Tag: Isaiah Stevens

Jaedon LeDee Helps Lift San Diego St. Past Colorado St., 71-55 At Home

Game Recap: San Diego State 71, Colorado State 55 San Diego State capitalizes on a poor second-half from Colorado State. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire San Diego State stands tall against visiting Rams, thanks to huge second-half from …

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 Game Recap: San Diego State 71, Colorado State 55

San Diego State capitalizes on a poor second-half from Colorado State.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

San Diego State stands tall against visiting Rams, thanks to huge second-half from Jaedon LeDee.

Both the Aztecs and Rams have experienced high & lows this season. A theme no Mountain West team has evaded thus far. Still, both programs find themselves in a four-way tie for second place, just one game behind league leader Utah State.

The last time these two teams met was on January 30th in Fort Collins. That first win stayed with the hosting Rams, thanks to two twenty point performances from Isaiah Stevens & Nique Clifford. Now fast forward a couple of weeks and both squads are in very similar places. Fighting the juggernaut that is the top-7 or so teams in the Mountain West at the moment.

With only six remaining regular season games to not only help these teams vie for beneficial seeding in the Mountain West Conference Tournament but also boost their chances at at-large bids should things not pan out in Las Vegas, time and winning are of the essence.

The Rams didn’t let a second go to waste. After giving up the first points of the game to a Jaedon LeDee Dunk, Colorado State went on an 14-0 before the Aztecs found their next point. The credit for that run goes to the outstanding three point shooting of Josiah Strong, who made three of Rams four opening three pointers.

The Aztecs needed a few moments but they responded. Chipping away at their visitors lead while Colorado State continued their long distance bombardment inside Viejas Arena. Sending their hosts back to their locker rooms down 44-30 at the half.

Brian Dutcher’s group didn’t necessarily have a bad offensive half. Colorado State simply had a great first half from beyond the arc & the Aztecs didn’t have many free throw opportunities to help fill the gap. While Niko Medved’s squad shot over 50% from the floor (16-28) & from deep (7-14).

San Diego State utilized the break to regroup and come out swinging. With the Aztecs going opening the scoring with a 7-0 run, including 5 straight points from their potential All-American Jaedon LeDee.

Colorado State responded with a 5-0 run of their own to help extend their lead back to double-digits (49-37). After that the Rams went several minutes without a made field goal. Which was enough for LeDee to go to work, scoring his team’s next seven points to add to his already fourteen.

The profound defensive juggernaut that is normally San Diego State held the Rams to just 10 points off of 3-17 shooting in the first thirteen minutes of second-half action. Outrebounding Colorado State 22-5 during that same stretch.

Though it wasn’t until the 9:47 mark that the Aztecs too their first lead of the game with a Jay Pal free throw, putting them up 53-52. San Diego State would slow the game down & rely on knocking down free throws to extend their lead.

Scoring became scarcer for the Rams. With a 7-1 run capped by a Lamont Butler Layup before a media timeout grew the Aztecs’ lead to a whopping fifteen points with 3:39 left in the game.

Both sides went scoreless over the next few minutes as Colorado State found themselves still down by fifteen points with a little over a minute to go. After that Brian Dutcher cleared the bench. Sending his star big man to the bench for the night with 27 points, a whopping 22 of them coming in the second-half.

With that San Diego State secured the 71-55 win at home and took sole possession of second place for the time being. LeDee was joined in the scoring column by two 11 point outings from backcourt members Darrion Trammell & Lamont Butler. While Niko Medved had four rams reach double-figures, with the lone exception being starter Joel Scott. Also receiving little to no help (4 points total) from their bench.

Player Spotlights

Colorado State G-Josiah Strong

Stat line: 14 points, 2 assists on 5-12 (41.6%) from the floor & 3-7 (42.8%) from deep in 29 minutes of action

Strong started things off, well strong for the Rams Tuesday night. Although recruited as a scoring sharpshooter, Strong has struggled with his rhythm & injuries during his time in Fort Collins. His three made 3-pointers were a season high and his most since transferring from Illinois State back in 2022.

It’s hard to highlight a good first-half performance after a nearly completely absent second-half (3 points, 1-6 shooting, 0-3 from deep). But let’s look for the silver lining Rams fans.

San Diego State F–Jaedon LeDee

Stat line: 27 points & 6 rebounds on 10-14 (46.6%) shooting from the floor, including 7-11 (63.6%) from the line in 26 minutes of action

After beginning the season averaging 26.8 PPG & 10.6 RPG over the Aztec’s first five games. LeDee placed his name in contention for national award watch lists. Not to say that reputation has dimmed over the course of the season, I mean the 6-9 big man hasn’t failed to reach double-digit scoring not once the entire season. Not to mention his current season averages of 20.0 PPG & 8.6 RPG thanks to his 54.9% field goal percentage.

But, his effectiveness to not only dominant a game but help his team win one came into question after San Diego State dropped four games since conference play began. None of that came into LeDee’s head on Tuesday night. As his team emerged from half-time down by 14 points, he went to work. Scoring 22 of his 27 points all in the second half and shooting an impressive 8-11 (72.7%) while doing it.

I can’t see the Aztecs winning so comfortably without that second-half dominance. Which could be extremely useful going forward in San Diego State’s remaining six regular season games.

Three Takeaways:

  • San Diego State made a comeback that came with a side of defensive stalwart that only the Aztecs could have made. It spoke to the always dangerous program that Brian Dutcher has continued to mold since taking over. It made for must see Mountain West TV while kicking off what turned out to be an exciting night for basketball in the conference.
  • Colorado State shot lights out in the first half. It’s always hard to keep offensive momentum going after a half-time break. Which, combined with the Aztec’s infamous defense, led way to a horrendous second-half performance inside Viejas Arena. As ugly as this loss became, it doesn’t spell doom for the Rams. There are plenty of other opportunities to help climb themselves up the conference ladder & better build their Tournament resume.
  • With the Aztecs win, the conference race was better defined Tuesday night. Gone was a huge four way tie for second place. And with it San Diego State helped further solidify their place as a top-3 finish team in this league.

Next Up:

The Aztecs will stay in San Diego to end their two game homestand against longtime conference rivals New Mexico. The Lobos won the first leg of this series back in Albuquerque on January 13th. That 88-70 loss came at the hands of a red hot New Mexico squad. Since then Richard Pitino’s squad has succumbed to the gauntlet that is the Mountain West.

Regardless of previous games, any team can win on any given night, so Viejas arena needs to show up to help avenge their loss at home last season to New Mexico. That rare Friday night game will tip-off at 7:00 PM PT and can be seen on FS1.

While Colorado State returns home to defend Moby Arena against league leaders Utah State on Saturday February 17th. Aside from being the feel good story of the year, the Aggies are a dangerously good team.

But the Rams gave them a run for their money last time out in Logan, so stay tuned for what could be the marquee game on Saturday.That game tips off at 3:30 PM MT and can be seen on the CBS Sports Network.

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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AP Top-25: No. 13 Colorado State Achieves Highest Ranking Ever, No. 25 Aztecs Rejoin Top-25

No. 13 Colorado State Achieves Highest Top-25 Ranking Ever Colorado State is unbeaten and ready to take on anyone. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Rams and Aztecs make this week’s AP Top-25 after strong finishes to the month of November. …

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No. 13 Colorado State Achieves Highest Top-25 Ranking Ever

Colorado State is unbeaten and ready to take on anyone.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Rams and Aztecs make this week’s AP Top-25 after strong finishes to the month of November.

The fourth week of college basketball is here and with it, a newly released Associated Press Top-25 poll. And while fans around the Mountain West have had their share of Top-25 appearances over years. Monday’s edition was special for many reasons in Fort Collins particularly.

Colorado State make the Top-25 for the second straight week, rising from 20th to a program best 13th. The Rams also made the Coaches poll at No. 12 and a very impressive first NET ranking of 7th in the nation on Monday.

San Diego State rejoined the Top-25 after making the preseason rankings at No. 17 to start the season.

How they got here

No. 13 Colorado State was picked to finish 5th in the Mountain West preseason poll. Now, this feels rather low one month into the college hoops season. Though folks in the industry needed to see how head coach Niko Medved would put a decent sized freshman class, three transfers & arguably the best point guard the Rams have ever had together.

In short, they fit together rather well. Well enough to begin the season undefeated at 8-0, with four high major wins and a win over in-state rival Colorado (their first since 2017).

The No. 25 Aztecs make their return to the AP Top-25 since opening the season at No. 17. Brian Dutcher’s squad had a bit of a setback in week one of the season when they fell to Brigham Young in Provo.

That loss saw them knocked out of the Top-25 entirely, but still receiving votes each week. Since, they’ve won six straight games (four on the road), including wins over Pac-12 foes California & Washington.

Some Perspective

For the Colorado State program this is huge. Niko Medved’s best years in Fort Collins have come with floor general Isaiah Stevens healthy and locked in. Last season was a bit of a setback within the program, but injuries can do that. Though it appears last season is far in the rear view of the Rams at the moment.

It seemed as though the last time the Rams were consecutively ranked in the Top-25 may have been the peak of Medved’s squad building potential in Fort Collins. That was the 2021-2022 season, when Colorado State graced the Top-25 for a grand total of six weeks, made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed and had a first round NBA Draft pick in David Roddy.

Boy was I wrong, and in the world of the transfer portal, Medved has shown the ability to utilize every avenue available to build a quality roster in 2023. The Rams’ success has also given fans a great story to endorse when other programs have fallen short of expectations.

San Diego State is still nationally recognized as a dangerous team and still have challenging games ahead. Two road games against Grand Canyon & No. 7 Gonzaga and playing host to Stanford in between are all great opportunities to boost their resume.

With the Aztecs regaining their place, it gives the Mountain West two teams in the AP Top-25 simultaneously for the first time since the 2021-2022 season. Arguably more impressive is that it’s the first time two Mountain West schools have been in the AP Top-25 together in non-conference play since 2012-2013.

The non-conference momentum is trending completely upwards for the Mountain West. Which has solidified itself as the best mid-major conference in the country, at least according to KenPom ($). Schools across the conference need to attack December with the same energy they did in November to begin the 5+ bid-league conversations.

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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Net Rankings Debut: Colorado State Out In Front At No. 7, Four Others Make Top-40

Net Ranking Debut: The Rams make the top10 after an impressive first month of action. Colorado State leads the conference in first Net Rankings of the season. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The first NET Rankings of the season are out, with …

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Net Ranking Debut: The Rams make the top10 after an impressive first month of action.

Colorado State leads the conference in first Net Rankings of the season.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The first NET Rankings of the season are out, with five Mountain West schools in the top-50, headlined by Colorado State.

The first NET Rankings of the year were released on Monday. Which, are the NCAA’s primary decision making tool come selection Sunday in March. So naturally we took a look at how Mountain West schools have faired after a tough first month of non-conference action.

How It Works

The NET is the NCAA metric and it gives the selection committee a better idea of team’s performances. The new NET ranking’s metrics, shrank from five to just two in 2020, two years after it’s debut in 2018.

Team Value Index-Algorithm set up to reward teams who beat other good teams. Results-oriented component of the N.E.T. *Game results versus Division-I opponents only.

Adjusted Net Efficiency-The adjusted efficiency is a team’s net efficiency (offensive efficacy minus defensive efficiency, adjusted for strength of opponent and location (home/away/neutral) across all games played.

Analyzing the Rankings

Noticeably at the top is Colorado State at No. 7. The Rams have been one of the more delightful surprises of the non-conference slate thus far. To say Niko Medved’s group is exceeding preseason expectations is fair, as the Rams were predicted to finish 5th in the Mountain West Preseason Poll in October.

Though after an impressive 8-0 start to the season, which includes four straight wins over high major schools on the road and or neutral site games, they find themselves leading the pack.

The last true rankings booster on the Ram’s non-conference schedule is this Saturday when the Gaels of St. Mary’s come to Fort Collins. Colorado State beat Saint Mary’s in Moraga last season and a win for the second year in a row would help solidify their place in the top-10 in likely both the NET and AP-top 25 before the holiday break.

Other teams to make the top-50 include Nevada (No. 21), San Diego State (No. 24), Utah State (No. 34) & New Mexico (No. 36). All four teams have enjoyed non-conference success so far, with Nevada the only other unbeaten team in the conference. As Steve Alford’s squad boasts a quad 1 win over the Washington Huskies and maybe more importantly five quad 4 wins at home beating teams they should by an average margin of 19.0 PPG.

The other three teams all have one blotch in the loss column to weaken their rankings just a tad. For the Aztecs that was a quad 1 loss to former Mountain West rival BYU on the road in early November.

For Utah State it was an early season loss to Bradley on the road in Peoria, to give the Aggies a quad 2 loss. A small damper on what has been an impressive start to year one of the Danny Sprinkle era in Logan.

Lastly the Lobos, who fell to Saint Mary’s early in the season in the Gaels revenge win over Richard Pitino’s group, who beat them last season in non-conference play. Randy Bennet’s group is struggling a tad this year, losing five of their last six game’s, making New Mexico’s defeat in November a quad 3 loss.

No other team made the top-100 in the ranking’s first iteration. Some surprising pieces being Air Force having a higher ranking than Boise State & UNLV the first time around. There is nothing flashy about the Falcons’ 7-2 record thus far. With no quad 1 or 2 wins, but no non-DI games to weaken their results and more maybe importantly a 3-1 record on the road.

While Boise State & UNLV may simply be victims of their strong schedules. As the Broncos dropped all of their high major contests in the first month of play. The Runnin’ Rebels on the other hand have only one excusable loss. That coming at the hands of Florida State to go along with a less than stellar opening night loss to Southern.

Mountain West NET Rankings:

7. Colorado State 8-0 (0-0)

21. Nevada 6-0 (0-0)

24. San Diego State 6-1 (0-0)

34. Utah State 6-1 (0-0)

36. New Mexico 7-1 (0-0)

118. Air Force 7-2 (0-0)

126. Boise State 3-3 (0-0)

130. San Jose State 4-4 (0-0)

187. Wyoming 3-3 (0-0)

197. UNLV 3-3 (0-0)

299. Fresno State 2-4 (0-0)

Preseason predictions can always be taken with a grain of salt. As teams will always over or under produce with injuries and chemistry issues usually to blame. This season is no different as not many would have predicted their team’s place in the first NET rankings of the year.

Luckily there are plenty of basketball games to be played and anyone can rise through the rankings, but they can also fall at any moment. We’ll do our best here at Mountain West Wire to keep you updated throughout the season.

Full List Here

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Five For ’21: Ranking The Mountain West’s Top Five Passers

Five for ’21: Ranking The Mountain West’s Top Five Passers Predicting the top five Mountain West passers of the ’20-21 season Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Who are the top passers in the MW? As part of Mountain West Wire’s continued …

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Five for ’21: Ranking The Mountain West’s Top Five Passers

Predicting the top five Mountain West passers of the ’20-21 season

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Who are the top passers in the MW?

As part of Mountain West Wire’s continued dedication to offseason basketball content, we welcome you to the first installment of the Five For ’21 series.

The Five For ’21 series features our ranking of the top five Mountain West players in five different skill sets: passing, scoring, defending, rebounding, and shot-blocking. Rankings aren’t position-specific, meaning a non-point guard can appear on the top passer list, a top scorer might not be a shooting guard, and so on.

We hope you enjoy the five-article series and engage in further conversation about where certain players should rank or appear on our Five For ’21 lists.

The Five For ’21 series schedule is below.

  • Monday: Passers
  • Tuesday: Scorers
  • Wednesday: Shot Blockers
  • Thursday: Defenders
  • Friday: Rebounders

Without further adieu, we open up with a youngster looking to make an impact on one of the Mountain West’s highly anticipated teams next season.

5) RayJ Dennis, Boise State

1.8 APG, 1.90 AST/TOV, 18.3 AST Rate, 18.3 TOV Rate

Dennis is one of two sophomores on this list who played key roles on their squads in 2019-2020. While Dennis played more of a supportive role in his freshman season compared to the other youngster listed, he did so extremely efficiently in the time he was allotted.

His role for the Broncos last season was a bit limited at 17.4 MPG, but in that time he made the absolute most of his opportunities behind an experienced group of senior ball handlers with 1.8 APG and an assist to turnover ratio of 1.90:1. The upcoming season will definitely be a test for the young playmaker as even though the Broncos bring in a ton of talent via the transfer portal, the point guard position is one of the more shallow ones on the squad.

Dennis will definitely compete for the starting role with incoming transfer Marcus Shaver Jr., who was a bit more of a scorer than distributor at his previous stop but may have taken his sit-out year in Boise to add that attribute to his game.

4) A.J. Walker, Air Force

3.1 APG, 1.51 AST/TOV, 20.6 AST Rate, 17.1 TOV Rate

A.J. Walker’s decision to explore his options in the transfer portal in the midst of the Falcon’s coaching change back in March wasn’t too surprising. Guys transfer out of a program that is undergoing a coaching change all of the time, but how many opt to return? I’d love to know that number.

This will be Walker’s team next season and though he has impressive distribution numbers from last season, the Falcons lose four of their top five scorers to graduation going into 2020-2021. The junior guard will continue to get things done but may see his distribution numbers decrease a bit while his scoring averages and number of shots taken a game rise.

Walker certainly has the talent to take his game to the next level, spurning offers from TCU, Texas Tech and Tulsa this past spring to return to the Falcons. He just needs some help from guys like Mason Taylor and Christopher Joyce in the backcourt do to so.

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A Way-Too-Early Look At MWC Rosters For 2020-2021: Colorado State

A Way-Too-Early Look At The Colorado State Rams There is plenty to be excited about for Rams fans next season, as they return a quartet of starters from a top-5 Mountain West team. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire With out without Nico …

A Way-Too-Early Look At The Colorado State Rams

There is plenty to be excited about for Rams fans next season, as they return a quartet of starters from a top-5 Mountain West team.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

With out without Nico Carvacho, this roster has talent, but if he came back that would be nice too. 

Players have already accepted reality and have begun taking the next step in their careers. For some that is beginning NBA draft preparations a little earlier than expected, for others it is finishing their remaining course loads online to better gear up for next semester. Though the last group of players it is looking for their next opportunity and entering the transfer portal.

After sporting leagues around the globe either canceled or postponed their seasons in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA followed suit by outright canceling scheduled spring sports but rewarding seniors another year of eligibility to return and compete next season. This was a swift and just decision in a time of uncertainty for a lot of student-athletes, but there was still a group left in with uncertainty.

Winter sport athletes have currently been left with hope, given a ruling from the NCAA that would grant them any sort of extra eligibility given their abrupt cancellation of the big dance. So in the spirit of pure fun we will take a look at Mountain West team’s rosters for next season. Taking a look at both scenarios, just in case the NCAA surprises us.

2020-2021 Roster: In the event seniors are granted further eligibility

G Hyron Edwards 6-0 165 R-Sr. East Chicago, IN-East Chicago Central/Trinity Vallley C.C./Texas Tech 

G Kris Martin 6-4 190 R-Sr. Frisco, TX-Kimball HS/Oral Roberts

F/C Nico Carvacho 6-11 245 R-Sr. Frisco, TX-Sunrise Christian Academy (KS)

G Teyvion Kirk 6-4 185 R-Jr. Joliet, IL-Joliet West HS/Ohio

G Kyle Lukasiewicz 6-6 200 Sr. Centennial, CO-Arapahoe HS/NE Oklahoma A&M*

G Kendle Moore 5-10 145 Jr. Danville, IL-Danville HS

G P.J. Byrd 6-1 185 Jr Houston, TX-Bush HS/VCU

F Adam Thistlewood 6-6 00 Jr. Golden, CO-Golden HS

G Ignas Sargiunas 6-5 205 R-So. Kaunas, Lithuania-Jonas Basanavicius Gymnasium/Georgia

G Isaiah Stevens 6-0 160 So. Allen, TX-Allen HS

F Dischon Thomas 6-9 215 So. Phoenix, AZ-Hillcrest Prep

G David Roddy 6-5 250 So. Minneapolis, MN-Breck School 

G John Tonje 6-5 195 So. Omaha, NE-Omaha Central HS

F James Moors 6-10 200 R-Fr. Auckland, New Zealand

F Isaiah Rivera 6-5 185 Fr. Geneseo, IL-Geneseo HS

C Jacob Jennisen 7-0 205 Fr. Sauk Centre, MN-Sauk Centre Secondary School 

G Trace Young 6-3 165 Fr. Dripping Springs HS-Austin, TX*

Point Guard Shooting Guard Small Forward Power Forward Center
Isaiah Stevens So. Kendle Moore Jr. Adam Thistlewood Jr. David Roddy So. Nico Carvacho Gr.  
P.J. Byrd Jr. Teyvion Kirk R-Jr. John Toje So. James Moor R-Fr. Jacob Jennisen Fr.
Hyron Edwards Gr. Kris Martin Gr. Isaiah Rivera Fr.    
Trace Young Fr.* Ignas Sargiunas R-So. Kyle Lukasiewicz Sr. *    

Things of Note:

  • This team would have 16 players total with two walk-ons in Young and Lukasiewicz.

Niko Medvid has done a great job in Fort Collins in just two seasons in charge since arriving from Drake. The Rams enjoyed a top-five conference finish, 20-win season and conference accolades for multiple players.

With four returning starters and transfers Teyvion Kirk and Ignas Sargiunas eligible to play next season after sitting out 2019-2020, this team is loaded. But given the chance to welcome back one of the best big men to dawn a Colorado State uniform in Nico Carvacho, next year’s squad would challenge any in the Mountain West for the top spot.

It’s hard to say whether Carvacho or any of the three seniors scheduled to graduate this spring would be guaranteed returns next season. Carvacho already spurned high major programs when former head coach Larry Eustachy was fired after his sophomore season, would he do it again given extra eligibility? It’s hard to say.

But in the event that the NCAA rules against awarding additional eligibility for winter sport athletes, which still seems like a possibility given how long it has taken to hear any news regarding the matter. Here is a list followed by a depth chart of the Colorado State roster given their current recruiting class and who we know has entered the transfer portal.

Next: Roster and Depth Chart

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

Air Force vs. Colorado State: Game Preview Rams look for sweep of Falcons on senior night. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Colorado State looks for a win on senior night as they welcome in-state foe, Air Force. WHO: Air Force Falcons (11-18, …

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Air Force vs. Colorado State: Game Preview

Rams look for sweep of Falcons on senior night. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Colorado State looks for a win on senior night as they welcome in-state foe, Air Force.

WHO: Air Force Falcons (11-18, 5-12 Mountain West) At Colorado State Rams (19-11, 10-7 Mountain West)

WHEN: Saturday, February 29th—1:00 PM PST/2:00 PM MST/4:00 PM EST

WHERE: Moby Arena, Fort Collins, CO

TV: ESPN3

STREAM: WatchESPN

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: Colorado State leads all-time series 81-33

PREVIEW: 

The end of the 2019-2020 regular season is almost upon us and with it comes one of the more bittersweet aspects of college basketball, senior night.

The Rams say goodbye to Hyron Edwards, Kris Martin and a familiar name to college basketball fans everywhere Nico Carvacho. Head coach Niko Medvid found had success in his second year in charge in Fort Collins and look to end the regular season with a win at home before heading to Las Vegas next week for the Mountain West Conference tournament.

Air Force had their senior night on Wednesday when they hosted the Lobos in a narrow 2-point victory. But will have five seniors playing their final regular season game Saturday afternoon against the Rams in LeSean Brown, Caleb Morris, Sid Tomes, Lavelle Scottie and Ryan Swan.

The last time these two met was back on January 18th when the Rams traveled south and left with a 13-point win in Clune Arena. Senior Kris Martin scored what still stands as his season high that night with 19 points on 4-7 shooting from deep and another big performance could provide a nice senior night momentum for Martin. The Falcons had two players score a team high 16-points a piece in that loss with Lavelle Scottie and Sid Tomes combining for 11-18 made field goals on the night.

Air Force is coming off of a nice win at home against New Mexico, while Colorado State is coming off of a close loss to the regular season conference champions San Diego State. This in-state match up means a lot for these two schools but a win for either will provide much needed momentum going into next week.

The stakes, 

Air Force is currently sitting in seventh place in the conference standings and are playing for a sixth conference win to end the regular season. If Air Force loses while on the road on Saturday afternoon they will finish in nine place on the season, only one spot lower than previously picked by the media in preseason. But a win will place them in a possible three way tie for sixth with Fresno State and New Mexico who also playing their final games this weekend.

The Rams like the Falcons are just playing for tournament positioning at this point. A best case scenario would be a 5th place finish which they would share with Boise State. But Colorado isn’t in a bad spot and don’t have the possibility of a huge drop in the standings with ten wins currently and no team below them closer than six.

Match up of the night: Two “youthful” guards

G A.J. Walker Air Force vs. G Isaiah Stevens Colorado State

The Stats: Walker (10.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG & 3.1 APG) & Stevens (12.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG & 4.5 APG)

Tonight’s key match up will be between sophomore A.J. Walker and freshman Isaiah Stevens, who both lead that team’s as floor generals in just their second and first season’s. These guys are the future of their respective teams and will play plenty of basketball against each other in the near future, so let’s get a glance of this mainstay match up one more time on Saturday.

Walker stepped into starting role full time during conference play last season as a freshman and has seen a bump in production this season as the full time starter. This team will say goodbye to five seniors this off season and four of them regular starters in the rotation. In short, this should be Walker’s team next season and he should enjoy the proven options he will have alongside him for the couple of more games he has them there.

Isaiah Stevens has had a major impact in his first season in Fort Collins, and alongside some other stellar sophomores and freshman is a part of a group solidifying a Ram’s resurgence in the conference for years to come. He’s leading the team in scoring and assists but struggled to do either last time Colorado State faced Air Force on the road with 11 points on 3-7 FGs and 2 assists on the night.

Prediction: Colorado State 85, Air Force 70

The last time these two teams met the Rams were able to come away with a thirteen-point win in a close one on the road. The Falcons haven’t beat the Rams since back in 2018 when they completed their own regular season sweep. Colorado State has an 81-33 all-time lead on the series which get’s even more impressive when you look at their home record in that span, which is 43-11.

If Air Force wanted to beat Colorado State it would have been easier on their home turf. But hey this is college basketball right, anything is possible but I think the Rams make this a special senior night win.

The X-Factor:  Nico Carvacho

It’s senior night for the big guy, and no one has been more dominant on the glass in a Ram’s uniform this decade. Carvacho will leave the Mountain West as it’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,271 to his name at the time this article is published.

On Saturday he will look to take advantage of a much smaller Air Force frontcourt. Last time around the big man had trouble scoring, only notching ten-points, but in true Carvacho fashion grabbed 13 boards.

A big night rebounding and scoring from Carvacho could be the difference in this one, but he needs some help as they were out rebounded 40-30 last time around. Those other guys need to get used to crashing the glass without the senior present next year, might as well start Saturday.

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

Who is in the running for Player of the Year? Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Thirteen Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The streak continues and Flynn garners first place for the second straight week. The …

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Who is in the running for Player of the Year?

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

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The streak continues and Flynn garners first place for the second straight week. 

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

How it works description now at the bottom of the article

The order for the thirteenth week is as follows:

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

27 Points, 6 Rebounds and 3 Assists against San Jose State

24 Points, 6 Rebounds and 2 Steals against Nevada

Alston Jr. returns to the top of our top-five this week, earning his second first-place finish of the season and making his 5th appearance in our weekly rankings so far. This week’s honor gives him 19 points in total, which has him in second place overall behind Malachi Flynn with 27 points total, and just ahead of Jalen Harris with 18 points total.

By all means, Alston Jr. has had an all-MWC caliber season thus far, leading the conference in scoring until just this past week when a couple of thirty-point performances gave Jalen Harris the lead heading into February. Boise State is also tied for second place with Colorado State and is riding a four-game winning streak, beating teams by an average of 19.9 PPG in that span. Alston Jr. is leading a team that is showing a real spark going into February, and besides leading the team in scoring also leads the team in assists with 3.2 a game.

The Bronco’s future slate of games is tough, with a good mixture of teams from the top and bottom half of the conference standings. They face Utah State (Feb. 8th) at Logan, San Diego State (Feb. 16th) at home and UNLV to finish the regular season (Feb. 26th) in Las Vegas.

The rest of their schedule looks very winnable, especially given how they have played as of late. Plus factor in previous wins against the Aggies and Runnin’ Rebels, and the Broncos should be very confident with the conference tournament in mind.

The only thing that should be keeping Bronco fans up at night is the no. 4 ranked Aztecs, a win against San Diego State at home would go a long way for this team and continuously strong play from their leader will be in demand to make that happen.

2. Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (4 Points):

31 Points, 5 Rebounds and 7 Assists against Colorado State

30 Points, 6 Rebounds and 2 Assists against Boise State

3. Nico Carvacho, senior center Colorado State (3 Points):

16 Points, 15 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Nevada

16 Points, 11 Rebounds and 1 Block against UNLV

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

12 Points, 6 Rebounds and 4 Assists against Nevada

21 Points, 5 Assists and 5 Rebounds against UNLV

5. Matt Mitchell, junior forward San Diego State (1 Point):

28 Points, 4 Rebounds and 1 Steal against Utah State

12 Points, 5 Assists and 1 Block against New Mexico

Past Weeks:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3| Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9| Week 10|Week 11| Week 12

Current Overall Point Totals:

Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (27 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (19 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (18 Points)

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (15 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (15 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (10 Points)

Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (9 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (9 Points)

Hunter Maldonado, sophomore guard Wyoming (7 Points)

Isaiah Stevens, freshman guard Colorado State (6 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (5 Points)

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

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Justinian Jessup, senior guard Boise State (5 Points)

Seneca Knight, sophomore guard San Jose State (5 Points)

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Marvin Coleman, sophomore guard UNLV (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Orlando Robinson, freshman forward Fresno State (4 Points)

David Roddy, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

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

Corey Manigault, senior forward New Mexico (2 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Abu Kigab, junior forward Boise State (1 Point)

Zane Martin, junior guard UNM (1 Point)

Matt Mitchell, junior forward San Diego State (1 Point)

Ryan Swan, senior center Air Force (1 Point)

Yanni Wetzell, senior forward San Diego State (1 Point)

How It Works: 

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

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

2nd place: 4 pts

3rd place: 3 pts

4th place: 2 pts

5th place: 1 pt

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

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

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

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Head Of The Mountain West Class: Ranking The Best Players Through January

Who are the best Mountain West players by class?

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Head of the Class: 2nd Edition 

Mountain West Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and  Seniors

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Mountain West conference’s best players according to class. 

With the month of February on the horizon and a month even non-college basketball fans around the country know just beyond it. It’s time to take a look at the conference’s top players and their individual performances so far while spotlighting them based on class.

The conference as a whole is in different shape than it was last year, with seven teams enjoying records above .500 and of course San Diego State sitting at atop the conference with a No. 4 ranking nationally and an undefeated season to boot.

Players up and down the stat sheet contribute to that success but some you might never notice or hear about because maybe they aren’t in the starting lineup or they don’t lead the team in scoring but are just as crucial to that team’s success just the same. While these rankings are meant to showcase just that it will remind you of some names you know and maybe some you didn’t.

Letting you see which guys are soon to be in your team’s past (i.e.) seniors or juniors and those who will play a key role in their futures.

If you haven’t checked out our first edition of these rankings released at the onset of December after a strong showing from Mountain West team’s in the month of November you can do so here. Things have changed a bit since then and the second edition of Head of the class reflects that.

To Start us off,

The Freshmen

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