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Taking a Look At Week Six’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Five
Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 6
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Take a look at each team’s opponents for this week and how they did last week.
Future Foes Week Five Recap:
Back to normal in the world of Future Hoops Foes going into the second week of December.
Air Force Falcons (4-6, 1-1)
Sat, Dec. 14th
Denver Pioneers:
Rodney Billups‘ Pioneer squad is 4-6 on the year after a 19 point loss at UCLA this past Sunday. Not much was expected of this years Denver team as it was picked to finish last in the Summit League. They might surprise a few folks come conference play as they have wins against a Utah Valley team that went toe-to-toe with Kentucky in Rupp Arena this past month and Cal-St. Fullerton who was picked to finish fifth in a competitive Big West Conference this year.
Watch out for senior guard Ade Murkey, as the big guard out of Minneapolis is averaging a team high 12.8 PPG and has scored in double figures in four straight contests.
Boise State Broncos (5-3, 1-1)
Wed, Dec. 11th
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes:
The Golden Hurricanes are 7-2 and are receiving contributions from a little bit of everyone. Frank Haith’s squad was picked to finish tenth in the American this year and that may still be an accurate prediction, as Tulsa has yet to face a big ticket opponent aside from maybe Vanderbilt and the American will be scrappy come conference play. The true tests come in the month of December in road games at Arkansas and Kansas State, not to mention Boise State at home this week.
There are five players averaging eight points or better but the Hurricanes are led by Juco transfer Brandon Rachal averaging 15.9 PPG, which includes a 30 point performance in a win against Austin Peay.
Sat, Dec. 14th
Alabama State Hornets:
The Hornets are currently 1-6 on the season, and that lone win comes against Chicago State who just broke a 53-game losing streak on the road. Scoring is in short supply for an Alabama State team who is averaging 56.6 PPG as a team. But senior guard Tobi Ewuosho leading the team with 14.1 PPG and had a season high 23 points against a good Houston squad.
Colorado State Rams (6-5, 0-2)
Tues, Dec. 10th
South Dakota State Jackrabbits:
First year head coach Eric Henderson is 6-5 on the year but lacks a signature win going into Tuesday’s game in Fort Collins. A win against the Rams may be his best chance at giving his team momentum going into conference play as they are currently riding a two game losing streak. Look out for junior forward Doug Wilson as he is doing his best to replace the scoring prowess of David Jenkins Jr. and Mike Daum with a team high 16.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG.
Fri, Dec. 13th
Colorado Buffaloes:
Tad Boyle‘s squad is coming off of their first loss of the season on the road at Kansas, and need to knock down more shots after going just 18-60 from the field in Allen Field house on Saturday. The Buffaloes are led by Mckinley Wright IV and Tyler Bey who lead a deep team into Fort Collins looking for a second straight win against the Rams after a six point win at home last season. The Buffaloes are still a very dangerous team and should be looking to avoid creating a losing streak which would include their instate rival, but a win for the Rams at home would make for a great blemish on Colorado’s tournament resume.
Fresno State Bulldogs (2-6, 0-2)
Wed, Dec. 11th
California Golden Bears:
The Golden Bears are in a bit of a rebuilding year but have shown promise. Sophomore guard Matt Bradley is leading the charge with 17.0 PPG and has capable players around him, making CAL a be a bit better than their last place prediction in the PAC-12 may suggest. At least outside of the PAC-12 with an overtime win against UNLV under their belt. Mark Fox’s team is looking to break a two game losing streak heading to Fresno on Wednesday and if the Bulldogs aren’t careful, they could give CAL a 2-0 record against the Mountain West.
Sat, Dec. 14th
Cal Poly Mustangs:
The Mustangs are 2-7 on the season but are coming off of a four-point win over Siena on Saturday at home. It hasn’t been pretty for Cal Poly so far in the season and Saturday’s win was the first win over an NCAA division one opponent. But they will try and rally behind sophomore guard Junior Ballard (12.7 PPG) and former Boise State Bronco Malek Harwell (10.3 PPG) to get a win in Fresno this weekend.
Nevada Wolf Pack (7-3, 1-0)
Tues, Dec. 10th
Brigham Young Cougars:
All eyes should be on the Cougars this week as star forward Yoeli Childs is two games into his senior season and ready to make an impact for first year head coach Mark Pope. BYU has been a bit of a mixed bag, and their 7-4 record when further examined might tell you that. A last minute buzzer beater against the other Cougars in Houston followed by an overtime loss in Boise then a win against UCLA followed by a loss to at the time No. 4 Kansas, it’s been a lot.
Most recently they started a three game stretch playing the Mountain West and are 1-0 with a 33 point neutral site win over UNLV this past weekend. The Cougars now have four players averaging double digits and have become the BYU team we all were anxious to see back in August. The Wolf Pack have an opportunity for a solid win on Tuesday and you can bet we will be watching.
New Mexico Lobos (9-2, 2-0)
Sat, Dec. 14th
New Mexico State Aggies:
Part Two of the Rio Grande Rivalry will take place in Albuquerque this weekend, and I think the story line has to be Paul Weir looking for just his second win ever against the Lobo’s in-state rivals. The Aggies have been given a slight bug from the injury bug himself and have been without senior leader A.J. Harris and wing Clayton Henry thus far. They combined for about fourteen points a game last season but brought a defensive presence and play making abilities that may be lacking on an Aggie team that is 5-5 on the season. Even though the time tables are close I don’t expect to see Harris or Clayton suit in Albuquerque on Saturday as of right now.
New Mexico State avenged an earlier season loss to UTEP this past week and could go .500 in rivalry games with a win on Saturday. Look out for senior wing Trevelin Queen who had a season high 23 Points against the Lobos in their first meeting this season. And don’t forget sophomore guard Jabari Rice who is having a great season doubling his playing time while quadrupling his scoring output.
No. 25 San Diego State Aztecs (10-0, 2-0)
None
San Jose State Spartans (3-7, 0-2)
Sat, Dec. 14th
Stanford Cardinals:
The Cardinals are 8-1 on the season with their only loss coming by 1 point against an undefeated top-25 ranked Butler squad. Stanford is led by German forward Oscar Da Silva who leads the team with 16.6 PPG and is coming off of his best game of the season against UNC-Wilmington. Backing him up is freshman guard Tyrell Terry with 15.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.2 APG and 2.1 SPG. He can do a bit of everything and compliments Da Silva and a rotation filled with youth and experience.
Nevada-Las Vegas Running Rebels (4-7, 1-0)
None
Utah State Aggies (9-1, 2-0)
Tues, Dec. 10th
St. Katherine Firebirds:
St. Katherine is an NAIA team out of San Marcos, CA and are currently 3-8 on the year so far. The Firebirds are led by junior guard Zethan Dumpson who is averaging 13.3 PPG and had a season high 20 points against NAIA No. 10 ranked Arizona Christian in early November. The Aggies are undefeated against NAIA opponents and should stay that way heading in the weekend against in-state rival BYU.
Sat, Dec. 14th
Brigham Young Cougars:
All eyes should be on the Cougars this week as star forward Yoeli Childs is two games into his senior season and ready to make an impact for first year head coach Mark Pope. BYU has been a bit of a mixed bag, and their 7-4 record when further examined might tell you that. A last minute buzzer beater against the other Cougars in Houston followed by an overtime loss in Boise then a win against UCLA followed by a loss to at the time No. 4 Kansas, it’s been a lot.
Most recently they started a three game stretch playing the Mountain West and are 1-0 with a 33 point neutral site win over UNLV this past weekend. The Cougars now have four players averaging double digits and have become the BYU team we all were anxious to see back in August. The Wolf Pack have an opportunity for a solid win on Tuesday and you can bet we will be watching.
Wyoming Cowboys (3-7, 0-2)
Sat, Dec. 14th
Northern Colorado Bears:
The Bears are 4-4 but are more dangerous than their record reflects. Northern Colorado was picked to finish in the top five of their conference in both the media and coaches preseason polls. This even after losing guard Jordan Davis who averaged 23.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 4.7 APG last season. They have some weapons, and it starts with sophomore guard Bodie Hume who is averaging 16.6 PPG and 4.3 RPG. Hume has help though, and senior guard Jonah Radebaugh is a go to player for the Bears. Radebaugh is a 6’3 guard but is second on the team in rebounding at 7.0 RPG and leads the team in assists with 4.4 a game.
Side Note:
Make sure to revisit our Head of the Class article to check up on the best players around the conference ranked based on class.
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