MW MEN'S BASKETBALL

• Young Guns: The Broncos have gotten five 20-point games by freshmen this season, including three from Anthony Drmic and two from Derrick Marks. The five performances are more than the combined total of 20-point games by Bronco freshmen the last 17 seasons. The single-season total is also the highest in at least the last 24 years.

• Taking Their Best Shot: No. 12-ranked UNLV is outscoring its opponents by an average of 15.4 points per game and is shooting 47.4 percent from the field. The Runnin' Rebels are shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range. Last year, UNLV shot 45.9 percent from the field and 33.0 percent from 3-point range.

• Climbing the Charts: TCU senior guard Hank Thorns needs only four more assists to reach the 500 mark for his career. Despite having played only 51 games as a Horned Frog, Thorns is just 10 assists away from entering the program's career top-10 list (321). Thorns is No. 4 this season in the MW in assists (4.53); No. 5 in minutes (32.37); No. 6 in 3-pointers made (1.95) and assist/turnover ratio (1.54); No. 7 in scoring (13.4); and tied for No. 10 in steals (1.42).

• Time Well Spent: In Wednesday's win over Colorado State, New Mexico senior guard Phillip McDonald came off the bench to score 12 points in 12 minutes. McDonald is shooting 52 percent (21-of-40) from three-point range in the past nine games. He has connected on 30-of-61 attempts (49.0 percent) beyond the arc this season.

• Clamping Down: No. 13-ranked San Diego State, winner of 11 straight, has gone 37 consecutive games without allowing an opponent to shoot 50 percent or better from the field, a streak that dates back to last season. In four MW games this season, SDSU opponents are shooting 35.3 percent from the field.

• In Good Hands: After leading the nation for three-straight weeks earlier this season, Wyoming senior guard JayDee Luster entered Saturday's action ranked sixth in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio. Luster currently has 73 assists and 23 turnovers on the season for a 3.17 ratio.

MW WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

• Off and Running: San Diego State's 11-game win streak is the program's longest in 15 years when the 1996-97 team also claimed 11 in a row before falling in the NCAA Tournament. A victory on Saturday against Colorado State would give the Aztecs their longest win streak since the 1994-95 team set a school record with 18 consecutive wins. The Aztecs are in the midst of their best league start (5-0) in the Mountain West's 13-year history. The team's previous best start was 3-0 during the 2009-10 campaign. SDSU is also one win away from matching its MW win total from last season.

• Breaking From the Gate: Colorado State's 4-1 start in league play is its best since opening 5-0 in 2001-02, a season in which the Rams went wire-to-wire in first place to win the MW regular season championship and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

• Reserves to the Rescue: In nine of TCU's 10 victories this season, the Horned Frogs have outscored their opponent off the bench by a combined 267-114. Overall, TCU has outscored its opponent off the bench in all but six games.