Viejas Arena for nearly ten minutes of the first half against a surprisingly determined Cal Poly Mustangs (2-11, 0-0 BW).  The Aztecs ultimately shifted gears to pull ahead and handily win 73-57.

The Aztecs played lackadaisical basketball for nearly ten minutes, including matching, painful air balls from Yanni Wetzell and KJ Feagin.

SDSU pulled ahead to an 18-8 lead before the Mustangs shocked Viejas Arena fans by closing a 10-point deficit to take a 23-22 lead after Alimamy Koroma made two free throws with 2:41 before the half.

At that, the Aztecs decided enough was enough.

And just like that, SDSU locked and loaded with 1:40 left to go in the half going on a 9-0 lead to enter halftime with a 31-23 lead.

After Matt Mitchell missed a 3-pointer, Koroma rebounded but Wetzell stole the ball and scored. Malachi Flynn and Jordan Schakel had layups, and then Matt Mitchell flushed Flynn’s missed 3 with a powerful dunk, and was fouled before making his free throw.

According to Schakel, Wetzell’s steal and score “gave us a lot of energy. I heard the crowd get back into it.”

After leading 31-23 at the half, the Aztecs found their rhythm.  Flynn sank two long range 3’s, including a bank shot.  Feagin also hit a long range shot well behind the perimeter. Wetzell made three shots in the paint to help the Aztecs pull ahead to 50-31.

During the second half they continued to dominate, ultimately winning 73-57 and keeping their undefeated streak alive.

Said coach Brian Dutcher, “I thought our energy was good, we just couldn’t make a shot. We had some open looks. We shared the ball, and when the ball’s not going in all of a sudden it becomes a challenge. Cal Poly played physical. They played a very good first half, had a lead late in the first half and then we made some energy plays. We went on enough runs to build a comfortable lead in the second half and come out with a victory.”

“I told them our goal was to have an undefeated December,” he said. “We did that. So we’ve got to take great pleasure in that.”

Malachi Flynn produced 14 points, while Yanni Wetzell and Jordan Schakel contributed 12 points apiece.

SDSU is experiencing its best start since 2010-11, when it went 20-0 with  Kawhi Leonard and ultimately reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time ever before ending the season at 34-3.

For Cal Poly Kyle Colvin managed 13 points and Junior Ballard added 12 for the Mustangs. Alimamy Koroma had 12 boards.  It was hard to believe that Cal Poly has only won two games this season, given their aggressive play at Viejas.

SDSU forced a season-high 23 turnovers in this game.

The Aztecs completed an undefeated non-conference schedule (11-0) for just the second time in the last 89 seasons.

Signature wins include BYU followed by Creighton and Iowa to win the Las Vegas Invitational, and against Utah at Staples Center in Los Angeles. These victories will promote an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament in case the Aztecs don’t win the Mountain West Championship auto-bid.

SDSU returns to Mountain West conference play, hosting Fresno State on Wednesday. SDSU is 2-0 so far in the MWC.

Mountain West Basketball Power Rankings: Ringing In 2020

Mountain West Basketball Power Rankings: Ringing In 2020 San Diego State is our first No. 1. Contact/Follow @MWCwire Two teams claim first place votes. The Mountain West basketball season is at the midway point and now is a good point to start our …

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Mountain West Basketball Power Rankings: Ringing In 2020

San Diego State is our first No. 1.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Two teams claim first place votes.

The Mountain West basketball season is at the midway point and now is a good point to start our weekly power rankings now that we know what teams are good or not so good.

San Diego State is one of just a handful of undefeated teams in the country and are No. 15 in the latest AP poll and are the only Mountian West team ranked in the polls.

Utah State is another early Mountain West contender but they are not quite at San Diego State’s level with a pair of losses and sitting at 12-2. New Mexico is also at 12-2 just like the Aggies and these three teams are the early contenders.

The rest of the league, or at least the middle, is a jumbled mess and will see some shuffling throughout these rankings over the rest of the season. When league play gets going there definitely will be some shuffling over the next month.

These initial rankings do have the Aztecs at the top but they do not own every first place vote as there are two votes allocated for Utah State.

Rank Team Previously
1. San Diego State (10-first place votes) 1st
2. Utah State (2-first place votes) 2nd
3. New Mexico 3rd
4. Nevada 4th
5. Colorado State 5th
6. Boise State 6th
7. UNLV 7th
8. Air Force 8th
9. Fresno State 9th
10. Wyoming 10th
11. San Jose State 11th

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Seven

Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Seven Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Seven. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Who is in the running for Player of the Year? The staff at the …

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Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Seven

Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Seven.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Who is in the running for Player of the Year?

The staff at the Mountain West Wire wanted to do something a little different this year. We are going to keep track of the top performers from teams around the Mountain West throughout the year and vote on who had the best performances that week. 

How it works description now at the bottom of the article

The order for the Seventh week is as follows:

1. Sam Merrill, senior guard Utah State (5 Points)

21 Points, 4 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Southern Florida

21 Points, 5 Assists and 9 Rebounds against Florida

Merrill has been somewhat of a silent feature on this list consistently throughout the season. Though he has appeared as high as second in prior weeks, this is his first time at the top which brought him into a tie for first with New Mexico’s JaQuan Lyle with 11 points total. Merrill has the Aggies at 12-2 on the season with two losses to some of the West Coast Conference’s best.

Utah State is coming off of two nice neutral courts wins against Southern Florida and the Florida Gators this past week. Merrill continues to be a leader on the court and brings his best game to the Aggies’ biggest games, shooting 52.9% from three in those last two contests. This team will go as far as Merrill take’s them and with Neemias Queta out after re-injuring himself in their game against Florida let’s see how the senior guard handles conference play without him.

2. Isaiah Stevens, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points):

26 Points, 12 Assists and 6 Rebounds against Tulsa

3. Hunter Maldonado, sophomore guard Wyoming  (3 Points):

23 Points, 6 Rebounds and 4 Assists against UVU

20 Points, 9 Rebounds and 4 Assists against Denver

4. Nico Carvacho, senior center Colorado State (2 Points):

15 Points, 18 Rebounds and 2 Assists against Tulsa

5. JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (1 Point):

21 Points, 6 Assists and 2 Steals against GCU

19 Points, 6 Assists and 2 Rebounds against Houston Baptist

Past Weeks:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3| Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 

Current Overall Point Totals:

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (11 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (11 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (9 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (9 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (7 Points)

Hunter Maldonado, sophomore guard Wyoming (7 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (6 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (5 Points)

Carlton Bragg Jr., senior forward New Mexico (5 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (5 Points)

Justinian Jessup, senior guard Boise State (5 Points)

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Isaiah Stevens, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Roderick “RJ” Williams, senior forward Boise State (3 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

How It Works: 

Each person will award 15 points in total to five players and should award it as so:

1st place (Player of the week): 5 pts

2nd place: 4 pts

3rd place: 3 pts

4th place: 2 pts

5th place: 1 pt

The player with the most points total will be our player of the week and we will keep track of the point totals every week so that the player who has the most at the end of the year will receive the Mountain West Wire Player of the Year award. Just copy the players below and type your names above it like we do for the pick them docs we get and award your points. 

Now some guys made the list and others didn’t. A big thing to think about was consistency throughout the week. Something that hurt some guys was having a decent game one day and a bad one the other day. Guys who made the list had a great game one day and a good one on other days, or good games both days.

This column will come out on Sunday nights or Monday mornings depending on how late some games finish on Sundays. 

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Week 8 DPI Rankings: CSU hangs around, UNLV falls behind

Week 8 DPI Rankings: CSU hangs around, UNLV falls behind Off-court turmoil could cause a shake-up in the top half Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire Happy Holidays from Mountain West Wire! Enjoy the yuletide with this week’s installment of …

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Week 8 DPI Rankings: CSU hangs around, UNLV falls behind

Off-court turmoil could cause a shake-up in the top half

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Happy Holidays from Mountain West Wire! Enjoy the yuletide with this week’s installment of the DPI rankings.

It seems almost impossible that it’s already the holiday season, but here we are. There have been nearly two months of hoops already and the non-conference season is just about over.

And while we think we may have clarity now, league play is a horse of a different color. Teams that are on cloud nine right now may come crashing back to earth. Others that have been struggling might finally shake the demons free from their backs.

But as we inch ever closer to the official onset of the Mountain West season, let’s take one last look at how all the teams stack up with just a few buy-games left on the league’s non-conference docket.

As always, for a full rundown of how the Dieckhoff Power Index, or DPI, is calculated, head over to my site. And bear in mind, non-Division I games do not count toward the DPI, so all those games against Life Pacific and Portland Bible go out the window. These ratings are current through December 23.

#1 — SAN DIEGO STATE

http://www.dpihoops.net/sdsuwk8.png

The Aztecs had nearly two weeks off between their nailbiter against San Jose State and their next game versus Utah. Clearly, they used this time to reflect and improve. SDSU ran the Utes out of the building just days after the former Mountain West squad beat Kentucky. The defense continues to be the star of the show, but this team can score, too.

#2 — UTAH STATE

The Aggies have been dancing on the knife’s edge over the past few weeks, but they’ve come out on the other side mostly unscathed. In their past four games, Utah State has won in overtime, won by four points, won by two points in overtime, and won by three points. But margins notwithstandings, wins over Florida and South Florida solidified their at-large case.

#3 — NEW MEXICO

Oh, no. Things were going a little too well for the Lobos, weren’t they? After an impressive start, New Mexico announced over the weekend that starters Carlton Bragg and JJ Caldwell would be suspended indefinitely. Paul Weir was able to corral the rest of the team together and they won again over lowly Houston Baptist, but adversity has descended upon Albuquerque.

#4 — NEVADA

The Wolf Pack are the prime candidate to take on third place in the league should the Lobos stumble during this tumultuous time. Their trio of is legitimately dangerous. They hung very tight with Saint Mary’s last week, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them hang a big win over SDSU or Utah State this season. They’ve still got a lot of room to grow, though.

#5 — COLORADO STATE

You just can’t get rid of these Rams! Though they aren’t making many waves on the national scale, give them credit for sticking around the top half of the league for this long. Nico Carvacho is Nico Carvacho, and Isaiah Stevens has been a revelation in Niko Medved’s backcourt. Fellow freshman David Roddy started his first game in CSU’s 111-104 triple OT win over Tulsa.

#6 — BOISE STATE

Boise State has given a pretty good indication of where they are right now with their performance so far, both on the season as a whole and in the Diamond Head Classic. The Broncos lost to a wayward Georgia Tech club and then pummeled an up-and-down Portland team. They got a crummy Christmas gift, drawing a good UTEP team in their final game in Hawai’i.

#7 — FRESNO STATE

Because the DPI doesn’t count non-D1 games, the Bulldogs sit at just 3-8—yet they’ve managed to stay in seventh place, thanks to a slightly above-average defense. It was another heartbreaker for Justin Hutson on Monday, with Fresno State falling to San Francisco by just two points. That’s the sixth time the Bulldogs have either lost by one possession or lost in overtime.

#8 — AIR FORCE

The Falcons continue to struggle during this disappointing year, following up a narrow win over Denver with a loss to Drake. The offense has been good, but they haven’t been able to stop opponents from scoring. They rank near the bottom of the nation both in their ability to make teams miss and in their proclivity toward forcing turnovers.

#9 — UNLV

A rocky start to the season got worse at the start of the month with the news that grad transfer Elijah Mitrou-Long would miss six to eight weeks with a thumb injury. The Rebels are 1-2 without him, with losses to BYU and Pacific buoyed only by a forgettable triumph over Robert Morris. Fans may already be counting down the days until David Jenkins debuts in Vegas.

#10 — WYOMING

More of the same from the Cowboys, as Hunter Maldonado continues to pile up mounds of individual statistics while the team flounders. They did snap a six-game skid, though. To be clear, that’s not a knock on Maldonado. He has developed into a fine player; there’s just not enough talent throughout the roster. But their defensive metrics indicate that they’re putting forth the effort.

#11 — SAN JOSÉ STATE

Yeesh. The Spartans’ skid has extended to eight games after San Jose State fell to Santa Clara and UC Riverside last week. The shots just aren’t falling and they don’t take care of the ball. Seneca Knight is having a good year, but once again, the Spartans have separated themselves as the clear-cut lowest ranked team in the Mountain West.

That’s it for this week. Here’s wishing you all a safe and happy holiday from Mountain West Wire and the DPI.

But buckle up. Conference play starts next week.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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