Tag: Mountain West Basketball

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

Taking a Look At Week Six’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Five Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 6 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 Six’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Five

Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 6

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

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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Utah State Gets Neemias Queta Back And An Overtime Win Against Fresno State: 77-70

Game Recap: No. 25 Utah State 77, Fresno State 70 The Aggies get star big man back in a close home win against the Bulldogs. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Merrill and company hold on in overtime for 77-70 win in conference play. The Aggies …

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Game Recap: No. 25 Utah State 77, Fresno State 70

The Aggies get star big man back in a close home win against the Bulldogs. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Merrill and company hold on in overtime for 77-70 win in conference play.

The Aggies are 2-0 in conference play after a 12 point win in San Jose on Wednesday night and a 7 point win in overtime Saturday at home. The Aggies struggled to gain a solid lead most of the game and a 61-58 lead with less than eighteen seconds left to go wasn’t enough to solidify a win in regulation.

The surprise of the night was the return of star sophomore center Neemias Queta who logged just 11 minutes in his first game of the season back from a knee injury suffered in the offseason playing for the Portuguese national team. Queta ended the night with six points, 1 rebound and 1 block but failed to make a field goal in what looked like a rust shedding outing for him. The Aggies haven’t missed a beat without him and have received production from a number of players in his absence.

But after coming off of a win Wednesday night the Aggies were taken to overtime by a Bulldog team who weren’t going to go down easily. The game looked to be a low scoring affair in the last minutes of the second half but a big time three rattled home for senior guard New Williams with less than a second to go. That sent the game into overtime and Craig Smith’s team was more composed and outscoring Fresno State 16-9 during that time. Composure and a late three pointer by a wide open Abel Porter in the corner sealed the deal for the Aggies.

The Bulldogs were looking to break a three game losing streak and also garner their first win in conference play. But while they came up short it wasn’t for a lack of scoring on seniors New Williams and Nate Grimes part who combined for 48 of their teams 70 points. Though they didn’t receive much help down the stretch and failed to contain Sam Merrill who ended the night with 24 Points and his ability to get his teammates involved robbed the Bulldogs of an upset in Logan.

Up Next:

Fresno State:

The Bulldogs take on the California Golden Bears on Wednesday the 11th in Berkley and look to gain some momentum and a win heading into the middle of December. Freshman Jarred Hyder needs to step up and his supporting cast needs another performance like Saturday’s if they want to head home to the Central Valley with a win.

Utah State:

The Aggies take some time off with almost a full week until they take on in-state rival Brigham Young at home on Saturday the 14th. The Cougars have star forward Yoeli Childs back and he is averaging 21.0 PPG and 10.5 RPG through his first two games. The Dee Glen Spectrum should be filled for this one.

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

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

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

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

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Who is in the running for Player of the Year?

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

How It Works: 

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. 

The order for the Fourth week is as follows:

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

11 Points, 3 Assists and 2 Steals against Tennessee State

21 Points, 3 Assists and 2 Steals against Creighton

28 Points, 4 Assists and 3 Steals against Iowa

Malachi Flynn helped put the San Diego State on the national radar after key performances during a successful Turkey Week for the Aztecs. Brian Dutcher’s team received votes in both the AP (89) and Coaches (19) top-25 polls this past week after wins against Tennessee State, Creighton and Iowa to become the 2019 Continental Tire Las Vegas International Champions while Flynn earned tournament MVP honors.

This Aztec team is on the rise and Flynn has been a key part of the success that Brian Dutcher’s squad is having in his third year in charge of the Aztecs.

2. Justin Bean, sophomore forward Utah State (4 Points):

24 Points, 9 Rebounds and 2 Steals against Saint Mary’s

3. Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (3 Points):

25 Points, 5 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Bowling Green

4. Sam Merrill, senior guard Utah State (2 Points):

23 Points, 6 Rebounds and 2 Steals against Saint Mary’s

5. Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (1 Point):

20 Points, 6 Rebounds, 7 Assists and 2 Steals against Bowling Green

Current Overall Point Totals:

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (8 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (6 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (6 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (6 Point)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

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

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (4 Points)

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (3 Point)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Past Weeks:

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 

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Mountain West Basketball: Week 5 DPI Computer Rankings

Mountain West Basketball: Week 5 DPI Computer Rankings Aggies and Aztecs already separating themselves from the pack Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire ‘Tis the season…for computer rankings Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone-and more …

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Mountain West Basketball: Week 5 DPI Computer Rankings

Aggies and Aztecs already separating themselves from the pack

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

‘Tis the season…for computer rankings

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone—and more importantly, with nearly 1,200 Division I games having been played—it’s time to start looking at how teams are stacking up against one another.

To do so, allow me to introduce my analytics system, the Dieckhoff Power Index—or DPI, for short.

The DPI assigns teams an overall rating out of 100 points, which will hopefully make it easy to digest for people who, like me, have little to no knowledge of advanced math.

Without getting into too long an explanation, the DPI is a mixture of:

  • offensive efficiency
  • defensive efficiency
  • statistical performance in the “four factors”: shooting, turnovers, offensive rebounds, and free throws.

A deeper explanation of the history and methodology behind the system can be found at the DPI website. The site has the full rankings for all 353 teams and will feature bracketology projections later in the season.

But for our purposes here at Mountain West Wire, all you really need to know is this: high scores are good and low scores are bad. These ratings paint a picture of how the eleven teams in the MWC match up on both sides of the ball, nationally and within the league.

Updated DPI rankings for the Mountain West will be posted here weekly throughout the season. I will also give some insights into each team and track their movement in the standings.

Without further ado, here are the first batch of rankings for the DPI on the heels of the holiday weekend. The grades and rankings are current through all games played on Monday, December 2.

(Note: Games against non-Div. I opponents are not counted in the DPI.)

Utah State (#1 MW, #11 overall) — DPI GRADE: 86.50

  • Offense Grade: 88.9 (#1 MW, #11 overall)
  • Defense Grade: 83.9 (#2 MW, #19 overall)
  • 4-Factor Grade: 86.7 (#2 MW, #45 overall)

Though it seems counter-intuitive with potential All-American Sam Merrill in the mix, Utah State’s weakest offensive trait so far has been its shooting. The defense has also struggled to force turnovers. But when the Aggies get Neemias Queta (knee) back, both of those marks should go up considerably. These issues are minor, though, as Utah State has been a top-20 team on either side of the ball. They’re still tops in the MW—for now.

Games this week: 12/4 @ San Jose State; 12/7 vs. Fresno State

San Diego StATE (#2 MW, #20 overall) — DPI GRADE: 84.95

  • Offense Grade: 80.9 (#2 MW, #61 overall)
  • Defense Grade: 85.8 (#1 MW, #8 overall)
  • 4-Factor Grade: 88.1 (#1 MW, #32 overall)

Outside of Michigan, the Aztecs had probably the best weekend out of any team in the country. After garnering lukewarm NCAA Tournament consideration before the season, SDSU is already knocking on the door of the Top 25 polls after just four weeks. Their top-10 defense has been the key, with the Aztecs allowing the 17th-lowest effective field goal percentage in the country. They are charging hard for Utah State’s throne.

Games this week: 12/4 @ Colorado State; 12/8 vs. San Jose State

 

COLORADO STATE (#3 MW, #109 OVERALL) — DPI GRADE: 76.15

  • Offense Grade: 77.8 (#3 MW, #88 overall)
  • Defense Grade: 69.0 (#7 MW, #165 overall)
  • 4-Factor Grade: 81.6 (#4 MW, #91 overall)

A bit of a shock here, as the Rams were picked to finish ninth in the preseason Mountain West poll. Colorado State has a couple regrettable losses already, but recent wins over Washington State and Loyola Chicago were encouraging. The team has shot the ball relatively well, but its secret to success so far has been getting to the free throw line. The Rams have already made more than 200 trips to the line, a top-10 mark nationally.

Games this week: 12/4 vs. San Diego State; 12/7 @ Boise State

NEW MEXICO (#4 MW, #110 overall) — DPI GRADE: 76.07

  • Offense Grade: 75.2 (#6 MW, #126 overall)
  • Defense Grade: 72.4 (#4 MW, #127 overall)
  • 4-Factor Grade: 80.7 (#5 MW, #105 overall)

It’s been a mixed bag so far for Paul Weir’s new-look Lobos, but the results have been mostly positive. New Mexico would surely like to get that game to UTEP back, but their win over Wisconsin cancels out the loss to the Miners. The Lobos were above-average at mostly everything in November, but those numbers are boosted by some blowout victories. Early indications are that UNM will be closer to .500 than they will be to the NCAA Tournament.

Games this week: 12/4 vs. Boise State; 12/7 vs. Wyoming

NEVADA (#5 MW, #120 OVERALL) — DPI GRADE: 75.63

  • Offense Grade: 75.6 (#5 MW, #120 overall)
  • Defense Grade: 69.5 (#5 MW, #159 overall)
  • 4-Factor Grade: 81.8 (#3 MW, #89 overall)

There’s precious little daylight separating Teams 3 through 5 in the Mountain West right now, as the Rams hold just a half-point edge over the Wolf Pack. New head coach Steve Alford has already experienced some turbulence, as Nevada has lost to its three best opponents so far. But their shooting and turnover stats indicate that they should be a Top 100 team soon.

Games this week: 12/4 vs. Santa Clara; 12/7 @ Air Force

Head to the page 2 for the back half of the standings.

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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 Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Three

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

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

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

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Who is in the running for Player of the Year?

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

How It Works: 

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. 

The order for the third week is as follows:

1. Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (5 Points)

13 Points, 9 rebounds and 4 Assists against Davidson

22 Points, 7 Assists and 6 Rebounds against Fordham

25 Points, 6 Rebounds and 5 Assists against Valparaiso

Harris was an instrumental piece this past week for the Wolf Pack, as he helped Nevada bounce back from a loss at Davidson on Tuesday to go on a two game win streak at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Setting the Wolf Pack up for a game in the finals against Bowling Green on Monday night while averaging 20.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 5.3 APG.

2. Sam Merrill, senior guard Utah State (4 Points):

21 Points, 3 Rebounds and 3 Assists against UTSA

24 Points, 4 Rebounds and 8 Assists against LSU

5 Points, 5 Rebounds and 3 Assists against North Texas

3. JaQuan Lyle, senior guard New Mexico (3 Points):

19 Points, 9 Rebounds and 1 Block against UTEP

24 Points, 2 Assists and 3 Steals against NMSU

4. Alphonso Anderson, junior guard Utah State (2 Points):

7 Points, 11 Rebounds and 2 Assists against UTSA

24 Points and 6 Rebounds against LSU

19 Points, 5 Rebounds and 2 Steals against North Texas

5. Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (1 Point):

25 Points, 2 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Abilene Christian

18 Points, 3 Assists and 3 Rebounds against Texas State

13 Points, 3 Rebounds and 4 Assists against SMU

Current Overall Point Totals:

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (8 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (4 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (4 Point)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (3 Point)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (3 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

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

Taking a Look At Week Four’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Three Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 4 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 Four’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Three

Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 4

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

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

Future Foes Week Three Recap:

Air Force Falcons 

Sun, Dec. 1st

Jackson State Tigers:

The Tigers of Jackson State are 1-5 so far, but that lone win comes against New Orleans-Southern and their losses to division one opponents haven’t been close. They do have SWAC preseason defensive player of the year Jayveous Mckinnis back and averaging 11.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 1.8 BPG. He and leading scorer junior guard Tristan Jarrett (16.7 PPG) need some help from from the rest of their team if they hope to get their first win against a division one opponent some time this week.

Boise State

Fri, Nov. 29th

UNC-Wilmington Seahawks:

The Seahawks are heading to Boise on Friday and they come in with a 4-3 record. North Carolina-Wilmington has played some North Carolina power house programs in UNC and Davidson and two of their wins come against non-division programs, but they will likely be riding a two game winning streak come friday and look out for sophomore guard Jaylen Sims (15.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 1.0 APG) who needs to be impactful if they want to leave Boise with a win.

Colorado State Rams 

Mon, Nov. 25th-Cayman Islands Classic 

New Mexico State Aggies:

Chris Jan’s squad played just one game this past week, and that was a one point loss at home to in-state rival New Mexico. The Aggies have been dominant in the WAC every year and should figure things out by conference play when they bring back senior guards A.J. Harris and Clayton Henry who have both watched from the bench this season with hand and wrist injuries. The Aggies are a very well balanced team but are led by senior wing Trevelin Queen who is averaging 18.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 3.0 APG. New Mexico State is 2-3 through five games, but don’t underestimate this team who has consistently punched tickets to the NCAA tournament this past decade.

Possible Opponents: Loyola Chicago Ramblers, South Florida Bulls, Washington State Cougars, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Old Dominion Monarchs, George Mason Patriots

Sun, Dec. 1st

Utah Valley Wolverines:

The Wolverines are 4-3 on the season and look to be a solid contender in the WAC against the aforementioned Aggies of New Mexico State. A team led by senior guard T.J. Washington who is averaging 17.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 2.8 APG has two solid wins agains UAB and North Dakota State. But a near upset against the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena this past week is probably the highlight of the season for Wolverine fans this so far. Also watch out for former Oklahoma State guard Brandon Averette who compliments Washington in the backcourt and averages 14.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 1.9 APG while doing it.

Fresno State Bulldogs 

Sat, Nov. 30th

Cal-St. Northridge Matadors:

In Mark Gottfried’s second season in Northridge the Matadors are currently 0-6 in a tough start to the season. The team is without star forward Lamine Diane who is sitting out after being ruled academically ineligible, and junior guard Terrell Gomez is leading the team in scoring (20.8 PPG) but hasn’t received much help from his team mates. The Matadors aren’t a very tall team either. That statement seams misleading when there are multiple seven footers on the roster but they haven’t logged any minutes so far this season.

Nevada Wolf Pack 

Mon, Nov. 25th-Paradise Jam

Bowling Green Falcons:

The Falcons are 5-1 on the year and are coming off of an impressive 91-84 OT win against Cincinnati on Sunday night. Bowling green’s lone loss comes against a top-25 ranked LSU squad, but that game was closer than the 9 point deficit they lost by. The Falcons are good, and junior guard Justin Turner is leading them in points, assists and scoring. He is averaging over twenty points a game and has four teammates averaging over eight points a game behind him. The Wolf Pack need to bring their A game on Monday night to leave with a trophy and some momentum returning to Reno.

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Boise State vs. Pacific: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Boise State vs. Pacific: Game Preview Boise State looking to start a winning streak after overtime win against BYU. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Can the Broncos make it two in a row this weekend in California against the Tigers? WHO: …

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Boise State vs. Pacific: Game Preview

Boise State looking to start a winning streak after overtime win against BYU.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Can the Broncos make it two in a row this weekend in California against the Tigers?

WHO: Boise State Broncos (2-2, 0-0 Mountain West) vs. Pacific Tigers (5-2, 0-0 West Coast)

WHEN: Saturday, November 23 — 4:00 PM EST/5:00 PM MST

WHERE: Alex G. Spanos Center, Stockton, CA

TV: None

STREAM: Stadium

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: Pacific leads all-time series 8-2

ODDS: Boise State -2, per KenPom

PREVIEW: The Broncos are coming off of a much needed win Tuesday night against a BYU team that has been hard to read this early in the season. Tuesday night’s game went into overtime tied at 58 a piece and great penetration by Derrick Alston Jr. and big defensive plays at the top of the key by Justian Jessup sealed the win. Both players will be needed on Saturday in Stockton along with senior forward RJ Williams who is averaging a double-double (16.5 PPG and 10.0 RPG) in order to leave California with a win. 

Alston has been dominant in four games, averaging 25.3 PPG 6.0 RPG and 1.8 APG, and even with a supporting cast of talented scorers sometimes his efforts are not enough. Shots just weren’t falling against UC-Irvine and Oregon is looking like a top 10 team with solid wins so far and should only get better with the return of N’faly Dante come December.

The Broncos are going to face a Tigers team who isn’t putting up big numbers (68.9 PPG) and are winning games by small margins as of the past week. They will need to simply knock down shots and outscore the Tigers who are led in scoring by junior guard Justin Moore with 12.0 PPG followed by senior guard Jahlil Tripp with 11.7 PPG and 7.7 RPG. The Tigers match up nicely with the Broncos in terms of height. Neither teams are very tall with starting big man Amari Mccray (6-9 265) playing around four guards and RJ williams a 6-7 forward essentially doing the same, even if the Broncos do have two guards who stand above 6-6. Look for Boise State to use their height advantage in certain positions as a weapon defensively again and for Alston to have another big game.

Game Prediction: Boise St. 80, Pacific 70

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Wyoming vs. Colorado: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Wyoming V.S. Colorado: Game Preview The Cowboys are looking for a Top-25 win against a pretty good Colorado Buffaloes team. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Do the Wyoming Cowboys have enough luck to get a win Sunday in Las Vegas? WHO: …

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Wyoming V.S. Colorado: Game Preview

The Cowboys are looking for a Top-25 win against a pretty good Colorado Buffaloes team.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Do the Wyoming Cowboys have enough luck to get a win Sunday in Las Vegas?

WHO: Wyoming Cowboys (3-3, 0-0 Mountain West) vs. No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12)

WHEN: Sunday, November 24 —7:00 PM EST/6:00 PM MST

WHERE: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV

TV: None

STREAM: ESPN 3

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: Wyoming leads all-time series 20-12

ODDS: Colorado -18, per KenPom

PREVIEW: The Cowboys have the opportunity to get a win against a top-25 team on Sunday as they take on the Colorado Buffaloes in a neutral site game in Las Vegas. Wyoming heads into Sunday riding a two game winning streak at home, and look to upset a really talented Buffalo team. 

Hunter Maldonado is leading Wyoming in points (16.5 PPG) and assists (2.8 APG), but he could use some help. In the Cowboys three losses Maldonado had little help on the scoring front but in two straight wins has seen his teammates really find a rhythm. They have also done a good job containing opposing team’s stars in those wins. Detroit’s super sophomore Antoine Davis (21.7 PPG) was held to just 11 points while making just five of his twenty-three shot attempts. While on Thursday, junior forward Jalen Johnson of Louisiana-Lafayette ended the night with 8 points after coming into Laramie averaging over twenty.

Check out our article on the top-25 players on opposing teams in non-conference play below, as there are several Buffaloes on the list.

Colorado is 3-0 on the year so far and may have been undervalued in the initial preseason top-25 poll. They return their top seven scorers from a team that finished 4th in the Pac-12 last season. Tad Boyle uses a mix of taller athletic guards in a smaller line up and are lead by a trio of juniors. Tyler Bey (6-7 218) is a double-double machine and gave several Mountain West teams a hard time in the post last year with his length and bounce. D’shawn Schwartz (6-7 225) has complimented Bey and Mckinley Wright IV so far this season. The Cowboys need to contain Wright IV as he does a little bit of everything for the Buffaloes (14.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 5.0 APG) and they are a better team when he takes control.

The Cowboys need another solid performance from multiple players on Sunday. And if they can get a productive game out of their front court as they have in their last two games, that may be a difference maker and can free up guys on the perimeter to score.

Prediction: Colorado 75, Wyoming 60

 

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