"The Scorer's Table" is a weekly Mountain West men's basketball feature utilizing information compiled by MW staff members and sports information departments from throughout the league. We couldn't do it without you.
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The Scorer's Table: Feb. 7 Edition |
| 6 | New Mexico ranks sixth nationally with a +16.4 scoring margin this season. During their current four-game win streak, the Lobos have outscored their opponents by an average of 26.3 points. |
| 6 | San Diego State heads into Saturday's showdown at UNLV having beaten the Rebels six consecutive times. |
| 3 | UNLV ranks third in the NCAA with a league-best 18.5 assist average. The Runnin' Rebels have dished out at least 18 assists in 14 of their 25 games this season. Only Iona (19.5) and Creighton (18.7) are averaging more. New Mexico ranks seventh on that same list with 17.1 assists per game. |
| 3 | San Diego State sophomore guard Jamaal Franklin, the reigning MW Player of the Week, is the only player in the league to rank in the top three in both scoring and rebounding for all games (16.0 ppg - 1st; 7.2 rpg - 3rd) and Conference-only games (18.0 ppg - 1st; 9.3 rpg - 2nd). |
| 1 | Colorado State is one of two teams (Denver) to rank among the top-25 nationally in field goal, 3-point field goal and free throw shooting percentages. The Rams rank 25th (.480 FG%), 10th (.405 3FG%) and sixth (.771 FT%) in the NCAA, leading the MW in all three categories. |
| 9 | Wyoming ranks second in the league and ninth nationally in free-throw shooting percentage, converting 76.3 percent of its attempts at the charity stripe. |
| 1 | Wyoming's 68-66 win over No. 11/13 UNLV last Saturday was the Cowboys' first at home against a ranked opponent since beating No. 24 Utah, 88-61, on Feb. 28, 2000. |
| 3 | UNLV's Mike Moser is third in the nation with a league-leading 11.5 rebounding average, trailing only Siena's O.D. Anosike (13.3) and Kansas' Thomas Robinson (12.0). The sophomore forward, who is also fourth in the MW in scoring (14.5 ppg), has tallied double-doubles in seven of his last nine games. He leads the league and is tied for 12th nationally with 13 double-doubles overall. |
| 9 | TCU's Hank Thorns has moved into ninth place on the school's career assists list (324), despite playing less than two full seasons with the Frogs. |
| 60 | New Mexico is undefeated over its last 60 games when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points, including a 54-0 mark under current coach Steve Alford. The last time the Lobos lost when an opponent scored less than 60 points was on February 22, 2006, when UNM fell to Air Force, 51-46. |
| 65 | Air Force's nine-game streak of holding opponents to 65 or fewer points ended with the Falcons' 81-42 loss to New Mexico last Tuesday. |
| 8 | New Mexico leads the Mountain West and ranks eighth nationally with a .376 field goal percentage defense. The Lobos have held 22 of 23 opponents to less than 49 percent shooting from the floor this season, with UNLV (51.7%) being the lone exception. |
| 60 | Wyoming has held 19 of its 23 opponents to fewer than 60 points this season and ranks fourth in the NCAA with a MW-best 54.3 scoring defense. The only teams to top the 60-point mark against the Cowboys in 2011-12 are Utah Valley (Jan. 3), New Mexico (Jan. 14), Boise State (Jan. 28) and UNLV (Feb. 4). Wisconsin leads the NCAA with a 49.8 scoring defense, followed by Virginia (51.4) and Harvard (53.6). |
| 40 | San Diego State has gone 40 consecutive games without allowing an opponent to shoot 50 percent or better from the field, a streak that dates back to last season. In seven MW games, Aztec opponents are shooting 39.4 percent from the field. |
| 42 | New Mexico's 81-42 win at Air Force last Tuesday marked the fewest points allowed by a Lobo squad in a conference game since a 74-32 win over BYU on Feb. 3, 1997. It also marked the fewest points allowed by UNM in a conference road game since a 40-38 victory at Wyoming on Jan. 23, 1984. |
Mick McGrane has covered the Mountain West since the league's inception in 1999. He spent 12 years at the San Diego Union-Tribune, where he served as the beat writer for San Diego State football and men's basketball. He currently represents the MW as a member of the Football Writers Association of America All-America Committee and is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. McGrane serves as senior writer to the Mountain West, providing readers with exclusive, in-depth information about the Conference by highlighting its eight member institutions and contributing feature stories on student-athletes that participate in the league's 18 sponsored sports.
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