Tag: UNLV basketball

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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Who Has Been The Best Mountain West Player So Far?

Who Has Been The Best Mountain West Player So far? It is early but let’s look at everything. Contact/Follow @MWCwire Top player after (most of) non-league play The conference season is approaching. With that, I was curious who in the Mountain West …

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Who Has Been The Best Mountain West Player So far?

It is early but let’s look at everything.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Top player after (most of) non-league play

The conference season is approaching. With that, I was curious who in the Mountain West has performed at the highest level so far over the non-conference season. This will give us a midseason look at who the best players have been, and then we can run the exercise again at the end of the season during awards time.

How does one even go about determining who has been the best though?

Watching every game might work, but who has time for that?

Many people like to look at the box scores and use stats like Points per Game to determine who has been the best, but those stats are very flawed for a number of reasons and don’t give enough context.

To do my research, I looked at 3 advanced analytics for every player in the conference, took the Z-Scores of each statistic, and then averaged it out.

The three analytics are: Points over Expectation, Player Impact Plus Minus, and WIns Added. All three of these stats measure specific things, and count contributions on both sides of the ball, as opposed to just counting offense or defense. Let’s quickly go over what each statistic does.

Points Over Expectation – Also known as POE, this is an efficiency stat. It takes into account the number and type of shots a player takes (or defends) and compares the outcome to what an average player would’ve done with the same number and type of shots. A score of zero is the equivalent of an average player. Since POE takes into account the number of shots, than the higher usage a player has, the more likely they are to be farther from 0. So players that are really efficient on large volume are the ones that get good scores here. Since basketball is about scoring more points than your opponent, someone who can score, and defend, at an efficient level is a valuable player.

Player Impact Plus Minus – Also known as PIPM, this is an impact stat. Basically, it measures how well a player has performed in the role they’re in. A player being used in the way that best suits their skill set will have a higher score than a player who is talented in certain areas but not able to show that talent off. As an example, if Nico Caravacho was asked to shoot 3 pointers all game he would hurt his team, as that’s not his skill set. This statistic is important because no matter how purely talented a player may be, if the player doesn’t use the talents correctly it will hurt the team and prevent winning. PIPM also makes adjustments for the quality of opponents, which POE does not. I think that is an important factor when determining who has been the best so far.

Wins Added – This score is directly related to PIPM. One of PIPM’s flaws is that is does not make adjustments for playing time. So a player that has only played 5 minutes can have a better score than a star who plays 30 minutes a game. WIns added is an estimation of how many wins a player has provided for their team based on their PIPM score and how many minutes they have played.

As you can see, these stats measure different things, but they are all relevant in the conversation of “who has been the best player so far” and they help cover up each others weaknesses. With that, let’s look at the top 10 players so far. For reference, when using Z-Scores, the maximum score is basically 3, while 0 is average, and the worst possible is -3.

10. Diogo Brito, Utah State. Averaged Z-Score: 1.336

Diogo Brito comes in at 12th in PIPM, 10th in Wins added, and 23rd in POE. THe efficiency is what is holding him back so far. That’s not to say he isn’t efficient, as he has above average scores on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, it’s just not up to par with his overall impact.

9. Carlton Bragg Jr., New Mexico. Averaged Z-Score: 1.346

Carlton Bragg comes in at 7th in both PIPM and WIns Added. His POE score is all the way down at 34 however. His offense has been solid, as he scores about a point more per game than an average player would have given his opportunities, but his defensive efficiency has been pretty average so far. If he can force his man into more stops his ranking will improve.

8. Cheikh Mbacke Diong, UNLV. Averaged Z-Score: 1.539.

Cheikh Mbacke Diong comes in at 15th in PIPM, which is still solid. He ranks second in Wins Added, meaning he is carrying his team and playing a lot of minutes, which is crazy because he’s only 4th on his team in minutes played. He is simply having a greater impact than his teammates are in the time he gets. His POE rank is 27th. His biggest problem is offensively, where he only scores 0.333 more points per game than an average player would with his opportunity.

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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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UNLV at Cincinnati: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Live Stream, Odds, More

UNLV at Cincinnati: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More Bearcats could inch closer to Top 25 with win over UNLV Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire Rebels embark on three-game road trip, starting with a dangerous Cincy squad WHO: …

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UNLV at Cincinnati: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

Bearcats could inch closer to Top 25 with win over UNLV

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

Rebels embark on three-game road trip, starting with a dangerous Cincy squad

WHO: UNLV (3-5, 0-0 MWC) at Cincinnati (4-2, 0-0 AAC)

WHEN: Saturday, November 30 — 5:00 P.M. MT / 4:00 P.M. PT

WHERE: Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH

WATCH: ESPN3; Get a free one-week trial of FuboTV.

LISTEN: TuneIn

ALL-TIME RECORD: Cincinnati leads, 6-0

ODDS: Cincinnati -14, per KenPom

PREVIEW: The Rebels finally have a little bit of momentum back after dismantling Jackson State on Tuesday—and they’ll need it for arguably their toughest game of the early season against Cincinnati.

The tilt with the Bearcats is UNLV’s first in a three-game road trip, which also features their MWC opener against Fresno State and a semi-neutral site matchup in Salt Lake City against BYU.

The shooting woes that had plagued the Rebels throughout the first handful of games were nowhere to be found in their 80-57 win over Jackson State. The team shot 57.1% from the field and 45% from downtown. That’s exactly the kind of production UNLV will need to take down Cincinnati.

Junior guard Amauri Hardy leads the team with 18.3 points and 3.5 assists per game, followed by transfers Donnie Tillman (12.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG) and  Elijah Mitrou-Long (10.9 PPG, 3.9 APG).

And though Hardy led the way again on Tuesday with 20 points, the most important offensive contribution of the night came from junior Chiekh Mbacke Diong. The Senegalese big man tallied 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while also pulling down six of his 13 rebounds on the offensive glass. It was a huge outburst out of a player who has been notably anemic on that end of the floor.

Bryce Hamilton and Nick Blair also pitched in 12 points apiece, which could signal an important development for TJ Otzelberger. This team needs scoring support behind Hardy, Tillman, and Mitrou-Long. If they can get it, they could turn into a top-half team in the Mountain West. Getting transfer sharpshooter Jonah Antonio back in the lineup will help that cause.

But first, they have to take on a talented Cincinnati squad that has been receiving votes for the Top 25.

New head coach John Brannen has seen a few stumbles in his first couple games at the helm for the Bearcats, including an overtime loss at the Paradise Jam on Tuesday against Bowling Green. Cincinnati recovered to claw out an overtime win of their own against Valparaiso the next day.

While the Bearcats have been pretty good defensively, the offense has not held up its end of the bargain. The offseason was full of promise after it was announced that Oakland transfer Jaevin Cumberland would be joining his cousin (and one of the best players in the American), Jarron.

Though the team does have five players averaging double-digits (or very close), including both Cumberlands, the Bearcats have been plagued by turnovers. They committed 58 giveaways in three games at the Paradise Jam, barely eking out a 2-1 record, including their one-point victory over Illinois State in their first game at the event.

UNLV has had its fair share of issues with ball security, too, so expect this game to get a little sloppy.

Junior seven-footer Chris Vogt and senior forward Tre Scott average a combined 23 points and 17 rebounds, presenting a big challenge for the Rebels in the frontcourt. Keith Williams has also been a solid source of offense for the Bearcats.

But with the Bearcats suddenly struggling—and coming off some long travel to and from the Virgin Islands—the Rebels may have a chance to catch Cincinnati on the ropes.

All told, it will be difficult for UNLV to escape with a victory against a Cincinnati team that is probably bound for the NCAA Tournament. If the Rebels can grab a big road win here, it will give them a boost to get through the back half of their non-conference schedule.

Prediction: Cincinnati 74, UNLV 66

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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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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UNLV Drops Another Close Game, This Time To SMU

UNLV Drops Another Close Game, This Time To SMU Rebels fall to an AAC foe. Contact/Follow @MWCwire UNLV unable to get it done. Another UNLV game that ends in a close defeat. A slow start in the first half shooting woes the story sounds the same. …

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UNLV Drops Another Close Game, This Time To SMU

Rebels fall to an AAC foe.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

UNLV unable to get it done.

Another UNLV game that ends in a close defeat. A slow start in the first half shooting woes the story sounds the same. Early in the Rebels season that has been the case multiple times. Inside the Thomas & Mack on Saturday UNLV suffered their fifth loss of the season, after losing a close game to SMU 72-68 moving the team to (2-5). 

In the first half, of the contest, the Rebels only made 8 field goals in the first half on 29 percent shooting. The team shot 4 of 17 from 3. The team’s offensive struggles landed them down by 10 going into the half with a 38-28 score. The 1-2-2 press SMU threw at UNLV slowed down the Rebels pace. “Our first half effort on the press was too casual,” coach T.J. Otzelberger said after the game. 

In the second half, UNLV’s leading scorer on the season Amauri Hardy was able to contribute more after being hampered by two early fouls in the first half. When UNLV played more aggressively that’s when the team got results. After around 4 minutes in the second half Donnie Tillman sprinted down the baseline with the ball breaking the press got to the foul line passed out to hardy who swung the ball to Elijah Mitrou-Long who knocked down an open three.

Those were the type of plays missing from UNLV in the first half. As the second half wore on UNLV found success by going down low. Getting the ball in the paint freed up shooters on the outside as well.

UNLV was on the verge of a comeback after a Hardy 3 and two made free throws from Mbacke Diong, put the Rebels down two with 60-58 score with just over five minutes left to play in the game. UNLV could not do more to tie the game after those free throws as they went on an offensive drought and did not score another point until Mitrou-Long made a couple of free throws with under a minute left in the contest. The Rebels could not make another field goal until it was 27 seconds left in the game.

SMU guard Kendric Davis had 21 points leading the mustangs in scoring. UNLV’s top scorer was by Sophomore guard Bryce Hamilton who had a career-high 18 points. UNLV shot 35 percent from the field compared to SMU shooting 50 percent from the field. The Rebels were not gutty enough to get those stops they needed down the stretch, combine that with a shooting slump in crunch time and it leads to another Rebel loss.

“We’re done with moral victories,” said Otzelberger in his postgame press conference. Let’s hope so as the rebels need an actual victory this Tuesday against SWAC conference opponent Jackson State. The Rebels are 2-3 at home this season and could use a little home cooking for a win before Thanksgiving.

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SMU at UNLV: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

SMU at UNLV: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More Rebels hoping to exorcise some early-season demons Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire UNLV needs a win to turn things around WHO: SMU (4-0, 0-0 American) at UNLV (2-4, 0-0 MWC) …

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SMU at UNLV: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds, More

Rebels hoping to exorcise some early-season demons

Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

UNLV needs a win to turn things around

WHO: SMU (4-0, 0-0 American) at UNLV (2-4, 0-0 MWC)

WHEN: Saturday, November 23 — 7:30 P.M. PT / 8:30 P.M. MT

WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev.

WATCH: Stadium/Facebook; Get a free one-week trial of FuboTV.

LISTEN: TuneIn

ALL-TIME RECORD: Series tied, 3-3

ODDS: SMU -2, per KenPom

PREVIEW: It’s been a rocky road so far for UNLV, but they’ve got a chance to get things back on track at home against undefeated SMU.

Three straight losses to Power 5 teams was one thing, but the Rebels’ loss to Texas State at home was an unexpected speedbump. The Bobcats are a good team, to be sure, but they also lost to Air Force, who has struggled themselves.

But this is all part of the early season, teams ebbing and flowing.

UNLV is definitely ebbing at the moment.

The biggest problem for the Rebels is turnovers. They have already committed 95 turnovers, averaging just shy of 16 per game. That number puts UNLV right around the bottom 20 in the country, per Sports-Reference. The blame can be shared among the entire roster, really. Four players are averaging at least two giveaways per game, while three more are averaging at least one.

The sloppiness has also extended to the shooting game. The Rebels have connected on just 43.6% of their shots over the first six games. Bryce Hamilton’s sub-30% mark isn’t helping.

And though things haven’t clicked as instantly as TJ Otzelberger would have hoped, the roles in his lineup are becoming well-defined.

Amauri Hardy is the primary scorer. Donnie Tillman is the first option in the frontcourt. Elijah Mitrou-Long is playing the part of the veteran floor general. Chiekh Mbacke Diong is a liability on offense, but a monster on the glass. Hamilton and Jonah Antonio are auxiliary scorers. Nick Blair and Vitaly Shibel provide some extra size.

It all sounds good on paper. But can they all perform at the same time?

SMU, on the other hand, has had success in their first few games. Their most recent victory came against Evansville, the same team that knocked off Kentucky last week. The Mustangs also have wins against some decent clubs in Jacksonville State, New Orleans, and Jackson State.

Head coach Tim Jankovic must be enjoying the early success of recent transfers into the program.

Isiaha Mike, a junior forward who transferred from Duquesne, started 32 games last year. Mike is averaging over 17 points and eight rebounds per game in year two at SMU. Tyson Jolly, who played at Baylor in 2017-18, is scoring 18 points per game and shooting a blistering 60% from the field in his first year with the Mustangs.

This two-pronged attack is bolstered by fellow starters Feron Hunt and Ethan Chargois. Hunt is averaging nearly a double-double, with 11 points and 9.5 rebounds. Chargois is also near double digits in scoring, but hasn’t really gotten hot yet.

If these four players can maintain their early chemistry, SMU could suddenly become a dark horse contender in the AAC.

They aren’t without their weaknesses, though. The Mustangs are a little shaky in terms of depth. Their bench players—as well as fifth starter Emmanuel Bandoumel—haven’t had much impact in the scoring column. But Jankovich teaches a slow brand of basketball, it stands to reason that there wouldn’t be too much to go around for anyone outside their top four players.

Actually, both teams play at a slow tempo, so expect this game to be a slugfest. The Rebels have been on the wrong side of these knock-down-drag-out fights so far this season. They are taking on a tough Mustangs team, but those early wins might not hold up against tougher opponents.

It’s too early to start throwing around the phrase “must-win”, but UNLV does need to start steering the ship in the right direction. A win here would provide some positive momentum, which the Rebels can really use in their upcoming games against Cincinnati and BYU—not to mention an early conference game against Fresno State.

Andrew is a current USBWA member, covering college basketball for multiple outlets, including Mountain West Wire of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Busting Brackets of the FanSided Network. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a college basketball analytics system, and provides bracketology predictions throughout the season.

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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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