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

Who are the best Mountain West players by class?

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Head of the Class: 2nd Edition 


Mountain West Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and  Seniors


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

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

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

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

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

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

To Start us off,

The Freshmen

Mountain West Basketball Power Rankings: Chasing San Diego State

Mountain West Basketball Power Rankings: Chasing San Diego State San Diego State is our first No. 1, duh. Contact/Follow @MWCwire This is a quick power rankings as it is later in the week and the dates for these games go between Jan. 13 – 19 and …

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Mountain West Basketball Power Rankings: Chasing San Diego State


San Diego State is our first No. 1, duh.


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

This is a quick power rankings as it is later in the week and the dates for these games go between Jan. 13 – 19 and even since then teams ranked high have lost so next week will be a better indicator of who should be ranked in this power poll.

Rank Team Previously
1. San Diego State (10-first place votes) 1st
2. UNLV 2nd
3. Nevada 5th
4. Utah State 3rd
5. New Mexico 4th
6. Colorado State 8th
7. Boise State 7th
8. Air Force 8th
9. Fresno State 9th
10. San Jose State 10th
11. Wyoming 11th

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UNLV vs. Nevada: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

UNLV vs. Nevada: Game Preview UNLV has a chance at breaking their Silver State Series losing streak to intrastate rival Nevada on the road. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Can a new look Wolf Pack team keep the streak alive? WHO: UNLV …

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UNLV vs. Nevada: Game Preview


UNLV has a chance at breaking their Silver State Series losing streak to intrastate rival Nevada on the road.


Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Can a new look Wolf Pack team keep the streak alive?

WHO: UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (11-9, 6-1 Mountain West) At Nevada Wolf Pack (11-8, 4-3 Mountain West)

WHEN: Wednesday, January 22nd—11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST

WHERE: Lawlor Events Center, Reno, NV

TV: CBS Sports Network 

STREAM: Get a free trial through FuboTV

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: UNLV leads all-time series 60-29

PREVIEW: There is something about intrastate rivalries that feel just a bit different than others. Being able to walk around your local grocery store and seeing a T-shirt or encountering the occasional coworker’s mug from your rival school at a work place makes those rivalries a bit more personal and local for most. The best rivalries in College Basketball can be found when two teams from the same state meet and usually meet often being a part of the same conference.

There’s plenty of names on the list but some notable examples are Michigan-Michigan State, Cincinnati-Xavier, Indiana-Purdue, Louisville-Kentucky and maybe the most famous of all North Carolina-Duke.

The Silver State Series has the potential to join the names above as must see T.V. around the country. Even though he is gone now, Eric Musselman helped put the Wolf Pack on the national radar in recent years and UNLV will always have name recognition across the country from their championship runs in the early nineties. But with new faces at the helms in both Reno and Las Vegas, the rivalry seems as up for the taking as ever and each team is looking to establish dominance for years to come with a win tonight.

Some History:

  • UNLV leads the all-time series 60-29
  • While Nevada has won the last four meetings (all under Eric Musselman)

UNLV

The Runnin’ Rebels are 6-1 in Mountain West play and currently sit behind the Aztecs in sole possession of second place. Tj Otzelberger’s squad has adjusted well after the holiday break, riding a three game winning streak while winning seven of their last eight games by an average of 13.8 PPG. This UNLV team looks a lot different than the one who took the court early on and multiple individuals are stepping up to create a much more well rounded attack.

UNLV has four players averaging double figures at this point but it has been sophomore Bryce Hamilton who has brought balance to the Runnin’ Rebel offense, averaging 20.7 PPG in seven conference games so far and getting hotter by the day with a recent 35 point performance against New Mexico at home on Saturday. He isn’t the only sophomore making noise in the new year though as Marvin Coleman posted UNLV’s first triple-double of the century on Saturday night against the Lobos earning his first player of the week honors from the conference in the process.

Their emergence has been key for UNLV thus far and make this team that much more dangerous going on the road in Reno this evening. Things will be interesting, and it’s not just the young guns having an impact either don’t forget about leading scorer Amauri Hardy or leading rebounder Cheikh Mbacke Diong who should look to take advantage of a very young Nevada frontcourt.

Nevada

Now, while the Runnin’ Rebels have the winning streak, the Wolf Pack have the home court tonight, in which they are 28-2 in their last 30 conference home games. Like UNLV Nevada has also proved some naysayers wrong this season, you know those who said a fourth place finish was too high considering a coaching change and lack of experience (check out my first article ever saying just that here). To be fair it has been upperclassman doing most of the heavy lifting this season, guys like Jalen Harris, Jazz Johnson and Lindsey Drew who have helped make the transition in Reno a bit smoother than expected for a new coaching staff who had a lot to live up to coming in (three straight NCAA tournament appearances, three straight regular season conference championships).

With fresh starts at both schools this season, in-state supremacy is up for the taking. For Runnin’ Rebel fans who haven’t had that opportunity in a while, that’s big. And for those wearing blue and silver tonight it’s the chance to keep the title home in a new era under Alford.

Prediction: Nevada 80, UNLV 77

This game will come down to who want’s it more and who is knocking down more shots (like most should). Though while UNLV has a squad that could go about five deep in the scoring column as of recent, Nevada’s big three (i.e. Harris, Johnson, Drew, sometimes Zouzoua) doesn’t receive much help most nights and if one of those Wolf Pack members above isn’t scoring things get a bit trickier for Alford and crew.

Something else to note is the list of most recent opponents for each squad. While Nevada’s slate consisted of Colorado State (W), Boise State (W), Utah State (L) and San Diego State (L). UNLV has faced Utah State (W), Boise State (their one league loss) and New Mexico (not the same Lobos we were used to either) from the top half of the Mountain West standings. Not to say the Rebels’ performance in those games were something to knock, it just seems like their toughest challenges lie ahead.

But the most important thing tonight is,

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

San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn is shooting up our player of the year watch list.

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Who is in the running for Player of the Year?


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


Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The list sees a pair of newcomers as UNLV sophomore duo make a splash along with San Diego State big man.

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

How it works description now at the bottom of the article

The order for the eleventh week is as follows:

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

22 Points, 5 Rebounds and 2 Assists against Fresno State

14 Points, 7 Assists and 5 Rebounds against Nevada

Flynn is separating himself from the pack in late January, with a now 7 point lead over second place JaQuan Lyle who is in a bit of a situation at a struggling New Mexico. A lot of people knew Flynn was going to be a difference maker for the Aztecs, but even I can say I didn’t expect a top-5 ranking, undefeated record through nineteen games and a chance at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament this year.

His role as a leader on this team has made everyone better around him, seeing the emergence of guys like Yanni Wetzell and Matt Mitchell on the court with Flynn at the helm has been key to the Aztecs undefeated run. Even when things aren’t going exactly right he makes the best of his playing time. Though he struggled from the field a bit on Saturday, shooting about 30% on the night. He made sure his presence was felt, distributing the ball well among the Aztecs on his way to 7 assists and a win against a Wolf Pack team who made things interesting most of the way.

The Player of the Year race is his to win or lose at this point as Flynn has the Aztecs on a level most other Mountain West teams cannot get to at this point in the season. The Aztecs just need to make sure if they do suffer a loss in conference play it is from the right team. A bad loss can only hurt their chance at a No. 1 seed and San Jose State is looking for another upset to add to their win column, and the Spartans almost made that happen in Viejas Arena earlier this season. We can only watch and wait as the month of January is almost over and March is on the Horizon.

2. Marvin Coleman, sophomore guard UNLV (4 Points):

17 Points, 8 Assists and 4 Rebounds against San Jose State

11 Points, 12 Rebounds, 11 Assists and 6 Steals against New Mexico

3. Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (3 Points):

16 Points, 3 Assists and 2 Steals against San Jose State

35 Points, 3 Rebounds and 1 Assist against New Mexico

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

12 Points, 8 Rebounds and 8 Assists against Nevada

30 Points, 3 Rebounds and 3 Assists against Boise State

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

17 Points, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists against Fresno State

17 Points, 16 Rebounds and 2 Blocks against Nevada

Past Weeks:

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

Current Overall Point Totals:

Malachi Flynn, junior guard San Diego State (22 Points)

JaQuan Lyle, senior guard UNM (15 Points)

Derrick Alston Jr, junior guard BSU (14 Points)

Sam Merrill, senior guard USU (13 Points)

Jalen Harris, junior guard Nevada (11 Points)

Jazz Johnson, senior guard Nevada (9 Points)

Nico Carvacho, senior center CSU (7 Points)

Hunter Maldonado, sophomore guard Wyoming (7 Points)

Alphonso Anderson, junior guard USU (5 Points)

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

Bryce Hamilton, sophomore guard UNLV (5 Points)

Lindsey Drew, senior guard Nevada (5 Points)

Justinian Jessup, senior guard Boise State (5 Points)

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

Justin Bean, sophomore forward USU (4 Points)

Marvin Coleman, sophomore guard UNLV (4 Points)

Amauri Hardy, junior guard UNLV (4 Points)

Orlando Robinson, freshman forward Fresno State (4 Points)

David Roddy, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Isaiah Stevens, freshman guard Colorado State (4 Points)

Roderick “RJ” Williamssenior forward Boise State (3 Points)

Corey Manigault, senior forward New Mexico (2 Points)

Jordan Schakel, junior guard SDSU (2 Points)

Donnie Tillman, junior forward UNLV (2 Points)

Abu Kigab, junior forward Boise State (1 Point)

Ryan Swan, senior center Air Force (1 Point)

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

How It Works: 

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

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

2nd place: 4 pts

3rd place: 3 pts

4th place: 2 pts

5th place: 1 pt

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

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

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

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UNLV Routs New Mexico, 99-78, Behind Coleman’s Triple Double

The UNLV Rebels defeated the New Mexico Lobos 99-78 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday January 18, 2020.

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UNLV Routs New Mexico 99-78, Retains Second Place in Mountain West


UNLV was too much for an ailing New Mexico at the Thomas and Mack.


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Former walk-on Marvin Coleman II scored a triple-double.

Marvin Coleman II (11 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 6 steals) finished with a triple-double, and UNLV cruised past New Mexico behind a strong second half showing at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

It was a battle in the first half and New Mexico was up by as many as nine, but UNLV finished the half strong, and carried momentum off of a 9-0 run all the way through the second half.

The Rebels took the lead in the first after a made free throw by Donnie Tillman (7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist), and finished the half with a Bryce Hamilton (35 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) jumper.

Just a five point game with the Rebels maintaining the small lead with 11:57 remaining, UNLV kicked it into high gear, keeping the Lobos at bay for most of the second half, before blowing the lead wide open beginning with a couple of free throws from Jonah Antonio (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) to put the rebels up 10, 78-68.

Two layups off of Lobos turnovers and a JaQuan Lyle (20 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal) technical foul later and the Lobos watched a close game with 4:30 remaining become a hopeless cause with little energy (nor defensive effort) available to make the game close, eventually giving up 23 points in the last four minutes and 26 seconds.

While the Rebels looked like one of the top squads in the Mountain West, it was clear that New Mexico is ailing amidst the turmoil in the program, missing key personnel in starters Carlton Bragg (removed from the team), JJ Caldwell (suspended) and Vance Jackson (knee) and struggling to find its identity.

UP Next: 

UNLV looks to take its hot streak to Reno on Wednesday against Nevada. New Mexico hopes to stop the bleeding in front of its home crowd, where it puts its undefeated home record on the line against San Jose State.

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UNLV vs. New Mexico: Game Preview, TV Schedule, Livestream, Odds

UNLV vs. New Mexico: Game Preview, TV Schedule, Livestream, Odds Are Rebels a contender? Contact/Follow @MWCwire Will Lobos rebound? UNLV faces off with the University of New Mexico inside the Thomas & Mack Arena. The Runnin’ Rebels are looking like …

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UNLV vs. New Mexico: Game Preview, TV Schedule, Livestream, Odds


Are Rebels a contender?


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Will Lobos rebound?

UNLV faces off with the University of New Mexico inside the Thomas & Mack Arena. 

The Runnin’ Rebels are looking like a top tier team in the Mountain West Conference coming off of an impressive scoring performance against SJSU.

Whereas New Mexico is going through some issues which include getting blown out against Colorado State, 105-72.

T.J. Otzelberger has experimented with lineups recently and it has produced good results.

Box score +/- per 40 minutes has shown that UNLV’s best lineup has been made up of Amari Hardy, Jonah Antonio, Marvin Coleman, Nick Blair, and Mbacke Diong. The quintet has produced a +/- +36 per 40 minutes this season.

WHO: UNLV  (10-9, 5-1 Mountain West) vs. New Mexico (15-4, 4-2 Mountain West)

WHEN: Saturday, January 18 — 3:00 PM PT

WHERE: Thomas & Mack; Las Vegas, Nevada

TV: CBS Sports Network

STREAM: Get a one-week trial of FuboTV.

RADIO: UNLV | New Mexico

In the teams last game against SJSU the Rebels were very effective at the three shots coach T.J. Otzelberger prizes the most; shooting 81%(17/21) on Layups 40% (8/20) on 3-pointers and 84.8%(28/33) percent from the free throw line.

Look for UNLV to get their guards going against the Lobos Bryce Hamilton was recently named conference player of the week. Against SJSU Jonah Antonio knocked down 5 3-pointers. With more production coming off ball look for a big assist night from guards Amari Hardy and Marvin Coleman.

The Lobos will be coming into this game missing a few key players. Earlier this week the team dismissed star big man Carlton Bragg. Vance Jackson is also looking doubtful following a knee injury against CSU.

New Mexico plays at one of the fastest paces in the country ranking 37th in possessions per game. A contrasting style compared to the slow paced Runnin’ Rebels who rank 287 in possessions per game. Look for coach Paul Weir’s team to push the pace early and often.

If New Mexico can keep UNLV off of the free throw line and off the boards the Lobos will have a shot of containing the red hot Rebels.

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Mountain West Basketball Transfer Game: Where Are They Now?

Where did some of your favorite players end up? In short the AAC, AEC, Big East, Big Sky, Big Ten, Big West C-USA, Division 2 & 3, Horizon, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, MVC, NAIA, NJCAA, PAC-12, RMAC, SEC, Southland, Summit, SWAC, WAC Contact/Follow …

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Where did some of your favorite players end up? 


In short the AAC, AEC, Big East, Big Sky, Big Ten, Big West C-USA, Division 2 & 3, Horizon, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, MVC, NAIA, NJCAA, PAC-12, RMAC, SEC, Southland, Summit, SWAC, WAC 


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What are past Mountain West Players up to this season?

College basketball’s allure comes with its many different facets and components. Things like recruiting, geographic rivalries and a tournament that produces Cinderella-like stories for underdog schools in the nooks and crannies of this great country, it’s all so great.

But there are also some things we would consider changing if left up to us, like maybe an expanded tournament field (maybe), better metrics for grading tournament teams, hardship waivers have been an issue and NCAA rulings when it comes to eligibility. Sometimes you take what you can get, but an aspect of college basketball that always comes with mixed emotions is the transferring of players. This is something that can go either way for fans as we get excited when our teams bring guys in but wish others would have stayed (for the most part).

Now guys transfer for a multitude of reasons and fans should never hold grudges against 18-24-year-old individuals who at the end of the day have the right to look for the best opportunity for themselves. Some guys get buried on the bench by increased depth, move to be closer to home or find opportunities at larger institutions where they can play against a higher level of talent on television on a weekly basis. It’s okay, and remember these things happen.

There are also coaching changes that occur in every conference across the country, which bring a level of turnover inside a program that can only be matched by corporate takeovers. Never the less if you are like me and glance at box scores, check-in on the occasional American East game, notice offers to familiar names on JUCO sites or find yourself genuinely curious asking yourself questions like, “what happened to that guy?” or “I wonder how he is doing?”, then this list is for you.

There are other former Mountain West players out their with college eligibility but this list aims at finding the guys with a nice internet trail and letting you know how they’re doing on their new team.

Things to note:

  • There may be a few transfers out there sitting out the 2019-2020 season due to transfer rules. These guys won’t be reflected here, that’s a topic for another day.
  • If a player still has college eligibility but maybe stopped playing college basketball all together or their trail ran cold, they aren’t listed below.
  • If a player is still playing but was dismissed from a team and didn’t transfer, they were also left off of this list.
  • Lastly you won’t see guys who left teams to turn pro with college eligibility still remaining either.

Now let’s get to it.

Mountain West Media Rights Fact Sheet

Mountain West Media Rights Fact Sheet Everything you need to know about the Mountain West media rights deal. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire CBS Sports and Fox Sports are taking over. Here is all of the basic info you need ot know for …

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Mountain West Media Rights Fact Sheet


Everything you need to know about the Mountain West media rights deal.


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

CBS Sports and Fox Sports are taking over.

Here is all of the basic info you need ot know for Mountain West football and basketball which includes networks and the number of games.

PLATFORMS:

• CBS, CBS Sports Network and CBS All-Access.

• FOX, FS1 and FS2.

TERMS: Six-year agreement. (2020-21 through 2025-26 athletic seasons).

RIGHTS FEES: Combined $270 million over six years with additional third-tier rights currently in negotiation.

ANNUAL FOOTBALL COVERAGE

CBS Networks:

• 23 games on linear CBS or CBSSN.

• Minimum of three (3) games annually on CBS.

• Maximum of five (5) Friday windows, not including special dates.

• Ten (10) additional games available for CBS All Access or linear carriage.

• First seven (7) picks of MW-controlled games, then alternating selection with FOX.

• Rights to all Boise State Conference road games.

FOX Networks:

• MW Football Championship Game on FOX or FS1. Games can be played Friday or Saturday.

• 16-23 regular-season games.

• Minimum of seven (7) games annually on FOX or FS1.

• Maximum of five (5) Friday windows, not including special dates.

• Rights to all Boise State home games.

Hawaii Football

• Maximum of four (4) Hawai’i games may be selected collectively by the two networks each year.

Broadcast Windows

• Saturday Kick-Off: 11:00 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. (FOX)/8:00 p.m. (CBS) local time.

• Friday Kick-Off: 5:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. (FOX)/8:00 p.m. (CBS) local time.

ANNUAL MEN’S BASKETBALL COVERAGE

CBS Networks:

• MW Men’s Basketball Championship Game on CBS.

• Game must be played on NCAA Tournament selection weekend.

• Quarterfinals and Semifinals on CBSSN.

• Thirty-two (32) games on linear CBS or CBSSN. • Minimum of two (2) annually on CBS.

• Ten (10) additional games available for CBS All Access or linear carriage.

• First twelve (12) picks of MW-controlled games then alternating selection with FOX.

FOX Networks:

• 16-32 regular-season games.

• Minimum of 12 annually on FOX or FS1. All remaining games on FS1 or FS2.

• Between the two partners, MW men’s basketball windows anticipated to include most nights of the week.

Broadcast Windows:

• Saturday Tip-Offs: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time.

• Sunday Tip-Offs: 11 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time.

• Weekday Tip-Offs: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time.

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UNLV needs late surge to survive Wyoming upset bid

Game Recap: UNLV 78, Wyoming 69 (OT) Rebels move to 4-1 in MW; Cowboys still winless Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire UNLV holds steady in second place despite a close call in Laramie TJ Otzelberger’s team found a way to survive on …

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Game Recap: UNLV 78, Wyoming 69 (OT)


Rebels move to 4-1 in MW; Cowboys still winless


Contact/Follow @andrewdieckhoff & @MWCwire

UNLV holds steady in second place despite a close call in Laramie

TJ Otzelberger’s team found a way to survive on Saturday, preserving the hot streak that has marked their coach’s first season in the Mountain West.

UNLV (9-9, 4-1 MW) beat Wyoming 78-69 in Laramie’s Arena-Auditorium, but the Runnin’ Rebels needed a late push – and an extra five minutes – to save themselves from the Cowboys’ upset bid.

The Rebels were led by Bryce Hamilton’s 19 points off the bench. Jonah Antonio and Marvin Coleman were both also in double digits for UNLV, scoring 15 and 14, respectively. Donnie Tillman also added 10 points from the bench.

Kwane Marble paced Wyoming (5-13, 0-6 MW) in the scoring department with 19 points, followed closely by Jake Hendricks with 18 and Hunter Maldonado with 16. Marble was extremely efficient, going 4-for-4 from the field and 9-for-11 on free throws, but Maldonado and Hendricks combined to shoot just 30% on the game.

Wyoming led by seven points with 1:25, after Hunter Thompson hit the front end of a trip to the free throw line. But a 7-0 run, capped by two Donnie Tillman free throws in the dying seconds, forced overtime.

The Cowboys never led again.

UNLV opened up the extra period with back-to-back three-pointers from Coleman and Antonio. Coleman also hit a three during the late run to push the game into overtime.

The second-year Rebel is averaging nearly ten points per game since being installed in the Rebels’ starting lineup just before Christmas. Antonio, another recent addition to the starting five, reached double figures for the first time since the team’s opening game of the season.

Those adjustment has already paid early dividends for Otzelberger, with the team going 5-1 over their past six games. UNLV has finally climbed back to .500 after losing eight of their first 12 games.

That they were victorious despite a poor offensive showing from Amauri Hardy is especially encouraging for a team that has looked one-dimensional at times.

Saturday’s triumph was the fourth in five tries for UNLV in Mountain West play, keeping them in a second-place tie with New Mexico. The Lobos were also victorious over the weekend, beating Air Force at home. Both teams trail undefeated San Diego State, with the Aztecs moving to 17-0 after an easy win over Boise State.

In stark contrast to the early success of those teams, Wyoming still remains winless on the conference season. The Cowboys are in last place in the Mountain West, trailing Fresno State by a game and a half.

UP NEXT

UNLV hosts San Jose State (6-12, 2-4 MW) on Wednesday night. The Spartans are coming off a loss to Colorado State over the weekend, but they haven’t looked like the pushovers they were a year ago. Jean Prioleau’s club has already beaten New Mexico and Nevada in league play. They also came closer than anyone else to beating San Diego State, with Malachi Flynn’s buzzer-beater serving as the Aztecs’ only saving grace.

Wyoming will head to Reno to take on Nevada (10-7, 3-2 MW) in a Tuesday night matchup. The Wolf Pack have stumbled a bit of late, with the aforementioned loss to San Jose State and another to Utah State making for a very forgettable week. But this team is plenty talented and should have the offensive firepower to outgun the Cowboys. Jalen Harris should be in the mix for MW Player of the Year honors if he can continue to light up the league’s defenses.

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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Jan. 11 Mountain West Basketball Scoreboard, TV Schedule, Odds

Jan. 11 Mountain West Basketball Scoreboard, TV Schedule, Odds A full slate of league games. Contact/Follow @MWCwire Stay up to date for the latest MW games. Colorado State at San Jose State, 5 p. ET, TV: Mountain West Network KenPom: Rams -6 Larry: …

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Jan. 11 Mountain West Basketball Scoreboard, TV Schedule, Odds


A full slate of league games.


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Stay up to date for the latest MW games.

Colorado State at San Jose State, 5 p. ET, TV: Mountain West Network

KenPom: Rams -6

Larry: Colorado State

Josh F: Colorado State

Ted: Colorado State

Andrew: Colorado State

Jeremy: San Jose State

Air Force at New Mexico 6 p.m. ET, TV: Facebook

KenPom: Lobos -10

Larry: New Mexico

Josh F: New Mexico 

Ted: New Mexico

Andrew: New Mexico

Jeremy: New Mexico

UNLV at Wyoming, 7 p.m. ET, TV: AT&T SportsNet

KenPom: Rebels -5

Larry: UNLV

Josh F: UNLV

Ted: Wyoming

Andrew: UNLV

Jeremy: UNLV

Nevada at Utah State, 8 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network

KenPom: Aggies -6

Larry: Utah State

Josh F: Nevada

Ted: Utah State

Andrew: Utah State

Jeremy: Utah State

Boise State at San Diego State

KenPom: Aztecs -13, 10 p.m. ET, TV: ESPN3

Larry: San Diego State

Josh F: San Diego State

Ted: San Diego State

Andrew: San Diego State

Jeremy: San Diego State

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