Join me live from courtside as I'll be blogging throughout today's game in San Diego. Plus, you can check out both the live video stream of the game at CBSSports.com, while tracking the stats at TheMWC.com.

Fisher responded by telling those in attendance to write down their suggestions on napkins. All would be considered.

Clearly, none worked.

In BYU's 71-58 win over SDSU at the Marriott Center in Provo on Jan. 26, Fredette accounted for nearly 61 percent of his team's scoring, finishing with 43 points, his second-highest total of the season.

On Saturday, the Aztecs will have the opportunity to implement Plan B.

In a game of enormous proportions, No. 4 SDSU (27-1, 12-1) hosts No. 7 BYU (25-2, 12-1) in a contest that will be nationally televised by CBS (11 a.m. PT). On the line for both teams is not only first place in the Mountain West Conference and a regular-season crown, but the possibility of gaining a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. For SDSU, it is a chance to avenge its only loss of the season and extend its home win streak to 19 games. The Aztecs have not lost a home outing since falling to the Cougars 71-69 on Jan. 23 last year. For BYU, it is an opportunity to sweep the season series for the third straight year and move in front of an SDSU squad that has been ahead of it in the national polls all season.

The Aztecs will have had a week to prepare for the Cougars, but that was also the case in January, when Fredette, a national Player of the Year candidate, hit 14-of-24 shots from the floor, including 5-of-8 three-point attempts, and was 10-of-11 from the foul line.

"We go back and watch him in every game since we played them last," Fisher said. "In bits and pieces of it we'll see what others have done. He was a mere mortal the last two games and he was in the mid-20's (prior to scoring a game-high 34 in Wednesday's 84-76 win over Colorado State). In those games, he missed shots that he had made before. We hopefully will do a few things differently. It's going to be hard to beat them if he gets 43 points again. We'll see what we can do, but he's been a hard guard for us for his career. I'm sure he's excited about coming in."

Fredette, nursing a sore left calf, connected on just 9-of-26 attempts from the floor and was 2-of-8 from three-point range against Colorado State, but hit 14-of-16 free throw attempts to register his 13th consecutive game with 20+ points. The senior point guard leads the nation with a 27.4 scoring average, the highest since Davidson's Stephen Curry posted an NCAA-best 28.6 points per game during the 2008-09 campaign.

"We're just looking forward to being able to go down there to play (San Diego State)," Fredette told the Deseret News. "It's going to be a great atmosphere. Hopefully, we can come out with a win. It's going to be nationally televised. A lot of people will be watching it. It's one of the biggest games the Mountain West Conference has ever seen. I'm just looking forward to the challenge."

The initial meeting of the season between the Aztecs and Cougars marked the first MWC matchup between two Top 10 teams in the league's 12-year history. SDSU and BYU have combined for more wins than any other two-team combination in any conference in the nation. Saturday's game is the 11th this season featuring two teams ranked in the Top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.

SDSU holds the No. 2 spot in the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), while BYU is rated No. 3. Overall, the MWC has four teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI, with UNLV (26) and Colorado State (47) joining the Aztecs and Cougars. CollegeRPI.com ranks the Mountain West at No. 4 in conference RPI, ahead of the ACC, SEC and Pac-10. Heading up the list are the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12, respectively.

"This is our sixth year (at BYU) as a staff and we've won three regular-season conference championships and finished second twice," said Cougars coach Dave Rose. "If it's not San Diego State, it's New Mexico. If it's not New Mexico, it's Utah. There's always somebody there trying to keep you from achieving your goal of winning a conference championship.

"That's where we are again this year. These are two great teams, teams that this year are a little bit more in the national spotlight than maybe they've been in the past. But it's the same challenge: trying to find a way to win a regular-season conference championship."

If BYU wins, it would own any tiebreaker in the event the teams finish tied for first place by virtue of having swept the season series. If SDSU wins, and the two teams finish tied, the tiebreaker will be determined by comparing each team's record against each of the other seven MWC squads, in descending order in the standings.

"In all probability we're playing to see who wins the Mountain West Conference, so that's number one," Fisher said. "It's not a given, because we both still have two games to play (after Saturday), but it's a huge game. It's a huge game from a national NCAA Tournament rating opportunity. All of that factors in. We're getting a lot of play and a lot of talk, as is BYU, and it's justified for both teams.

"These are two really, really good teams playing one another and I would think that both San Diego State and BYU, regardless of what happens on Saturday, will get good high seeds in the NCAA Tournament, which should bode well for opportunity...this is a huge game for either team that wins."

Around the League
With Wednesday's loss to BYU, Colorado State (18-9, 8-5) fell a half game behind UNLV in the battle for third place in the MWC. The Rams play at Air Force (13-13, 4-9) on Saturday...UNLV (21-7, 9-5), which hung on to beat New Mexico (17-11, 5-8) 77-74 in overtime on Wednesday, will be either a No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the MWC Tournament. The Rebels, who host Wyoming on Saturday, cannot finish any higher or lower...Wyoming (10-17, 3-10), which knocked off Air Force 63-61 on Wednesday, could improve its MWC Tournament seeding by winning out, but will have to do so against UNLV, San Diego State and BYU...TCU (10-19, 1-13), which dropped a 50-48 decision to Utah (13-15, 6-8) on Tuesday, will be either the No. 8 or 9 seed in the MWC Tournament.

TCU senior Helena Sverrisdottir, nicknamed "Ice" for her native Hafnarfjordour, Iceland, is now the only player in program history to amass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in a career. Earlier this month, she also became the program's all-time leader in career starts. Sverrisdottir made her 122nd career start Tuesday night against Utah, a win to improve the Horned Frogs record to 19-9 overall and 11-3 in MWC play.

Sverrisdottir currently ranks fifth in the MWC in both scoring (15.0 ppg) and assists (4.1).

"She came in as a freshman and made an immediate impact," said coach Jeff Mittie. "She's a great person on and off the floor and a great ambassador for TCU. She's just one of those players who is a difference-maker in your program.

"Her basketball skills are very unique. There aren't many 6-foot point guards out there who can do what she does. We're very lucky to have her."

Buzzer Beaters

The Utah men's team wasn't the only squad on campus to win with a last-second shot on Saturday.

While Chris Hines' three-pointer at the horn proved the difference in the men's 62-60 win at New Mexico, it was Iwalani Rodrigues who did the honors for the Utah women's team (13-15, 6-8), knocking down a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat New Mexico 61-58 in Salt Lake City.

"It was a good day to be a Ute," said coach Anthony Levrets. "The funny thing was that I think (Rodrigues) had missed five three-point shots in a row and she was a little down. I called her over and told her, 'At one point this season, you made 13 straight threes,' which was one away from the NCAA record. I told her, 'You can't stop shooting; you're going to make the next one and before the game is over you're going to make a huge one for us.' I just wanted to keep her confidence up. Sure enough, because she is a good shooter, if she gets opportunities, she's going to make a lot of shots."

Small Steps, Major Milestones

An Air Force program that had struggled to find success in recent seasons continues to make significant strides under first-year coach Andrea Williams.

The Falcons' point total in their 91-87 victory over UNLV last Wednesday marked their second-highest scoring output since moving into Division I, and the most in a Mountain West Conference game.

The victory gave Air Force (8-17, 3-9) its eighth home win of the season, the team's highest total in the Division I era.

"We've brought excitement back to the program and gotten it back to the point of respectability," said Williams, whose team is two victories removed from tying its highest win total since the conference's inaugural season in 1999-2000. "Teams aren't thinking that they can come in here and walk all over us anymore.

"But we still have a lot of things we want to accomplish. We need to win a road game. One of our goals at the beginning of the season was not to finish in last place, so we need to continue to get wins. We also have a goal of winning a Mountain West Tournament game (something the Falcons have done only once). We've done some good things, some great things, but we have to have higher expectations.

"As a new (coaching) staff, we came here being used to winning, so splitting (a season series) is a different kind of focus. But it's a good focus. We understand where (the program) is coming from. We're very happy with what we've been able to accomplish, but we've got a lot of work to do."

Falcons Have Fan in Legerski

Wyoming coach Joe Legerski is one win away from guiding his team (19-6, 9-3) to its fifth 20-win season in six years.

Nonetheless, Legerski is keenly aware that pocketing win No. 20 at Air Force on Wednesday will not come without a tussle. Among the Falcons' victims at Clune Arena this season have been San Diego State, the defending MWC Tournament champion and a NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 qualifier a year ago; defending regular-season conference champion TCU; and UNLV, a team that until last Wednesday had beaten Air Force 26 times in the teams' previous 29 meetings.

"Air Force has some big wins at home this season and they're going to come out and compete for 40 minutes," Legerski said. "They've shown that they're capable of getting on a roll just like any other team in this league. When everything is going well for them, they can be a very tough out."

Inexperience: The Double-Edged Sword

While injuries and transfers have left Colorado State (12-13, 5-7) with only eight players this season, a factor that figures heavily in the team's current four-game losing streak, coach Kristen Holt can take solace in knowing that at least nine of the 12 players on her roster this season are scheduled to return in 2010-11.

Among those players is Kim Mestdagh, the fourth-highest scorer (16.4 ppg) in the league and the only active junior in the MWC with 1,000 career points; Sam Martin, who currently ranks second among MWC freshman in scoring (12.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg); and sophomore Meixandra Porter, who tallied a career-best 19 points against TCU last week.

CSU's has also signed Kara Spotton, a 6-foot-2 forward from Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins who is rated as a top 100 prospect by ESPN.

"This season is going to help our younger players in the long run, because when we do get all of our pieces back, then they're just going to be that much better," Holt said. "But with these last four games, we've got to find a way to win. We've got to find a way to grit it out and get out of this losing streak."

Lobos Look to Rebound

For the first time this season, New Mexico (9-15, 3-9) failed to hit a three-point shot in Saturday's 61-58 loss at Utah. Conversely, Utah, which won on a three-pointer at the buzzer, was 4-of-10 beyond the arc as it rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half.

But while shooting woes have proven problematic for the Lobos the majority of the season, coach Don Flanagan is nonetheless convinced that his team is better now than it was a month ago. "I feel now like we can compete with most teams in the conference," said Flanagan, whose team has won three of its last five league games after opening conference play 0-5. "If you had asked me that 10 games ago, I'm not sure I could have given you the same answer.

"We're playing harder now, we're playing with more confidence. We're defending better. We're defending man-to-man, which we couldn't do 10 games ago. We just need to get enough production out of our offense and be able to keep teams in the 50s. Then we'll be playing where we have to play with this team."

Better Late Than Never

Defending MWC Tournament champion San Diego State (12-13, 6-7) may be finding its stride at an optimal time.

The Aztecs, who from Jan. 19-Feb. 5 lost five straight, have suddenly won four in a row, the team's longest winning streak of the season.

SDSU's next hurdle will come at first-place BYU on Saturday. The Cougars beat the Aztecs 65-55 in San Diego on Jan. 26.

"They are probably the deepest, most talented, most experienced team in the league," said coach Beth Burns. "Each one of their perimeter players at one point was the exclusive point guard on their team. Mindy Bonham has been a point guard. Jazmine Foreman has always been a point guard and Haley Hall has always been a point guard. When you look at their assist stats (No. 3 in the nation), who are you going to try and cover? They can hurt you so many different ways. Very few teams have five players who can shut them down.

"We played at a pretty high level the first time we played them. We had a week to prepare and we prepared well, but we didn't have five people who could compete with them. Our inexperience was dramatically exposed. We couldn't match their intensity, especially in the second half. We have to hope they don't bring their best game and we're going to have to play really, really well."

Reserves to the Rescue

BYU coach Jeff Judkins has sung the praises of his bench all season. And in light of Kim Parker's performance against TCU on Saturday, Judkins isn't likely to stop singing that tune anytime soon.

Parker, a reserve freshman guard, was named the MWC Player of the Week after pacing the Cougars with a team-high 14 points in a 70-60 win over the Horned Frogs, who were bidding for a share of first place. Parker finished 4-for-4 from the free throw line and was 4-for-5 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range. She also had two rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes of action.

"Kim came in and gave us a real big lift," said Judkins, whose team (19-7, 11-1) holds a game and a half lead over TCU and a two-game lead over Wyoming heading into Wednesday's game at Colorado State. "Having a deep bench, especially when the season is winding down and people are tired and sore, it's nice to have some fresh legs and some players who can come in and really help you. Our (bench players) are always ready to come in and step up for us."

Double-Double

UNLV ended a six-game losing streak overall and a six-game losing streak against Colorado State on Saturday with a 72-60 win. The losing streak matched the Lady Rebels' longest since the 2007-08 season.

Sophomore guard Kelli Thompson scored a career-high 27 points and Jamie Smith scored 19 points and collected 12 rebounds as UNLV improved to 10-17 overall and 3-10 in conference play.

"I never got to the point where I began wondering if we were going to win again, because I'm not that type of person," said coach Kathy Olivier. "Honestly, I just kept thinking that we were capable of beating any team in our league if we just started playing well, and we did that. We came out playing really hard and we made shots. We had a lot of energy all day.

"Now we need to make it two in a row (UNLV hosts New Mexico on Wednesday). As happy as our players were after that game, there are a lot of them who are just as disappointed we haven't been playing that way all season. They feel like they can beat anyone. That doesn't mean we're going to, but they do have the confidence that they can beat anyone."

For the 12th-straight year, the MWC Swimming & Diving Championships are being held at the Oklahoma City Community College Aquatic Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Competition begins today and runs through Saturday night, with 42 events scheduled during the four-day span. In 2010, the 16th-ranked UNLV men won their sixth consecutive Mountain West Conference Men's Swimming and Diving Championship, while the BYU women won their ninth overall women's team title.

For the fourth time in the history of the league, the MWC Indoor Track & Field Championships will convene at the Albuquerque Convention Center, where New Mexico will serve as the event host. As always, the competition should be intense. The BYU men looks to win the program's ninth-straight title, while the Cougar women seeks their 10th MWC crown in 12 years.

Up-to-the-minute results, recaps and photos from both Championship events will be available at TheMWC.com all week long. Click here to visit Swimming & Diving Championship Central. To visit Indoor Track & Field Championship Central, click here.

San Diego State, whose lone loss of the season came at BYU on Jan. 26 (71-58), sits atop the conference standings at 12-1, with the Cougars following just a half-game back at 11-1 entering this week's action. Saturday's game marks SDSU's lone contest of the week, while BYU has a home date with Colorado State (18-8, 8-4) Wednesday night. BYU outlasted the Rams 94-85 in Fort Collins on Jan. 22.

The Aztecs lead the nation with 27 wins, and as the only team with one loss, own the best win percentage (.964) in Division I hoops. San Diego State and BYU have combined for more wins (52) than any other two-team combination in any other conference through games of Feb. 21.

San Diego State enters Saturday's contest riding an 18-game home win streak, which currently ranks as the sixth-longest in the NCAA. Coincidentally, the last team to beat SDSU at Viejas Arena was BYU, who escaped with a 71-69 victory on Jan. 23, 2010. In addition to featuring the NCAA's leading scorer in Cougar point guard Jimmer Fredette (27.2 ppg) and a double-double machine in Aztec forward Kawhi Leonard (15.2 ppg/10.7 rpg), the match-up will pit the nation's eighth-ranked scoring offense (BYU/83.0 ppg) vs. the seventh-best scoring defense (SDSU/58.6 ppg).

The initial meeting of the season between the Aztecs and Cougars marked the first Mountain West Conference matchup between two Top 10 teams in the league's 12-year history. Saturday's game is the 11th this season featuring two teams ranked in the Top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.

SDSU holds the No. 2 spot in the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), while BYU is rated No. 3. Overall, the MWC has four teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI, with UNLV (26) and Colorado State (47) joining the Aztecs and Cougars. CollegeRPI.com ranks the Mountain West at No. 4 in conference RPI, ahead of the ACC, SEC and Pac-10. Heading up the list are the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12, respectively.

Chat live with me, as I blog from courtside at Viejas Arena on game day. Log on to www.TheMWC.com/blog to join in the conversation.

When former San Diego State point guard Richie Williams graduated following the 2008-09 season, he departed as the Mountain West Conference all-time leader in assists and steals.

Williams would be missed, but with players such as Kawhi Leonard, Malcolm Thomas and Chase Tapley waiting to join the Aztecs in the fall of 2009, many were convinced the team was positioned to stage its best season in years. What they weren't so convinced of was whether anyone on the roster had the ability to fill Williams' shoes.

Enter D.J. Gay, who after arriving at SDSU in 2007 as a prolific high school shooting guard, is in line to earn first-team all-conference honors in his second season of running the point for the Aztecs.

One of two MWC finalists for the Cousy Award along with BYU's Jimmer Fredette, Gay recently went 177 minutes without a turnover and has had one or no turnovers in nine of his last 10 games. His scoring average of 12.1 points per game ranks second on the team, and his assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.0 is tops in the MWC. This despite playing an average of 34.7 minutes per game, a total that ranks second in the league only to Utah's Will Clyburn.

"I told people, 'Don't fret, don't worry, we're in capable hands,' " said coach Steve Fisher, whose team climbed to No. 4 in this week's ESPN/Coaches' poll and faces a first-place showdown with No. 7 BYU on Saturday at Viejas Arena. "I told them it may not be done with flash or flamboyance, but that it would get done.

"And to be honest, it's gotten done even better than I thought it would. I knew D.J. was good. I knew he was steady and reliable. He's proven to be that and a whole lot more."

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

No. 7 BYU had five players finish in double figures in Saturday's 79-56 win at TCU. And while the bulk of the Cougars' scoring came from the usual suspects --- Jimmer Fredette, Jackson Emery, Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock --- they also got 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from reserve forward Stephen Rogers, who finished 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to extend his team-leading streak to 18.

Rogers, a transfer from Mesa (Ariz.) Community College, had been averaging 4.2 points per game.

"I think Stephen has really developed into a player who his teammates trust," said coach Dave Rose. "When you bring a new player in, especially a junior college player who has a little bit of experience, you try to fit him in, and sometimes that process takes a little bit of time.

"But, defensively, I think he understands our system much better, and he's found a fit in there. We tried him at the 2, the 3 and the 4 to try and find a way to have him help this team. And I think we've finally found a niche for him that works best. I just think the trust that he's developed with his teammates both on the offensive and defensive end has allowed him to begin playing with a lot of confidence."

Falcons Fighting off Frustration

Air Force (13-12, 4-8) has stood toe-to-toe with its last two opponents, building a halftime lead against San Diego State on Saturday after pushing UNLV to the limit on the road last Tuesday.

Unfortunately, both outings culminated in losses for the Falcons, who are trying to find their feet after dropping three in a row and five of their last seven.

"We've got to learn to finish," said coach Jeff Reynolds. "This time of year, teams that seem to have success do things on a consistent basis. They execute their offense under duress in a halfcourt setting and they guard in a halfcourt setting. Lately, our shooting percentage has tailed off. I think it's a combination of the opponents we've played, plus we're missing some open shots.

"We've been in every game we've played this year with the exception of our game at home against BYU (a 90-52 loss on Feb. 9). Our guys know that if we play our style, if we make shots and contest shots, that we're going to have a shot to win. Any team in this league can beat you, whether it's home or on the road."

The Other Side of the Coin

A year ago, New Mexico was 12-1 in games decided by six or fewer points.

This season, five of the Lobos' seven losses in league play have come by six or fewer points, including Saturday's 62-60 loss to Utah, a setback that came when the Utes' Chris Hines hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.

It's all part of learning how to close out games for a team that starts four underclassmen, two of them freshmen.

"It's hard for coaches and players, but you have to have the ability to move on," said coach Steve Alford. "You've got to move on if you make a bad play or if you make a good play. If you have a good win or a bad loss, you have to get on to the next game.

"Finishing halves, finishing games, it takes a lot of time for young guys. They're trying to find roles where they're comfortable making plays. But it's not just from an offensive standpoint, it's also knowing how to guard in those situations. I love the effort our guys are giving, it's just a learning curve they have to go through."

Tough Ticket

Despite suffering its 10th straight loss, TCU (10-18, 1-12) drew a sellout crowd of 7,258 for Saturday's game against BYU, the third-largest crowd in the 40-year history of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum and the largest since a school-record 7,267 for the Horned Frogs' Dec. 1, 2003 contest against No. 2 Kansas.

Asked if he can envision the day when sellouts are more commonplace at football-crazy TCU, coach Jim Christian said:

"There's no question. I wouldn't have come (to TCU) if I didn't think that could be the case. We've got to push it along. We've got to have more success, we've got to be able to put a team out there that people want to come see, and not just because of the team we're playing. But there's no doubt in my mind that the kind of thing that happened on Saturday can't routinely happen here."

Down to the Wire

Saturday's win at Colorado State not only pulled UNLV (20-7, 8-5) to within half a game of the Rams for third place in the MWC, it could ultimately impact NCAA Tournament bids.

The Rebels' remaining schedule includes road dates at New Mexico and Utah, sandwiched around a home game against Wyoming.

CSU, meanwhile, plays three of its final four games on the road, beginning Wednesday at BYU. The Rams must also travel to San Diego State on March 5.

"Any time you win a game at this time of year you improve yourself, and anytime you lose one you do a little damage," said UNLV coach Lon Kruger. "You want to approach the next game as being one you really have to have. And that's the way we have to approach the next (three). To approach it any differently would be a mistake."

True Grit

Utah's 62-60 win at New Mexico on Saturday, its first at The Pit since 2002, was accomplished without the services of the conference's second-leading scorer, Will Clyburn, who suffered a contusion to his right heel in last Wednesday's win over Wyoming.

The Utes (12-15, 5-8) have also been without the services of senior forward Jay Watkins, who is out for the season with a back injury.

Not to worry. At least not when Chris Hines is available for duty.

Hines, a reserve sophomore guard who had made 10 starts this season and was averaging 4.6 points, hit the game-winner with a three-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a career-high 15 points. Hines knocked down a career-best five three-pointers in the game.

Hines shot 44 percent from three-point range last year.

"He's struggled to make shots this season, but we feel like he's a good shooter," said coach Jim Boylen. "Obviously, to do it in a big game like that on the road is an awesome statement for him. I'm really proud that he stepped up when we needed him.

"That's what has to happen when you have injuries. Guys have to step up and make plays, and Chris did that. I couldn't have been happier for him."

No Excuses

Colorado State (18-8, 8-4), the third-best defensive rebounding team in the league, had more than its share of problems keeping UNLV off the offensive glass in Saturday's 68-61 loss. The Rebels outrebounded the Rams 14-5 on the offensive end, an advantage that led to nine second-chance points.

"I just thought our kids let too many things affect their game," said coach Tim Miles. "We got a couple of charges and I hear it's the ref's fault. I take somebody out of the game because they weren't boxing out and they tell me, 'I was boxing out,' or 'I missed the shot because he fouled me.'

"We were caught up in the wrong things. You hear those kinds of things from a team that's wishing and hoping. Wishing and hoping doesn't get you a win against a team that's playing like UNLV did Saturday night."

A Brighter Tomorrow

When the 2010-11 season concludes for Wyoming (9-17, 2-10), the Cowboys will lose just one senior in forward Djibril Thiam.

In addition to Thiam, Wyoming has been starting a pair of juniors and two sophomores, one of whom, Amath M'Baye, a 6-foot-9 forward, is averaging 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

It should also be remembered that 6-foot-7 redshirt junior forward Leonard Washington, arguably the team's top talent, is sitting out the season per NCAA transfer rules after coming to Wyoming from USC.

"I like to think there are a lot of bright spots," said interim head coach Fred Langley. "Amath is a guy who continues to get better every day. It's unfortunate that Joe (freshman Joe Hudson) suffered a concussion (on Wednesday at Utah), because I think he's been starting to come into his own a little bit. Des (sophomore guard Desmar Jackson), even though he's been coming off the bench and his minutes have been limited, his productivity has actually gone up. And then you have a guy like Leonard Washington sitting there.

"I see a lot of promise, but it's time for results, not just necessarily the future."

The Aztecs (27-1), whose lone loss of the season came at BYU on Jan. 26 (71-58), will host the No. 7/7 Cougars in a rematch at Viejas Arena on Saturday at noon MT. The game will be nationally televised by CBS. It is the only contest in the country this week featuring two Top 10 teams.

San Diego State sits atop the conference standings at 12-1, with BYU just a half-game back at 11-1 entering this week's action. Saturday's game marks SDSU's lone contest of the week, while BYU has a home date with Colorado State (18-8, 8-4) Wednesday night. BYU outlasted the Rams 94-85 in Fort Collins on Jan. 22.

The initial meeting of the season between the Aztecs and Cougars marked the first Mountain West Conference matchup between two Top 10 teams in the league's 12-year history. SDSU and BYU (25-2) have combined for more wins than any other two-team combination in any conference in the nation. Saturday's game is the 11th this season featuring two teams ranked in the Top 10 of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.

SDSU holds the No. 2 spot in the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), while BYU is rated No. 3. Overall, the MWC has four teams ranked in the top 50 of the RPI, with UNLV (26) and Colorado State (47) joining the Aztecs and Cougars. CollegeRPI.com ranks the Mountain West at No. 4 in conference RPI, ahead of the ACC, SEC and Pac-10. Heading up the list are the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12, respectively.

Rachel Messer and the Utah women's basketball team show their support for BYU's Alexis Kaufusi, who will miss the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma

While BYU (18-7, 10-1) could be facing a showdown for first place against TCU on Saturday at the Marriott Center, it's still nothing more than a game.

This is not: Cougars sophomore forward Alexis Kaufusi has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and will miss the remainder of the season. Coach Jeff Judkins said Kaufusi, who was averaging 4.9 points and 2.8 rebounds after appearing in 20 games this season, will undergo chemotherapy treatments for the next six months.

"We're a very close team," Judkins said. "Obviously, she's scared, but she's very positive. Her family is extremely supportive and she has a lot of friends. As a team, we want to be supportive of her in any way we can, and we hope she can get herself back to the point where she can start getting ready to rejoin us in November."

Hodgkin's Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system. It is considered one of the most curable forms of cancer. Former San Diego State men's basketball player Kelvin Davis, diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma during the 2007-08 season, overcame the disease and was awarded the 2009 U.S. Basketball Writers Most Courageous Award winner.

Meanwhile, BYU's meeting with TCU on Saturday could well determine the league's regular-season champion. The Cougars suffered their only conference loss of the season at TCU on Jan. 19, falling 54-51.

"It's probably the biggest game of the season," Judkins said. "If we win, we're going to be in really good position. We also feel like we should have won (at TCU). It's going to be a great game."

Unfinished Business

While BYU will have had a week to prepare for TCU, the Horned Frogs' meeting with the Cougars on Saturday won't mean anything if they don't win at Colorado State Wednesday night.

TCU (17-8, 9-2), which took sole possession of second place with Saturday's win over Wyoming, beat the Rams 66-40 in Fort Worth on Jan. 15.

"We know that (the BYU) game realistically only means something if we focus on what we have to get done Wednesday night," said coach Jeff Mittie. "For us, it's not really that hard not to look ahead."

Senior guard/forward Helena Sverrisdottir, who became the school's all-time leader in career-starts (119) against Wyoming, led TCU with 16 points in the Frogs' initial meeting with BYU.

Growing Up Fast

With a roster comprised of no fewer than 14 underclassmen, and without injured sophomore standout Taryn Wicijowski, it's hardly surprising that Utah has endured its share of ups and downs in 2010-11.

Yet the Utes (5-6, 12-13) are nothing if not resilient. In the wake of last Wednesday's 50-49 last-minute loss to San Diego State, Utah came within an eyelash of knocking off first-place BYU, falling 61-58. BYU had won its previous six games by an average of nearly 21 points.

"I keep thinking I'm going to have to talk to them about not hanging on to losses, but I don't," said coach Anthony Levrets. "They show up the next day as eager to learn and as eager to get better as they did the first day of practice. It's been an amazing group to coach. They take losses hard, but they don't feel sorry for themselves.

"We're not done getting better. If we get our offense going (in the MWC Tournament), with five or six kids contributing for three or four straight games, I think we can be a really dangerous team down the stretch."

Missing Pieces

Colorado State (12-11, 5-5) has battled its share of adversity this season, particularly where injuries are concerned. Among the missing are 6-foot-3 junior forward Kelly Hartig, a transfer from Virginia, and senior guard Zoi Simmons. Hartig (knee) has played in just five games this season, while Simmons (foot), who started 25 games last season, has played in only 13.

Rams coach Kristen Holt is keeping her fingers crossed in hopes that at least one, if not both, players will be available for the MWC Tournament, which tips off March 8.

"Obviously, when you get into a three- or four-game tournament, depending on your seeding, depth is nice to have because your kids at the end of the year are already tired and worn out," Holt said. "We're trying to remain optimistic (about Hartig and Simmons returning). Both of them really want to come back and they're doing everything they can, but it's a matter of whether they can heal quickly enough to get ready."

Down to the Wire

For seniors, the clock is always ticking as the final season of competition draws to a close. There's an urgency to extend the season one more game, to make the postseason a memorable one.

That's particularly true at Wyoming (18-6, 8-3), where the senior quartet of Aubrey Vandiver, Hillary Carlson, Randi Robinson and Jade Kennedy has clearly left its mark on the program.

"It's a very important time for seniors," said Cowgirls coach Joe Legerski. "They understand just how little of the season there is left. But they're also dealing with situations like where they're going to be next year, whether or not they'll apply for graduate school. What does the future hold? For seniors, that's the difficult part, not just the fact that you're running out of basketball games to be played. Underclassmen always know they're coming back, but a senior is also making plans to move on with their lives."

Power in the Paint

After dropping five straight, defending MWC Tournament champion San Diego State (11-13, 5-7) won consecutive games last week and on Tuesday night at The Pit for the first time since mid-January.

As to reasons why, look no further than the senior duo of center Paris Johnson and forward Jessika Bradley.

Johnson, who was named the MWC's co-Player of the Week along with TCU's Starr Crawford, combined to shoot 86.7 percent from the field in wins over Utah and UNLV, hitting 13-of-15 shots. She also averaged a double-double with 15.0 points and 10.5 rebounds while blocking eight shots. Johnson was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field against UNLV in helping SDSU post a 77-60 win, its highest scoring game of the season.

Bradley, meanwhile, who along with Johnson comprises the Nos. 4 and 3 rebounders in the league, respectively, averaged 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in the two games.

"If Paris and (Bradley) can continue to play at a really high level, that makes a difference," said coach Beth Burns. "They patrol the paint, clean up a lot of errors and trigger a lot of things for us.

"But it goes back to consistently getting good guard play. If we get that, I think we can win some games, because I do think (Johnson and Bradley) are capable of playing at the next level."

Lobos Find the Range

It's been a perplexing season for New Mexico coach Don Flanagan, who has routinely watched his team make shots in practice, only to see the Lobos struggle to find the mark in games.

Such was certainly not the case against Colorado State last week, as New Mexico (9-14, 3-8) shot 53.3 percent from the field (42.3 percent from three-point range) in an 86-53 win over Colorado State. The Lobos hit 11-of-26 three-point attempts, including seven by guard Jasmine Patterson, in posting their highest point total of the season.

"It's just basically about confidence," Flanagan said. "Somebody gets hot and it gets contagious. We have shooters on this team, but a lot of them are just inexperienced. It's taken awhile, but it's all about getting accustomed to playing at the college level. We also get a lot of fan support here. When you're trying to please all the fans, young players tend to get nervous instead of blocking that out and focusing on the game. I think we will shoot better from now on and I think it was a big step to have a game like that."

One Step at a Time

Despite a record of 7-16 overall and 2-8 in league play, Air Force has made some significant strides under first-year coach Andrea Williams.

The Falcons have matched their second-highest win total since the MWC's inaugural season (1999-2000), ended a 40-game losing streak against conference opponents and set a single-game attendance record (2,907 vs. Colorado State on Jan. 25).

The next step? Winning a MWC Tournament game, a hurdle Air Force has cleared only once.

"We could be a little bit of a dark horse depending on which team shows up," Williams said. "Our goal is to win at least one game in the tournament and go from there. That's what our focus will be, that's what we'll talk about. For the first time in a long time we're playing for seeding, and we'll be able to do some things if we can get some wins."

Styles Change

A year ago, UNLV's Markiell Styles was a role player, coming off the bench to average 5.5 points per game.

Having started the last six games, however, the 6-foot-3 junior center appears to be coming into her own. After recently posting a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) in a game against first-place BYU, Styles finished with a career-high 16 points and collected six rebounds in Saturday's contest at San Diego State.

"She's a bright spot and she's been playing really well," said coach Kathy Olivier, whose team (2-9, 9-16) visits Air Force Wednesday night. "She has a new-found enthusiasm for the game, and that makes it that much more fun to watch her."

While San Diego State coach Steve Fisher still has no idea when his team will regain the services of starting guard Chase Tapley (ankle), the Aztecs haven't exactly found the sophomore's absence a hardship.

James Rahon, a transfer from Santa Clara, has filled in admirably for Tapley, finishing with 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in Saturday's 63-57 win at UNLV. Rahon, who was making his fourth start of the season, scored in double figures for the ninth time this season. Arguably the team's best three-point shooter, he has made 12 of his last 23 attempts beyond the arc.

"He's a very good player who is becoming a complete player," said Fisher, whose No. 6-ranked Aztecs improved to 25-1 overall and 10-1 in MWC play. "What he's been able to give us has been extremely important.

"You have to run at him every time he gets the ball to get him off the three, and that opens up space for our big guys inside. He has no fear. He's not afraid to take a big shot. He's been invaluable to us."

Keeping His Cool

BYU National Player of the Year candidate Jimmer Fredette has found the going a bit tougher of late, with opponents trying to unnerve the nation's leading scorer with aggressive, physical defense. It's an approach that at times has tested Fredette's patience.

After averaging 34.0 points per game during the first round of league play, Fredette has averaged 25.6 points thus far in the second round. He finished with 23 in Saturday's 72-59 win over Utah, a win that moved the No. 7/8 (AP/Coaches) Cougars to 24-2 overall and 10-1 in the MWC.

"I think you have to adjust to each referee crew that is going to call the game and accept how it's being called," said coach Dave Rose. "In that aspect, I think Jimmer does a terrific job. It's late in the season, we're going through (conference play) for the second time, and I just think you're going to see a lot of players in a lot of situations throughout the league maybe become a little more chippy."

Falcons Looking to Rebound

Air Force (13-10, 4-6), a team that prides itself on making opponents play its game by slowing the pace, has surrendered an average of 82.5 points in its last two losses. Prior to a 75-61 loss at New Mexico on Feb. 1, the Falcons had allowed 70 or more points only five times this season. Last week's 90-52 loss to BYU marked the highest point total scored by an opponent at Clune Arena in 11 years.

"In February, there are two types of teams," said coach Jeff Reynolds. "There are teams that continue to get better and there are teams who are simply trying to get through it. We think our team is still working extremely hard. Our job is to get better each day in one area and then let the chips fall where they may. Our guys are confident. They know that if we play the way we're capable of that we can be in every game."

Fresh Faces, Big Talents

New Mexico freshman guard Kendall Williams finished in double figures (16 points) for the seventh time in his last nine games in Saturday's 68-62 loss at Colorado State. Williams, who hit 4-of-8 three-point attempts, has scored a total of 294 points this season, the eighth-best total by a Lobo freshman. He also has 112 assists, the fifth-best total for a freshman in New Mexico history. His 41 steals are the most by a Lobo freshman since Phil Smith had 47 in 1980-81.

"Kendall Williams has been extremely consistent for us, and it hasn't just been in league games," said coach Steve Alford, whose team (17-8, 5-5) visits No. 6 San Diego State on Wednesday night. "His assist-to-turnover ratio 4.48/1.84 has just been phenomenal for a freshman. It almost parallels what (senior guard) Dairese Gary did as a freshman, and Dairese has turned out to be a pretty good player for us. We couldn't be more thrilled with what Kendall is doing."

Frogs Refusing to Fold

While TCU (10-16, 1-10) has lost eight straight heading into Wednesday night's game against BYU, a game that will mark just the second sellout in seven years for the Horned Frogs, coach Jim Christian said his team isn't calling it quits.

"I think our kids are still competing, still playing hard" Christian said. "It's been really beneficial for our young kids to play the amount of minutes they're playing and they're improving.

"Obviously, the season hasn't unfolded the way we would have liked, particularly from a personnel standpoint. When you have to make decisions that are the best for the program and you know that in the short term it's really going to hurt your chances of winning, those are tough decisions to make. What we did was for the betterment of all the players in the program. We're trying, we're competing. Unfortunately, we just haven't been able to win."

Key Showdown

With UNLV (18-7, 6-5) and Colorado State (17-7, 7-3) both receiving votes in this week's Associated Press poll, Saturday's meeting between the two teams in Fort Collins could put the winner in position to grab a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

"It's that time of year where you start predicting and forecasting and slotting, and that's why it's such a great time of year," said UNLV coach Lon Kruger. "But what we need to do right now is just focus on getting better each day. We have to keep our focus and our attention on our next game."

The Rebels, who dropped a 78-63 decision to Colorado State in Las Vegas on Jan. 19, host Air Force Tuesday night.

Utes Hope to Get Back on Track

With five regular-season games remaining, Utah is hoping to reverse its fortunes as the MWC Tournament draws ever closer. The Utes (10-15, 3-8), who host Wyoming Wednesday night, have lost five straight after winning three in a row.

"The biggest thing for us is not turning the ball over and making shots," said coach Jim Boylen. "Our defense has improved, our rebounding is good, but we cannot turn the ball over. It's a point of emphasis, it's something we've worked on, but (turnovers) are coming from a variety of areas, not just one guy or one situation. When we take care of the ball and make shots, we're tough to beat."

Utah, which ranks last in the MWC in turnover margin (-3.96), had 17 turnovers in Saturday's loss at BYU.

Rams Continue Rise

Colorado State not only maintained sole possession of third place in the MWC with Saturday's 68-62 win over New Mexico, it may well have made inroads on gaining a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The win over the Lobos was the first for coach Tim Miles since taking over the program in 2007, and avenged a 68-61 loss to New Mexico in Albuquerque on Jan. 12.

"It just gives our guys continued confidence," said Miles, whose team last year came within a point of knocking off eventual champion San Diego State in the MWC Tournament. "We haven't been through anything like this before at Colorado State. As you keep moving forward, you gain a self-assuredness. I think that's what we get out of a game like that more than anything."

Cowboys Put Brakes on Skid

Fred Langley's first Division I victory as a head coach also marked the end of an eight-game losing streak for Wyoming (9-16, 2-9), which knocked off TCU on Saturday 77-67.

"Ironically, the guys weren't going crazy high-fiving each other," said Langley, the team's interim head coach. "I walked into the locker room and nobody was really saying anything. I think everybody was excited, but it was also a relief to know that we got the monkey off our back. And I kind of got the feeling that this group may not be done yet, that they're going to continue to fight and hopefully have the opportunity to get another win as we continue on.

"These kids have been great. Every coach will tell you it's because of the kids that's we're in the business. They've been through a lot this year, but they continue to fight and work their tails off in practice. I'm really proud of them."

The University of Oxford, which routinely produces British prime ministers but seldom NFL linebackers, took home first place Friday in the 6th annual International Sports MBA Case Competition, hosted by San Diego State.

In a competition comprised of 10 four-person teams from 10 universities, each was asked to present a case solution on the topic of BCS reform. None of the teams was informed of the subject matter until 8 a.m. Thursday morning, leaving them with but 24 hours to present their case solutions.

And while you're more likely to stumble across a cricket wicket or a field hockey stick at the second oldest university in the world, you'll also find more than a handful of Rhodes scholars --- and at least one guy from Detroit.

Scott Lockhart, one of three Americans comprising the four-man Oxford team, hasn't played organized football since middle school. Nonetheless, he claims he and his mates are "passionate" about college football --- and bringing down the BCS.

"We came with one mindset, because (the BCS) is ripe for change," Lockhart said. "It's what everyone wants, except for those few people right now who are pulling the strings."

Judges for the competition included Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson; San Diego State President Stephen Weber; San Diego State athletic director Jim Sterk; San Diego Chargers executive vice president and chief operating officer Jim Steeg; and Brett Morris of Radical Football LLC. Morris has aligned himself with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in a quest to bring reform to the BCS. Morris told the members of the Oxford team he intends to get them together with Cuban.

"I thought it was very beneficial for the Mountain West Conference to get some ideas from some very bright students who used their talents and creativity to find a solution to the BCS," Thompson said. "It wasn't as though they simply presented a 100 percent pure playoff model. There were some very creative ideas about scheduling regular-season games that might separate various teams because of who you play. This was a very bright group of graduate students who gave a lot of thought to this topic. And for them, I think it was a very heartfelt topic."

Florida finished second in the competition, while UCLA finished third. San Diego State and Texas tied for fourth.

The BYU men's basketball team isn't the only squad on campus making life miserable for opponents.

At the moment, no one seems to have an answer for the women's team, either.

The Cougars (16-7, 8-1) were positively dominant last week, leveling Wyoming 73-48 in a showdown for first place, then drubbing UNLV 79-44. For those keeping score, that's a combined scoring differential of 30 points per game.

"I think we're playing our best basketball right now," said coach Jeff Judkins. "Everybody on our team knows what their roles are and what they need to do. We're just putting a lot of phases of our game together right now. We have good balance and good depth. But we know it's a long season, and hopefully we'll just continue to get better."

While BYU has yet to garner a single vote in the Associated Press poll, it's difficult to imagine there are 25 teams in the nation better than the Cougars. BYU, which has the luxury of utilizing as many as 10 players, presents a formidable challenge in the frontcourt in 6-foot-7 freshman Jennifer Hamson and 6-foot-1 senior forward Coriann Fraughton. Hamson leads the team in field-goal percentage (65.1), while Fraughton is averaging 11.0 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per contest.

The Cougars are also a handful at the guard spot, where senior Mindy Bonham (12.1 ppg) ranks among the school's all-time top players in career scoring (1,164 points), assists (422) and steals (215).

Add to that mix a player like reserve 6-foot-3 junior center Kristen Riley (9.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg), and the Cougars, who are averaging a league-high 70.3 points per game, could be a tough assignment for any team in the postseason.

Slump Buster

TCU coach Jeff Mittie, whose team's shooting woes clearly contributed to consecutive losses to New Mexico and Air Force, may have identified a cure-all in sophomore forward DeLisa Gross.

Gross, who entered Saturday's game against San Diego State averaging 7.8 points, scored a career-high 20 against the Aztecs in the Horned Frogs' 63-52 win. But it wasn't simply Gross' point total that was noteworthy. She hit all seven of her shot attempts from the field, tying Ashley Davis, who went 7-of-7 in 2007, for the best single-game field goal percentage in school history.

"She had a great game," said Mittie, whose team improved to 15-8 overall and 7-2 in league play. "She got a lot of high-percentage looks. And even though we didn't shoot great in the last 30 minutes of the game, overall we shot well as a group. DeLisa was big for us, as was Briesha Wynn (career-high 13 points). It was a good performance by those two."

Lobos Guard at Her Best

With running mates Nikki Nelson and Sara Halasz lost for the season due to injuries, New Mexico senior guard Amanda Best has been left to do the majority of the heavy lifting in the backcourt this season.

In Saturday's 64-59 win over Air Force, Best arguably turned in her top performance of the season, narrowly missing a triple-double when she scored 15 points to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists.

"I think it was her best game of the season, just a great all-around game" coach Don Flanagan said of Best, who led the team in scoring seven times last season while pacing New Mexico in rebounding on seven occasions. "She had a very good assists-to-turnover ratio, she scored, she rebounded, she did a lot of things to help us."

Best wasn't alone. The Lobos, who have endured their share of shooting struggles this season, shot 52.2 percent from the field. In addition to Best, three other players scored in double figures, including Jessica Kielpinski (13), Lauren Taylor (11) and Porche Torrance (10).

"Improving our shooting percentage has been a concern all season," Flanagan said. "When we can do that, we're usually in games."

The Lobos are 8-13 overall and 2-7 in MWC play after Tuesday night's 78-65 loss to Wyoming in Laramie.

Johnson Standing Tall

Though her team may be enduring a challenging season after advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 last year, San Diego State senior center Paris Johnson has refused to let frustration mar her final year with the Aztecs (8-13, 2-7).

Johnson, who is averaging a team-best 14.8 points per game and ranks second in rebounding (7.7 per outing), became the school's all-time career blocks leader last Wednesday when she rejected three shots against Colorado State. Her final block gave her 252 in her career, surpassing the previous record of 251 set by Michelle Suman (1991-92, 1994-95).

On pace to break the school record for consecutive starts, which currently stands at 122 set in 2010 by former teammate Quenese Davis, Johnson has started all 118 games since beginning her collegiate career in 2007-08. She currently ranks second in the MWC in career blocks, trailing only New Mexico's Jordan Adams, who had 344 from 1999-2003.

"The versatility she's displayed, the commitment to do anything we ask her to do to keep us moving forward, for all of those things, she has been terrific," said coach Beth Burns. "I'm going to miss her terribly, as much as a person in addition to what she does on the court. She hasn't missed a beat. She hasn't bought into frustration, she just keeps working really, really hard and I'm very proud of her for that. Her body of work at San Diego State will speak for itself."

So Much for First-Year Jitters

Michelle Plouffe, Utah's 6-foot-4 freshman forward, earned MWC Player of the Week honors by averaging 25.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game in wins over UNLV and Air Force.

After scoring a career-high 30 points against UNLV, Plouffe scored 12 of the team's final 14 points after Air Force had narrowed the deficit to four with 9:30 left in Utah's 55-40 win.

"She's really talented," said coach Anthony Levrets, whose squad improved to 12-11 overall and 5-4 in league play. "Not only is she a great player, but she's a great person, too. She works all the time on her game.

"Early in the year, we knew she was a good shooter. But when you combine her talent with her work ethic, I think the sky is the limit for her."

Changing a Mindset

First-year coach Andrea Williams knew that reversing the fortunes of Air Force women's basketball wasn't going to happen overnight. The key was trying to eliminate a pattern of one step forward, two steps back, which occurred last week when Air Force (2-7, 7-15) dropped a pair of games to New Mexico and Utah after knocking off former league leader TCU.

"It's difficult to learn how to win," Williams said. "That's where you need an experienced quarterback or an experienced point guard to be able to take the team on their shoulders and make other players listen to them, not just what the coach is saying. Megan (sophomore guard Muniz) has been trying to do that, but this being her first year as a starter, that role is kind of new to her.

"It's just going to be a process. I think we've already overcome some big hurdles where we now think we can be in every game."

Start Fast, Finish Strong

Colorado State (12-10, 5-4) held its own against Wyoming on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Rams did so in the second half after digging themselves a 41-22 hole at intermission.

After playing what coach Kristen Holt defined as possibly her team's best game of the season in a 56-51 win at San Diego State last Wednesday, CSU was late answering the bell against the Cowgirls, who got a career-high 35 points from senior Aubrey Vandiver.

"We had a similar situation against Utah, but we were able to come back and win," Holt said. "I don't think it was a case of our kids not being ready to play against Wyoming, but sometimes when things haven't gone our way we haven't always had that grit that you need to keep going. I just didn't see the same intensity and fight as I did in the San Diego State game, where we came out and got the lead. That shouldn't be what motivates you to play hard."

No Peeking

With a road date against TCU set for Saturday, in a game that could factor heavily in the MWC Tournament pairings, Wyoming (18-5, 8-2) knew it could ill afford to look past New Mexico heading into Tuesday night's home game. The Cowgirls held off the Lobos for a 78-65 win, led by Aubrey Vandiver's double-double (28 points and 10 rebounds) and a career-high 23 points from Jade Kennedy.

The Lobos entered the contest having won two of their last three, with one of those victories coming at TCU.

"We talk about that each and every night out," said coach Joe Legerski. "That's just how we approach the season. We always look at the game at-hand, that's all we worry about. I only watch film of the opponent we're going to play in the next game and I only look at the statistics of the opponent we're going to play in the next game. We keep everything focused on the game that's coming up next on our schedule. We don't have the luxury of looking down the road. If we start peeking down the road, we're going to get beat."

Lady Rebels Searching for Answers

With her team having dropped three straight and seven of its last nine, UNLV coach Kathy Olivier is getting back to the basics.

"It's just doing the things we really take pride in, and that's everything you could possibly think of," Olivier said. "Getting our hands up, getting in a good defensive stance, blocking out, taking care of the basketball, setting better screens. It's all about making the game easier for everybody by doing the little things that are so important in this game. We just need to focus on fundamentals."

The Lady Rebels (9-14, 2-7), who will host TCU on Wednesday, got a double-double from junior Markiell Styles (13 points, 13 rebounds) in Saturday's loss at BYU. It was Styles' second double-double of the season.

Not only did No. 6 San Diego State (23-1, 8-1) escape Saturday's upset bid by TCU (60-53), it also escaped potential disaster when it was announced Sunday that X-rays on the injured feet of starting guard Chase Tapley and key backup Tim Shelton proved negative.

Tapley left the game with a sprained left ankle with 14:40 left in the first half. Shelton exited two minutes later with what was initially feared to be a broken bone in his right foot.

Both are questionable for Tuesday night's game against Utah.

"We have a lot of experienced players this year, and we're fortunate we've had guys be able to come in and step up in these kind of situations," said coach Steve Fisher.

The other positive for SDSU is that it plays three of its next five games at home, where it has won 16 straight, including nine straight against MWC opponents.

Cougars Hurting, Too

No. 7/8 BYU (22-2, 8-1) swept its season series against UNLV with a 78-64 win on Saturday, but not without a cost.

Freshman guard Kyle Collinsworth suffered a concussion and center James Anderson has a shoulder separation.

"We'll know more this afternoon when we get to practice," said coach Dave Rose. "They're both in a situation where we'll evaluate them day to day. I think Kyle is doing better than he was on Saturday. James' shoulder is sore, so we'll have to see what kind of range of motion he has and what he can actually do."

Falcons Solving Road Woes

Air Force (13-9, 4-5), which prior to Jan. 29 had lost 20 straight MWC games away from Clune Arena, won its second consecutive conference road game Saturday when it knocked off Utah 54-49.

The Falcons, who got a career-high 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists from Zach Bohannon, have won consecutive road games for the first time since winning at Colorado State and Wyoming on Jan. 3 and 13, 2007.

Air Force now returns home for Wednesday's rematch with No. 7/8 BYU. The Falcons held strong against the Cougars in the teams' initial meeting in Provo on Jan. 8, pulling to within eight with 3 minutes left before falling 76-66.

"We expected to go (to Provo) and have a shot to win it," said coach Jeff Reynolds. "I didn't leave the (Marriott Center) with a good feeling in my gut, and I don't think any of our kids did."

Lobos Shoot to Extend Winning Ways

New Mexico (16-7, 4-4), which has won three straight after starting the conference season 1-4, will have the opportunity to win four in a row for the first time since mid-December when it hosts Wyoming Wednesday night.

A key reason for the Lobos' recent surge has been the play of junior forward Drew Gordon. The UCLA transfer has averaged 14.6 points and 9.6 rebounds during the streak.

"He's more than 10 games in now, which helps him and his development and helps our team," coach Steve Alford said of Gordon, who due to NCAA transfer rules was not eligible to play until last month. "Our younger guys are also playing better now. When you win a couple of games, you start to get some confidence, and I think that's starting to happen for our team."

Thorns Serving Notice Around MWC

TCU junior guard Hank Thorns, a transfer from Virginia Tech, gave No. 6 San Diego State all it could handle on Saturday, scoring a team-high 16 points and finishing with a game-high eight assists, the 11th time this season he has had eight or more assists in a game.

Thorns, who played all 40 minutes (the second straight contest he has reached the 40-minute total), brought the Horned Frogs (10-14, 1-8) to within five on a 3-pointer with 1:07 left, but SDSU was able to hold on by repeatedly getting to the foul line down the stretch in its 60-53 win.

Saturday's game marked the fourth time this season that Thorns has led the Frogs in scoring.

"If there's a toughness in the way he's playing, it's been in terms of getting guys focused," said coach Jim Christian. "He's been a real leader on our team."

No Dissenting Vote Here

San Diego State coach Steve Fisher, who is garnering attention for national Coach of the Year honors, would certainly have the vote of UNLV coach Lon Kruger.

The Aztecs, who have beaten the Rebels (17-6, 5-4) five times in the last six meetings, including last year's MWC Tournament title game, will put their No. 6 ranking on the line in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"Any time a club plays consistently well at this point in the year, (Fisher) should definitely be considered," Kruger said. "He's done a great job with a team that's really locked in to what they want to do and what their objectives are. He's done a fantastic job."

Growth Spurt

Utah 6-foot-7 wing Shawn Glover, who made 13 starts last season as a freshman, scored a career-high 15 points on a career-best five 3-pointers in Saturday's 54-49 loss to Air Force.

Glover has matched a career high with three assists in a game four times this season.

"I think the biggest thing is that we've got him at his true position now," said coach Jim Boylen. "We envisioned redshirting him as a freshman, but we had injuries to our front line early in the season where we had to throw him into the action at the four spot. But he's really not a four, he's a big wing. The combination of his development, his work ethic, his improved consistency at shooting the ball and his ability to get comfortable at the three position has really helped him grow."

Playing With the Big Boys

Prior to the start of the season, Colorado State coach Tim Miles said his team's true measure of progress would be based on its ability to compete with the league's established contenders, namely BYU, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV.

Thus far, the Rams (16-7, 6-3), who were beaten at home last week by SDSU on a last-second shot, are 1-3 against the aforementioned teams.

"We just haven't been able to get over the top," said Miles, whose team gets a visit from New Mexico on Saturday. "You feel like you're so close, but you just don't do enough to win. I like this team. We're steady. Not a lot really rattles us, but not a lot really gets us going, either. It's kind of like a double-edged sword. But I know this team has the confidence to win big games."

No Quit in Cowboys

Despite having lost seven straight after beating New Mexico to open conference play, Wyoming (1-8, 8-15) is far from folding its tent.

Last week, the injury-riddled Cowboys fell 69-62 to No. 8 BYU week after playing the Cougars to a 28-28 draw in the first half. That performance preceded a 59-56 loss to Colorado State in a game that featured seven ties and 14 lead changes.

"We were able to contain two very good offensive teams, and that's encouraging," said coach Heath Schroyer. "I feel like we're getting better. We've settled into rotations, which has taken a long time because of injuries. We're able to be more consistent in practice, so we're able to get into games now and execute game plans."

As it turns out, the Cowboys will have to execute those game plans without Schroyer. On Monday afternoon, the university announced that Schroyer's contract had been terminated, effective immediately. Associate head coach Fred Langley will serve as interim coach for the remainder of the season.

Air Force

While Falcons coach Troy Calhoun is unable to discuss specifics regarding his 2011 recruiting class due to the academy's appointment process, quarterback Jaleel Awini, Colorado's Gatorade Player of the Year from Rangeview High in Aurora, was more than willing to talk about Air Force.

"I think the success they're having --- four straight bowl games and four straight winning seasons --- to be honest, they're the best team in Colorado right now," Awini told the Colorado Springs Gazette.

The 6-foot-2, 192-pound Awini threw for 1,259 yards and 23 touchdowns this season. He also rushed for 17 touchdowns while amassing 1,088 yards on the ground.

Awini is apparently not the only in-state prospect to share that sentiment. At least six other Colorado players have also stated their intentions of committing to Air Force.

"We've had a little more exposure," Calhoun told the Gazette. "Playing in bowl games has been helpful, and playing in the Mountain West and the success of the league has been beneficial."

Boise State

The Broncos, who will kick off their inaugural season in the MWC this fall, have spent 38 straight games in the Top 25 and hold a ranking of No. 5 in ESPN's preseason poll.

With those kind of credentials, beating the bushes for prospects isn't necessarily an onus.

Boise State added 22 recruits to its roster, 18 of them high school seniors. The other four players are comprised of three grayshirts from last year's class and a junior college transfer.

The headliners include 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker Blake Renaud, a product of perennial power Concord (Calif.) De La Salle High, and running back Jay Ajayi, a graduate of Frisco Liberty High in Plano, Texas, who carried 225 times last season for 2,240 yards and 35 touchdowns. With 2010 Heisman Trophy finalist Kellen Moore entering his final season, the Broncos also signed quarterback Jimmy Loughrea from Rocklin, Calif.

BSU added a total of six linemen, including a pair of all-state players in 6-foot-2, 280-pound offensive lineman Marcus Henry (Bellevue, Wash.), and 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive tackle Jeff Worthy, a two-time all-state selection from Whittier Christian High in La Habra, Calif.

"We want these kids to know exactly what they're walking into," coach Chris Petersen told the Idaho Statesman. "We tell them, 'Hey, look at the past record. There's going to be a price for that. There's a price for everything that's worthwhile in life.' "

Colorado State

Being a former quarterback, Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild has no qualms about going deep --- even into the heart of Texas.

Of the Rams' 27 signees, no fewer than 10 hail from the Lone Star State, the largest number of recruits from Texas in the program's history. And while such players as 6-foot-3, 276-pound offensive lineman Trey Cassidy (Angleton, Texas) and wide receiver Robert Nunn (Bastrop, Texas) could play a role in the continued rebuilding of a program looking for its first winning season in three years, it's running back Kapri Bibbs who could have a hand in expediting that effort.

CSU, which ranked seventh rushing in the nine-team MWC last season, has signed a player in Bibbs (Plainfield, Ill.) who was touted by ESPNChicago.com as the best offensive player in the Windy City. In his final two years at Plainfield North High, Bibbs rushed for 61 touchdowns and 4,210 yards, averaging 8.6 yards per carry. A consensus first-team all-state selection as a senior, he averaged 8.8 yards per carry (300 attempts, 2,654 yards), with 38 rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns. He averaged 294.9 yards per game as a senior.

"He kind of reminds me, body type in the way he moves, a little bit like when we took Marshall Faulk to San Diego State," Fairchild told The Coloradoan, citing his days as quarterbacks coach with the Aztecs from 1990-92. "He has that type of suddenness and potential."

Bibbs will have competition, however, in Dorian Brown, who is already enrolled at CSU. Brown, a graduate of Loveland (Colo.) Valley High, ran for 1,975 yards and 17 touchdowns as a high school junior but suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament prior to the start of his senior year.

New Mexico

Lobos coach Mile Locksley has endured more than his share of trials since arriving in Albuquerque in 2009. In the past two seasons, New Mexico has posted a combined mark of 2-22. Last year, the Lobos struggled in virtually every statistical category, ranking last in the conference in scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense and total defense.

Locksley, however, believes the program's 2011 recruiting class is the most talented he's signed.

"When you watched us play last year, there were times it was very noticeable that we weren't as athletic as we needed to be," Locksley told the Albuquerque Journal. "...This is by far, in my opinion, the most athletic class from top to bottom that we've signed, and I'm excited about it."

The 20 signees include Korian Chambers, a 6-foot-6, 322-pound offensive lineman from Arizona Western Junior College; running back Crusoe Gongbay from Rockville High in Rockville, Md., who ranks among Maryland's all-time Top 10 rushers with more than 5,000 career yards; and defensive back Deshon Marman, a transfer from City College of San Francisco whose team played in last year's JC national championship game.

"We're extremely pleased with this recruiting class and feel we've signed a great group of impact players," Locksley said. "Our goal is to continue to get better and I feel like we accomplished that."

San Diego State

The Aztecs may have lost head coach Brady Hoke to Michigan, but they kept intact a 23-player recruiting class which will join a team coming off its most successful season since 1977.

Former defensive coordinator Rocky Long, who was tabbed to succeed Hoke last month, signed 21 players from California, five of whom hail from San Diego County. Among the five is Micah Seau, a linebacker from The Bishop's School in San Diego. Seau is the nephew of former NFL standout Junior Seau.

SDSU, which lost a pair of MWC first-team selections in senior wide receivers Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson, signed four wide receivers, including Larry Clark (Venice, Calif./Venice High); Jemond Hazely (Corona, Calif./Santiago High); Paul Pitts (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos High); and Anthony Sheffield (Los Angeles/West Adams Prep).

All members of SDSU's 2011 class are high school players. Fourteen are projected as offensive players, while nine are expected to compete on defense.

"Our belief as a staff is that the program should be run the same way that it has the last two years," Long said. "We will continue to recruit student-athletes who will help our program be successful and are a good fit for San Diego State University. That being said, we placed an emphasis on recruiting athletes, and we were able to do that with this class."

The Aztecs return three of the top players in the league in quarterback Ryan Lindley, running back Ronnie Hillman and linebacker Miles Burris. Hillman was the MWC Freshman of the Year last season.

TCU

While standout quarterback Andy Dalton may be on his way to the NFL, TCU coach Gary Patterson apparently has no intention of abandoning the forward pass.

Among the 24 players signed by Patterson was LaDarius Brown (Waxahachie, Texas/Waxahachie High), considered one of the top wide receivers in the nation. Brown, who was also being courted by Alabama, Auburn, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, was viewed by recruiting services as the top-rated athlete in Texas and the seventh-ranked prospect in the state, regardless of position.

Another wide receiver, Brandon Carter (Euless, Texas/Trinity High), chose TCU over Oklahoma after totaling 2,300 yards total offense and 18 touchdowns as a senior.

Linebacker Deryck Gildon (Arlington, Texas/Martin High) could play as a true freshman. The Horned Frogs also addressed needs in the secondary by signing seven defensive backs, including highly-regarded cornerback Kolby Griffin (Houston, Texas/St. Pius X High) and safety Quincy Aldridge (Whitehouse, Texas/Whitehouse High).

"As I tell people all the time, it's a case of paper tigers," said Patterson, whose Horned Frogs finished undefeated and became the second MWC team since 2008 to win a BCS game when they defeated Wisconsin in this year's Rose Bowl. "When they get here, the slate is clean. They have no stars anymore. They haven't scored any touchdowns for TCU or made any tackles. You have to move forward.

"One thing I like about this class is they are both great people and good football players, not just good athletes. It will be interesting to see how this class develops. Some of them are going to have to play early, just because of the number of safeties, linemen and wide receivers who graduated. It's tough to replace that many guys in one season. It will be interesting between now and Sept. 3, who rises to the top and helps us become a better football team."

UNLV

Many coaches argue that the best way to build a college football program is to recruit high school players. And while UNLV's 2011 recruiting class includes 15 prep players, it also features eight junior college transfers. A year ago, the Rebels recruited one JC player.

"We have a group of junior college players that can provide us some immediate help," said second-year coach Bobby Hauck. "It was necessary to recruit a number of JC players because the size of our junior class was so small. The basis of our recruiting remains high school, but we needed to balance the numbers out."

Among those expected to contribute immediately is Louvan Green, a 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive tackle who was a first-team junior college All-American at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., last season. Hauck didn't stop with Green, signing three other players from College of the Sequoias, including 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman Allen Carroll; running back/kick returner Eric Johnson (a midyear transfer already enrolled at UNLV); and defensive back Ken Spigner, who is also expected to return kicks.

The Rebels also added linebacker Princeton Jackson, a first-team junior college All-American from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.

"We're trying to change the make-up of our team, trying to get bigger and more physical and certainly this class answers some of those concerns," Hauck said. "It takes some time to develop the young guys, but down the road this will provide us with a big, physical group."

Wyoming

When sophomore quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels announced last month that he was leaving the program, Cowboys coach Dave Christensen was faced with finding a new signal-caller. And fast.

Christensen signed two.

The Cowboys' 2011 recruiting class includes 20 high school players and four junior college transfers. Among the group is quarterback Brett Smith, who is already enrolled at Wyoming. Smith was tabbed Oregon's Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at West Salem High after throwing for 2,146 yards and 26 touchdowns. Meanwhile, quarterback Adam Pittser (Richmond, Ill./Richmond-Burton High) has been rated by recruiting services as being the 13th-best overall prospect in the state of Illinois.

Running back Kody Sutton, one of nine players from Texas signed by Wyoming, rushed for 1,718 yards and 17 touchdowns last season at Texas High in Texarkana.

Among the Cowboys' junior college recruits, linebacker Korey Jones finished No. 10 in the nation last season with 108 tackles at Garden City Community College in Kansas.

Wyoming also signed a highly-regarded placekicker in Daniel Sullivan, who earned all-state honors at Jackson High in Snohomish, Wash.

"This class is one, in terms of the level of athlete who we were able to attract, that really excites me," Christensen said. "There were certain needs that we knew we needed to fill. Quarterback was one of those. Placekicker was another. We feel like we've been able to attract young men who can step in right away and compete for starting spots at those positions. We're also excited about the balance, between offense (12 players) and defense (10) that we were able to put together in this class."

The winner of Wednesday night's showdown between Wyoming and BYU will open the second half of the conference season in sole possession of first place.

Wyoming (16-4, 6-1), which has proven itself a formidable foe on the road this season, heads into Provo having won five straight. BYU (14-7, 6-1), which has won three straight and six of its last seven, holds an 18-8 advantage in the series in games played at the Marriott Center.

The Cowgirls feature two of the top three scorers in the league in seniors Hillary Carlson (18.7 ppg) and Aubrey Vandiver (17.0). The Cougars, meanwhile, had four players --- Mindy Bonham (17), Coriann Fraughton (17), Jennifer Hamson (15) and Kristin Riley (11) --- finish in double figures in Saturday's 76-54 win over New Mexico.

BYU's bench has outscored opponents 322-224.

"Wyoming doesn't beat themselves," said BYU coach Jeff Judkins. "They're very smart and very experienced. They shoot the three-point ball extremely well and cause a lot of matchup problems with Carlson and Vandiver. I hope we can switch enough people around so that we don't get in foul trouble. The one thing that we have that a lot of people don't is we have a lot of depth, especially with our bigs."

Said Wyoming coach Joe Legerski: "It all starts with (BYU's) pressure. They make you play 94 feet. They zone press you, they create traps and they try and get the game going up and down the floor to create easy baskets. We're going to have to handle their pressure to begin with, and once we get into the half-court we have to move in our offense, we have to execute and we have to make shots, especially on the perimeter. BYU creates a lot of problems with its great size."

TCU Looks to Rebound

After jumping out to its best start ever (6-0) in Mountain West Conference play, TCU tumbled out of first place last week when it suffered consecutive losses for the first time since late November.

In dropping a 65-54 decision to New Mexico, the Horned Frogs lost at home for just the second time this season, falling to a team that had yet to win a conference game. That setback preceded a 60-55 loss at Air Force, a team that only a week earlier had snapped a 40-game losing streak against conference opponents.

In both cases, TCU (14-8, 6-2) struggled to score, shooting 27.3 percent against New Mexico and 34.7 percent at Air Force. Against New Mexico, the Horned Frogs hit 2-of-22 shots in the first half, a season low. TCU was also outrebounded in both contests (46-39 and 42-32).

"We have not shot the ball particularly well most of the conference season," said coach Jeff Mittie. "But we had been winning, so it was getting covered up. Any time you're shooting 31-32 percent, you can lose any given night and probably deserve to lose.

"New Mexico and Air Force did some very good things against us. New Mexico controlled tempo and Air Force just hung in there; we were never able to sustain any type of offensive consistency. We're not playing very well right now. The kids were down, but we've got a good group. It's a long season, and we'll take advantage of the bye we have this week and regroup."

Levrets Shares Mittie's Pain

In a 53-48 loss at Colorado State last week, Utah, which beat UNLV Tuesday night to improve to 11-11 overall and 4-4 in MWC action, led 25-14 at the break before succumbing to a 20-3 second-half blitz that began with a layup by CSU's Meixandra Porter with 12 minutes remaining.

In suffering their first regular-season loss to the Rams since 2003, the Utes attempted 21 shots in the paint and made one. Utah got to the free throw line twice.

"In the first half, we probably defended as well as we have all year," Levrets said. "We had an opportunity to be up by 20 or 25. We had 11 shot attempts in the paint in the first half and didn't make one. In the second half, we guarded well for about eight or nine minutes before we started giving them easy layups and we kept coming away with empty possessions.

"However, I still think that we have enough pieces that if we're playing our best basketball at the end of the season that we're going to be dangerous. This a young team, but our focus and our goal has always been to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season."

Falcons Taking Game to New Heights

Ten days after beating defending conference tournament champion and NCAA Sweet 16 participant San Diego State to snap a 40-game losing streak against conference opponents, Air Force opted for an encore.

Behind a team-high 11 points from sophomore Dymond James and a bench that produced 25 points, the Falcons knocked off conference leader TCU 60-55 on Saturday, beating the Horned Frogs for the first time since 1988.

Air Force (2-5, 7-13), which has never won three league games through the first half a MWC season, will have the opportunity to do Wednesday night at New Mexico.

"Everyone who is involved now or anyone who has been involved in the past with our program is very excited," said first-year coach Andrea Williams. "When you beat a team like TCU, a team that's receiving national votes, it's huge. It can build a lot of confidence.

"We're a young team, and sometimes the best part about young players is that they don't know any better. As a team, we're starting to erase any doubts we had little by little and we're starting to believe."

Rams' Rally Nets Big Win

Colorado State (11-9, 4-3) hadn't beat Utah in a regular-season game since 2003, and the opening 20 minutes of Saturday's contest in Fort Collins didn't give anyone reason to think the streak would end.

Utah led 24-15 at the half, despite going 0-for-11 on shot attempts in the paint.

But CSU rectified matters in the second half, using a 20-3 run to take a 41-34 lead en route to a 53-48 win. The Rams shot 62 percent in the second half.

"I told our players at halftime that you can either lose by 30 or you can come back and make a game of this," said CSU coach Kristen Holt. "We didn't change anything scheme wise, it was just their mental approach.

"It was a really good win for the program and for our kids. We've had our share of adversity this season, so it really neat to see our team respond like that."

Sharing the Workload

It's not been the easiest of seasons at San Diego State, which won the regular-season conference title in 2008-09 before capturing the league tournament title last season and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16.

Heading into Wednesday night's matchup against Colorado State, the Aztecs, whose backcourt was decimated by graduation last season, are 2-5 in conference play and 8-11 overall.

It can be trying for the team's upper classmen, who have experienced a significant amount of success.

"Our older players are working their tails off; it's the first-year players who have been really disappointing in terms of their work capacity," said coach Beth Burns. "It hasn't been about their physical performance, it's about their work capacity. I don't know if we can solve it. Our older players are doing everything they can, but this is a team game.

"You can say it's emotional immaturity on the part of 18- and 19-year-old kids who are away from home for the first time, but at the end of the day they've got to listen to their teammates; they've been there. I care about the seniors on this team so much. I want their legacy to be better. We're going to keep working hard. You usually don't remember the middle of the book, you remember how it ends."

Shooting Woes Plague Rebels

While no one disputes UNLV's ability to defend and rebound (the Lady Rebels are the top rebounding team in the MWC), shooting has been another matter. As UNLV (2-6, 9-13) concluded the first half of the conference season at Utah Tuesday night, they ranked eighth in the nine-team league in field-goal percentage (35.9) and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (28.9). Equally troubling was an assist/turnover ratio that ranked last in the conference.

"We've just been inconsistent," said coach Kathy Olivier. "Defensively, we have a lot of confidence in what we do. Offensively, we don't have a consistent shooter or a consistent scorer, so we have to score points off rebounds and get to the free-throw line a lot. That's not always easy to do."

Think Pink

All nine MWC women's basketball programs are teaming up with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association to participate in the 2011 WBCA Pink Zone. The WBCA began the initiative in 2007 to raise breast cancer awareness on campuses and in communities. In 2007, more than 120 schools took part in the effort, a number that grew to more than 1,800 in 2010 to surpass $1,045,000

If San Diego State was feeling any residual effects of its loss at BYU last Wednesday, it took the Aztecs all of about 180 seconds to rectify matters on Saturday.

SDSU (21-1, 6-1), which suffered its first loss of the season against the Cougars, posted a 96-57 win over Wyoming in a game in which it led 14-0 before Djibril Thiam scored the Cowboys' first points with 3:47 gone. The Aztecs posted their largest margin of victory in the league's 12-year history and made a school-record 17 three-pointers.

This in a contest where two of the team's top three scorers --- Kawhi Leonard and Malcolm Thomas --- each finished with two points.

"No matter what you say, you're feeling down after losing your first game of the season," said coach Steve Fisher. "But to our kids' credit, I did not anticipate (Saturday's game) being any different than what it was. We've got a lot of seniors, we've got stability at (point guard) in D.J. Gay and I had no doubt we would come out and play hard.

"And yet there is such a fine line between playing hard and playing passionately hard; sometimes you don't even realize it. We came out and played with great passion and energy. I was very proud of the way we did that and I would have been immensely disappointed if we hadn't."

SDSU, which entered the BYU game ranked No. 4, remained in the Top-10, coming in at No. 6 in this week's Coaches' poll and No. 7 in the AP poll.

Life's Ups and Downs

BYU coach Dave Rose knew his team would have little time to celebrate its win over San Diego State. Waiting in the wings was a trip to New Mexico (15-7, 3-4), where the No. 9-ranked Cougars had come up short in each of their previous two visits.

Make it three.

New Mexico freshmen Tony Snell and Kendall Williams both scored 16 points and Drew Gordon had 15 points and 12 rebounds in the Lobos' 86-77 win at The Pit on Saturday.

The loss was the first for BYU (20-2, 6-1) since Dec. 18 and moved it back into a first-place tie with San Diego State.

While Cougar senior guard Jimmer Fredette (32 points) continued to make his case for Player of the Year honors, it was Snell who rose to the occasion down the stretch, hitting a trio of three-pointers in the final 5:25 after the Lobos had trailed by as many as 13 in the second half.

"The last five minutes of the game, he hit every shot," Rose said. "We got to him, but we got there just a little bit late. A couple of those shots, though, we were right on him. He played with a lot of confidence.

"At this time of year, young players feel a lot more comfortable. The first time a top 10 team (San Diego State) came into their arena, they didn't play quite as well. This time, they were ready and they played a lot better."

Up and Running

A stomach ailment has forced Air Force junior guard/forward Taylor Stewart to miss four games this season. Last season, a broken wrist kept him out of 13.

And while Stewart may have contributed only four points in Saturday's 66-65 overtime victory at TCU, the basket he was credited with on a goaltending call against the Horned Frogs with 11 seconds remaining allowed the Falcons (12-8, 3-4) to snap a 20-game road losing streak against MWC opponents.

"He was sort of out of the rotation after coming back from his stomach ailment, but he's brought great energy and effort on both ends of the floor now that he's 100 percent again," said coach Jeff Reynolds. "He's played more consistently the last two games and that's good to see."

In Need of a Lift

TCU (10-13, 1-7) opened the season with promise after winning nine of its first 13 games, its best start since the 2006-07 season.

The Horned Frogs have since dropped nine of 10 and five straight, leaving coach Jim Christian to ponder his team's next task: a road game at No. 6/7 San Diego State on Saturday.

"Everybody comes into the season with optimism," Christian said. "Everybody comes into the season thinking they have a great chance to win and we're no different. Unfortunately, a game here or a game there can take you either way. It is what it is. We don't have any choice but to work our way out of it."

Junior guard Hank Thorns had 10 assists against Air Force, his sixth game with 10 or more assists this season.

History Lesson

Utah (10-11, 3-4), which had won three straight before falling to Colorado State (15-6, 5-2) on Saturday, will attempt to rebound when it squares off against UNLV (16-5, 4-3) in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The Utes swept the regular-season series against the Rebels last year, including a 73-69 win in Las Vegas that marked their first win at the Thomas & Mack Center since 2005.

"Utah is always a tough opponent," said UNLV coach Lon Kruger. "Jim (coach Boylen) does a great job. This year, they have a little bit different team in that a lot of guys are really shooting the ball well and defensively their big guys inside are really tough and scoring more. It's always a tough matchup for us."

Will Power

Utah junior wing Will Clyburn is leaving a lasting impression on opponents in his first season in the MWC. In addition to ranking second in the league in scoring (18.9) and rebounding (8.3), Clyburn ranks first in the conference in minutes played (36.3 per game).

The junior college transfer posted his seventh double-double of the season on Saturday against Colorado State, scoring a team-high 19 points and tying for the game-high rebound total with 10. He has been Utah's leading scorer 14 times in 21 games and has scored in double digits in 20 of them. Clyburn has also been Utah's leading rebounder 13 times.

"He's done a terrific job of adapting to the system, of understanding how to score in our system in this league," said coach Jim Boylen. "I think what's difficult for defenses is that he scores in a lot of different ways. He can drive it, he can catch and shoot, he can score in transition and he can score off offensive rebounds. His versatility makes him very difficult to guard."

Timing is Everything

Playing in a conference that is enjoying unprecedented success and proving to be as competitive as any in the country, it's not easy being on the outside looking in.

Unfortunately, such is the situation for Wyoming (8-13, 1-6) and coach Heath Schroyer, whose injury-ravaged team dropped its fifth straight at San Diego State on Saturday.

"The league has never been this good," Schroyer said. "It's a tough year to have tough luck, a tough year to be (inexperienced). Timing is everything. When's the last time the Mountain West was rated ahead of the ACC and the SEC (in conference RPI)? That shows you just good this league really is right now."

The MWC is the only league in the nation with two teams in the top five of the latest NCAA RPI rankings. BYU is No. 2, while San Diego State is No. 4. The Mountain West continues to be ranked at No. 4 as a conference, ahead of the ACC, SEC and Pac-10, according to CollegeRPI.com. The top three conferences, in order, are the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12.