Tag: Mountain West Basketball

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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New Mexico vs. Louisiana Tech: Preview, How To Stream, Odds & More

New Mexico begins a challenging three game homestand against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

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New Mexico vs. Louisiana Tech: Preview

The Lobos return home to host a hot Louisiana Tech squad.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

New Mexico begins a challenging three game homestand against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

Updated as of 11/28/2023

WHO: New Mexico (5-1, 0-0 in the MWC) vs. Louisiana Tech (5-1, 0-0 in C-USA)

WHEN: Wednesday, November 29th, 7:00 PM MT

WHERE: University Arena aka “The Pit”, Albuquerque, NM

STREAM: Mountain West Network

Line: KenPom, The Lobos are favored by 8 Points

Feast Week has come and gone. And while some teams like the New Mexico Lobos emerged victorious from their multi-team events in places ranging from Maui to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Others returned home, simply gearing up for their next game.

Now, teams around the Mountain West have a little over a month to get ready for the new year and more importantly conference play. Richard Pitino’s squad returns to Albuquerque with three wins and a four game winning streak. The Lobos cleaned up last week in Henderson, with three victories by a margin of 20.3 PPG.

Ahead of them is a remaining non-conference slate with seven games remaining. Four against top-150 teams and several conference title favorites. There aren’t many resume boosters left on the Lobos’ schedule, but any of the remaining games can be classified as a resume dampener.

Luckily their backcourt duo of sophomore Donovan Dent (18.5 PPG) & Jamal Mashburn Jr. (18.2 PPG) are still scoring in droves. And they are joined by freshman sensation JT Toppin, who is averaging 14.2 PPG & 8.3 RPG and shooting an impressive 73.5% from the floor. The Lobos played some of their best basketball this season in Henderson. Which may not have been perfect, but there was definitely progress. And that’s the name of the game right now.

*As of Tuesday 11/28/2023, Jamal Mashburn Jr. is doubtful to play against Louisiana Tech with an injury.

Next up on that aforementioned schedule are the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech. A team led by second year head coach Talvin Hester. A team that is riding a five game winning streak of their own. They risk that streak Wednesday night in one of the toughest road environments in the nation.

Louisiana Tech Breakdown

As mentioned Head Coach Hester is in year two of his rebuild of the Louisiana Tech basketball program. He had assistant stops from the SWAC to the Big 12 under coaches such as Mark Adams & Kelvin Sampson. A near 20-year coaching journey that has led him to his first head coaching role in Ruston.

Turning Louisiana Tech into a Conference USA power, even in the conference’s new iteration, is a tall task. A task that may be hard to do when you only returned four players that saw more than ten minutes a game last season.

That Bulldogs squad finished 9th in maybe one of the more competitive Conference USA’s in recent memory. Though on the bright side, those four players all made double-digit starts last season and are a part of a solid foundation to keep building on going forward.

Now, pair that with what is turning out to be a very solid recruiting class filled with high major transfers, mid-major journeymen and impact Juco transfers, and you have a top-100 ranked (KenPom) team that is 5-1 to start the year.

The Bulldogs haven’t been tested much since their 8-point loss to what has become a red hot Colorado State team back in early November. But they have been taking care of business when they need to. Beating their division-I foes on average by 11.0 PPG & beating others by a far more impressive margin.

Their doing this with a well balanced attack. With three players averaging 12.3 PPG & few not far behind. Their three-headed attack comes from all areas of the floor.

Starting with the all-conference caliber Isaiah Crawford who can play nearly all positions on the floor. In the post you’ll find Texas Tech Transfer Daniel Batcho, who is nearly averaging a double-double since being ruled eligible. Lastly there is Juco transfer Jaylin Henderson, who is a three-level scorer in the backcourt.

This Bulldogs team is built similarly to the Lobos. Not a ton of size in their most impactful lineup. Also mainly being a threat inside the arc, they get to the free throw line plenty and they are tough defensively. They have the chance at a top-50 (KenPom) win as tournament metrics will soon be published. And in Conference USA, every win counts.

Players to Watch:

F JT Toppin–New Mexico

After garnering his second Mountain West Freshman of the Week award this season, opposing coaching staffs must be focused on the 6-9 freshman. The Dallas, TX native earned those honors after averaging 17.0 PPG & 8.3 RPG, while shooting 81% (21-26) from the floor at the Ball Dawgs Classic.

Against Toledo, he set career highs of 27 points and 11 rebounds. While also shooting lights out in the post. Making his first 11 field goal attempts before finishing 11-12 in the closing minutes of the game. He’ll need another solid night to contribute to a Lobo win.

F Isaiah Crawford–Louisiana Tech

Isaiah Crawford was one of the few returning pieces from Coach Hester’s first year in Ruston. A very important piece to the puzzle the second year coach and his staff have put together this season.

The 5th year senior leads his team in points (14.2 PPG) & steals (2.3) as a small ball four and stat sheet stuffer. The 6-6 forward makes his money inside the arc (6.2 2PA, 67.6%) and at the free throw line (5.2 FTA) the hard way. Plenty of the Bulldogs offense runs through Crawford, a strong night from him will cause plenty of trouble for New Mexico.

Keys to the Game

For New Mexico:  Take care of the basketball, Take and make the 3 & Find points in the paint

At the moment the Lobos’ weak points are clear, poor three point shooting (31.3%) and no real offensive creativity aside from Dent. Coach Pitino’s squad isn’t taking a lot of three point shots and the ones they make are few and far between. This has moved their scorers inside the arc, averaging 49.7 2FG attempts a game at 52.3% on the year.

New Mexico must be conservative with their threes, take advantage of opportunities in the paint and make ball security a priority against Louisiana Tech.

*Now Richard Pitino needs to find a way to replace the lost production of Jamal Mashburn Jr. against the Bulldogs. With the recent news of his availability for Wednesday, paired with the game-time decision status of Jaelen House who hasn’t played since the teams season opener on November 6th, someone needs to step up.

Prediction: New Mexico 75, Louisiana Tech 70

If the Lobos bring the winning momentum they found on the road back home, Louisiana Tech should experience a loss in the Pit like others have this season (2-0).

Without the team’s second leading scorer their margin of victory shrinks a bit in my prediction. The team will need Tru Washington or Jemarl Baker Jr. to find the form they reached last week to make up for one of the best scorers in college basketball.

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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New Mexico Basketball: Ball Dawgs Classic Preview, How To Stream & More

New Mexico Basketball: Ball Dawgs Classic Preview The Lobos get things started with the Toledo Rockets late Tuesday night. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Lobos head on the road for a three-game stand in Feast Week Multi-team event, The …

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New Mexico Basketball: Ball Dawgs Classic Preview

The Lobos get things started with the Toledo Rockets late Tuesday night.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The Lobos head on the road for a three-game stand in Feast Week Multi-team event, The Ball Dawgs Classic.

WHO: New Mexico (2-1, 0-0 in the MWC) vs. Toledo (3-0, 0-0 in the MAC), Rice (1-2, 0-0 in AAC) & Pepperdine (3-2, 0-0 in WCC)

WHEN: Tuesday November 21st-Friday November 24th

WHERE: The Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV

STREAM: FLO Hoops ($)

It’s that time of year folks, with the holidays heavily upon us college basketball fans are gearing up for maybe their favorite time of year not named March Madness, Feast Week.

The second to last week in November always provides quality basketball matchups in a variety of venues and cities almost daily. For the New Mexico Lobos that means picking up shop and making the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, NV their home for the holiday “break”.

This comes after the Lobos were taken down to the wire in their lone game of week two of the college basketball season by UT Arlington. New Mexico looked out of sorts that game and let foul trouble combined with nearly zero post defense create a nail biter in the Pit.

In his post-game interview Thursday night, Head Coach Richard Pitino acknowledged a lack of chemistry as one of the teams biggest issues at the moment.

“We know our best basketball is ahead of us. We’ve dealt with so many injuries, we’ve dealt with Nelly (Junior-Joseph) missing four crucial months of practice, we just have to find a way. This team will progress as the season goes on with so many new guys.” said Coach Pitino

“Although I am excited about the future of this team and program. We have eight new players and when you take a veteran like Jaelen House out, we’ll now you got a lot of new guys on the court. And we are not going to be perfect right now. You have to learn from every opportunity you get.”

Now they’ll gear up and head west for three games in four days against MAC title hopefuls Toledo, AAC newcomers Rice and Lorenzo Romar’s Pepperdine Waves. It’s a tough task, but aside for the chance to grab some quality wins over top-175 KenPom ranked teams. It’s a chance for this Lobo squad to find more team chemistry before a very tough homestand the following week.

Team previews below

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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Lobos get a Dent buzzer beater to beat UT Arlington, 82-80

Game Recap: New Mexico 82, UT Arlington 80 Lobos go to 2-1 with buzzer beater over Mavericks. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Donovan Dent gives fans a coast-to-coast buzzer beater in 82-80 win over Arlington. ALBUQUERQUE, NM-The Lobos …

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 Game Recap: New Mexico 82, UT Arlington 80

Lobos go to 2-1 with buzzer beater over Mavericks.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Donovan Dent gives fans a coast-to-coast buzzer beater in 82-80 win over Arlington.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM–The Lobos returned home to the Pit Thursday night to regain their winning ways after falling top Saint Mary’s on the road last week in Moraga, CA. The test, an underrated and undefeated UT Arlington Mavericks team. Who boasted length and shooting ability coming to Albuquerque on Thursday night.

Both squads had plenty of rust to shake off from long breaks, as the Lobos went 2-8 from the field in the first five minutes of play. They took their first lead of the game with two Jemarl Baker Jr. free throws, but it was a dog fight the rest of the way. With little success from beyond the arc (3-10) and plenty of fouls (11 UTA fouls, 7 UNM fouls), they had to battle it out.

Offensive creativity was still a problem for the Lobos in the first half, as they headed into the locker rooms with just 5 assists. But these types of things can be overlooked when your protecting the ball at an elite level with just 1 turnover in the first twenty minutes of play.

Also of note was the complete takeover of the game by UNM’s backcourt, as Jamal Mashburn Jr. (22 points) and Donovan Dent (16 points) combined for 38 of the Lobos first 48 first half points. The freshman was able to take a frustrating first ten minutes or so of tough contested drives with no foul calls  and turn it into an offensive display in the final ten minutes. Mashburn Jr. made his money from all over the floor, mid-range jumpers, three points & free throw opportunities.

The Mavericks came out swinging in the second-half, shrinking the Lobos double-digit lead to as little as five points in the first five minutes out of half-time. Similar to the first-half the Lobos were taking highly contested shots and creating contact with no benefits to prove for it.

A run of scoring that gave the Lobos their double-digit lead back under the 10-minute mark was consistently chopped at by UT Arlington. As the Mavericks made it a one point game with under 30 seconds to play inside to nearly silence fans inside the Pit. But a clutch defensive effort by Baker on former SEC guard DeJuan Gordon with 15 seconds to play gave the Lobos back possession and a double bonus free throw opportunity.

The sigh of relief was short lived, as a clutch corner three-pointer from UTA freshman Makaih Williams tied things up at 80-80 to send it into overtime.

Things seemed destined for overtime but the Lobos’ superb sophomore guard Donovan Dent had his eyes on the prize.

When asked about how he felt regarding the opponent’s three point shot to tie things up in the closing seconds. He responded with “Pretty mad because it was over me, he hit a tough one but they gave the ball and I just ran with it.”

Indeed he ran with it, ran right to the basket for the game winner.

After the game he had this to say had this to say, cool calm and collected.

“You dream of it as a kid, hitting game winners in college.”

As Dent said, it’s something every kid dreams of, Lobo fans too. And with that buzzer beater, New Mexico has all of the winning momentum needed for their three-game road trip next week.

Player Spotlights

New Mexico G-Donovan Dent

Stat line: 25 points, 5 assists, 22 steals on 11-18 from the floor in 34 minutes

The super sophomore just keeps adding to his legend in Albuquerque with not only a great offensive performance but the winning buzzer beater to give his team the W.

UT Arlington: F-Shemar Wilson

Stat line: 29 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks on 11-13 from the floor & 7-9 from the FT line in 34 minutes

Wilson played big down low for the Mavericks Thursday night. As his fellow UTA stars were relatively quiet until the second-half. He also owned the glass when it came to offensive rebounds and second chance tip ins as a big reason his team stayed in this one in order to take it down to the wire.

Five Takeaways

  • This team really needed a win helped by improved team chemistry. The Lobos have looked out of sync in their first two games of the season and even though the assist totals weren’t there, the lack of turnovers and obvious offensive rhythm found in the first half was a sight for sore eyes.
  • Donovan Dent continues to embrace his new role as Mashburn Jr.’s scoring No. 2 and Pitino’s new floor general. His confidence is showing but his go to move of driving to the lane, drawing contact and heading to the charity stripe only yielded three FT attempts all game. He needs to learn to finish most of those opportunities to truly elevate his game to all-conference status.
  • Mashburn Jr. separated himself as the best player on the court with a beautiful 22-point performance in just the first half. Scoring from all three levels, giving his team the offensive scoring power it needed to head into half time with a double-digit lead they never gave up.
  • The Lobo freshman continue to impress and contribute, mainly JT Toppin in this one. As the 6-9 forward was responsible for numerous house awakening dunks in the first half, to give him 15 points and 11 boards to end the night. Tru Washington also came off of the bench to provide a small offensive spark when needed and defensive stops.
  • New Mexico’s interior defense and defensive rebounding needs work. The Lobos gave up over 20 points to UTA’s Shemar Wilson. Who made his 30 piece by way of second chance points & tip ins around the basket. Going into conference play there are some interior heavy hitters in the Mountain West, they need to address this before it costs them seeding in March.

Next Up:

The Lobos will take their winning momentum on the road next week as they make a trip to Henderson, NV to take part in this year’s Ball Dawg Classic. Their first game of that multi-team event will be against MAC title contenders Toledo on Tuesday November 21st.

New Mexico’s matchup against the Rockets is set to tip-off at 9:15 PM MT. If you wish do so, you can view the stream behind a paywall at FloHoops here ($).

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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New Mexico vs. UT Arlington: Preview, How To Stream, Odds & More

After a road loss to top-25 ranked Saint Mary’s, Richard Pitino’s Lobos return to the Pit and host undefeated UT Arlington.

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New Mexico vs. UT Arlington: Preview

The Lobos look to bounce back at home against the Mavericks.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Richard Pitino’s Lobos return to the Pit and host undefeated UT Arlington.

WHO: New Mexico (1-1, 0-0 in the MWC) vs. UT Arlington (2-0, 0-0 in the SWAC)

WHEN: Thursday, November 16th, 7:00 PM MT, 8:00 PM CT

WHERE: University Arena aka “The Pit”, Albuquerque, NM

STREAM: Mountain West Network

Line: KenPom, The Lobos are favored by 16 Points

College basketball is both beautiful and heartbreaking, take the starts of the last two seasons New Mexico has had for example. Flashback just one year ago and the Lobos were about to embark on a 16-game winning streak as the nation’s last remaining undefeated team.

One year later and the Lobos fell on the road to one of the best mid-major teams in the entire country in the second game of the season. A game likely to be their biggest game of the non-conference season. Tis the nature of college basketball, or sports in general really. They make you feel great when it’s great and crumby when it’s crumby.

But a bad week, game or skid never means all hope is lost. Especially not in the second week in November. So cheer up folks, the story isn’t over, there is still plenty of college basketball to watch in Albuquerque. With the next chapter taking place Thursday the 16th inside the Pit against the UT Arlington Mavericks.

Losing to a top-25 ranked St. Mary’s team hurts the resume no doubt. But it appeared as though New Mexico just wasn’t prepared to take on a team of this caliber or consistency.

The Gaels have been coached by the same coach (Randy Bennett) for over twenty-years and haven’t experienced a sub .500 season since they hired Bennett. The program is an outlier in all levels of college basketball and that consistency/winning cultured showed.

New Mexico on the other hand looked like a team with five returning players who saw action last season, including two starters. Sometimes putting a near entirely new roster together, no matter how talented can be tricky. Throw in unexpected injuries to key players like Jaelen House and Isaac Mushila and your non-conference slate may come with growing pains.

Thursday night the Lobos are hoping to put some of those growing pains in their rear view. When they host undefeated UT Arlington and their first year head coach with an impressive resume as a longtime Assistant Coach in the industry.

UT Arlington Breakdown

The Mavericks are on a path of resurgence with first year Head Coach KT Turner at the helm in Arlington. Turner comes from several of college basketball royalties coaching trees. Having spent time on the staffs of Larry Brown, Shaka Smart, Porter Moser & John Calipari, Turner has picked up a thing or two over the past decade or so.

His hiring by UT Arlington this offseason seemed like a home run for a Mavericks program who hasn’t been to an NCAA Tournament or had a 20-win season since the departure of Scott Cross back in 2018. Turner amassed an impressive recruiting class to go along with several returning contributors from last season.

His gem of that class though Phillip Russell, a high scoring point guard who led his SEMO team to their first big dance since 2000 has been ruled ineligible for the entire season. With his move to UT Arlington being his third as an undergrad.

The Mavericks are instead led by former New Mexico State Aggie DaJuan Gordon and NAIA transfer Akili Vining. With plenty of role players ready to step up if either of those players are having a tough night offensively.

Players to Watch:

G Donovan Dent-New Mexico

After glimpses of talent as a freshman behind one of the best backcourt duos in the nation last year, offseason praise was high for Dent in year two. Lobo fans knew they were looking at their point guard of the future, most would have never guessed the future was week one of his sophomore year.

To his credit he has adapted, averaging team highs in points (13.5 PPG), assists (5.5 APG) & steals (2.0 SPG) as coach Pitino’s point guard. UT Arlington is another perfect test for the young floor general, a chance for him to develop his scoring and playmaking skills. Both will be needed this season if Jaelen House’s injury becomes an issue.

G DaJuan Gordon-UT Arlington

Gordon would have been a familiar face for Lobo fans as he was apart of the New Mexico State men’s basketball team last season. Folks never got to see the former SEC transfer grace the hardwood of the Pit last season, due to an off the court incident that saw the state’s most hyped hoops rivalry canceled and nearly suspended indefinitely.

Now, fans inside the Pit will get their chance to watch the 6-5 195 graduate transfer who is leading his team in nearly all categories, 19.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG & 3.0 SPG in two contests.

A breakout game for Gordon could propel UT Arlington to the upset, coach Pitino needs to find the right defensive matchup to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Keys to the Game

For New Mexico: Halt 3-point shooting, Maximize their own 3-point shooting & Own the glass

One thing New Mexico has to do on Thursday night is crash the boards. The Mavericks boast a long and athletic starting five, one that is averaging 51.5 RPG (9th nationally). Yes it’s early in the season to be looking at averages, but the statistic on a box score is impressive nonetheless.

UT Arlington may have a great rebounding core but in the first two games of their season they’ve made plenty of their money from beyond the arc. The Lobos will have to defend the perimeter while knocking down their own shots on the other end help create separation from a quality Mavericks squad.

Prediction: New Mexico 85, UT Arlington 72

If the Lobos can receive a variety of scoring from their still gelling roster, winning should be a breeze. Yes, there will be high major length and athleticism on the opposing squad but the Lobos deep roster should be the prevailing factor for a double-digit win.

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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New Mexico vs. Texas Southern: Preview, How To Stream, Odds & More

New Mexico vs. Texas Southern: Preview Mountain West title challengers New Mexico face SWAC title favorites Texas Southern. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Richard Pitino’s Lobos enter season opener with plenty of hype, their first test of …

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New Mexico vs. Texas Southern: Preview

Mountain West title challengers New Mexico face SWAC title favorites Texas Southern.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Richard Pitino’s Lobos enter season opener with plenty of hype, their first test of the season is repeat visitor to the big dance Texas Southern.

WHO: New Mexico (0-0, 0-0 in the MWC) vs. Texas Southern (0-0, 0-0 in the SWAC)

WHEN: Monday, November 6th, 7:30 PM MT, 8:30 PM CT

WHERE: University Arena aka “The Pit”, Albuquerque, NM

STREAM: Mountain West Network

Line: KenPom, The Lobos are favored by 16 Points

The excitement has returned to New Mexico basketball and in turn the city of Albuquerque. Lobo basketball is the main show in town and when the program is good, the Pit crowd shows out. Just look at last season’s expedited turnaround which saw a 14-0 start to the season as the nation’s last remaining undefeated team. Not to mention the program’s return to the AP Top-25 for the first time in nearly a decade. This brought 228,000 fans to the historic Pit in 2022-2023, including five games with over 15,000 fans in attendance.

All of this led to head coach Richard Pitino receiving a contract extension that gave him an annual pay bump ($1.1 million next season) and locked in his job as the Lobos’ lead man until 2027-2028.

The third year head coach turned the New Mexico program into a competitive force again in an ever-growing competitive Mountain West Conference. And according to the head man, maybe a bit ahead of schedule given the coaches lackluster first season in Albuquerque in which he went 13-19 (5-12 in MWC, 9th place finish).

Though along with the hype that has returned to New Mexico, so has has the expectations. Both are high, sky high in fact after a successful offseason that saw the Lobos go shopping in the transfer portal. They emerged with quality commitments from Nelly Junior-Joseph (Iona), Jemarl Baker Jr. (Fresno State), Mustapha Amzil (Dayton), Isaac Mushila (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) and Deraji Agbaosi (North Alabama).

To match a revamped roster Coach Pitino released the team’s non-conference schedule back on October 3rd. A tad late because of the difficulty he encountered when attempting to build an attractive non-conference schedule. At least as far as the NCAA Tournament selection committee is concerned.

The 2023-2024 schedule could be considered both a win & loss in that regard. With big brand high majors lacking but several quality games against teams favored to win their conferences locked in. And Monday’s season opener at home against predicted SWAC favorites Texas Southern is a perfect example of this.

The Tigers may be the perfect test for what could be a short staffed Lobo squad. With star guard Jaelen House and impact transfers Jemarl Baker Jr. and Isaac Mushila absence from their team’s two exhibition wins and still question marks for the season opener. Texas Southern will be a quality opponent for some younger Lobos to get their feet wet against a D-I tournament team, here’s why.

Texas Southern Breakdown

The Tigers are coming off of their 3rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance after an 84-61 loss to eventual tourney darlings Fairleigh Dickinson in the East Region’s first four. That marks trips to the big dance in three out of the five seasons former Nevada Wolf Pack associate head coach Johnny Jones has been in charge of the program.

This is the appeal of the Tigers program, not a 100% guarantee to run the table of the SWAC (14-21, 7-11 8th last season). But a culture in a program that gives opportunity go dancing nearly every season. And for some of the regions most sought after transfers, that was enough to join the team for a chance to do it all again this season.

Aside from losing their leading scorer Davon Barnes to northern neighbor Sam Houston State, Texas Southern were big time winners in the transfer portal. Securing commits from backcourt members Johnathan Cisse (Incarnate Word), Deon Stroud (Fresno State/Eastern Washington) and big men Josh Farmer (UTSA), Kenny Hunter (Louisiana Tech) & Jahmar Young Jr. (SMU). This mix of battle hardened returners and a quality transfer class should be a tougher than expected first game of the season.

Players to Watch:

G Donovan Dent-New Mexico

As of media availability last week, starting point guard Jaelen House could miss the Lobos’ season opener against the Texas Southern Tigers on Monday night. But worry not, as this may be the perfect opportunity to witness returning sophomore floor general Donovan Dent in what many expect to be his future role in the starting lineup a year early.

The 6-2 point guard was one of the more exciting and developed freshman to dawn the cherry and silver in several years. Dent displayed an advanced ability to attack the rim in his first year in college basketball. Which led to season averages of 5.6 PPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 RPG & 0.9 SPG in 18.5 mpg as the first man off of the bench. He’s taken on a bigger role in House’s absence , averaging 24.5 PPG, 5.0 APG & 2.5 SPG in New Mexico’s two exhibition wins.

G PJ Henry-Texas Southern

Henry is the SWAC Preseason Player of the Year after help lead his squad to a conference tournament championship as the 8th seed. Including two wins against co-regular season champions Alcorn St. & Grambling, and posting 18.7 points a game while shooting 40.7% from deep in three wins.

Coach Jones will lean on him heavily to lead this still youthful and newly put together title contender. Henry showed he was cable to just that last season. After missing the first six games of the Tigers’ SWAC slate he returned and aided in the team’s run to a conference title. The pieces are in place for Henry to elevate his game and better elevate those around him, a matchup against sophomore Donovan Dent

Keys to the Game

For New Mexico: Halt 3-point shooting, Maximize their own 3-point shooting & Stay out of foul trouble

The Tigers made most of their money inside the arc last season, with a long history of impact players in the front court. This season should be no different with the additions of Farmer, Hunter & Young. The Lobos will need to stay out of foul trouble as Texas Southern attempted twenty free throws a game last season, good enough for 69th in the country.

Now this strength balanced out a near non-existent game beyond the arc (27.7%). But, that is where Jonathan Cisse comes in. The 6-1 combo guard averaged 16.0 PPG last season at Incarnate Word and his 40.9% on 137 3-PT attempts is a big reason why. He’ll give the Tigers a more balanced attack from the perimeter.

An attack New Mexico will need to defend the perimeter as they might not have the depth or experience to properly defend the post. While also knocking down their own attempts if their frontcourt still hasn’t found their footing yet on opening night.

Prediction: New Mexico 80, Texas Southern 72

If the Lobos have a full healthy roster on Monday night, I can see the 16-point KenPom prediction holding true. But that’s likely not going to be the case and we can’t forget transfer big man Nelly Junior-Joseph’s still getting adjusted to a late start after visa delays all offseason.

Given what we have seen in recent lineups, I think New Mexico will put a competitive team on the floor regardless of injuries. I think they’ll secure the win but may be in for a bigger fight than anticipated.

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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Mountain West Basketball: 2023-2024 Conference Schedule Announced

With a little over a month on the ole college basketball countdown tracker, entities around the sport continue to release 2023-24 schedules.

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MWC Basketball: 2023-2024 Conference Schedule Announced

A first look at this year’s conference slate.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The 2023-2024 Mountain West Conference schedule release.

With a little over a month on the ole college basketball countdown tracker, entities around the sport are almost done releasing conference, non-conference & multi-team event participation for the 2023-2024 season.

The announcement also came with this season’s national T.V. schedule. With the hype earned from San Diego State’s Cinderella run to the National Championship game this past March. There will likely be more eyes on the Mountain West than ever before. And as in years past fans around the conference as well as newcomers gained from the big dance can catch their favorite team on CBS & Fox outlets.

This season each team will play nine home games & make nine away games. As of now, league play kicks off on January 2nd, when New Mexico heads north to Fort Collins to take on Colorado State.

CBS

The first game on CBS will be on November 29th when Colorado State hosts in-state rival Colorado on CBS Sports Network. This will be the first of over forty-nine televised games across CBS and CBS Sports Network.

A key date to circle on the CBS broadcast calendar should be UNLV at National Championship runner up San Diego State on Saturday, January 6th. Another matchup to look forward to will be the Aztecs at league rival New Mexico on Saturday, January 13th. Both games between these two conference foes last season made for must-watch TV, we can look forward to much of the same with revamped rosters on both sides.

A last matchup of note will be between conference title contenders San Diego State and Boise State. This showdown of Mountain West heavy weights airs on CBS Saturday, January 20th.

Not to mention all games airing on CBS are also accessible via stream on Paramount+.

FOX

On the Fox side of things, thirty-two games will be televised nationally. The first FS1 broadcast is a non-conference meeting featuring Cal State Fullerton at San Diego State on Monday November 6th. Among the key conference games to catch on FOX is Utah State at San Diego State on Saturday, February 3rd.

As with CBS & Paramount+ all games on FS1 will also be available on the FOX Sports App and FOXSports.com.

But for those without access to any of CBS or Fox’s outlets, don’t worry. All other games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.

Important Dates

-January 2nd-League play begins with five contests

-March 9th-Regular Season Concludes

-The 2024 tournament will take place March 13th-16th

March Madness

CBS Sports will televise the Mountain West Basketball Championship as in years past. The quarterfinals & semifinals will air on the CBS sports Network. With the championship game televised on CBS (as well as Paramount+) on Saturday March 16th.

This is an exciting time around the Mountain West Conference. For the last year or so it appeared that the upcoming season was going to be the conference’s last hurrah. But as predictable yet at the same time unpredictable as conference realignment machine can be, here we are.

So with fresh eyes aplenty, rejuvenated fanbases throughout and a raised ceiling by San Diego State, fans this season should be excited to say the least.

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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Tyson Degenhart Talks About His Expectations For Boise State

A feature story on Boise State forward Tyson Degenhart.

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Tyson Degenhart Talks About His Expectations For Boise State

An Interview With Boise State Forward Tyson Degenhart

Contact/Follow @Michaelbraydaly & @MWCwire

Degenhart discussed his previous two seasons and his expectations for next season at Boise State

Since Boise State forward Tyson Degenhart joined the program in 2021, he emerged as a team leader and one of the top players in the Mountain West. As Degenhart enters his junior season, he is aiming for another successful season at Boise State.

Degenhart recently sat down with the Mountain West Wire for an interview about his recruitment process, previous two seasons, expectations, and more. Growing up in Washington state, Degenhart stood out as one of the best players in the region. By playing AAU basketball in elementary school with Boise State head coach Leon Rice’s son, Kade Rice, Degenhart formed an early connection with Boise State.

At a basketball camp prior to his junior year of high school, Boise State offered a scholarship to Degenhart. Ultimately, Degenhart committed to Boise State. When asked about his relationship with Coach Rice, Degenhart praised his head coach.

“He’s just a great dude to be around. He totally understands the players’ side of things, while also understanding the coaches’ side of things,” Degenhart said. “He’s been a great guy to be at the helm of our program, and a great guy anyone would want to play for.”

Boise State’s coaching staff also received praise from Degenhart for their offseason work. This offseason, Rice has been away from the program while he is working as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup Team in Hungary. Boise State assistants Mike Burns and Tim Duryea have led the team through offseason workouts.

Based on the last two seasons, Degenhart has been successful playing for Rice and Boise State. Last season, Degenhart was the team’s scoring leader with 14.1 points per game. Degenhart was an All-Mountain West First Team selection in 2022-2023. He spoke about his improvements as a sophomore:

“I played a lot better in the post,” Degenhart said. “Just adding that to my game when I posted up, I knew I could score one way or another, whether it was me scoring or kicking it out to a teammate. That has just really helped our offense with such great shooters like [Marcus Shaver Jr.], Chibuzo [Agbo], Max [Rice], and Naje [Smith].”

The Broncos finished the 2022-2023 campaign with a 24-10 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. Boise State had an early exit in the NCAA Tournament with a loss to Northwestern. In the same tournament, fellow Mountain West school, San Diego State, reached the Final Four and national championship for the first time in program history. Degenhart was asked about watching San Diego State represent the conference throughout the tournament.

“It wasn’t necessarily a surprise [to see San Diego State go on a tournament run], but it was one of those things that was super cool for our conference to have a team that we play against twice a year to make it to the national championship game,” Degenhart said.

Degenhart complimented the success of San Diego State’s Darrion Trammell and Lamont Butler in the Elite 8 and Final Four. He highlighted San Diego State’s recent history under former head coach Steve Fisher and current head coach Brian Dutcher. The Broncos split the season series with the Aztecs last season.

For Boise State to return to the tournament for a third straight season and have similar success that San Diego State had, Degenhart will need to have another strong season. Degenhart outlined his personal goal for next season.

“My personal goal is to be Mountain West Player of the Year,” Degenhart said. “I was first-team last year and we still have a lot of great players in the league like Isaiah Stevens coming back, Lamont Butler, and Jaelen House. As long as I take care of business and help our team win, that could definitely be on the table.”

For next season, Degenhart’s role will slightly change. With the additions of transfer forwards O’Mar Stanley and Cam Martin, Degenhart is expecting to leave his position as the starting center and return to playing power forward in the starting lineup. As a power forward, Degenhart plans on expanding his mid-range game and working on his three-point shooting.

Boise State is returning several key players for the 2023-2024 season, and the team will be expected to compete for a Mountain West Championship. Degenhart believes that this team can make a postseason run.

“We are not going to cap anything, but we can make it to the Final Four, As a team, if we can get that first win out of the way and forget about us not winning a game in the tournament, we are a second weekend team. Everyone believes that.”

In addition to being a standout college basketball player, Degenhart recently added podcast host to his resume. He recently started “The Tyson Degenhart Show” where he interviews notable figures in Boise State Athletics. He partnered with Idaho Central Credit Union to start the show.

After his basketball career is over, Degenhart wants to transition to a career in broadcasting as a play-by-play announcer, color commentator, or host. Degenhart has been busy with preparing for the upcoming regular season and pursuing interests outside of basketball.

Before the end of the summer, Degenhart and Boise State will take a trip up to British Columbia to play three exhibition games against Trinity Western University, University of the Fraser Valley, and Thompson Rivers University in July and August. These three games will be played in Vancouver and Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.

Calling All Writers: Come Write For Mountain West Wire!

Are you a writer with a passion for Mountain West Conference athletics? If so, Mountain West Wire is looking for you.

Calling All Writers: Come Write For Mountain West Wire!

Are you a writer with a passion for Mountain West Conference athletics? If so, we’re looking for you.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

We could use your help.

Hello everyone! Since we started this venture back in 2017, we here at Mountain West Wire have striven to provide the absolute best coverage of Mountain West athletics you’ll find anywhere. Thankfully, our readers have made it all worthwhile, by letting us know what they want while following us on Twitter and Facebook.

Now, we’re looking to get better and we need you to do it.

Mountain West Wire needs more writers to provide coverage of certain teams so, if you’re interested in joining our ranks, please send a cover letter stating your particular interest and prior writing experience, as well as a writing sample of 300 to 500 words, to mattkenerly333@gmail.com and JeremyMauss@gmail.com. Aspiring journalists and writers of color are especially encouraged to submit their work.

This position has a little bit of money involved which is based on page views. Think of it like a few extra bucks for lunch or drinks, keeping in mind that the more you’d like to get involved, the more views you could generate for your work.

In the past, a few of our writers have gone on to bigger and better things with newspapers, radio stations, digital platforms, and other publications. If you want to use this opportunity to brush up on your writing skills and get noticed, we can provide that. If you want to have some fun scratching an itch for your fandom, this is an outlet for that, too.

Our work has been featured on ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo!, Bleacher Report, USA TODAY, Rotoworld, and other major publications.

Here are the positions we’d like to fill:

College Football

The gridiron is our bread and butter, so with the 2022 season not too far away, we’d be happy to have you join our ranks and write about the season that never truly ends.

Our current priorities are finding writers to cover San Diego State and UNLV. However, if you have an interest in any teams not mentioned here, we’re also open to that because more coverage is always better.

College Basketball

Hoops season is year-round, as well, so help us cover the unpredictable race to the top.

We’re especially interested in finding writers to cover Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, San Jose State, UNLV, and Wyoming. As with football, though, if you don’t see a team mentioned here, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Recruiting

We don’t typically dive too deeply into recruiting but, if that’s your thing, it would provide some content to which we don’t usually attend. Football and basketball are the go-to sports in this area.

Pro Sports

Obviously, there are a lot of pros who got their start in the Mountain West, so if you want to give updates on MLB, NFL, NBA or other pros from the league, that would be a different angle we like to cover.

We also want to cover the various pro drafts throughout the year, so if you’re a film junkie, most interested in examining how the conference’s best will make the jump, we’d be happy to have that.

Miscellaneous

Want to cover Olympic sports within the Mountain West? Now’s your chance.

This includes things like Mountain West baseball and softball, women’s basketball, soccer, track and field or any of the conference’s varsity other sports. Whether you want to focus on one team or the whole conference, let us know!

Additionally, e-sports has been a recent addition to the conference, too. Not many people write about collegiate e-sports at the moment, so this could be a chance to find a niche and provide some exposure to those in the Mountain West who are participating.

Finally, we could also use someone with an interest in creating short videos to embed in each post so, if that’s your field of expertise, you can contact us about that.

School/topic not listed? If your interest isn’t mentioned above, we still want to hear from you. It takes a team to provide the peak of Mountain West Conference coverage, so join us today!