Tag: Air Force Basketball

Wyoming Holds Off Late Air Force Surge on Senior Night

Game Recap: Wyoming 74, Air Force 63 Wyoming Holds Off Late Air Force Surge on Senior Night Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Cowboys leaned heavily on their seniors to secure their final home win of the season. As the college basketball …

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 Game Recap: Wyoming 74, Air Force 63

Wyoming Holds Off Late Air Force Surge on Senior Night

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Cowboys leaned heavily on their seniors to secure their final home win of the season.

As the college basketball season is nearing it’s end in most conferences around the country. Fans around the Mountain West still have one more week of the regular season to go before they find their way to Sin City next week to end things the proper way, via net cutting.

Kicking Tuesday night’s action off was senior night in Laramie. With five players celebrating their Cowboy careers, looking for one last win against the visiting Air Force Falcons.

Wyoming came into this one also hoping to end a four game losing streak, which included two losses at home & two more on the road against teams from the top-half of the conference standings. Nothing to bat an eye at given how fierce Mountain West play has really been this season.

Just ask Air Force, who are riding a two game losing streak themselves. Falling by double-digits to league leaders Boise State & Utah State last week. Although the Falcons are likely also grateful they were able to end a seven game losing streak the week before with an upset win at New Mexico.

So to say the conference title would be up for grabs for grabs or a postseason appearance being on the line in Laramie on Tuesday night is far fetched. It didn’t stop either team from giving it everything they had inside the Arena-Auditorium.

Air Force has been known to start things very quickly this season, taking quick leads right out of the gate all season. Their only problem is letting the other team take control & beat them, usually in the second-half. Tuesday night was no different, as the Falcons scored the first six points of the night, thanks to back-to-back three pointers from Beau Becker & Byron Brown.

On the other side of the court, their hosts struggled as well. With Sam Griffin getting things started for the Cowboys with a three pointer of his own after four straight misses for Wyoming after tip-off.

It wouldn’t be that way for long. As senior Kenny Foster started what would become a 7-0 run with a layup in the paint.

A Luke Kearney three-pointer at the top of the arc ended that scoring drought to bring Air Force to within one just under the ten minute mark. After, a Wenzel layup on the other end extended their deficit by three.

Jeffrey Mills would tie things up at 15 a piece with his own three-pointer & not let the play end there by securing a steal off the Wyoming inbound while the rest of his team was already jogging back to play defense. Kearney utilized a turnaround jumper at the top of the key to give the Falcons back the lead at 17-15.

Ethan Taylor was able to put some points on the board with yet another Falcon three-pointer out of the timeout. As the first-half clock continued to wind down without much scoring on either side. Griffin netted his second three-point field goal of the night to put Wyoming back on top before a mass substitution by Jeff Linder. As fans yearned for scoring in the last closing minutes of the first-half, each squad finally answered.

After scoring runs on both sides of the ball, both teams went to their locker rooms after the half-time buzzer with Wyoming up 27-22.

Air Force was able to stay in competitive in the first twenty of minutes of play via their shooting from behind the arc. Which should be a no brainer at this point of the season. Entering half-time with a 5-14 (35.7%) shooting performance, which at times made them look dangerous. While their 8-24 (33.3%) shooting from the floor made them look vulnerable.

Luke Kearney led the Falcons with 7 first-half points off of 3-8 shooting in just eight minutes on the floor.

On the other side it was a cool & calm 14 points from Sam Griffin that led the way for the Cowboys. Including an impressive 3-5 shooting performance from beyond the arc, while the rest of his team shot a bleak 1-7 combined.

Neither team heard much of the whistle blown in the first-half & only made a combined five trips to the charity stripe. Air Force has built a bit of a reputation for hanging around and even leading teams in the first-half before fizzling out in the second.

Sometimes patterns & reputation are to be trusted for what they are. As the Falcons came out swinging, they just didn’t manage to hit anything fresh out of half-time. Wyoming wasn’t really dialed in either. Finding their first four points via the free throw line before they went on an unanswered 14-0 run in the first six minutes out of the break.

Jeffrey Mills finally ended that horrid shooting streak with another Falcon three-pointer. Air Force would proceed to put every previously mentioned notion about their second-half play to bed for the next seven minutes. Outscoring their hosts 21-12 during that time to bring their deficit to single-digits (53-44).

Wyoming grew their lead to double figures once again, capitalizing off of four straight made free throws. Air Force wasn’t out of steam just yet, with back-to-back three-point jumpers from Mills & Kearney in consecutive possessions.

Wenzel attempted to extend the home squad’s lead with an and-one opportunity down low. Which worked, before a couple of Air Force attempts on the other end lead to another Jeffrey Mills three-pointer shrank the deficit to it’s smallest all half to just 60-56.

It didn’t stop there as each side exchanged shots from inside the paint & beyond the arc as they approached the final two minutes of the game. Scoring leaders Brendan Wenzel & Jeffrey Mills continued to exchange buckets before Joe Scott called timeout to end the firefight.

After the timeout freshman Cam Manyawu found himself with the ball in the paint but couldn’t capitalize.

Air Force took possession & ran down to the other end, but made a fatal mistake. After staying in this one thanks to their three-point shooting, they held on to the ball too long & settled for a mid-range jumper. It didn’t go in & Akuel Kot went on to make four straight free throw attempts.

Air Force missed two straight three-pointers during that same time & the night was over. Wyoming escaped with their last home win of the season, holding strong to secure the 74-63 win over Air Force.

The Falcons went home with another loss in conference play, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Finding more offensive success in the second-half, shooting 48.1% (13-27) from the floor, 85.7% (6-7) from the free throw line & 40.9% (9-22) from three-point range. It was a great performance, but the home team played just a tad bit better.

The Cowboys were on absolute fire in the second-half; shooting 14-26 (53.8%) from the floor, 4-8 (50%) from deep & a surgical 15-16 (93.8%) from the charity stripe. Mostly thanks to a whopping 19 points from Akuel Kot & 15 points from Brendan Wenzel, two Cowboys playing their last games inside Arena-Auditorium.

Yes, the Cowboys were the favorites heading into this one, but as we’ve seen all season, no one is immune to the upset this year. Jeff Linder’s group stood tall & matched the Falcons’ energy all game & kept the last possible home win of the season at home on senior night.

Player Spotlights

Air Force G–Jeffrey Mills & Byron Brown

Stat line: Mills-17 points & 3 assists on 6-8 shooting (75%) from the floor & 5-7 (71.4%) from deep in just 24 minutes of action Brown-16 points on 6-13 (46.1%) shooting & 33.3% from deep in just 23 minutes of action

It was time for a co-player spotlight for Air Force. Jeffrey Mills had a very clutch 24 minutes on the floor. Scoring 14 of his team-high 17 points in the second-half & keeping the Cowboys on their toes in the process.

While Brown enjoyed a career high 16 points in just 23 minutes of play time. And in my opinion, helped Mills bring the Falcons to within striking distance with 11 of his points coming after half-time.

Wyoming G-Akuel Kot

Stat line: 19 points, 2 rebounds, & 2 assists on 6-13 shooting (46.1%) from the floor & 6-6 (100%) from the line in 35 minutes of action

The D-II transfer who celebrated his lone season in Laramie on senior night was huge for the Cowboys. Kot was one of three players to score 19+ points against the Falcons. But he scored all 19 of his points in the second-half. Keeping Air Force at bay as their guests brought the lead to within a few possessions late in the game, but Kot was there to get the job done.

Next Up:

Wyoming finishes out their regular season in Fresno on Saturday. The Bulldogs will be fighting for their last win of the regular season with no tangible stakes on the line aside from winning momentum heading to Las Vegas.

Fresno State is looking to end a five game losing streak tomorrow night against New Mexico before they host the Cowboys on Saturday. That game tips off at 5:00 PM MT and can be streamed on the Mountain West Network.

Air Force heads home to finish out their regular season against in-state conference foe Colorado State. The Rams will travel to Colorado Springs for their last game of the regular season after winning the second-leg of their basketball version of the boarder war last Saturday.

That matchup tips off at 2:00 PM MT and can be streamed on the Mountain West Network Saturday March 9th.

Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.

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MWC Basketball Quick Hitters: Wednesday January 30th Results

MWC Basketball Quick Hitters: Tuesday January 30th Results Colorado State defends Moby Arena against visiting Aztecs. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Colorado State drives MWC narrative further with home win over San Diego State, Wyoming …

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MWC Basketball Quick Hitters: Tuesday January 30th Results

Colorado State defends Moby Arena against visiting Aztecs.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Colorado State drives MWC narrative further with home win over San Diego State, Wyoming gets road win & Danny Sprinkle owns 100th win.

Conference action was in full swing Tuesday night with four matchups around the Mountain West. With a marquee lacking the heavy hitting & nationally televised battles fans are craving for as we approach February.

Tuesday night felt light on the high stakes matchups but was filled with pure Mountain West basketball. Though there were some surprises & milestones to highlight.

Wyoming 83, Air Force 72 

Wyoming have made Arena-Auditorium a fortress this season. Posting a respectable 8-1 at home. They haven’t found that success on the road just yet, posting an 0-8 record on the road & or neutral court games. The Cowboys were looking for their first road win of the season as they traveled south to face Air Force inside Clune Arena. While Air Force was hoping to defend their home court & secure their second conference win.

Joe Scott has plenty of firepower in Colorado Springs this year, but in an everchanging Mountain West, it takes more than just scorers to steal a conference win. Someone didn’t tell sophomore Kellan Boylan that. Who out shot Wyoming’s D-II transfer Akuel Kot (12 1st half points, 2-3 3FGs) enroute to surpassing his career high in the first twenty minutes of gameplay (16 points, 4-7 3FGS).

“Our game plan was we were going to let 23 hit some shots, and did he do that, I was a little bit pissed in the first half, but we got it back.” Brendan Wenzel told the Caspar Star Tribune.

The second half was much of the same from Boylan. But unlike Wyoming who had two more players score double figures in the second-half. Outscoring their hosts 49-36, and achieving a milestone within the program, their first road win.

The Wyoming win placed the Cowboys in a tie for 4th place with San Diego State. A position for which the gauntlet style of the Mountain West this year can explain. As other teams lose, Jeff Linder and company seem to be figuring some things out in Laramie.

Jeff Linder had three separate players log 20+ points in Colorado Springs. Brendan Wenzel with a team high 25 points, Akuel Kot with 20 points & 5 assists & 22 points & 7 rebounds from Mason Walters. The Cowboys shot 63.2% from deep, behind a barrage of 10-15 made shots from Wenzel & Kot.

While the Falcons did their best to keep the win in Colorado. With three players in double-figures but a monster night from Kellan Boylan. Who dropped a career high 32 points off of 11-16 shooting (68.7%) from the floor and a whopping 9-14 (64.2%) from down town.

Mason Walters return has a lot to do with that, but still, I can’t see too many teams excited to face Wyoming for the remainder of conference play. As an esteemed member of the Mountain West online community phrased it, “Laramie is where the six bid Mountain West goes to die”.

No. 17 Utah State 82, San Jose State 61

The Aggies came in Tuesday as one of the toughest teams in the nation. In sole possession of first place in the Mountain West and an AP top-25 ranking for the fourth week in a row. While San Jose State is seeking their second win in conference play.

Both teams find themselves on opposite ends of the standings, but that doesn’t matter. Tim Miles group traveled west to Logan, for a potential road upset to talk about for years to come.

It was a tall task, one maybe too tall for the Spartans on Tuesday night. As things started off well, staying neck and neck with their hosts while exchanging buckets & exchanging the lead several times. They’d go into the half only down by single digits (37-30).

The Aggies separated themselves from their visitors in the second-half. A problem the Spartans have dealt with all conference slate, losing steam after half-time. They cut the lead to as low as five, before an 11-0 Aggie run just before the 18:10 mark was the buffer needed to extend that lead and eventually stomp out their opponent.

It wasn’t necessarily San Jose State’s fault either, Great Osobor had a big night with 31 points & 7 rebounds off of 9-15 shooting (32.3%) & 13-19 free throws. Joining him was Ian Martinez, who has been lights out late. Shooting 100% from the field on Tuesday, including 4-4 from deep. Not to mention Darius Brown II’s third double-double on the year, 11 points & 10 rebounds.

The Spartans struggled to generate any sort of offense. Shooting 39.3% from the floor, 21.7% from deep and only 10 free throw opportunities, they were simply outgunned Tuesday night. They still managed double figures from their backcourt, Myron Amey Jr. had 14 points & 7 rebounds & Alvaro Cardenas chipped in 11 points & 5 assists.

Danny Sprinkle’s group did a great job of taking care of the Spartans at home. They may have been favored but San Jose State has the players to light it up any given night. With the Aggies taking care business at home on Tuesday, they can now focus their sights on a visit to sunny San Diego on Saturday to display their dominance over Mountain West royalty.

No. 24 Colorado State 79, San Diego State 71

Colorado State played host to maybe the biggest Mountain West game on the docket Tuesday night. A top-half standings clash between the Rams and the visiting San Diego State Aztecs. Both teams were predestined for a place atop the Mountain West back in October.

But both programs have struggled in conference play thus far. Posting checkered conference records with quality wins along with quality losses. Tuesday night was a chance at another one of those quality wins for both sides, but that’s not how the game is played is it.

Colorado State was feeling it early, taking advantage from a possibly jet lagged San Diego State squad, by taking the early 21-7 lead midway through the first-half. The Aztecs in turn took advantage of the Rams cold hand after that, using a 10-2 run to attempt to make things closer before the half.

Colorado State was able to extend their lead to thirteen before going into half-time. Which may have been just what was needed to hold off a strong San Diego State second-half (42-42 scored).

The Rams shooting wasn’t pretty across the board, but a very respectable 53.8% from the floor and a positive assist to turnover ratio (1.8:1) gave them the edge. Not to mention stellar defensive play on the perimeter (11 steals, 9 by backcourt players).

Niko Medved’s group was led by 20 point performances from Nique Clifford & Isaiah Stevens. With Joel Scott (15 points) & Josiah Strong (10 points) playing a key supportive role. Clifford’s stat line on the night was all over the place, with 10 rebounds, 5 assists, & 4 steals to go along with his 20 point performance.

While the Aztecs had three players reach double figures in Reece Waters (17 points), Lamont Butler (16 points) & All-American candidate Jaedon LeDee (13 points). LeDee’s dip in production over his last three games (14.3 PPG during this time) is beginning to effect his teams ability to win. It’s not all up to him, but for a team renowned for their defense, there aren’t many other options on the roster who can make up for that drop.

This conference is brutal. That is all. Is something I could have said given the Ram’s 8-point win over the visiting Aztecs Tuesday night. Colorado State hasn’t had the easiest time in conference play thus far.

Sitting in fifth place with a .500 record, holding quality wins over red hot New Mexico & now San Diego State. But their win over Brian Dutcher’s squad is just another testament to what we’ve been saying all month long, “Any team. Any given night”.

UNLV 78, Fresno State 69

It was the 40th anniversary of the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday night. Kevin Kruger’s Runnin’ Rebels are trying to build on their road win in San Jose over the weekend in hopes of breaking into the conference’s top-half. While Justin Hutson’s Bulldogs are using every game as an opportunity to dig themselves out of the conference’s basement.

Fresno State has some pieces to make a run at a amid-table position come February’s end. like their near 7-foot duo of Enouch Boake & Eduardo Boayke down low. Along with a veteran backcourt trio who combined bring over twelve years of Mountain West experience every night. But would it be enough to ruin UNLV’s anniversary celebration?

The Runnin’ Rebels took an early lead, thanks to a 10-0 run that went unanswered for the first four minutes of play. UNLV didn’t let up, maintaining a double-digit lead for majority of the first half. That cushion turned into a 37-28 lead heading into the half.

That lead kept the Runnin’ Rebels in the lead for the rest of the game. Even as Fresno State crept back up to shrink the lead to just one with an Enoch Boakye dunk at the 10:56 mark. A ensuing 9-0 UNLV run created the winning margin and the nail in Fresno State’s tires. Kevin Kruger’s group was able to win 78-69 on their 40th Anniversary night.

Both squads utilized short benches Tuesday night. Albeit with plenty of production from their starters. UNLV was led by Kalib Boone with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists & 3 blocks as the game’s stat sheet stuffer. His sharpshooting brother logged 15 points & 13 rebounds.

For the Bulldogs, it was transfer big man Enoch Boakye with his second straight double double (16 points & 10 rebounds), his third on the year. Fresno State also had contributions from Xavier Dusell (14 points), Isaiah Pope (15 points) & Isaiah Hill with a near double double 12 points & 9 assists.

The loss makes the gap between Nevada and the three teams in the bottom half of the standings that much bigger. While UNLV was able to tie with No. 24 Colorado State in the 5th place space with .500 records in conference play.

Current MWC Standings

1-No. 18 Utah State 7-1, 19-2

2-No. 25 New Mexico 6-2, 18-3

3-Boise State 5-2, 14-6

4-San Diego State 5-3, 16-5

4-Wyoming 5-3, 12-9

5-No. 24 Colorado State 4-4, 16-5

5-UNLV 4-4, 11-9

6-Nevada 3-4, 16-5

7-Fresno State 2-6, 9-12

8-San Jose State 1-7, 8-13

8-Air Force 1-7, 8-12

Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.

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MWC Basketball Quick Hitters: Tuesday January 23rd Results

MWC Basketball Quick Hitters: Tuesday January 23rd Results Boise State & San Diego State stay in title race with wins Tuesday night. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Boise State escapes upset in Fresno while UNLV & Wyoming receive …

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MWC Basketball Quick Hitters: Tuesday January 23rd Results

Boise State & San Diego State stay in title race with wins Tuesday night.

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Boise State escapes upset in Fresno while UNLV & Wyoming receive shellackings Tuesday night.

Mountain West Action was a little light Tuesday night. But the close calls and double-digit blowouts were aplenty in the conference’s three late games of the night.

The turn of the year seemed like just yesterday. So on the eve of February and the midway point of conference play, every win counts. Even late night games featuring teams on opposite ends of the conference standings.

San Diego State 81, Wyoming 65

San Diego State is still one of the best teams in the entire country. Yes I know a couple of losses in non-conference & conference play hurt, but this group will still challenge for a Mountain West title come March.

While Wyoming has solid offensive weapons and is certainly capable of any Mountain West upset. That wasn’t the case Tuesday night, but the Cowboys gave Aztec fans a bit of a scare for the first twenty minutes of action at least.

The Aztecs and Cowboys started the night out inside Viejas Arena. With San Diego State taking the early 8-2 lead, their guests did their best to keep things close. Exchanging the lead fifteen times before the Aztecs took the 34-32 lead heading into half-time. The second half was where Brian Dutcher’s group took charge, only giving up the lead one more time before outscoring the Cowboys 39-24 to close out the game.

San Diego State was led by March Madness hero Lamont Butler, who dropped 23 points on 71% shooting (10-14). Joining him in double-digits was Darrion Trammell with 12 points off of the bench and another 17 points from All-American hopeful Jaedon LeDee.

The Cowboys were spunky but received very little help from their bench (2 points from Cam Manyawu). Jeff Linder did receive a stellar performance from star point guard Sam Griffin, who logged 22 points, 5 rebounds & 3 assists while shooting 50% from the field & 62.5% from deep (5-8). Wyoming also received 18 points from Mason Walters & 16 points from Akuel Kot, but it wasn’t enough.

Wyoming holds onto their mid-table place while going .500 in conference play with their loss in San Diego. While the Aztecs secure a much needed win if they hope to catch up to league leaders Boise State & No. 18 Utah State.

Boise State 72, Fresno State 68

Any game in the Mountain West is tough, it’s the narrative that holds true year in and year out, especially on the road. Leon Rice’s Broncos knew that heading into the Save Mart Center to face a struggling Fresno State team who were not looking to lose at home on Tuesday.

Things started off slow, with both teams exchanging buckets until the Broncos went on a run that gave them the edge for most of the first-half. Leading by as much as 13 points the multiple times before half-time, Boise State began to feel at ease with a double-digit lead heading into the break.

The second-half looked like it was going to be much of the same, as an O’Mar Stanley layup with twelve minutes left to go in the game put Boise State up 61-45 on their fading opponents.

But everyone knows it is not over until it’s over, especially a veteran coach like Leon Rice. That knowledge didn’t help his team though, as a Bulldog comeback sparked by senior guards Isaiah Hill & Donovan Yap led to a 23-11 run in the closing minutes.

It was inspiring nonetheless & a lesson to never count your opponent out for a Bronco team that is challenging for a conference title at the moment, but it was too little too late.

The Broncos were led by Chibuzo Agbo & Max Rice, who had 16 points a piece while shooting 44% from the floor on the night. Other performances of note include Big East transfer O’Mar Stanley who has been a major addition for Dave Rice’s Broncos this season. Stanley logged 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists & 2 blocks while shooting 71% from the floor & 2-2 from deep. With that the big man has gone 5-5 from three-point range over his last two games.

A big night off of the bench from Donovan Yap Jr. (17 points) kept the Bulldogs in this one. As the Las Vegas native scored double-digits off of the bench for the fourth straight game. Isaiah Hill has been a consistent contributor this season and chipped in 15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds & 3 steals for this Fresno State team that appears to be fighting for scraps midway through the month of January.

There’s still plenty of time to dig their way out of the conference’s basement. As this close loss at home places them in a tie for last place with Air Force after an impressive victory for the Falcons in Las Vegas. While Boise State escaped with what you could argue was their second close call in a weeks time.

Boasting a top-30 ranked defense (per KenPom) but an offense that is far behind other title contenders this late into the season. The weapons are there but the chemistry hasn’t been at times for Boise State. A tough next five games will truly test their mental fortitude well into February.

Air Force 90, UNLV 58

The Runnin’ Rebels played host inside the Thomas & Mack Center to current Mountain West basement dweller Air Force. The Falcons, like any other conference foe this year can pull off the upset on any given night. With Joe Scott leading a sub par overall offense this season while at the same time boasting three different players averaging over fifteen points a game.

The Falcons looked every bit of that hidden offensive firepower I mentioned, taking an 8-2 lead to start the game and they never looked back. Heading into half-time with a fifteen point lead over UNLV & outscoring them 51-34  in the second-half to help secure the 32-point road victory in Sin City.

Air Force couldn’t miss, from anywhere Tuesday night. Logging an impressive 55.4% from the floor (31-56) while shooting a more impressive 50% (14-28) from beyond the arc.

There were five Falcons in double-digits when the final buzzer sounded, Beau Becker (14), Jeffery Mills (11), Ethan Taylor (22) and a season high from freshman Luke Kearney (16 points). Joining them was super sophomore Rytis Petraitis, who logged his first career triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds & 11 assists.

Kevin Kruger’s squad shot horribly from everywhere but the free throw line (17-23). Senior guard Justin Webster led his team with 14 points, followed by Juco transfer Rob Whaley Jr. who chipped in 11 points (his 4th straight game with 10+ points off the bench).

The Falcons secured their first conference win of the season and ended an 8-game winning streak. While UNLV slid just a tad from their place in the middle of the standings.

Current MWC Standings

1-No. 18 Utah State 5-1, 17-2

1-Boise State 5-1, 14-5

2-San Diego State 5-2, 16-4

3-No. 25 New Mexico 4-2, 16-3

4-No. 24 Colorado State 3-2, 15-3

5-Wyoming 3-3, 10-9

6-Nevada 2-3, 15-4

7-UNLV 2-4, 9-9

8-San Jose State 1-4, 8-10

9-Air Force 1-5, 8-11

9-Fresno State 1-5, 8-11

Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.

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MWC Basketball Quick Hitters: Tuesday January 16th Results

Overtime in Colorado, A California Clash, the nation’s longest winning streak gone & the No. 16 Utah State gets first MWC loss.

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MWC Basketball Quick Hitters: Tuesday January 16th Results

The Lobos win over No. 16 Utah State may highlight a wonderful night of hoops in the Mountain West.

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Overtime in Colorado, a California clash, the nation’s longest winning streak gone & No. 16 Utah State gets first MWC loss.

Mountain West Action was in full effect Tuesday night. Full of storylines, quad 1 wins & plain old conference fun. The conference has a chance, no matter how small at sending six teams to the big dance in a couple of months. It’s far fetched & sending 5 teams (last done in 2013) would be considered huge progress, but hope keeps fanbases alive this time of year right? And fans were treated to some pretty riveting games from the Rocky Mountains to the West Coast.

Even as wins for some can be considered resume boosting & losses for others considered resume blotches this time of year. The Mountain West is a gauntlet & if you hope to survive, you bring your A game.

Colorado State 78, Air Force 69

In-state matchups seemed to be all the rage in the Mountain West on Tuesday night. As a struggling Colorado State team who was coming off of two straight losses after having one of the more impressive non-conference performances welcomed southern conference foes Air Force.

The Falcons like have elevated their competitiveness under Joe Scott. With three players averaging 15+ points a game & having all-conference caliber seasons. But they’ve done so in a Mountain West that has elevated it’s competitiveness as a whole.

Tuesday night inside Moby arena was yet another testament to how tough the Mountain West is year in and year out it seems. As the Rams were likely looking forward to sleeping in their own beds tonight after a two game road trip. But the Falcons forced Colorado State into overtime on their home court. Though, Niko Medved’s group managed to dominate their opponent in overtime (14-5). Giving them the 78-69 victory, no matter how ugly it was.

Joe Scott’s team shot an impressive 10-22 (45%) from beyond the arc, led by Ethan Taylor (18 points, 5-11 3FG) & Beau Becker (18 points, 4-8 3FG). With Colorado State nearly matching them with 10-24 (41%) but the x-factor as proclaimed by his Head Coach, being Joe Palmer off of the bench with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, a key block & shooting 3-6 from deep.

Fresno State 85, San Jose State 82 (Click For Recap)

The Bulldogs & Spartans may find themselves towards the bottom of one of the more competitive Mountain West Conferences in recent memory. But it doesn’t mean they can’t treat the fans inside the Save Mart Center to a fun in-state clash on a Tuesday night right?

Tim Miles continues to make the Spartans a respectable & competitive team in year three in the Bay Area. While now sixth year Bulldog Head Coach Justin Hutson still seeks stability in the Central Valley. As they met on the court neither squad backed down on Tuesday night.

Instead they kept things close & an Isaiah Hill buzzer beater was needed to seal the deal, giving Fresno State’s their first conference win of the year. A 30-point night from Tibet Gorener wasn’t enough to lift his team to the win on the road, even if he made 7-9 3-pointers. On the other side of the court, super senior Isaiah Hill’s 24 points, 9 assists with no turnovers & 5-8 three pointers gave himself a new season high in scoring & his team a much needed win.

UNLV 68, Boise State 64

The Runnin’ Rebels walked into the fortress known as ExtraMile Arena in Boise. The Broncos have managed to turn their home court into a topic of discussion by national media. The largest winning streak in the nation, twenty-two games at home was on the line for Boise State. For UNLV it was another chance to prove how tough this conference truly is.

Kevin Kruger’s group did their job, taking an undefeated (in conference play) Boise State team down to the wire to put an end to that Bronco fairytale. Twenty-four points from Tyson Degenhart wasn’t enough to keep the W in Boise. Leon Rice’s team needs to stay focused & avoid a dip in conference play, like others have done this far. Tuesday night may be the wake up call they need before they face San Diego State on Saturday on national television.

While UNLV was led by junior college transfer Robert Whaley Jr., who has taken some time to acclimate to the D-I game. Maybe he’s acclimated, as Whaley Jr. dropped 18 points on 8-11 shooting tonight. The Runnin’ Rebels have taken some tough losses thus far and handed them out jus the same. Don’t worry about their place in the current standings just yet, with plenty of basketball to still be played & weapons galore.

New Mexico 99, No. 16 Utah State

The Lobos looked like the team media all across the country were high on to in the preseason Tuesday night. Handing No. 16 Utah State their first conference loss and ending a seven game losing streak to the Aggies in the process. Danny Sprinkle’s group never gave up and had 5 players in double figures by the nights end.

As I said on Twi..whoops I mean X, Utah State didn’t have a bad game, far from it. The Lobos simply had a better one in front of 13,000 fans on a Tuesday night for a 8:45 PM tip-off. New Mexico had 6 players in double figures & were led by a double-double from Donovan Dent (15 points & 14 assists, just 1 turnover) & a breakout performance from Nelly Junior-Joseph (26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 steals on 91% shooting from the floor).

Ian Martinez had a huge second-half, which included 14 points & a 11-0 run of consecutive made three pointers & an acrobatic layup to shrink what had turned into a 20-point Lobo lead with more than half of the game left to play. If not for him, a respectable 13-point loss inside one of the toughest opposing arenas to walk into in the country, could have turned into a nationally televised blowout.

Current MWC Standings

1-No. 16 Utah State 4-1, 16-2

2-Boise State 3-1, 12-5

3-San Diego State 3-1 14-3

4-New Mexico 3-2, 15-3

5-Nevada 2-1, 15-2

6-Wyoming 2-2, 9-8

7-Colorado State 2-2, 13-3

8-UNLV 2-2, 9-7

9-Fresno State 1-3, 8-9

10-San Jose State 1-4, 8-10

11-Air Force 0-4, 7-9

Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.

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Mountain West Basketball: 2023-2024 Conference Schedule Announced

With a little over a month on the ole college basketball countdown tracker, entities around the sport continue to release 2023-24 schedules.

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MWC Basketball: 2023-2024 Conference Schedule Announced

A first look at this year’s conference slate.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The 2023-2024 Mountain West Conference schedule release.

With a little over a month on the ole college basketball countdown tracker, entities around the sport are almost done releasing conference, non-conference & multi-team event participation for the 2023-2024 season.

The announcement also came with this season’s national T.V. schedule. With the hype earned from San Diego State’s Cinderella run to the National Championship game this past March. There will likely be more eyes on the Mountain West than ever before. And as in years past fans around the conference as well as newcomers gained from the big dance can catch their favorite team on CBS & Fox outlets.

This season each team will play nine home games & make nine away games. As of now, league play kicks off on January 2nd, when New Mexico heads north to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State.

CBS

The first game on CBS will be on November 29th when Colorado State hosts in-state rival Colorado on CBS Sports Network. This will be the first of over forty-nine televised games across CBS and CBS Sports Network.

A key date to circle on the CBS broadcast calendar should be UNLV at National Championship runner up San Diego State on Saturday, January 6th. Another matchup to look forward to will be the Aztecs at league rival New Mexico on Saturday, January 13th. Both games between these two conference foes last season made for must-watch TV, we can look forward to much of the same with revamped rosters on both sides.

A last matchup of note will be between conference title contenders San Diego State and Boise State. This showdown of Mountain West heavy weights airs on CBS Saturday, January 20th.

Not to mention all games airing on CBS are also accessible via stream on Paramount+.

FOX

On the Fox side of things, thirty-two games will be televised nationally. The first FS1 broadcast is a non-conference meeting featuring Cal State Fullerton at San Diego State on Monday November 6th. Among the key conference games to catch on FOX is Utah State at San Diego State on Saturday, February 3rd.

As with CBS & Paramount+ all games on FS1 will also be available on the FOX Sports App and FOXSports.com.

But for those without access to any of CBS or Fox’s outlets, don’t worry. All other games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.

Important Dates

-January 2nd-League play begins with five contests

-March 9th-Regular Season Concludes

-The 2024 tournament will take place March 13th-16th

March Madness

CBS Sports will televise the Mountain West Basketball Championship as in years past. The quarterfinals & semifinals will air on the CBS sports Network. With the championship game televised on CBS (as well as Paramount+) on Saturday March 16th.

This is an exciting time around the Mountain West Conference. For the last year or so it appeared that the upcoming season was going to be the conference’s last hurrah. But as predictable yet at the same time unpredictable as conference realignment machine can be, here we are.

So with fresh eyes aplenty, rejuvenated fanbases throughout and a raised ceiling by San Diego State, fans this season should be excited to say the least.

Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.

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Mountain West Conference Tournament: Opening Round Preview

The Mountain West Conference Tournament gets underway Wednesday. Here’s an opening day preview.

Mountain West Conference Tournament: Opening Round Preview

3 games on Wednesday kick off the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Here’s a look.

https://twitter.com/coachmosser & @MWCwire

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What: Mountain West Conference Tournament Opening Round
When: Wednesday, March 8th – 11:00 AM PT, 1:30 PT, 4:00 PT
Where: Thomas & Mack Center; Las Vegas, NV
How to Watch: All 3 games can be Livestreamed on the Mountain West Network

After an absolutely thrilling two and a half months of conference play, all 11 men’s basketball teams will converge on the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for the 2023 Mountain West Conference Tournament. With regular season champion San Diego State the only team really guaranteed to be in the 68 team field announced on Sunday night, every other program is fighting for their postseason life.

The true bubble teams (Boise State, Utah State, Nevada) don’t hit the court until the quarterfinals on Thursday, but first we have three competitive and intriguing games on Wednesday. Let’s take a quick look at the three with some thoughts on the matchup and each team’s potential to make a run to the weekend. Note the early start times; that is to accommodate the women’s tournament which will hold their championship game on Wednesday night.

Game 1: 11:00 AM PT – #9 Fresno State Bulldogs (11-19, 6-12) vs. #8 Colorado State Rams (14-17, 6-12)
Expected Point Spread: Colorado State -3

The tournament opens with the 8-9 game and two teams that underperformed a bit this year. Colorado State has dealt with injuries to multiple key contributors going all the way back to the preseason, but head coach Niko Medved has had the same 9 man rotation in the lineup for the last 3 weeks, so that provides some much needed continuity. The Rams of course, possess one of the best guards in the country in Isaiah Stevens, who enjoyed a memorable senior night last Friday in a win over New Mexico. Their problem has been a lack of consistent scoring to help Stevens. The defense has been leaky at times as well.

Defense cannot be blamed for Fresno State’s shortcomings. The Bulldogs defend as well as anyone in the Mountain West, but for much of the season they couldn’t hit water from a boat when firing from the perimeter. That’s what makes Saturday’s game one of the great anomalies of the entire season. As a team, Fresno State made 21-32 three-pointers, and Jemarl Baker Jr. himself connected on 10-11 for 43 points. Context must be given, as they were playing Chicago State, an independent playing their final game of the season, and maybe just out for a little vacation in the lovely Silicon Valley. Still, had the Bulldogs shot anywhere near that the last couple months they would have a few more wins for sure.

Colorado State won both meetings between the teams this year, winning easily in Fort Collins in early January, before a last second victory in Fresno a few weeks ago. Both teams have reasons to think they can give top seeded San Diego State problems in the quarters if they can get by this contest – the Rams took the Aztecs to overtime in January, while the Bulldogs lost a 45-43 rock fight in mid-February. This is Stevens last hurrah, and as one of the best players in the conference’s history, he will attempt to will his team deep into the weekend. But the hunch here is there’s some carryover from Fresno State’s offensive explosion, and the better defensive team comes away with the W.

Prediction: Fresno State 69 Colorado State 64

Game 2: 1:30 PT – #10 Air Force Falcons (14-17, 5-13) vs. #7 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (18-12, 7-11)
Expected Point Spread: UNLV -8

The middle game of the day features UNLV taking on Air Force. With the tournament taking place on their home floor, the Runnin’ Rebels will be a trendy pick to play spoiler and possibly steal a bid from a bubble team by claiming the conference’s automatic bid, especially on the heels of Saturday’s dramatic come from behind overtime win in Reno against rival Nevada. The Rebels trailed by 8 with less than 2 minutes left before some late heroics. It was quite the turnaround from Wednesday’s lifeless performance on Senior Night against Utah State, when UNLV gave up the last 12 minutes and were run off Jerry Tarkanian court by 25 points.

Air Force has improved tremendously under Joe Scott. The problem is, the Mountain West is really good, and it’s not easy to show tangible progress. They were not within 2 possessions of the top 4 teams in any of their regular season meetings, so they’re not quite ready for that type of breakthrough, but the talent has been upgraded and the Falcons are no longer an easy victory, they make you work for it. The next step comes from closing out games. They lost their last 3 outings by a total of 8 points, and blew late leads in 2 of them.

One of those 3 games was the only meeting of the season between these two. It was not an aesthetically pleasing game – the Falcons shot 39%, the Rebels 41%, and there were a combined 33 turnovers. UNLV snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a late EJ Harkless steal and bucket. Expect a bit more offense in this one, but we should still get a close game. The mid-afternoon Wednesday tip-off against AF is not likely to provide much of a home court advantage, and the Falcons hang around against just about everybody. If the Rebels don’t come prepared, their stay as host will be a short one. Eventually, it says here they will survive to Thursday, where they’ll present a tricky matchup for Boise State.

Prediction: UNLV 72 Air Force 67

Game 3: 4:00 PT – #11 Wyoming Cowboys (9-21, 4-14) vs. #6 New Mexico Lobos (21-10, 8-10)
Expected Point Spread: New Mexico -10

Wyoming and New Mexico will complete the opening day men’s tripleheader. For New Mexico, they know what’s in front of them; win 4 games in 4 days, or prepare for a home game at The Pit in the NIT. The Lobos have truly been one of the most entertaining teams in the country this season. Between packed houses at one of the best venues in the sport, a couple of star players (and a coach) with familiar last names, and some of the finishes to outstanding games, there has been no shortage of excitement for UNM fans. Of course, with some of that excitement has come heartbreak. Can they summon one final run to reward the large Lobo faithful expected to travel to Vegas?

Much like Colorado State, Wyoming has been snakebit by injuries, including to star forward Graham Ike, who has not suited up once for the Cowboys after a dominating 2021-22 campaign. Also like the Rams, Wyoming has one of the programs all-time best closing out his career in Hunter Maldonado. The 6th year senior was one rebound shy of a triple-double in his final home game last Monday against Nevada. Despite the injuries and dismissal of several other contributors (though that likely helped instead of hurt), this team has stuck together and played hard all season, a testament to head coach Jeff Linder.

These teams split two games, as UNM escaped Laramie with a one-point win on New Year’s Eve, before Wyoming drilled the Lobos in The Pit a few weeks ago. Jaelen House didn’t play, but his teammates didn’t really show up either, in what was by far their worst effort of the season. The Cowboys like to fire from deep, and with Maldonado creating open looks for his teammates and the overall length of Wyoming, this isn’t a great matchup for New Mexico. There isn’t a team in the field that the Lobos can’t beat, but they will have their hands full to win 4 straight, as they do not utilize much of a bench and the legs will be heavy later in the week. We have seen stranger things though, and a deep run by this group would surprise no one. They’ll have to work for it on Wednesday, but despite Maldonado’s best efforts, they should advance to a juicy matchup with Utah State late on Thursday night.

Prediction: New Mexico 81 Wyoming 74


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21-22 Mountain West Basketball Best Players

Using Advanced analytics to cut through the smoke Contact/Follow @aztecbreakdown. The regular season is over. All that’s left is the conference tournament and then any post season tournaments Mountain West teams get into. It has been a wild season …

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Using Advanced analytics to cut through the smoke

Contact/Follow @aztecbreakdown.

The regular season is over. All that’s left is the conference tournament and then any post season tournaments Mountain West teams get into. It has been a wild season with a ot of parity throughout the league. The talent this year is arguably better than it’s been top to bottom in a long time.

The past few seasons I have looked at who were the best players in the conference, using a combination of advanced analytics. This entry marks the second installment for the 2021-22 season.

Three different advanced analytics will be used. The analytics are: Player Impact Plus Minus, Points Over Expectation, and Bayesian Performance Rating.

These 3 contributions put together should give us a good idea of who’s performed the best this season, as they measure different things, such as impact vs. efficiency. They all also measure contributions on the offensive and defensive sides of the floor, enabling them to paint a full picture.

2022 Mountain West Tournament Bracket, TV Schedule Announced

Player Impact Plus Minus – Also known as PIPM, this is an impact stat that primarily takes it’s measurements from box score stats. Basically, it measures how well a player has performed in the role they’re in. A player being used in the way that best suits their skill set will have a higher score than a player who is talented in certain areas but not able to show that talent off. As an example, if Hunter Maldonado was asked to shoot 3 pointers all game he would hurt his team, as that’s not his skill set. This statistic is important because no matter how purely talented a player may be, if the player doesn’t use the talents correctly it will hurt the team and prevent winning. PIPM also makes adjustments for the quality of opponents. For more on PIPM click here.

Points Over Expectation – Also known as POE, this is an efficiency stat. It takes into account the number and type of shots a player takes (or defends) and compares the outcome to what an average player would’ve done with the same number and type of shots. A score of zero is the equivalent of an average player. Since POE takes into account the number of shots, than the higher usage a player has, the more likely they are to be farther from 0. So players that are really efficient on large volume are the ones that get good scores here. It is also a per game stat, as opposed to a per 100 possession stat. Since basketball is about scoring more points than your opponent, someone who can score, and defend, at an efficient level is a valuable player. For more on POE click here.

Bayesian Performance Rating: Bayesian Performance Rating, or BPR, attempts to qualify the value a player gives their team while on the court primarily by measuring offensive and defensive ratings while a player is on the floor. It is an impact stat in the vein of PIPM, but uses different inputs to estimate the impact a player has. Similar to PIPM, it makes adjustments for the quality of teammates as well as opponents in it’s calculations, so that fans can better determine who is good vs. who plays with good teammates. A score of 0 is considered average. To learn more about BPR click here.

Combining the different methodologies of who helps their team when they’re on the floor, who looks good in the box score, and who is efficient should give us a pretty good feel for who has perfromed well this season, as these metrics will help cover up each other’s weaknesses.

Simply taking the average of these numbers won’t work though, as they measure different things. So Z-scores will be used. Basically, Z-scores measure how far away something is from average, with zero considered to be average. Once the Z-scores for all three metrics are calculated, the average of those numbers will be taken to determine who has been the best so far.

To give you a feel for Z-scores, last year, using the same methodology, Jordan Schakel led the league with a score of 2.777, and Neemias Queta came in second with a score of 2.694. Bryce Hamilton was considered pretty average with a Z-Score of 0.074.

With the boring explanation out of the way, lets look at the results.

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2022 Mountain West Tournament Bracket, TV Schedule Announced

2022 Mountain West Tournament Bracket Regular season is in the books Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Everyone heads to Las Vegas The 2022 Mountain West basketball tournament bracket is set. The 11 teams in the league will head to the Thomas & …

2022 Mountain West Tournament Bracket

Regular season is in the books

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Everyone heads to Las Vegas

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The 2022 Mountain West basketball tournament bracket is set. The 11 teams in the league will head to the Thomas & Mack Center this week with the opening round games starting on March 9.

Below is the bracket and schedule for this week.

Wednesday, March 9

Game 1: New Mexico vs. Nevada, 2 p.m. ET, TV: Mountain West Network

Game 2: Utah State vs. Air Force, 4:30 p.m. ET, TV: Mountain West Network

Game 3: Fresno State  vs. San Jose State, 7 p.m. ET, TV: Mountain West Network

Thursday, March 10 (Quarterfinals)

Game 4: Boise State vs. Game 1 winner, 3 P.M. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network (Watch for free with FuboTV Trial)

Game 5: Wyoming vs. UNLV, 5:30 P.M. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network (Watch for free with FuboTV Trial)

Game 6: Colorado State vs. Game 2 winner, 9 P.M. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network (Watch for free with FuboTV Trial)

Game 7: San Diego State vs. Game 3 winner, 11:30 P.M. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network (Watch for free with FuboTV Trial)

Friday, March 11 (Semifinals)

Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 9:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network (Watch for free with FuboTV Trial)

Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 12 a.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network (Watch for free with FuboTV Trial)

Saturday, March 12 (Championship)

Game 10: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner 6 p.m. ET, TV: CBS (Watch for free with FuboTV Trial)


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2022 Mountain West Tournament: Who Are Bye Teams This Week?

2022 Mountain West Tournament: Who Are Bye Teams This Week? Who is projected to win the tournament? Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Who gets a bye? The Mountain West basketball season is wrapping up with its final week of the regular season …

2022 Mountain West Tournament: Who Are Bye Teams This Week?

Who is projected to win the tournament?

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Who gets a bye?

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The Mountain West basketball season is wrapping up with its final week of the regular season and the byes are of vast importance. For those who are just tuning into college basketball now that March is right in front of us, the Mountain West allows five teams with a bye for the conference tournament.

Leading into Monday night’s games, the five teams with a bye are Wyoming, Boise State, Colorado State, and San Diego State are locks. The last bye up for grabs is UNLV and Fresno State. The Rebels are one-game ahead of the Bulldogs.

Fresno State has three games left with UNLV only two. The Bulldogs schedule is quite difficult as they are facing New Mexico on Monday night but then it gets really difficult with back-to-back road games against San Diego State and Wyoming.

As for UNLV, they host Wyoming and then go on the road to face New Mexico to wrap the season.

Looking at those two schedules, it seems that the Rebels have the edge for that final bye spot.

Projected Winner?

We have been using TeamRankings.com which is projecting the conference tournaments and the past two weeks it has been San Diego State as the favorite.

The Aztecs are still the favorite despite being very likely to be the fourth seed and their percentage to win is at 22.34% and that is slightly ahead of Boise State who is sitting at 22.06%. There are five total teams with 10% chance to win and Wyoming is not one of them.


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Mountain West power rankings: Wyoming Is At The Top

Mountain West power rankings has Wyoming at the top Contact/Follow @MWCwire Wyoming holds top spot 1.) Wyoming Wyoming remains the top team in this iteration of Mountain West power rankings. But they’ve lost two of their last three games and sit 1.5 …

Mountain West power rankings has Wyoming at the top

 

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Wyoming holds top spot

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1.) Wyoming

Wyoming remains the top team in this iteration of Mountain West power rankings. But they’ve lost two of their last three games and sit 1.5 games behind Boise State in the Mountain West regular-season race. Superstar Graham Ike only scored eight points on 3-13 shooting in Wednesday’s loss to Colorado State. 

The Cowboys host Nevada this weekend. 

2.) Boise State

Boise State snagged the narrow over Utah State, as the game stayed tight throughout. A Rylan Jones three-pointer chopped the lead to 57-55 with less than three minutes left before the Broncos exploded on an 11-2 run to finish out the contest. Marcus Shaver Jr scored 20 points on 6-9 shooting in the 11-point victory. On Tuesday, Boise State carried a 30-20 lead into halftime before San Diego State stormed back, taking the lead with 24 seconds left on an outstanding play leading to Matt Bradley finding Nathan Mensah for an alley-oop. A questionable foul call on the other end gave Abu Kigab two free throws with less than two seconds left — Kigab drilled both with ease. 

Boise State travels to the Mountain West tournament site in Vegas, where they’ll face Bryce Hamilton and UNLV. 

3.) Colorado State

It’s almost like the 2021-22 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels have some bizarre superpowers over Colorado State, as the Rams lost their second battle with UNLV this year. It adds another loss, but only of the quadrant two variety, so Colorado State’s at large resume remains solid. CSU bounced back on Wednesday, beating Wyoming by six in Fort Collins. David Roddy scored 26 points in the contest. 

The Rams look to add another quality win on Sunday, facing Utah State in Logan. 

4.) San Diego State

San Diego State looked to potentially turn a corner offensively, but the issues crept up again in the loss to Boise State. Even when the game got close, there wasn’t a ton of ball movement leading to open shots. The idea of missing the NCAA Tournament is starting to get serious; the Aztecs only hold five wins in the first two quadrants, which doesn’t help the committee select them into the dance.

SDSU hosts San Jose State this weekend in a must-win game to keep their tournament dreams afloat.

5.) UNLV

If you’re trying to zero in on a bid-stealing contender from the Mountain West, look no further than the host team. That’s the UNLV Rebels, who blew out Colorado State for the second time this season; Bryce Hamilton only had 20 points, but the Runnin’ Rebels stout defense gave the Rams problems all game. UNLV defeated Nevada by double-digits for the second time in Reno. 

UNLV doesn’t have any NCAA Tournament chance aside from making a run in the Mountain West tournament but can play spoiler when meeting up with Boise State on Saturday. Even though there’s only a sliver of hope for the NCAA Tournament — making the NIT is very much in the realm of possibility. 

6.) Fresno State

The Bulldogs followed their five-game losing skid up by knocking off Air Force. Star forward Orlando Robinson refound his conference player of the year caliber form, scoring 26 points while hitting eight of 11 shots. After Robinson went 6-24 with 16 points in two home losses to UNLV and San Diego State, that’s a promising sign.

Fresno State doesn’t take the court again until Monday when New Mexico comes to town.

7.) Nevada

Grant Sherfield scored 46 points while adding 18 assists in Nevada’s two victories over San Jose State last week, with the potential to grow their win streak to four games when facing UNLV. The Wolf Pack fell short and were short-handed as Desmond Cambridge Jr didn’t dress for the game. Sherfield and Warren Washington contributed 31 of the team’s 54 points in their loss. 

It isn’t easy to beat Nevada when the two guards are clicking, and they’ll face Wyoming in Laramie as the Cowboys look to punch their NCAA ticket.

8.) Utah State

Utah State snapped their four-game losing streak on Tuesday when New Mexico went to Logan. Justin Bean scored 21 points, and Brandon Horvath added 19 points in the convincing victory over New Mexico. It’s surprising the Aggies conference record is 7-9, but don’t sleep on Ryan Odom’s team.

9.) San Jose State

The Spartans notched their first win since league play started, knocking off New Mexico 71-55. Omari Moore led the winning effort with 18 points on 9-14 shooting while dishing out ten assists. While there won’t be a high number in the win column, there are plenty of positive takeaways from Tim Miles’s first season in San Jose.

The Spartans face an arduous task with San Diego State this weekend. 

10.) New Mexico

The Lobos have immense potential when Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr make plays, but they’ve lost three consecutive games by 66 combined points. I see UNM very comparable to last year’s Wyoming squad — first-year head coaches with talented teams, but there are some real ebbs-and-flows. In the San Jose State loss, House only scored 14 points on 3-15 shooting. House and Mashburn Jr only scored 16 total points on Tuesday in the 25 point loss in Logan.

UNM will head home to face Air Force, which hasn’t won in over a month.

11.) Air Force 

Air Force lost eight consecutive games dating back to January 25th — during the losing streak, the Falcons haven’t held a team to less than 1.00 points per possession. 

Air Force will meet the tough New Mexico offensive on Saturday in the PIT. 

 


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