Tag: Mountain West Basketball

Mountain West Basketball Recruiting Round Up: Early Signing Period Edition

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

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A Look At Recruiting Classes From Around The Mountain West

Plenty of prospects signed early this year.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

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

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

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

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

Things To Note:

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

Boise State: 3 Signed

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colorado State: 2 Signed

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

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

Fresno State: 3 Signed

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nevada: 4 Signed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boise State V.S. BYU: Game Preview BYU is coming off of buzzer-beater win at Houston, they come to Boise with a chance to extend their winning streak to three. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Broncos need a win on Wednesday, can they get …

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 Boise State V.S. BYU: Game Preview

BYU is coming off of buzzer-beater win at Houston, they come to Boise with a chance to extend their winning streak to three.  

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

 The Broncos need a win on Wednesday, can they get it against the Cougars?

WHO: Boise State Broncos (1-2, 0-0 Mountain West) vs. BYU Cougars  (3-1, 0-0 Big West)

WHEN: Wednesday, November 20 — 10:00 PM EST/8:00 PM MST

WHERE: Extramile Arena, Boise, ID

TV: CBSSN

STREAM: CBSSports.com or get a free seven-day trial with FuboTV

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: BYU leads all-time series 4-9

ODDS: Boise State -, per KenPom

PREVIEW: The Broncos could use a win, and a win against BYU on Wednesday night would be perfect timing. The Cougars are coming off of a 72-71 win in Houston on Friday night and have T.J. Haws to thank for that, while Boise State is currently experiencing a two game losing streak.

The Broncos were cold from the floor on Friday shooting 30.9% from the field and ended up falling to UC-Irvine at home. The week before they lost by 31 points to a top-15 Oregon team but not for a lack of trying on Derrick Alston Jr’s part who is averaging 25.0 PPG and shooting 41% from three. He is joined in the front court by senior forward RJ Williams who is coming off of a great performance against the Anteaters and averaging a double-double on the year (16. PPG & 11.0 RPG). 

The Dave Rose era is done in Provo but the Cougars are 3-1 in Mark Pope’s first season as head coach of the BYU program. Led by newcomers, Pope’s squad struggled a bit in their last two games. Wins against Houston and Southern Utah came by a combined total of 6 points and without Yoeli Childs who is still fulfilling his nine game suspension, BYU needs someone to step up on Wednesday to get the job done down low.

Transfer guards Jake Toolson (Utah Valley) and Alex Barcello (Arizona) are leading the team in scoring just ahead of T.J. Haws. But keep an eye out for sophomore forward Kolby Lee who had the best game of his career on Friday against the Cougars (of Houston) with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

The two schools were never members of the Mountain West at the same time and they haven’t faced off since 2008 when the Cougars won by a whopping 38 points in the Marriott Center. A win Wednesday night will go a long way for either team and I think the Broncos are due for one, let’s see. 

Prediction: Boise State 75-69

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Nevada Loses Second In A Row On The Road At Davidson: 91, 71

Game Recap: Nevada 71, Davidson 91 Turnovers cost the Wolf Pack against a hot shooting Wildcats team. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Hot handed Davidson gives Nevada it’s second loss in a row. An earlier game then most of us were used to …

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Game Recap: Nevada 71, Davidson 91

Turnovers cost the Wolf Pack against a hot shooting Wildcats team.

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Hot handed Davidson gives Nevada it’s second loss in a row.

An earlier game then most of us were used to west of Texas, the Wolf Pack traveled to North Carolina to take on the Davidson Wildcats at home. The Wildcats were picked to finish second in the Atlantic-10 this season and were looking for their second straight win on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats couldn’t miss and went a combined 55% from the field and 46% from behind the three point line. Guessing who would lead the Wildcats in scoring was tricky, and they didn’t disappoint.

But in the end it was junior guard Kellan Grady who ended an impressive night with 24 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. But the all conference guard had help, and that help came from sophomore forward Luka Brajkovic who chipped in 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. The third member of their triple threat scoring attack on Tuesday was reigning A-10 player of the year Jon Axel Gudmundsson who ended the night with 18 points. Those three combined for more than half of the teams final score, but knocking down shots was only half of the battle, the Wildcats also forced 21 turnovers.

Nevada left John M. Belk arena with their second straight loss and the aforementioned turnovers and poor shooting attributed to that. The Wolf Pack managed to knock down over half of their field goals but went 5-15 from three. Making half of your field goals could hardly be looked at as a bad thing but when you turn the ball over 21 times, you forfeit possible scoring opportunities and Davidson took advantage of those turnovers and scored.

Lindsey Drew had maybe the best shooting performance of Nevada’s scoring guards going 5/9 on the night but that only equated to a team high 14 points. Jazz Johnson and Jalen Harris both added 13 points, but Harris had the better night on the stat sheet going 6/10 from the field and grabbing 9 rebounds in the process. We knew this Nevada team would have some growing pains with an almost completely new roster and new coaching staff this year, and forecasted this a bit in an article posted before the season started below.

But the Wolf Pack made shots, they just gave their opponent the ball back more times then they got it back and killed possible scoring possessions in the process. Scoring isn’t the main issue, and one bright spot in this game was senior guard Nisre Zouzoua who had 13 points and went 6/6 from the free throw line.

He has shown some life off of the bench in a couple of games this season. On a team who has very little scoring capability outside of Drew, Harris and Johnson. Now this game had it’s components to work on, but this was also a tough game many of us covering the conference were anticipating and the Wolf Pack just couldn’t come away the win.

What’s next: The Wolf Pack face the Fordham Rams in the first game of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Friday at 3:15 PM EST/12:15 PM PST. The Rams are currently undefeated but the Wolf Pack will be their first real test of the season. The Ram’s have some capable scorers and rebounders in their front court, make sure to check out the summary of this game and more about the Rams and other possible opponents in the Paradise Jam in our Future hoops foes article below.  

 

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Arkansas State vs. Colorado State: Game Preview, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Colorado State gets another test before heading to the Cayman Islands. Can this young Rams continue the growth they shown so far?

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Arkansas State vs. Colorado State: Game Preview, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

The Rams look to continue their momentum heading towards the Cayman Islands Classic.

Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

Can the Rams take down a hot Arkansas State team?

WHO: Arkansas Stat Red Wolves (4-1) vs. Colorado State Rams (3-1)

WHEN: Wednesday, November 20 — 7:00 PM MT/6:00 PM PT

WHERE: Moby Arena; Fort Collins, Colorado (8,745)

STREAM: Mountain West Network

RADIO: Arkansas State | Colorado State

SERIES RECORD: Colorado State leads the series 3-0

ODDS: Colorado State -12.5 per VegasInsider.com

The Colorado State Rams have come back strong after a blowout loss to Duke. The Rams beat Omaha 80-65 and had a nice 75-65 road win over Loyola Marymount. Nico Carvacho had a nice game against Omaha, going for 21 points, 19 rebounds, and five assists. Isaiah Stevens got the spotlight against LMU, going for 21 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

The Arkansas State Red Wolves come to Fort Collins riding a three game win streak. Since a 28 point loss to Ole Miss, the Red Wolves beat VMI, UC Davis, and Idaho by an average margin of 14 points. Canberk Kus leads Arkansas State in scoring at 14.6 ppg. The Red Wolves leading rebounder is Malik Brevard at 8.6 rpg.

The CSU Rams are going to have a length disadvantage in the majority of their matchups this season. However they should matchup well against the Red Wolves, with Kus being the only guard above 6’2″ that sees regular playing time for Arkansas State.

The Rams can’t take anyone for granted, especially with such a young team. They will need to compete like every game is the last one they will play this season. If Carvacho can be his double-double machine self and the freshman continue their growth, the Rams are going to be dangerous. Expect the Rams to continue their winning streak heading into the Cayman Islands Classic.

Rams 75-62 Arkansas State

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

Mountain West Wire’s Player of The Year Watch List: Week Two Take A Look At the Best Performances Around the Mountain West In Week Two. 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 Two

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

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 second week is as follows:

1. JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (5 Points):

     31 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 5 assists against Wisconsin-Green Bay

     18 Points, 5 Rebounds and 2 steals against McNeese St. 

2. Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (4 Points):

     21 Points, 19 Rebounds, and 5 Assists against Omaha

     17 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 1 Block against Loyola Marymount

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

     16 Points, 2 Rebounds and 1 Assist against UT-Arlington 

     26 Points, 4 Rebounds and 1 Assist against USC

4. Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points):

     17 Points, 8 Rebounds, and 3 Assists against California 

     18 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 1 Assist against UCLA

5. Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (1 Point)

     15 Points, 6 Rebounds and 4 Steals against Denver

     21 Points, 6 Rebounds and 3 Assists against North Carolina A&T

Current Overall Total Point Count:

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (5 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (4 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (3 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (3 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (1 Point)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (1 Point)

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

Taking a Look At Week Three’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Two Each Mountain West Team’s opponents in Week 3 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 Three’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Two
Each Mountain West Team’s opponents in Week 3

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

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

Future Foes Week One Recap:

Air Force Falcons 2-1

Mon, Nov. 18th

Texas Christian Horned Frogs:

Jamie Dixon‘s horned frogs didn’t play much this week, and are 2-0 on the season. Their lone division one win was against Louisiana-Lafayette where they outscored the Ragin Cajuns by 33 points to win the game. TCU is still hard to read with only two games under their belt, but they appear to have a dynamic scorer in senior guard Desmond Bane (25.5 PPG) and four other players averaging double digits so far.

Thurs, Nov. 21st

Loyola Marymount Lions: 

Loyola Marymount is 1-2 on the season and have yet to win a game against a division one opponent. Their two losses came at the hands of fellow Mountain West members Nevada and Colorado State. The Lions will be looking for that first win of the season and they may get it Thursday against the Falcons. Look out for junior guard Eli Scott who has had two very solid performances (17 PPG, 5.0 APG and 4.5 RPG against MW teams) on the year so far.

Fri, Nov. 22nd

Duquesne Dukes: 

The Falcon’s will take on a Duke’s team who is currently undefeated at 3-0 with their most impressive win being a 27 point win at home against Princeton. Duquesne who is coached by Lebron James’ high school coach Keith Dambrot is led by sophomore guard Sincere Carry who is averaging 15.0 PPG in three contests. The Dukes haven’t faceed anyone ranked inside the top 200 per Kenpom yet, so Air Force will be their highest rated competition at 178th.

Sun, Nov. 24th

Indiana State Sycamores:

 Larry Bird‘s alma mater is still win less going into week three of the season and could come away with a few wins this week. Their losses have been to pretty solid teams in Louisville and Dayton. And junior guard Tyreke Key is averaging 17.3 PPG and had his best games so far against those big opponents. Watch out for the Sycamores this Sunday Air Force Fans.

Boise State 1-2

Wed, Nov. 20th

Brigham Young Cougars:

The Cougars are 3-1 on the year after a nail biting win against Houston on the road where senior guard TJ Haws shocked the other Cougars (of Houston) on a last second fade away jumper that bounced off of the rim and then dropped in to win the game. With Yoeli Childs still fulfilling that nine game suspension, first year head coach Mark Pope is relying on transfer guards Jake Toolson (15.3 PPG) and Alex Barcello (13.0 PPG) to keep the ship afloat until his return.

Sat, Nov. 23rd

Pacific Tigers:

Damon Stoudamire‘s Tiger squad is 4-2 on the year with two very close losses to South Dakota and Hawaii. They’re not getting it done in a flashy way but playing defense and just outscoring their opponents. Their leading scorer junior guard Justin Moore is averaging just 11.3 PPG. Also watch out for senior guard Jahlil Tripp and big man Amari McCray (6-9 304) who will give Boise State’s front court a challenge.

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Trojan’s Front Court Depth Too Much For Nevada, As Wolf Pack Fall 76-66

Game Recap: USC 76, Nevada 66 26 Points From Jazz Johnson Not Enough As Wolf Pack Loses To USC At Home. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Nevada suffers second loss of the season at home to USC. This game should have been circled on Nevada …

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Game Recap: USC 76, Nevada 66

26 Points From Jazz Johnson Not Enough As Wolf Pack Loses To USC At Home.

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Nevada suffers second loss of the season at home to USC. 

This game should have been circled on Nevada fan’s calendars for a while now. Aside from maybe fellow Pac-12 member Utah’s game to start the season, Saturday’s game against the Trojans of Southern California was one of the tougher games on the Wolf Pack’s schedule.

Jalen Harris went into Saturday’s game pumped up after a 24 point performance in his first full game back in almost two years on Tuesday night. But that three-headed attack turned into a solo scoring effort, as senior guard Jazz Johnson led the team in scoring with 26 points on the night but failed to receive much help.

The Wolf Pack shot about 32% from the field as a team and only one other player besides Johnson scored in double figures. That was senior guard Lindsey Drew who despite having 12 points, 6 rebounds and five assists, has had a bit of an off week compared to week one of the season. Junior guard Jalen Harris scored 9 points going 3/19 from the field and 1/8 from three-point range. Nevada struggled against a larger team with a deeper bench but made it competitive enough to close the gap to ten as time expired.

One big issue for me going into Saturday was USC’s front court dept. Not only is there freshman Isaiah Mobley and Nick Rakocevic, but leading scorer, rebounder and blocker Onyeka Okongwu. Okongwu is a bulldozer at 6’9 245, but even he had a though night against the Wolf Pack. Okongwu finished with 11 rebounds and a block but only scored 6 points on 3/8 shooting.

Senior Nick Rakocevic led the Trojans with 24 points and 11 rebounds followed by graduate transfer Daniel Utomi who had 12 points and 4 rebounds. This was the biggest test of the season so far for Steve Alford‘s squad and they played well against a deeper PAC-12 team, though this was a perfect example of this Wolf Pack team playing through depth and chemistry issues in Alford’s first season.

 Up Next: The Wolf Pack take on the Davidson Wildcats in North Carolina on Tuesday at 7:00PM EST/4:00PM PST. The Wildcats are 1-2 on the season but were predicted to finish 2nd in the Atlantic 10 and bring back reigning Atlantic 10 player of the year Jon Axel Gudmundsson. Look for it to be a battle of the back courts on Tuesday, as Davidson has another two-way threat in junior guard Kellan Grady.

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Nevada Wolf Pack Top UT-Arlington in Jalen Harris’ Return, 80-73

A Jalen Harris Return Was Just What The Doctor Ordered. Recap: Nevada 80, Texas-Arlington 73 Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Jalen Harris’ presence was definitely felt as Nevada gets a win against UT-Arlington. After almost two years away …

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A Jalen Harris Return Was Just What The Doctor Ordered.

Recap: Nevada 80, Texas-Arlington 73

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Jalen Harris’ presence was definitely felt as Nevada gets a win against UT-Arlington.

After almost two years away from the game Jalen Harris got to play his first full game of basketball on Tuesday night in the Lawlor Events center against a scrappy UT-Arlington Mavericks squad, and he didn’t disappoint. The former Louisiana Tech Bulldog has been a heralded transfer sitting on the bench in Reno since back under the last coaching staff. Many have waited to see Harris on the court and for those of us who watched the season opener anxiously against Utah, we felt a bit cheated.

Harris left that game in the first half and didn’t return going scoreless on 0-4 shooting and wore a boot on his right foot the remainder of the night. 

After undergoing X-ray testing last week which came back negative for any kind of broken bones, Harris was scheduled to undergo MRI testing this week. But surprised fans by showing up in the starting line up tonight against the Mavericks.

The junior guard led this Wolf Pack team with 24 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. His scoring provided a much needed break for senior guard Lindsey Drew (7 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) who was our Mountain West Wire Player of the Week.

Nevada needed another scoring option to go a long with Lindsey Drew and Jazz Johnson, who scored 16 points going 5-11 from the field Tuesday night. Having Harris as a reliable third scoring option changed the offensive dynamic on the court and relieved Johnson and Drew of having to create scoring opportunities for themselves.

Help also came from senior guard Nisre Zouzoua who had a season high 16 points on 6-8 shooting and junior forward Robby Robinson helped out with 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Texas-Arlington looked good in the first half, keeping the game close and exchanging the lead throughout the second half. Radshad Davis led the Mavericks with a double-double, 14 points and 10 rebounds. Big man Jabari Narcis had 11 points on the night, which included 3 three pointers to go a long with 9 rebounds. Sunbelt preseason first-team guard Brian Warren had a tough night going 1-12 from the field ending up with 5 points. 

Steve Alford’s squad still seems to be getting use to each other’s play in live game situations and some guys are getting used to playing at the division one level. But they are doing a great job making adjustments during games and are 2-1 on the season. With Harris back and other players stepping up, it is going to be fun watching this team grow this season.

Next up: The Wolf Pack hosts Southern California on Saturday at home before heading on the road to face Davidson in North Carolina next week. The Trojans boast a fantastic freshmen front court and will be the biggest test of the season for the Wolf Pack thus far. 

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Future Hoops Foes: Week One Recap of Week Two’s Opponents

Get a quick preview of each team this week on the schedule.

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Taking a Look Mountain West Opponents in Week Two and how they Performed in Week One.

Each Mountain West Team’s Opponents for Week Two

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

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

We seek to take a look at each team’s opponents for the next week while also taking a look at their performance the previous week. These should be coming out on Sunday nights or Monday mornings going forward until the end of non-conference play depending on possible late night games on Sunday or not. And then traditional previews will take over since with conference play comes more familiarity with opponents.

Air Force Falcons 

Tues, Nov. 12th 

Army Black Knights:

Coach K’s alma mater is 1-1 on the season but that lone win comes against the US Merchant Marine Academy. That lone loss came at the hands of 10th ranked Villanova by 43 points. They are led by senior guard Tommy Funk who is averaging 13.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 4.5 APG. These military academy games mean a lot to these schools and I look forward to the Falcons taking the Black Knights on at home. 

Boise State Broncos

Fri, Nov. 15th 

California-Irvine Anteaters:

The Anteaters will face a familar face to Boise State fans in Life-Pacific on Tuesday. But after that they take on Boise State in The Taco Bell Arena on Friday. Irvine is 1-1 so far downing San Diego on opening night and losing to Pepperdine on Saturday by 3 points in Malibu. UC-Irvine is led by senior guard Evan Leonard who is averaging 19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 2.0 APG through two games. 

Colorado State Rams 

Wed, Nov. 13th 

Omaha Mavericks:

The Mavericks are 1-1 on the season but have not won against a division one team thus far. They are led by junior guard Ayo Akinwole who is averaging 16.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 7.0 APG through two games and has junior forward Matt Pile who is averaging a double-double (14.0 PPG and 12.0 RPG). 

Sat, Nov. 16th

Loyola Marymount Lions:

Loyola Marymount is coming off of a close loss to Nevada in Reno on Saturday which put them at 1-1 on the season. Eli Scott was the guy on Saturday but the Lions are actually led by sophomore forward Ivan Alipiev who is leading the team with 19.0 PPG and 7.5 RPG. 

Fresno State Bulldogs 

Tues, Nov. 12th 

San Diego Torreros:

San Diego is in a bit of a rebuild after losing a talented group of seniors last year. They are 0-2 on the season and are led by sophomore guard Joey Calcaterra, who is averaging 16.0 PPG in both losses. 

Sun, Nov. 17th 

California State University San Bernardino Coyotes:

The Bulldogs take on an undefeated Coyotes team who have two wins against division two opponents. They are led by senior guard Jeremy Smith who is averaging 26 PPG through week one. 

Nevada Wolf Pack 

Tues, Nov. 12th 

Texas-Arlington Mavericks:

The Mavericks are off to a great 2-0 start including a 14 point win against Tulsa on Saturday. Watch out for senior forward Jabari Narcis who is averaging 11.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 2.0 BPG. If he has a big night in the paint, the Wolf Pack don’t have enough front court depth to keep him in check. 

Sat, Nov. 16th

Southern California Trojans:

As Andy Enfield’s seat started to get a bit hot in Los Angeles he went out and got one of the best recruiting classes in the last decade for the Trojans and it’s paying off. His team is being led by his two five star freshman Isaiah Mobley and Onyeka Okongwu, and Big O is showing dominant play while averaging a double-double (20.0 PPG and 11.5 RPG). 

New Mexico Lobos 

Wed, Nov. 13th

Green Bay Phoenix:

The Phoenix are 1-1 on the season after a 51 point win against Wisconsin-Stout and a loss at Purdue. Watch out for freshman guard Amari Davis who averaged 12.5 PPG in last weeks action and junior guard PJ Pipes who is averaging 2.5 SPG. 

Sat, Nov. 16th

Mcneese State Cowboys:

The cowboys are 0-2 on the season and face Wisconsin on Wednesday before taking on the Lobos on Saturday. Look out for junior guard AJ Lawson who averaged 17.5 PPG in two games against Western Michigan and Louisiana Lafayette.

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