Tag: Air Force Falcons Basketball

Air Force vs. Fresno State: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Air Force vs. Fresno State: Game Preview Either team happy for a win tonight in the Save Mart Center. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Falcons travel out west for a midweek showdown with the Bulldogs. WHO: Air Force Falcons (10-16, 4-10 …

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Air Force vs. Fresno State: Game Preview

 Either team happy for a win tonight in the Save Mart Center.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Falcons travel out west for a midweek showdown with the Bulldogs.

WHO: Air Force Falcons (10-16, 4-10 Mountain West) At Fresno State Bulldogs (9-17, 5-10 Mountain West)

WHEN: Wednesday, February 19th—7:00 PM PST/8:00 PM MST/9:00 PM EST

WHERE: Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA

TV: ESPN3

STREAM: WatchESPN

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: Fresno State leads all-time series 21-7

PREVIEW: 

The Bulldogs host the Falcons on Wednesday night for their second straight game at home before heading out on the road for one game in Reno and then calling it a regular season on February 29th back in the Save Mart Center. Justin Hutson’s team is looking for a win tonight after a loss to Utah State over the weekend while Air Force is playing for a chance at their first win streak since back in mid-December.

Both teams bring in a weird mix of talented young players and impactful veteran leaders. This combination would normally lead to a competitive season, but a lack of consistency on both sides have these teams in the bottom half of the conference standings and well below .500 in mid-February.

The last time these two faced off back on January 28th back in Colorado Springs, the Bulldogs got the best of the Falcons who boast one of the better records at home (7-6) in the conference, 79-68.  The senior duo of Nate Grimes and New Williams was in control back then, combining for over half of their teams overall points with 46 at the end of the night.

The Falcons leading scorers were kept in check by Fresno State’s defense last time around as well. And Air Force has trouble when their bigs are having trouble. This group needs to stretch out the defense by knocking down shots, hopefully freeing up some space for their guys down low. The Falcons look a bit out of sorts when Swan starts taking three point shots. He can make them from time to time, but when the Falcons are getting easy two-point opportunities with the occasional one from deep to keep things interesting, that’s when they nearly break triple-digit scoring.

The stakes, 

Both teams know whats at stake in the remaining games in conference play, and that’s conference tournament field position. The Falcons and Bulldogs are both in the lower half of the Mountain West standings and should be competing for a possible 6th place finish at the end of the month. That would set either team up for a first round tournament showdown against Wyoming, who both teams have beaten this season already and would provide their best shot at advancing past the first round.

Match up of the night: Youth vs. Experience

F Lavelle Scottie Air Force vs. F Orlando Robinson Fresno State

The Stats: Scottie (15.6 PPG 5.6 RPG & 2.0 APG) & Robinson (12.8 PPG 7.0 RPG & 1.6 APG)

Tonight’s match up to keep an eye on is between freshman forward Orlando Robinson of Fresno State and elder statesmen Lavelle Scottie of the United States Air Force Academy. Both are in very different places in their basketball careers but will be extremely impactful in tonight’s game in Fresno.

Scottie who is nearing the end of his collegiate career is playing great basketball in the month of February but isn’t getting much help from his teammates. The senior forward is averaging 18.2 PPG and 6.7 RPG over his last four games. And his experience could give him the edge tonight against one of the more talented but younger teams in the Mountain West.

Robinson who has a tremendous amount of potential and will be one of the faces of the league in years to come. But has a battle to win down low tonight, and his length and mid range shooting should give him an advantage.

Prediction: Fresno State 72, Air Force 68

The Falcons are coming off of a nine-point win over San Jose State at home this past Saturday where they almost hit the triple digit mark (95-86), with four players scoring ten points or better. While Fresno State struggled shooting the ball against second place Utah State squad on Saturday in their 12-point loss to the Aggies.

This game will come down to which teams knocks down the most buckets (as most should) as both have struggled in the month of February with a melting pot of top scorers each, which makes it hard to nail down which player will have the biggest impact in tonight’s game.

The X-Factor:  Chris Joyce

If the sharpshooter is knocking them down, it will be a long night guarding the perimeter.

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Future Hoops Foes: Week Seven Recap of Week Eight’s Opponents

Taking a Look At Week Eights’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Seven Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 8 Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Take a look at each team’s opponents for this week and how they did last week. …

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Taking a Look At Week Eights’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Seven

Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 8

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Take a look at each team’s opponents for this week and how they did last week.

Future Foes Week Seven Recap:

Air Force Falcons (6-7, 1-1)

None

Boise State Broncos (6-5, 1-1)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Cal-State Northridge Matadors:

We have seen Mark Gottfried and the Matadors twice this season against Mountain West opponents and a one point victory over Fresno State remains one of their three wins on the season (3-10), sorry Bulldog fans. There was a lot of hype around the program coming into the season in Northridge. Gottfried returned two prolific scorers in junior guard Terrell Gomez (22.2 PPG) and sophomore forward Lamine Diane (24.8 PPG in 18-19).

But is was announced early in the season that Diane had been suspended indefinitely due to being ruled academically ineligible for the first semester. His absence has been felt, and Gomez is keeping the ship afloat with help from sophomore guard Darius Brown II (10.6 PPG). This should be a shootout as the Matadors love to get up shots, ranking in the top-150 in the country for field goal attempts and averaging 36% from three which is good for 89th in the country.

Colorado State Rams (8-6, 0-2)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Doane Tigers:

The Doane Tigers are from Doane Univeristy in Crete, NE and play in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in the NAIA. They are 4-11 (0-6 in the GPAC) on the season and unlike most NAIA teams haven’t played a division one opponent thus far. Keep an eye on junior guard Anthony Laravie who is leading the tigers with 17.0 PPG and junior forward Miguel Lopez who is adding 9.7 PPG and a team high 7.5 RPG.

Fresno State Bulldogs (4-7, 0-2)

Mon, Dec. 23rd

San Francisco Dons:

The Dons haven’t missed a beat with the departure of head coach Kyle Smith to Washington State. Todd Golden who spent the past three seasons in the Don’s program as an associate Head Coach has the program at 10-3 with a nice win over Cal at home.

San Francisco takes and makes a lot of shots, as they rank in the top-100 in FG% and 3P%. They also have a well rounded scoring attack with junior guard Jamaree Bouyea leading the pack with 14.8 PPG, junior guard Charles Minlend chipping in 14.2 PPG and 7-foot senior big man Jimbo Lull in the post averaging 12.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG.

Sat, Dec. 28th

UC-Riverside Highlanders:

Another team we have seen a lot of this season is the Highlanders of UC-Riverside who are coming off of an impressive 80-65 win over San Jose State on Sunday. They are now 8-5 on the season with their best win still being an improving Nebraska team out in the Big Ten.

Sophomore big man Callum McRae (7-1 275) leads the team in scoring at 10.2 PPG and he just received some help in form of Washington State transfer Arinze Chidom, who through two games is averaging 12.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG. We thought the Spartans would give them a bit more of a challenge but this team played at a higher level with Chidom in the lineup.

Nevada Wolf Pack (8-5, 1-0)

None

New Mexico Lobos (12-2, 2-0)

Sun, Dec. 29th

UC-Davis Aggies:

Jim Les and crew are in a bit of a rebuilding year, with the Aggies at 5-9 and no quality wins to note. UC-Davis was picked to finish 8th in the Big West this season (and receiving one first place vote in the process) and maybe living up to that prediction thus far. Senior guard Joe Mooney is leading the Aggies in scoring with 16.0 PPG. The Aggies are a smaller team with only three players standing 6-7 or taller.

Their leading rebounder is 6-4 freshman guard Elijah Pepper with 5.1 RPG. The Lobos have trouble with smaller teams that can shoot it, and with Caldwell and Bragg Jr. out with unknown return dates we can expect to see the Lobo team of the foreseeable future on Sunday.

No. 15 San Diego State Aztecs (12-0, 2-0)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Cal Poly Mustangs:

The Mustangs are 2-10 on the season with an impressive win over Siena under their belt and another over NAIA school Simpson (CA). The Mustangs are led by sophomore guard Junior Ballard with 12.4 PPG, and he doesn’t receive much help. Cal Poly is 326th in the country in points per game averaging just 62.5 a contest. I don’t see the Mustangs ending the Aztecs undefeated streak but look for San Diego State to add to that win column on Saturday.

San Jose State Spartans (3-10, 0-2)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Pepperdine Waves:

The Waves were given the coveted 4th place predicted finish in the WCC behind the normal big three of Gonzaga, BYU and St. Mary’s. Pepperdine is 7-6 on the season but in a conference with six teams that have 10 wins or more thus far, they may need to adjust and step up their level of play to hold up to that top-5 predicted finish. They are riding a four game winning streak and should have no problem in San Jose on Saturday. Look out for dynamic scorer Colbey Ross (20.3 PPG and 7.2 APG) and low post presence Kameron Edwards (17.3 PPG) to make the Spartans night rough.

Nevada-Las Vegas Running Rebels (5-8, 1-0)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Eastern Michigan Eagles:

UNLV hosts Eastern Michigan this Saturday and the 9-2 Eagles shouldn’t be overlooked. This may be a matchup of the inconsistent this weekend as the Eagles like the Rebels have had some ups and downs all season. With wins against Valparaiso, UMBC and North Texas but coming off of a fresh 53 point loss to Michigan State in East Lansing this past Saturday.

Eastern Michigan is led by the hometown hero, junior forward Ty Groce (12.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG) with help from fellow juniors Noah Morgan (10.5 PPG) and Yeikson Montero (10.4 PPG). This could be anyone’s game and if the Rebels are knocking down shots and preventing penetration from the wing they could head into conference play with a winning streak and some momentum.

Utah State Aggies (12-2, 2-0)

Eastern Oregon Mountaineers:

Another NAIA opponent in the Mountain West this week, the Mountaineers of Eastern Oregon play in the Cascade Collegiate Conference out of La Grande, OR. The Mountaineers are 7-6 on the season and are led by junior guard Max McCullough (20.6 PPG) and 7-foot senior big man Jarek Schetzle (19.1 PPG and 9.8 RPG)

Wyoming Cowboys (4-9, 0-2)

Sat, Dec. 28th

Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves:

The Praire Wolves of Nebraska Wesleyan University are a division three school in Lincoln, NE. They play in the American Rivers Conference and are 10-2 on the season coming off of a 82-84 point loss to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, which ended a six game winning streak for the Prairie Wolves. This technically counts as an exhibition for Nebraska Wesleyan but you can bet they are going to attempt the upset in Laramie. Watch out for senior guard Nate Schimonitz who is averaging 26.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.3 APG and 1.8 SPG.

Read: 

Check out the latest edition of our Player of the Week series with all previous weeks included.

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Week 7 DPI Rankings: Lobos Rising After Six-Game Streak

It was back to non-conference play last week for the Mountain West. Not everybody was in action—and some who were now wish they hadn’t been.

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Week 7 DPI Rankings: Lobos Rising After Six-Game Streak

The top two stand pat, but plenty of movement below

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

New Mexico, Boise State climbing in the latest DPI rankings for Week 7

It was back to non-conference play last week for the league’s affiliate members on the heels of the opening salvo to the long Mountain West season. Not everybody was in action—and some now wish they hadn’t been.

But it wasn’t all misery.

Some teams are making big strides, including one squad trying to make a move into the uppermost echelon of the MWC.

Below are the DPI rankings heading into the heart of Week 7. If you’re new to the rankings or just want a refresher, head here for a rundown of how the DPI is calculated. The ratings below reflect games played through Tuesday, December 17. As always, non-Division I games are not counted in the DPI.

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#1 — SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS

Last Week: #1

The Aztecs moved to the #1 spot in the Mountain West last week and with no games since their close shave against San Jose State, they haven’t moved much up or down. Brian Dutcher’s team is still undefeated and boasts one of the best defenses in the country. Malachi Flynn’s star turn has propelled SDSU into the national polls, along with the play of Matt Mitchell, Yanni Wetzell, and Jordan Schakel. If KJ Feagin can provide a little more offense, this team could really turn in a special season.

#2 — UTAH STATE AGGIES

Last Week: #2

It’s been a bit of a rough patch for the Aggies over the past few games. They still have one of the two best rosters in the league, but they aren’t quite living up to preseason expectations so far. After losing to Saint Mary’s and looking underwhelming in their first two Mountain West games, Utah State fell to BYU on Saturday in Salt Lake City. It was only their second loss, but it’s a missed opportunity for a good out-of-conference win to put on their NCAA Tournament resume.

#3 — NEW MEXICO LOBOS

Last Week: #4

The Lobos have won six straight after toppling New Mexico State and Grand Canyon since the last DPI rankings were posted here. Though they aren’t playing at the level of SDSU just yet, this patchwork roster of homegrown talent and incoming transfers has performed admirably in the early going. JaQuan Lyle has been everything that Paul Weir could have wanted and more. Oh, and Carlton Bragg is averaging a double-double. So far, so good.

#4 — NEVADA WOLF PACK

Last Week: #3

The Wolf Pack looked like they were starting to turn a corner over the past few weeks, winning five straight games on either side of Thanksgiving. But last week, Nevada was the second casualty of BYU’s surge, along with Utah State and UNLV. The offense had been clicking on all cylinders, but immediately downshifted from a 100-point performance against Air Force to a 42-point outing against the Cougars. That kind of volatility that makes it tough to trust Steve Alford’s club.

#5 — BOISE STATE BRONCOS

Last Week: #6

Leon Rice is getting things back on track in Boise, but outside of their win over BYU—before Yoeli Childs came back, of course—the Broncos haven’t really beaten anybody. It was another rocky showing for Boise State last week, with a midweek loss to Tulsa preceding a blowout win over Alabama State. Derrick Alston is averaging 21 points and Justinian Jessup is finding his form. But the starting five is not the problem here; Rice’s team suffers from a lack of depth.

#6 — COLORADO STATE RAMS

Last Week: #5

The Rams jumped out to a promising start, but they’ve lost three of their past four games, including both of their opening Mountain West bouts. Mixed in there was a 72-68 win over South Dakota State, and while the Jackrabbits are not a bad squad by any means, that they played CSU so closely gives a good indication of where the Rams are right now. Niko Medved’s team gave in-state rivals Colorado a run for their money, but ultimately fell 56-48 over the weekend.

#7 — AIR FORCE FALCONS

Last Week: #8

The defense still leaves a lot to be desired, but recently, the Falcons have been getting better results than they did during a rough November. The new month has been kinder to the cadets, with Air Force winning four of its past five (Note: Tuesday’s 99-42  win over Johnson & Wales is not counted in the DPI). AJ Walker has taken an important step forward as an offensive option. The sophomore was averaging 20 points per game over the past three games coming into Tuesday.

#8 — FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS

Last Week: #10

Justin Huston finally got his team to a second Division I win on Saturday against Cal Poly. But the bigger story here is the seven losses that they have already incurred. Nate Grimes is doing exactly what was expected of him so far, averaging a double-double with 13.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per night. Guards Jarred Hyder and New Williams both have some good performances under their belts, but they haven’t been able to click at the same time. That needs to change.

#9 — UNLV RUNNIN’ REBELS

Last Week: #9

The Rebels didn’t play last week, so the bad taste of the 33-point loss to BYU back has been lingering for a week and a half. There have been a lot of close calls, with UNLV playing in four separate overtime games so far. They are shooting under 42% from the field and turning the ball over 15 times a night. Games against Pacific and Robert Morris this week offer TJ Otzelberger the chance to start making some headway in his first year at the helm.

#10 — WYOMING COWBOYS

Last Week: #7

Allen Edwards got his Cowboys out to a 3-3 start, but they have dropped five straight games, including their most recent defeat at the hands of Northern Colorado. The Bears didn’t just sneak past Wyoming, either—the Big Sky hopefuls handed the home team a 21-point drubbing at Arena-Auditorium. The defense has been fair to middling, but the offense has been dreadful thus far. The Cowboys are shooting under 50% on two-pointers and just over 30% on threes.

#11 — SAN JOSÉ STATE SPARTANS

Last Week: #11

There’s a bit of a running joke around here about which Spartan is most likely to transfer next year, since the sputtering Spartans have seen five double-digit scorers depart in the past three offseasons—including Brandon Clarke, who parlayed his post-SJSU star turn at Gonzaga into a budding NBA career. All jokes aside, Seneca Knight has separated himself as the Spartans’ top option, scoring 12.5 points per game. Hopefully the sophomore can remain an important building block for Jean Prioleau.

That’s it for this week. Check back next week to see who’s rising and falling in the Mountain West and be sure to visit the Dieckhoff Power Index daily for updated rankings on all 353 teams in Division I basketball.

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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Head Of The Class: Ranking The Best Players Through The First Month Of Games By Year

Head of the Class: 1st Edition Mountain West Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Mountain West conferences best players according to class. The month of November is behind us and the Mountain West …

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Head of the Class: 1st Edition 

Mountain West Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Mountain West conferences best players according to class. 

The month of November is behind us and the Mountain West has looked good out of the gate. Utah State is still ranked in the top twenty after their first loss to Jordan Ford and Saint Mary’s and San Diego State is on the cusp of a top-25 ranking after receiving votes in both polls this week.

The conference as a whole is different this year and teams have lost players due transfer, graduation and professional options. They have also brought players in during that time as well. Regardless of whether players are new to the conference or not much of the success teams are having can be attributed to the individual performances of certain players thus far.

We have started our new column the Mountain West Wire’s Player of the Year Watch list, which is meant to highlight five players a week based on their performances and one in particular is awarded out player of the week. This has been a fun article to put together but the conference as a whole has had talented players emerge and they have had great performances all month long. The point of this article will be to update our readers on some players and performances that may have been missed.

First Off,

The Freshmen

5. Zane Meeks, Nevada

Season Stats: 4.6 PPG 3.8 RPG 0.4 APG (8 GMS)

Best Performance: 11 Points, 4 Rebounds on 5-8 made FGs against Valparaiso 11/24

Nevada has struggled a bit on the way to that 5-3 record they have currently with losses to USC, Davidson and Utah. The core of Nevada’s team is made up of transfers and Lindsey Drew but Meeks who committed to at the time newly dubbed head coach Steve Alford last spring has made an impact on a very shallow Wolf Pack frontcourt while showing potential.

4. David Roddy, Colorado State

Season Stats: 8.9 PPG 4.6 RPG 1.0 APG

Best Performance: 14 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Blocks and 1 Steal against Arkansas St. 11/20

Roddy is a 6-5 250 GUARD who can shoot the ball from deep. Roddy chose basketball over football before committing to CSU last year and has made an impact as a true freshman on a 6-3 Rams squad. The future is bright with Roddy and Stevens in Fort Collins, don’t worry Nico Carvacho the Rams are in good hands.

3. Orlando Robinson, Fresno State

Season Stats: 10.5 PPG 6.3 RPG 0.7 SPG (6 GMS)

Best Performance: 16 Points, 7 Rebounds, 2 Assists and 2 Steals against Cal-St. San Bernadino 11/17

Robinson had high major offers back in high school and has shown why while being impactful on a Fresno State team that is loaded with bigs. He and Nate Grimes need to figure something else out though if they want to live up to preseason expectations.

2. Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State

Season Stats: 12.3 PPG 3.4 RPG 3.6 APG (9 GMS)

Best Performance: 21 Points, 5 Rebounds and 5 Assists against Loyola Marymount 11/16

Colorado State is 6-3 so far and a combination of youth and senior leaders is a big reason why. Stevens has had some great performances so far and looks like a solid leader on the team as just a freshman.

1. Jarred Hyder, Fresno State

Season Stats: 15.6 PPG 3.8 RPG 2.4 APG (5 GMS)

Best Performance: 26 Points, 3 Assists and 2 Steals against Winthrop 11/10

Hyder has been a bright spot for Bulldog fans who were looking for a bit more from their veteran guards. He is leading the team in scoring and is a big reason Fresno State has two wins so far this season.

UP NEXT: SOPHOMORES

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Future Hoops Foes: Week Four Recap of Week Five’s Opponents

Mountain West beings league play.

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Taking a Look At Week Five’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Four

Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 5

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Take a look at each team’s opponents for this week and how they did last week.

Future Foes Week Four Recap:

This weeks edition of Future Hoops Foes will look a bit different in preparation for a break in non-conference play. There are still two games against non-conference opponents (Santa Clara and BYU) this week and you can find their reviews as normal down below. But since we are getting an early round of conference match ups in the first week of December, there will just be the listed dates and opponents for your favorite Mountain West teams in the remaining slots.

Air Force Falcons (3-5, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

Wyoming Cowboys

Sat, Dec. 7th

Nevada Wolf Pack

Boise State Broncos (4-2, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

New Mexico Lobos

Sat, Dec. 7th

Colorado State Rams:

Colorado State Rams (6-3, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

San Diego State Aztecs

Sat, Dec. 7th

Boise State Broncos

Fresno State Bulldogs (2-4, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

New Mexico Lobos

Sat, Dec. 7th

Utah State Aggies

Nevada Wolf Pack (5-3, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

Santa Clara Broncos:

Herb Sendek’s Bronco squad is 8-1 on the season and should’t be overlooked after convincing wins against Denver, SEMO and CSU Fullerton last week all by double-digits. Their lone loss comes at the hands of a very good Stanford team and they do boast an 8 point win over Washington State. Santa Clara is receiving production from a number of players on the court and as a whole are averaging a bit over eighty points a game.

They are led in scoring by sophomore guard Trey Wertz (11.6 PPG) and down low 6-11 sophomore forward Guglielmo Caruso is averaging 11.3 PPG. The Bronco’s are a tough squad this season and fully expect to leave Nevada with a win on Wednesday night and increase their win streak to six.

Sat, Dec. 7th

Air Force Falcons

New Mexico Lobos (7-2, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

Boise State Broncos

Sat, Dec. 7th

Wyoming Cowboys

San Diego State Aztecs (8-0, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

Colorado State Rams

Sun, Dec. 8th

San Jose State Spartans

San Jose State Spartans (3-5, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

Utah State Aggies

Sun, Dec. 8th

San Diego State Aztecs

Nevada-Las Vegas Running Rebels (3-6, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

Fresno State Bulldogs

Sat, Dec. 7th

Brigham Young Cougars:

Mark Pope‘s squad had a successful trip to Hawaii coming away with a 2-1 record in the Maui Invitational and 6-3 overall. A Loss to top five ranked Kansas was their only blemish of the week and they ended the weekend with a 35 point win over Montana Tech. TJ Haws and Jake Toolson helped solidify their positions as leaders of this team last week with solid performances.

But the big news surrounding the Cougars this week will be the return of star big man Yoeli Childs who returns from a nine game suspension dealt by the NCAA after his testing of NBA Draft waters took an unforeseen turn due to the misfiling of paperwork and alleged funds exchanging hands. Childs averaged 21.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG and 2.1 APG last year and will completely change how this BYU team plays.

Utah State Aggies (7-1, 0-0)

Wed, Dec. 4th

San Jose State Spartans

Sat, Dec. 7th

Fresno State Bulldogs

Wyoming Cowboys (3-5, 0-0)

 Wed, Dec. 4th 

Air Force Falcons

Sat, Dec. 7th

New Mexico Lobos

Side Note:

Make sure to revisit our top-25 opposing players article before you watch Saturdays game against BYU, as Yoeli Childs makes an appearance in our top five with a review of his own alongside Saint Mary’s guard Jordan Ford who has been tearing up Mountain West teams this season and handed Utah State their first loss of the season this past week.

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Mountain West Basketball Recruiting Round Up: Early Signing Period Edition

A Look At Recruiting Classes From Around The Mountain West Plenty of prospects signed early this year. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Runnin’ Rebels have the highest ranked recruiting class in the Mountain West. We have created this …

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A Look At Recruiting Classes From Around The Mountain West

Plenty of prospects signed early this year.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Runnin’ Rebels have the highest ranked recruiting class in the Mountain West.  

We have created this list of players signed by coaching staffs in the early signing period so far for next season. Below is a list of each team and their signed players so far, with some info on that player and excerpts from head coaches on that signee.

Coaches aren’t allowed to comment on players who commit to a program throughout the year until they have received a signed National Letter of Intent from that prospect. Prospects can commit at anytime they want during the year and have two periods in which they can sign a letter of intent to play for that school.

The “early” signing period is a week long and started Nov. 13th and extended out to Nov. 20th. Most guys signed within the first two days of the week with only UNLV getting commitments and letters of intent signed after. The second signing period of the 2019-2020 season begins April 15th, 2020 and ends on May 20th, 2020.

Things To Note:

  • UNLV and first year head coach TJ Otzelberger have the largest signed group in the conference and the highest ranked. Otzelberger was able to keep a promise when it came to recruiting by getting local guys to sign with the Runnin’ Rebels. Half of his recruiting class is either from Nevada or have played high school basketball in Nevada.
  • Several teams have signed more prospects than they have seniors scheduled to leave, that means some current players will be expected to transfer.
  • Wyoming was the lone team without a commit or signee in the early signing period.
  • Air Force has 12 commits for the 2020 class per Verbal Commits. But with a complex system that includes possibly enrolling at Prep School and no confirmation of these commitments on the team’s website, they were excluded.

Boise State: 3 Signed

Bukre Smith 6-11 215 C Trinity Episcopal School-Glen Allen, VA

“Burke is extremely skilled for his size and his age,” Rice said. “Our program has always looked for skilled bigs to play our style and he does three things at a really advanced level that fit that mold: he shoots with range; he puts the ball on the floor, and he’s a very good passer. With his love for the game and outstanding work ethic he has a bright future at Boise State.” – Coach Rice

Kasean Pryor 6-9 179 SG Link Year Prep-Branson, MO

“Kasean is a long, athletic wing with huge upside,” Rice said. “He has a great combination of skill and feels not often seen in players his size. His game and body type is in the mold of James Webb and Derrick Alston, and he will be a tremendous fit in our system.” – Coach Rice

Jace Whiting 6-1 165 PG Burley HS-Burley ID 

“Jace has a great feel for the game and brings a tremendous amount of skill to the combo guard position,” Rice said. “It’s always important to keep the best players in the state at home and we’re excited to have Jace in our program.” – Coach Rice

Colorado State: 2 Signed

Isaiah Rivera 6-5 190 SF Geneseo High School-Geneseo, IL 

Jacob Jenniseen 6-1 205 C Sauk Centre Secondary-Sauk Centre, MN

Fresno State: 3 Signed

Braxton Meah 7-0 230 C San Joaquin Memorial HS-Fresno,CA

“Braxton is a 7-foot athlete, who can protect the rim and finish above the rim with the best of them,” Hutson said of Meah.  “He’s a local product and has been very well coached and developed. We are glad to be able to keep him home and our community will really enjoy watching him play.” -Coach Hutson

Leonardo Colimerio 6-7 180 SF Wasatch Academy-Mount Pleasant,UT

“Leo is a versatile, positionless basketball player,” Hutson said of Colimerio.  “Incoming from Brazil, he has an international feel for the game with great athleticism.  We look forward to him playing all over the floor.” – Coach Hutson

Destin Whitaker 6-5 185 SG Romeroville HS-Romeoville, IL

“Destin can really shoot it,” Hutson said.  “He comes from a basketball family and has been coached really well.  Destin has a high basketball IQ, and while his strength is shooting, he is very versatile.” -Coach Hutson

Nevada: 4 Signed

Tre Coleman 6-7 185 SF Jeffersonville HS-Jeffersonville, IN

“Tre is a big athletic wing who can defend all over the court.  He gives us a ton of versatility. A high-level athlete who will bring energy on both sides of the ball.” – Coach Alford 

Alem Huseinovic 6-3 180 SG PHHoenix Prep-Scottsdale, AZ

“Alem is a tough, heady shooting guard.  He really knows how to create and make shots.  A fierce competitor who really knows how to play.” – Coach Alford 

DeAndre Henry 6-7 225 PF PHHoenix Prep-Phoenix, AZ 

“Dre has a tremendous ceiling as a basketball player.  He is a strong and athletic player who loves to compete at both ends of the floor.  He will improve daily due to how hard he works.” – Coach Alford 

Jelani Clark 6-2 180 SG Archbishop Riordan HS-San Francisco, CA

“Je’Lani is a high energy, high motor player.  He has a very high basketball IQ and is committed to being a great player.  He has the ability to lead a team and program.” – Coach Alford 

Daniel Foster 6-6 185 PG Golden State Preparatory School (CA)-Melbourne, AUS

“Daniel is a versatile guard who can play a variety of positions.  A tough-minded competitor who knows how to play the game. We’ve had tremendous success with Australian born players.” – Coach Alford 

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