Mountain West Notebook
by Brad Best
The Mountain West Conference men’s basketball teams have collectively hit a bumpy patch in the road that has brought many teams down from their early season peaks and into the valley where pre-season expectations were formed.
Take Saturday, December 8 as an example. BYU and Utah each had opportunities to beat ranked opponents but came up short. San Diego State had a chance to knock off Saint Mary’s, the No. 2 RPI team in the country, and likewise didn’t come out on top. Colorado State went up against Minnesota and lost as well. These were opportunities for the conference to stretch itself beyond its borders and gain some national recognition.
With just a few more games on the non-conference schedule, we’ll see who can bolster their resumes for March with some quality wins and gain some momentum going in to conference play.
New Mexico Lobos (8-2)
After a 7-0 start, the Lobos dropped two in a row before rebounding with a convincing win over the University of San Diego. Mississippi handed the Lobos their first loss by an eight point margin. Arch-rival New Mexico State defeated them by nine points just three days later. These were two of the early tests for New Mexico and they failed to measure up on both accounts. These games were played away from the friendly confines of The Pit, which is often a difference-maker for New Mexico.
Coach Steve Alford is giving everyone a chance to play, with 10 players getting minutes in each game. This has led to 44 percent of the scoring and 45 percent of the rebounding coming off the bench.
Next opponents:
Dec. 15 vs. Texas Tech
Dec. 19 vs. New Mexico State
San Diego State Aztecs (8-2)
There is also a lot of team basketball being played at San Diego State. The Aztecs have five players scoring in double figures and Richie Williams is just shy of joining that group. After serving an early season suspension and having to earn his way back into the starting lineup, Williams has picked up the pace in the last three games. Junior college transfer Kelvin Davis is emerging as an explosive and consistent scorer who may develop into the go-to guy.
The Aztecs did not schedule especially tough this year, so losses to Cal and Saint Mary’s are missed opportunities. A road victory over Arizona next week would certainly help their chances for an at-large bid come March.
Next opponents:
Dec. 17 vs. Navy
Dec. 22 at Arizona
BYU Cougars (7-2)
The Cougars have beat up on the teams that they were supposed to and have played tough against ranked opponents. So no surprises either way out of BYU thus far. It should be status quo for the remainder of the non-conference schedule. The one exception may be the away game at Wake Forest in January. The Cougars get another shot at an ACC team and will look to make the most of it. Trent Plaisted, Lee Cummard, and Jonathan Tavernari are the team leaders in both points and rebounds.
Next opponents
Dec. 12 vs. Lamar
Dec. 15 vs. Pepperdine
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (7-2)
The Rebels have a perfect record in December after dropping two games in late November. They will have a tough test against Arizona next week, but they will have home court advantage. Curtis Terry, Wink Adams and Joe Darger are each averaging 13 points per contest to lead the way. Adams and Darger are shooting sub-40 percent from the field, so the Rebels will need to improve shot selection and execution as they move into closer to conference play. Their rebounding numbers are also surprisingly low considering how many shots they are missing. Not sure if the Rebels will be in the top tier of the conference when it is all over.
Next opponents
Dec. 19 vs. Arizona
Dec. 22 vs. Univ. Tennessee-Martin
TCU Horned Frogs (5-3)
With a lackluster schedule and so-so record, it’s hard to tell whether there will be much improvement this year by the Horned Frogs. Most recently they beat a 1-5 Texas Southern team at home. The Horned Frogs feature a three-guard, two-forward starting line-up. Junior college transfer Henry Salter is the leading scorer, with returning starters Brent Hackett and Kevin Langford close behind. While they are taking a team approach to rebounding, with five players averaging at least four rebounds per game, they will need more minutes and more help from their big men if they are going to be successful against the tall trees in the Mountain West.
Next opponents
Dec. 17 vs. Univ. Texas-Arlington
Dec. 22 vs. Prairie View
Utah Utes (5-3)
Utah has the type of inside-outside game that should make them a tough match-up on any given night. They also have one of the top big men in the country in Luke Nevill. New coach Jim Boylen just needs to figure out how to make it all work well together. Highly touted transfer Tyler Kepkay scored a career-high 23 points in the loss against Oregon, but was the only double-digit scorer for the Utes. Still, look for the Utes to make some noise in conference play.
Next opponents
Dec. 15 vs. Missouri State
Dec. 22 at California
Air Force Falcons (6-4)
After a 5-0 start, the Falcons dropped the next four games before bouncing back against Prairie View. The Falcons have three players shooting better than 50 percent, but it looks like this year’s squad will take a step back from where the program has been the last few years. Three-point shooting is down this year, and the Falcons are typically lacking in size as most military schools are. It looks like a tough road is ahead.
Next opponents
Dec. 13 vs. Norfolk State
Dec. 22 vs. Colorado Christian
Wyoming Cowboys (4-3)
Former Wyoming coach Steve McClain, now an assistant coach with Colorado, didn’t have the same type of homecoming his new head coach Jeff Bzdelik had when he returned to face the team he coached last season. Bzdelik and the Colorado Buffaloes were able to knock off Air Force, but they came up short against the Cowboys last week in a good early win for Wyoming. They have the best backcourt in the conference. Brandon Ewing is a potential MVP for the conference and tough to contain. If they can just get a little help from the frontcourt they should be pretty good.
Next opponents
Dec. 15 vs. Montana State
Dec. 21 vs. Buffalo
Colorado State Rams (5-4)
In their first three away games, the Rams dropped all three contests by a combined total of 69 points. Poor shooting and failure to take care of the basketball were key reasons whey they were not successful. Marcus Walker has put up nearly 40 more shots than anyone else on the team but is shooting close to 50 percent. His three-point shooting has been sub-par though and will need to improve if he is going to continue to shoot out there. The Rams can put up a size advantage over most teams, so look for them to slow games down and create opportunities for their big men inside.
Next opponents
Dec. 15 at North Dakota State
Dec. 19 at Nevada
