FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• CSU running back Chris Nwoke has no time to rest upon laurels of 2011 season.

• Broncos' D.J. Harper is ready to roll after surviving offseason waiting game.

• The 2011 season was anything but a snap for Wyoming center Nick Carlson.

• Friendly game of family feud playing out during course of Cowboys' spring drills.

• JC transfer shows promise of providing Rebels with solid play at defensive end.

• The need for speed: Bulldogs will place priority on offseason conditioning.

• Nevada set to kick off spring drills with key piece of puzzle back in place.

BASEBALL HEADLINES

• With Gwynn back in dugout, San Diego State comes out swinging.

MEN'S GOLF HEADLINES

• Recent run by Aztecs' J.J. Spaun spawns national attention.

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD HEADLINES

• Wyoming hoping sunny skies are forecast of things to come in outdoor season.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

Air Force Falcons

2011-12 record: 1-13 MW, 6-24 overall
Key losses: F Jamela Satterfield

Synopsis: If there's hope on the horizon, it's that Air Force has graduated just two players in the past two seasons. And while the Falcons figure to once again lean heavily on talented forward Dymond James (12.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg) in 2012-13, guard Alicia Leipprandt was among the league's most improved players, averaging a team-high 12.7 points and leading the team in assists. Forward Katie Hilbig, who finished second on the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg), posted three double-doubles during the regular season. James, Leipprandt and Hilbig will all be seniors.

Boise State Broncos

2011-12 record: 5-9, 15-16
Key losses: G Katie Isham; F Nicole Brady; G Heather Pilcher

Synopsis: The Broncos will have a sizable void to fill with the loss of Isham, who ranked fifth in the league in scoring this season (14.2 ppg), finished second in the MW in 3-point field goals made (68) and played more minutes than anyone on the roster. The top returning player is All-MW second-team selection Lauren Lenhardt, who ranked among the league's top 10 in both scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg). For coach Gordy Presnell, the key will be identifying additional scoring options. Isham and Lenhardt combined for nearly 42 percent of Boise State's league-leading average of 67.6 points per game.

Colorado State Rams

2011-12 record: 9-5, 13-17
Key losses: G Kim Mestdagh, F Kelly Hartig

Synopsis: The Rams graduate only two players, but replacing Mestdagh, one of the top talents in CSU history, will be no small task. A four-year starter, Mestdagh earned first-team All-MW honors this season after finishing first in the league in 3-point field goals made (69) and steals (2.6 spg). She also led the team in minutes played, was the league's third-leading scorer (14.8 ppg) and tied for second in the MW with an average of 4.0 assists per game. Much of the team's leadership in 2012-13 figures to come from forward Sam Martin, who ranked first in the MW in field-goal percentage this season (.532) and was ninth in scoring (13.1 ppg). Also returning is forward Meghan Heimstra, who was tabbed the league's Sixth Player of the Year after averaging 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds.

Fresno State Bulldogs

2011-12 record: 13-1 WAC, 28-6
Key losses: G Blakely Goldberg; C Veronica Wilson

Synopsis: The regular-season and WAC Tournament champion Bulldogs figure to make an immediate impact in their inaugural season in the MW. In addition to making its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Fresno State's 28 wins established a school record. Paced by WAC Player of the Year Ki-Ki Moore, the Bulldogs return their four top scorers in Moore (16.8 ppg), guard Rosie Moult (13.1), guard Madison Parrish (9.1) and guard Taylor Thompson (8.0). Moore, Moult and Thompson combined to average 17.0 rebounds per game for a team that led the WAC in both scoring offense (74.9) and scoring defense (62.2).

Nevada Wolf Pack

2011-12 record: 3-11 WAC, 7-23
Key losses: G Kate Kevorken, F Kayla Williams, G Amanda Johnson

Synopsis: After posting their best season in school history with 22 victories and winning their first-ever postseason tournament game in 2010-11, the Wolf Pack endured their share of struggles in 2011-12. The first order of business for coach Jane Albright's team will be to replace its top two scorers in guard Kate Kevorken and forward Kayla Williams. Kevorken ranked among the WAC's top 10 players in both scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg) this season, while Williams averaged 12.9 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds. The bulk of the scoring load figures to fall to guards Chanelle Brennan and Danika Sharp, who averaged 10.1 and 8.7 points, respectively. Brennan also ranked third on the team in rebounding (4.4 rpg).

New Mexico Lobos

2011-12 record: 3-11, 11-20
Key losses: F Porche Torrance, G Nikki Nelson, G Lauren Taylor

Synopsis: Despite enduring a second straight injury-plagued season, the Lobos, who lost seven games by six or fewer points, were a study in grit down the stretch, reaching the MW Tournament title game for the sixth time before falling to top-seeded San Diego State. Two key pieces to the puzzle --- junior guard Sara Halasz and freshman post player Whitney Johnson --- were lost to knee injuries, with Halasz, arguably the team's top talent, going down before the season began for the second straight year. Much like this season, the 2012-13 campaign figures to center around guard Caroline Durbin, a senior-to-be and first-team all-league selection who ranked second in the MW with an average of 15.0 points per game. Other players who expect to impact next season's fortunes include Jourdan Erskine, Chinyere Nnaji and Jayme Jackson. The trio combined for 58 starts.

San Diego State Aztecs

2011-12 record: 12-2, 25-7
Key losses: C Kalena Tutt

Synopsis: The only Mountain West women's team to earn an NCAA Tournament bid this season, San Diego State again figures to be a force to be reckoned with in 2012-13. The team returns four starters, including guard Courtney Clements, who earned MW Player of the Year honors after leading the league in scoring at 17.4 points per game. Also back is MW Tournament MVP and first-team all-league performer Chelsea Hopkins, the team's second-leading scorer and school's all-time assists leader, guard Kiyana Stamps, and center Malia Nahinu. Clements and Hopkins were the only two players in the league unanimously selected to the All-MW first team. In 2012-13, SDSU will have the opportunity to earn an NCAA Tournament bid while simultaneously winning at least 20 games for the fourth time in five years.

UNLV Lady Rebels

2011-12 record: 10-4, 22-10
Key losses: F Lenita Sanford, F Jamie Smith, F Sandrine Nzeukou, C Markiell Styles

Synopsis: It was a season to remember at UNLV, where the Lady Rebels posted their first-ever top-two finish in the Mountain West and concluded the campaign with their best record in eight years. The payoff came with a bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament, the first postseason appearance since 2006 for a team that doubled its win total from the previous season. The challenge in repeating that success will be identifying capable replacements for Sanford, a first-team All-MW selection, and Smith, who during her career became just the second player in MW history (men or women) to score 1,000 career points while collecting 1,000 career rebounds. Key returnees include guard Kelli Thompson, the league's fourth-leading scorer (14.3 ppg) and a second-team All-MW selection, and guard Mia Bell, who earned third-team all-league honors after finishing tied for second in the MW in assists.

Wyoming Cowgirls

2011-12 record: 7-7, 12-17
Key losses: None

Synopsis: If there's a team to be wary of in 2012-13 it would appear to be the Cowgirls, who do not graduate a single player. Paced by forward Chaundra Sewell, the team's only returning starter this season, Wyoming returns three players who started all 29 games and another, standout freshman forward Kayla Woodward, who started 28. Sewell, a second-team All-MW selection, led the team in both scoring (13.7 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg) while posting 11 double-doubles. Woodward (12.1) and forward Ashley Sickles (11.3) also averaged double-figure scoring for the Cowgirls, while finishing as the team's No. 3- and No. 2-ranked rebounders, respectively. Also back in the fold is starting guard Kaitlyn Mileto (9.1 ppg), as well as guards Chelan Landry and Alison Gorrell, who combined for 29 starts.

Air Force Falcons

2011-12 record: 3-11 MW, 13-16 overall
Key losses: F Taylor Stewart

Synopsis: The season was not without positives for the Falcons, who posted just their second win against a ranked team in program history when they knocked off then-No. 13 San Diego State, 58-56, on Feb. 18. Air Force's rally from a 14-point deficit at Wyoming on Feb. 15 was its largest against a Mountain West opponent since Jan. 9, 2009, when it came back from a 21-point first-half deficit to beat New Mexico. The Falcons will not be short on experience next season, returning four senior starters in second-team All-MW guard Michael Lyons, center Taylor Broekhuis (led MW with 19 blocks during league play) and guards Mike Fitzgerald and Todd Fletcher. The Falcons will also benefit from the experience gained this season by a deep freshman class paced by forward Justin Hammonds. The 2012-13 campaign will also mark the first full season for Dave Pilipovich, who was officially named head coach prior to this year's MW tournament.

Boise State Broncos

2011-12 record: 3-11, 13-17
Key losses: G Tre Nichols; G Westly Perryman

Synopsis: With a roster that featured seven freshmen and three sophomores, Broncos coach Leon Rice wasn't naïve to the fact that his team's first season in the MW would involve a fair measure of turbulence. Nonetheless, BSU twice took league co-champion San Diego to the wire, including a 65-62 loss to the Aztecs in the first round of the MW tournament on a last-second shot. Freshmen Anthony Drmic and Derrick Marks, who both earned honorable mention All-MW accolades, came of age in a hurry. Drmic set a single-season school record for 3-pointers by a freshman (54) and was the only freshman to rank in the league's top-20 in scoring. He also led all MW freshmen in rebounding (5.0). Marks led the Broncos in scoring in league games (9.6) and his 63 assists were third-most in program history by a freshman. While the growing pains were frequently rough for BSU (1-11 on road), they could pay big dividends next season.

Colorado State Rams

2011-12 record: 8-6, 20-12
Key losses: F Will Bell; G Kaipo Sabas

Synopsis: After earning their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2003, the Rams figure to be a legitimate contender for the league title in 2012-13. Head coach Tim Miles returns five of his top six scorers, including four starters, led by All-MW first-team selection Wes Eikmeier (15.5 ppg). In addition to Eikmeier, CSU also returns Dorian Green (13.1 ppg), Greg Smith (9.4 ppg) and Pierce Hornung (8.8 ppg), who led the team in rebounding with an average of 8.4 per game. Also back is guard Jesse Carr, the team's assist leader (2.6) and sixth-leading scorer (7.1 ppg). Add to the mix Colton Iverson, a 6-foot-10 transfer from Minnesota, and Arizona transfer guard Daniel Bejarano, and the Rams appear to have all of the pieces in place for a title run.

Fresno State Bulldogs

2011-12 record: 3-11 WAC, 13-20
Key losses: G Steven Shepp, G Jonathan Wills

Synopsis: The Bulldogs, who will be making their MW debut next season, are looking to add depth to the only team in the WAC this season that had five players average more than 28 minutes per game. To that end, head coach Rodney Terry added three players -- 6-3 guard Aaron Anderson and 6-9 forwards Braeden Anderson and Tanner Giddings -- during the early signing period in November to pair with sophomore guard Kevin Olekaibe, a second-team All-WAC selection who averaged 17.8 points and finished the season ranked sixth in scoring among all Division I sophomore guards. A native of Las Vegas, Olekaibe scored in double figures in all but eight games for FSU, reaching at least 20 points 12 times and topping the 25-point mark eight times. The Bulldogs also add guard Allen Huddleston, who sat out this season after transferring from the University of the Pacific.

Nevada Wolf Pack

2011-12 record: 13-1 WAC, 28-6 (still playing in National Invitation Tournament)
Key losses: F Olek Czyz, F Dario Hunt

Synopsis: The Wolf Pack, who meet Stanford in the quarterfinals of the NIT on Wednesday, captured the WAC regular-season title. While MW newcomer Nevada will be losing nearly 25.0 points per game with the graduation of Czyz, a first-team All-WAC selection, and Hunt, a second-team pick, the team returns WAC Player of the Year Deonte Burton and junior shooting guard Malik Story. Burton and Story enter Wednesday's game as the Wolf Pack's leading scorers at 14.8 and 14.1 points per game, respectively. Burton leads the team in assists (4.3 apg), while Story is shooting a team-best 41.9 percent beyond the arc.

New Mexico Lobos

2011-12 record: 10-4, 28-7
Key losses: F A.J. Hardeman, G Phillip McDonald, F Drew Gordon

Synopsis: While the reigning MW tournament champion and regular-season co-champion Lobos will return three starters in guards Kendall Williams, Tony Snell and Hugh Greenwood, and feature a budding star in guard Demetrius Walker, the loss of Gordon is enormous. Over the course of 61 career games at New Mexico (52 starts), Gordon averaged 13.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, taking his final bow with a 21-point, 14-rebound effort in a 59-56 loss to Louisville in the third round of the NCAA tournament. Gordon exits having posted 32 career double-doubles (19 this season) at New Mexico, a figure that ties him for third-most in MW history with Luke Neville (Utah, 2005-09). The Lobos added three players during the early signing period in November, including Obij Aget, is a 7-foot, 220-pound center from La Porte, Indiana, who was also being courted by the likes of Florida State, Missouri, Texas Tech and Florida.

San Diego State Aztecs

2011-12 record: 10-4, 26-8
Key losses: F Garrett Green, F Tim Shelton

Synopsis: Having lost four starters from the previous season's team that won a school-record 34 games in advancing to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16, the Aztecs bucked the odds in 2011-12, sharing the regular-season MW title with New Mexico and earning their third consecutive NCAA tournament bid. With four starters returning, led by MW Player of the Year Jamaal Franklin, SDSU could field one of its best teams in school history in 2012-13. In addition to the four returning starters, which includes the league's second-leading scorer in guard Chase Tapley (Franklin was No. 1), the Aztecs also add much-needed size in 6-7 forward Dwayne Polee, a transfer from St. John's; 6-7 forward J.J. O'Brien, who transferred from Utah after starting 21 games as a freshman in 2010-11; 6-10 center James Johnson, a transfer from Virginia; and multi-talented 6-9 Winston Shepard, a four-star recruit from Findlay Prep in Las Vegas.

UNLV Runnin' Rebels

2011-12 record: 9-5, 26-9
Key losses: G Oscar Bellfield; C Brice Massamba; F Chace Stanback; G Kendall Wallace

Synopsis: Bellfield (1,226 career points) and Stanback (1,219) both depart ranked among the top-25 scorers in school history. Nonetheless, the Runnin' Rebels, who earned their fifth NCAA tournament bid in six years, have plenty in reserve. First-team All-MW selection and MW Newcomer of the Year Mike Moser, who averaged 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds, posted 15 double-doubles this season. Guard Anthony Marshall, the team's third-leading scorer, returns after averaging 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds, a mark that ranked second on the team. Also back is guard Justin Hawkins, who returns with Marshall as the team's senior leaders. But the big news at UNLV figures to be the debut of 6-9 Khem Birch, a former McDonald's All-American who announced he was transferring from Pittsburgh after starting six games this season with the Panthers. Birch, who chose UNLV over Florida, was just the third freshman to start during Jamie Dixon's nine years as Pittsburgh's coach. Known as a dominant defender, Birch must sit out the first semester per NCAA transfer rules next season before becoming eligible as a sophomore. Another player expected to make an immediate impact is 6-5 wing Bryce Jones, a highly-regarded transfer from USC.

Wyoming Cowboys

2011-12 record: 6-8, 21-11
Key losses: G JayDee Luster, G Arthur Bouedo, C Adam Waddell, G Francisco Cruz

Synopsis: Under coach Larry Shyatt, who began his second stint in Laramie this year after previously guiding the Cowboys to a mark of 19-9 in 1997-98, Wyoming recorded its first 20-win season since posting a record of 21-11 in 2002-03. Now comes the challenge of replacing a trio of players who have played significant roles for the Pokes in recent seasons, chief among them Luster, who was named the MW Defensive Player of the Year and ranked 29th in the nation in in assist-to-turnover ratio. Cruz finished as the team's second-leading scorer this season, while Waddell, who has been part of the program since 2007-08, averaged 9.6 points and 3.4 rebounds. Yet two key components return in forward Leonard Washington and guard Luke Martinez. Washington, a second-team All-MW selection, led the team in both scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg) while posting four double-doubles in his final six games. Martinez, who averaged 11.8 points and 4.0 rebounds, connected on more three-point field goals (2.45 per game) than any player in the league this season. Freshman Larry Nance Jr. filled the role as the team's sixth man in 2011-12, finishing as the second-leading freshman rebounder in the MW at 4.0 per game. The key early signee figures to be 6-10 center Matt Sellers, a JC transfer from Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs. Sellers, who averaged 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 2010-11, will have three years of eligibility beginning this fall.

Despite defeat, the final act was far from forgettable. Fact is, where San Diego State's women's basketball team is concerned, the surface was merely scratched, the promise merely a preview.

During the course of a season where naiveté had little choice but to quickly come to grips with growth, the Aztecs might well have wilted with a roster that included one starting senior.

Instead, any fears of inexperience succumbing to ineptitude were dashed in only the second game of the season, when SDSU dispatched then-No. 18 DePaul 82-74, a win that would stand as the only victory by a Mountain West women's team against a Top 25 opponent this season.

In the ensuing five months, the Aztecs:

• Put together a 13-game win streak that marked the program's longest in 17 years and tied as the fourth-longest in team history.

• Opened MW play 7-0 for the first time in the 13-year history of the league.

• Posted their 14th 20-win campaign in program history, marking their third in the last four years and seventh under coach Beth Burns. Prior to 2008-09, the team hadn't won 20 games in the previous 11 seasons.

• Won their first outright MW regular-season title en route to pocketing their second MW Tournament title in three years.

• Boasted both the MW Player of the Year in junior guard Courtney Clements and the MW Tournament MVP in junior guard Chelsea Hopkins.

• Earned their third trip to the NCAA Tournament in four seasons.

And while the sting of Sunday's first-round NCAA Tournament loss to LSU will linger, its impact will last only long enough for SDSU to reload. In addition to returning four starters, the program was rated as having the 18th-best recruiting class in the nation this season by ESPN.com's HoopGurlz rankings. Moreover, forward Deajanae Scurry, a four-star recruit who was one of five freshmen on this season's roster, will rejoin the squad after redshirting in 2011-12.

"I think we may have skipped a step, if you will," Burns said after winning the MW Tournament. "I knew we had a talented young group. But the key was young, and our inside game beyond (senior) Kalena Tutt was such a question mark. We just weren't really sure how fast everything would get put together. I think it's a tribute to the older players on our team, the commitment they made, and the younger players on our team listening to the older players because I guess they did what you're supposed to do, which is get better and better and better as the season went on."

As New Year's Eve resolutions go, Drew Gordon's was to make New Mexico a winner, to take an already well-designed product and apply a final coat of sheen to the shimmer, to make whole a roster already rife with talent.

"The type of basketball New Mexico plays, on both offense and defense, is the kind of style I excel in," Gordon said on Dec. 31, 2009, "and coach (Steve) Alford is a great coach with a great reputation."

In announcing his transfer from UCLA to New Mexico, Gordon had Albuquerque abuzz. While waiting for his prerequisite year of idleness to expire per NCAA transfer rules, his practice performances often vied for headline space with the daily doings of a team that was merely en route to a 30-win season.

In his coming-out party against The Citadel on Dec. 19, 2010, Gordon finished with 11 points and three rebounds, drawing this assessment from Alford:

"He did a lot of great things today. He hasn't played in 13 months and he was just getting his feet wet."

And just getting started. Over the course of 61 career games at New Mexico (52 starts), Gordon averaged 13.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, taking his final bow with a 21-point, 14-rebound effort in Saturday's 59-56 loss to Louisville in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

Gordon exits having posted 32 career double-doubles (19 this season) at New Mexico, a figure that ties him for third-most in MW history with Luke Neville (Utah, 2005-09).

Said Alford: "We're very, very proud of what he's been able to do and accomplish."

The real accomplishment, of course, will be identifying a capable replacement. Where Drew Gordon is concerned, replacing and replicating have drastically different definitions.

It was Nov. 1, ten days removed from San Diego State's 2011-12 season opener and seemingly light years removed from a campaign that had concluded nine months earlier with a school-record 34 wins and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.

The Aztecs had holes to fill, gaping ones, gargantuan ones, Grand Canyon-esque ones. Gone were four starters from the previous season, one of them, Kawhi Leonard, an NBA lottery pick. On a small scale, they had been picked to finish third in the preseason Mountain West media poll. On a national scale, they had been relegated to the kiddie pool of also-rans, their story from the previous season since shelved and gathering dust.

So when coach Steve Fisher settled in for a press conference a day in advance of his team's first exhibition game, there was little chance that the opening question would entail how Fisher spent his summer.

"If you don't have pressures of expectations that are at least self-imposed, then you're probably not in a very good program and you're probably not a very good player. We have all of the above," Fisher said. "This isn't 2010-11. This is the 2011-12 season, so we have to come out and not feel like we have to live up to what happened last year. We have to see what we have to do to be as good as we possibly can. Right now, I don't think that any of us know for sure what `as good as we possibly can' really means. We will find that out."

What they found out was this: The higher the hill, the better the view.

That the Aztecs found themselves on the short end of a 79-65 decision in Friday's NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina State was hardly startling. SDSU never played a game this season where its lack of size wasn't a liability. That the Aztecs were there at all, however, after losing 66.2 percent of their scoring and 65.8 percent of their rebounding from the previous season, was an accomplishment worthy of being yodeled from a mountain top. Ditto the team's MW regular season co-championship and fourth straight appearance in the MW Tournament title game.

And know this: Of the five players who took the floor on Friday, four of them, including MW Player of the Year Jamaal Franklin and three-year starter Chase Tapley, will return next season. Also back are starting guards James Rahon and Xavier Thames. Waiting in the wings is 6-7 forward Dwayne Polee II, a transfer from St. John's whom insiders claim was the best player on the team this season; Utah transfer J.J. O'Brien, a 6-7 forward who started 21 games as a freshman in 2010-11; center James Johnson, a 6-10 transfer from Virginia; and 6-9 Winston Shepard, a four-star recruit from Findlay Prep in Las Vegas who owns the distinction of being the highest rated men's basketball recruit to make SDSU his first choice.

"No one ever thinks until the last game that it's going to be the last game," Fisher said of Friday's loss. "We're disappointed, yet immensely proud of the season that we've had and the program that these young men have helped build and grow. And I do think the best will be yet to come."

With Dave Rice's return to UNLV this season came images of glory days, of times when Jerry Tarkanian his band of merry marauders ran roughshod over most anyone who got in their way, of a day when the Runnin' Rebels were kings and the competition their court jester.

It was a new atmosphere that was only amplified when the former Rebel Rice, as the team's new coach, opted to add ex-UNLV teammate Stacy Augmon to his staff. The two had been part of the program's national championship team in 1990, and when Rice announced that his main priority was to once again link the terms Runnin' and Rebels, an always-fervent fan base couldn't fend off the fever. The Rebels were going retro.

And when UNLV swatted aside then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 26, even the casual Rebel fan became a magnet for the mania. The heyday of UNLV basketball was back, and with it that "devil-may-care" constitution that had always left opponents just a tad terrified of running up against the Rebels.

So when the end of the season arrived in Thursday's NCAA Tournament second-round game against Colorado, the disillusioned and distraught were predictably quick with the "I-told-you-so's." This would have never happened with Lon Kruger. They got lucky against North Carolina. They were overrated, overhyped and swollen with a sense of self. They didn't deserve to be in the tournament.

As a coach, Dave Rice knows the drill: One day a pedestal, the next a target for tantrums. And when the cynics surface long enough to realize that all is not lost, that this year's crop of underclassmen (see Moser, Mike and Marshall, Anthony) is on par with the best in the Mountain West, the love affair will bloom anew. Always has, always will.

Said Rice: "It's important now for us right now to bottle up exactly how we feel so that we can get back to work. Because while this was a very rewarding season, and we're proud of a lot of things that we accomplished, we didn't ever feel satisfied with how it went.

"We're going to learn from it. Everything we'll do now until the start of next season is getting us ready to get back to the NCAA Tournament again."

The catch phrase, overwrought though it may be, is "prime time."

And where New Mexico sophomore guard Kendall Williams is concerned, time is apparently a dimension defined less by physics than fantastic finishes.

While Drew Gordon may ultimately be the Lobos' ticket to ride in the NCAA Tournament, it is Williams, last season's Mountain West Freshman of the Year, who has become the team's unquestioned leader. If Gordon is the standard bearer, Williams, in big games, has routinely become the bearer of bad tidings for opponents.

Flash back to last season's MW Tournament quarterfinal win against Colorado State. While Gordon was punching out his usual double-double (13/13), it was Williams who led the Lobos with a team-high 16 points, seven of them coming in the second half of a game in which New Mexico trailed by two with 5:44 to go. He shot 80 percent from the field (4-of-5) and was 6-of-6 from the foul line.

And so it was again Thursday when Williams, who seems to be as oblivious to pressure as he is horrible at tooting his own horn, sounded the call down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes to lead the No. 5 seed Lobos past ornery No. 12 Long Beach State 75-68.

Williams shot 54.5 percent from the field (6-of-11) and added six assists to pair with Gordon's 18th double-double of the season (18/13)

The Lobos (28-6) will face No. 4 seed Louisville (27-9) in Saturday's third round.

"He's got something that you just can't teach," Lobos coach Steve Alford said of Williams. "He's got that extra gear. He's the fastest player I've ever coached. He's very, very elusive. He can go right and left. He can go north and south. He's just got speeds to him that are hard to catch up to.

"And then he's got that ability that just very few players have --- he can make big shots ... He's always had that ability to make really big plays, if not by pass, by shot or by the free throw line."

It's always preferable to tip your cap to the opposition when you've been outhustled, outmuscled and generally outplayed.

And though Colorado State can spend the off-season knowing it was guilty of none of the above, the healing from self-inflicted wounds could take a while.

The Rams' 58-41 loss to Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was less an exercise in futility than one of the most maddening 20 minutes of basketball since folks were forced to pluck the ball from a peach crate.

Turnovers are costly, but silly, unforced turnovers resulting from bad decisions are an ideal conduit to leaving repeated impressions of one's forehead against a locker room wall.

Only three teams in the Mountain West this season turned the ball over fewer times than the Rams. Against Murray State, CSU had more turnovers (14) in the second half than it had been averaging per game (12.5). Following a layin by Pierce Hornung (a player who could rebound an echo in a cave) with 16:54 to go, the Rams scored two points while committing eight turnovers over the ensuing 7:23.

The talking heads credited Murray State with playing phenomenal defense. I would suggest such assessments are relatively easy to make when your opponent has seemingly concluded that the ball is radioactive.

The Rams will be back. Nearly all of them. Only two players --- Will Bell and Kaipo Sabas --- graduate. And with the addition of 6-foot-10 Minnesota transfer Colton Iverson, a MW title is hardly out of the question.

It was a memorable run. It's forgetting the final act that will prove the tough part.

"It's been a lot of fun," said Hornung, who finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds. "It certainly didn't end how we'd all like it to, but I'd say as a team we just played our hearts out all year long. And I just want to commend the seniors, Kaipo and Will, they did just a great job for us all year. They were just the heart and soul of our team. It didn't turn out like we wanted, but we still feel like we accomplished a lot. We definitely have goals next year that exceed where this year ended."

Two Mountain West women's basketball teams have earned postseason tournament bids. Regular-season and MW Tournament champion San Diego State will face LSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, while UNLV will take on Saint Mary's in the Women's National Invitation Tournament. Here's a look at the matchups.

Who: No. 12 San Diego State (25-6) vs. No. 5 LSU (22-10)
When: Sunday, March 18, 4:45 PT
Where: Baton Rouge, La. --- Pete Maravich Assembly Center
TV: ESPN2

San Diego State
What you need to know: The Aztecs will be playing in their third NCAA Tournament in four years and their ninth in program history. SDSU earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the MW championship on Saturday in Las Vegas with a 57-43 victory over New Mexico. The Aztecs were a No. 11 seed in their most recent NCAA appearance in 2010, defeating No. 6 Texas and No. 3 West Virginia to advance to the Sweet 16. San Diego State was a No. 10 seed in 2009, beating No. 7 DePaul before falling to No. 2 Stanford.

Players to watch: Junior guard Courtney Clements, the MW Player of the Year, reached double figures in scoring for the seventh straight game and 27th time of the season with 16 points in the MW Tournament title game. Clements was named to the MW All-Tournament Team after scoring 56 points (18.7 ppg) and grabbing 23 rebounds (7.7 rpg) over three games. Junior guard Chelsea Hopkins, who was named the MW Tournament MVP after finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals in the MW championship game, is the school's career assist leader with 202. Hopkins averaged 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 3.3 steals in the MW Tournament. Junior center Malia Nahinu was also named to the all-tournament team after averaging 6.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 blocks.

Just the facts: San Diego State is the only MW team to defeat a top-25 ranked team this season, having beaten then-No. 18 DePaul on Nov. 18 at the Jack In The Box Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, 82-74. It was the Aztecs' sixth win against a top-25 opponent over the last four seasons.

LSU
What you need to know: LSU, which finished tied for fourth in the SEC regular-season standings, knocked off top-seeded Kentucky (a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament) in the semifinals of the conference tournament before falling to No. 2 seed Tennessee in the title game. The Lady Tigers lead the SEC in field-goal percentage defense (.341) and rebound defense (33.0 rpg). They are second in the conference in free-throw percentage (.704) and rank third in field-goal percentage (.436). LSU is making its 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Players to watch: To suggest that the Lady Tigers present a tall order is hardly cliché. LSU boasts eight players 6-2 or taller, including 6-2 senior forward LaSondra Barrett, a first-team all-SEC pick who leads the team in both scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg). Yet Barrett's status for Sunday's game is uncertain after she was knocked unconscious in the SEC title game against Tennessee. The only other player averaging double-figure scoring for the Lady Tigers is junior guard Adrienne Webb (10.1 ppg).

Just the facts: LSU set a school record with 34 made free throws on 43 attempts in its SEC Tournament semifinal game against Kentucky, breaking the previous mark of 31. The 43 attempts tied for third most in school history and were the most ever by LSU against an SEC opponent.

Who: UNLV (22-9) vs. Saint Mary's (21-10)
When: Thursday, March 15, 7 p.m. PT
Where: Moraga, Calif. --- McKeon Pavilion
TV: None (live video on smcgaels.com)

UNLV
What you need to know: The Lady Rebels, who finished second in the Mountain West regular season, earned an automatic berth into the WNIT when San Diego State was the lone MW team to be selected to the NCAA Tournament after winning the conference's regular-season and tournament titles. This is UNLV's first trip to the WNIT since the 2005-06 season. The Lady Rebels have made nine appearances in the WNIT, posting an overall record of 9-10. UNLV made four straight trips to the WNIT from 2003-06.

Players to watch: Senior forward Lenita Sanford, a first-team all-MW selection, finished the regular season ranked second in the league in blocks (2.4 bpg), fourth in rebounding (7.4 rpg), 14th in steals (1.4 spg) and 15th in scoring (10.8 ppg). Her 62 blocks ranked as the fourth-highest total in school history, while her nine double-doubles were second-most in the MW. Senior forward Jamie Smith, the league's two-time rebounding champion, ranks third in the MW in rebounding (8.4), fifth in three-point field-goal percentage (.353) and double-doubles (six). Junior guard Kelli Thompson, a second-team all-MW pick, leads the team in scoring for the second straight year with an average of 13.7 points per game.

Just the facts: In 2011-12, UNLV not only doubled its win total from last season, but also posted just its third 20-win season in the last 18 years while claiming its first-ever top-two finish in the MW.

Saint Mary's
What you need to know: Saint Mary's, which has made four previous WNIT appearances, earned its third consecutive bid to the tournament. The Gaels, who reached the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament before falling to runner-up Gonzaga, have one of the top RPI's in the West Region, entering the WNIT at No. 51. The Gaels have faced eight NCAA Tournament teams this season, posting wins over Gonzaga and WCC champion BYU. Saint Mary's finished fourth in the WCC regular-season standings.

Players to watch: The Gaels are led by senior guard Jasmine Smith, a two-time all-WCC selection who is averaging a team-high 15.0 points. Sophomore guard Jackie Nared (12.9 ppg) and senior guard Alex Carbonel (10.3 ppg) also average double-figure scoring. Nared and sophomore forward Danielle Mauldin (9.2 ppg) are averaging 7.4 and 8.6 rebounds per game, respectively.

Just the facts: In addition to having faced eight NCAA Tournament qualifiers this season, Saint Mary's has also played seven games against teams in the WNIT (San Diego twice, Oregon State, UC Davis, Cal Poly, Quinnipiac and Pacific).

Today we take a look at the Mountain West men's basketball teams that have earned postseason tournament berths. Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV will participate in the NCAA tournament, while TCU and Wyoming have accepted bids to the College Basketball Invitational.

Who: No. 11 Colorado State (20-11) vs. No. 6 Murray State (30-1)
When: Thursday, March 15 (Tip-off 12:15 p.m. ET)
Where: Louisville, Ky. --- KFC Yum! Center
TV: CBS

Colorado State
What you need to know: The Rams' selection into the NCAA field marks CSU's ninth appearance in the tournament and the program's first since winning the 2003 Mountain West tournament. CSU's quarterfinal win over fifth-seeded TCU in last week's MW tournament gave the Rams 20 wins on the season, the seventh 20-win campaign in program history. The Rams' No. 4-ranked strength of schedule is the best among the four MW teams in the NCAA tournament, and they lead the Conference in field-goal percentage (.476), three-point percentage (.405) and free-throw percentage (.769).

Players to watch: First-team all-MW junior guard Wes Eikmeier (15.6 ppg) is the third-leading scorer in the league. Junior forward Pierce Hornung's 14-rebound performance vs. TCU last week set a new MW tourney record for the Rams, eclipsing the 13 rebounds pulled down by former NBA first-round selection Jason Smith against San Diego State in the 2007 first round. Junior guard Dorian Green, who had 20 points in the team's semifinal loss to the top-seeded Aztecs, currently has 1,022 career points.

Just the facts: Tim Miles is just the third coach in school history to lead the Rams to three consecutive postseason berths, having guided the team to the 2010 College Basketball Invitational and the 2011 NIT. CSU also made three straight postseason appearances under head coaches Jim Williams (1961-63) and Boyd Grant (1988-90).

Murray State
What you need to know: The Racers won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament crowns, avenging their only loss of the season with a 78-58 win over Tennessee State in the championship game. Murray State achieved a ranking of No. 9 in the Associated Press poll during the regular season, its best in school history.

Players to watch: Junior guard Isaiah Canaan (19.2 ppg), tabbed a first-team All-American by the Sporting News, is one of the top three-point shooters in the country, having connected on 47.3 percent of his attempts. Senior guard Donte Poole (14.2 ppg) and senior forward Ivan Aska (10.9) also average double-figure scoring for a team that thrives from the perimeter.

Just the facts: The Racers' No. 6 seed is their highest in 15 NCAA tournament appearances. Murray State is 2-14 in NCAA tournament play overall, with both of its wins coming against higher-seeded teams --- North Carolina State in 1988 and Vanderbilt in 2010.

Who: No. 5 New Mexico (27-6) vs. No. 12 Long Beach State (25-8)
When: Thursday, March 15, 1:10 p.m. PT
Where: Portland, Ore --- The Rose Garden
TV: TBS

New Mexico
What you need to know: The MW regular-season co-champion Lobos were all business in winning last week's MW tournament. After getting past Air Force in the quarterfinals, New Mexico rallied from a 12-0 deficit at the outset to knock off 20th-ranked UNLV, a team that had dealt the Lobos their worst MW loss in four years during the regular season. The Lobos never trailed in the championship game, racing out to a 15-4 lead en route to a 68-59 victory over San Diego State.

Players to watch: New Mexico senior forward Drew Gordon was the MW tournament MVP, averaging a double-double with 15.3 points and 10.6 rebounds. Gordon has a MW-best 17 double-doubles this season. Sophomore guard Tony Snell averaged 13.0 points per game in the MW tournament, connecting on 9-of-22 three-point attempts.

Just the facts: New Mexico has won 64 straight games (58-0 under coach Steve Alford) when allowing less than 60 points. The last loss came on Feb. 22, 2006, in a 51-46 setback to Air Force.

Long Beach State
What you need to know: The 49ers are the Big West Conference regular-season and tournament champions, having defeated UC Santa Barbara in the tournament's title game. While Long Beach State may be a No. 12 seed, the 49ers are not to be taken lightly, boasting the nation's top-ranked strength of schedule in non-conference play. In addition to pushing San Diego State to the limit before falling, 77-73, in overtime, the 49ers dropped an eight-point decision at Kansas (88-80) and lost by just six at North Carolina (84-78).

Players to watch: Senior guard Casper Ware, the Big West Player of the Year, hit eight three-pointers en route to finishing with 33 points against UC Santa Barbara last week, marking his third 30-point outing this season. Senior guard Larry Anderson, who entered the season ranked seventh all-time at Long Beach State in steals, ninth in free throws made and 15th in scoring, is averaging 13.0 points and has led the team in scoring seven times in 2011-12. The 49ers start four seniors.

Just the facts: Long Beach State is 1-7 against teams in this year's NCAA tournament field, but five of those seven losses were by single digits.

Who: No. 6 San Diego State vs. (26-7) vs. No. 11 North Carolina State (22-11)
When: Friday, March 16, 12:40 p.m. ET
Where: Columbus, Ohio --- Nationwide Arena
TV: truTV

San Diego State
What you need to know: San Diego State, MW regular-season co-champion and the MW tournament runner-up, is making its school-record third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament and eighth overall. This is the Aztecs' first-ever at-large selection into the tournament field. SDSU's 26 victories this season are tied for the program's second-most in its Division I history with the 2008-09 team that advanced to the NIT Final Four. Only last year's squad, which advanced to the Sweet 16, had more (34).

Players to watch: Sophomore guard Jamaal Franklin, the MW Player of the Year, posted his 12th double-double of the season (16 points, 10 rebounds) in the MW tournament title game against New Mexico. The league's leading scorer (17.2 ppg) during the regular season, Franklin has scored in double figures in a career-high 20 consecutive games. Junior guard Chase Tapley notched his second 20-point game of the 2012 MW tournament with 25 points in the championship game. It was the 29th double-figure scoring game of the season for Tapley, who tied a career-high with 10 field goals.

Just the facts: San Diego State is 23-5 in its last 28 games played during the month of March, a total that includes NCAA, NIT and Mountain West tournament games.

North Carolina State
What you need to know: The Wolfpack, which nearly knocked off top seed North Carolina before falling, 69-67, in the semifinals of the ACC tournament, earned its 23rd trip to the NCAA tournament and first since the 2005-06 season. North Carolina State, which finished the regular season tied for fourth in the ACC, enters the NCAA tournament having won four of its last five.

Players to watch: Sophomore forward C.J. Leslie was named to the first-team ACC All-Tournament team. He posted team-best averages of 17.3 points and 10.7 rebounds and shot 69.7 percent (23-33) from the field during the tournament, finishing with double-doubles in wins over Boston College (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Virginia (19 points, 14 rebounds). He also had 22 points in the team's loss to North Carolina in the semifinals. Sophomore guard Lorenzo Brown became the first N.C. State guard since Chris Corchiani in 1991 to average better than 4.6 assists per game with 6.3 per contest.

Just the facts: NC State's 22 victories represent its most since the 2005-06 season when it concluded the year with a 22-10 mark and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Wolfpack has posted 22 wins in a season just three times over the last 22 years.

Who: No. 6 UNLV vs. No. 11 Colorado (23-11)
When: Thursday, March 15, 8 p.m. MT
Where: Albuquerque, N.M. --- The Pit
TV: truTV

UNLV
What you need to know: One of a record-tying four MW teams in this year's NCAA tournament field, the Runnin' Rebels earned their ninth at-large bid in school history. The contest marks UNLV's fifth appearance in the tournament in the last six years, more than any current MW school. The Runnin' Rebels fell to eventual champion New Mexico in the semifinals of the MW tournament after finishing third during the regular season. This marks the first time UNLV has ever been a No. 6 seed and represents the highest seeding for a UNLV team since the Runnin' Rebels were a No. 1 in 1990-91. UNLV is 9-11 all-time at The Pit.

Players to watch: Three players are averaging double-figure scoring, including sophomore Mike Moser (14.1 ppg), senior forward Chace Stanback (12.7 ppg) and junior guard Anthony Marshall (12.1 ppg). Moser also leads the team in rebounding (10.6) and is one of only two MW players (New Mexico's Drew Gordon) averaging a double-double. He has 15 double-doubles this season. Stanback leads the team and MW in 3-point field-goal percentage at .464.

Just the facts: UNLV is 3-3 against current members of the Pac-12 in NCAA tournament play, with the last meeting being a 76-72 loss to Oregon in the 2007 Sweet 16.

Colorado
What you need to know: Colorado is making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2003 after winning four games in four days for the first time in school history last week to capture the Pac-12 tournament title. The Buffaloes are making their 11th trip all-time, having compiled a record of 9-12 in the NCAA tournament. This will be the first meeting between UNLV and Colorado since a 65-59 Buffaloes win in Las Vegas on Dec. 22, 1981. CU is 1-4 all-time vs. UNLV.

Players to watch: Senior guard Carlon Brown (12.6 ppg), the Pac-12 tournament's Most Valuable Player, is one of four players averaging double-digit scoring, along with sophomore power forward Andre Roberson (11.6), senior forward Austin Dufault (10.9) and freshman guard Spencer Dinwiddie (10.2).

Just the facts: Colorado went 1-2 against MW teams this season, falling 65-54 at home to Wyoming and 65-64 at Colorado State. The Buffaloes beat Air Force in overtime, 76-73, in Colorado Springs.

Who: TCU (17-14) vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee (20-13)
When: Tuesday, March 13, 7 p.m. CT
Where: Fort Worth, Texas --- Daniel-Meyer Arena
TV: None

TCU
What you need to know: TCU opens play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) after earning its first postseason tournament berth since reaching the 2005 NIT quarterfinals. The tournament is not seeded. The Horned Frogs posted their best finish ever in Mountain West play with a fifth-place effort during the regular season. They went 13-3 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, posting their best home mark since going 14-3 in 2004-05. The matchup against Milwaukee will be the first time that TCU has played host to a postseason tournament game since a March 17, 1999, NIT quarterfinal contest against Oregon.

Players to watch: Senior guard Hank Thorns ranks No. 1 in the MW in minutes played (34.03); No. 2 in assists (4.61); No. 3 in three-pointers (2.27); No. 4 in three-point percentage (39.5%); and No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, in scoring (13.5 ) and assist/turnover ratio (1.59).Senior guard J.R. Cadot has scored in double figures a career-high nine times in the last 10 outings. He is averaging team-high figures of 15.2 ppg and 8.4 rpg over the last five games.

Just the facts: TCU has guaranteed itself a winning record for the first time since 2004-05 (21-14). The squad's 17 victories are three more than in any season since 2004-05.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee
What you need to know: Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which tied for third place in the Horizon League, reached the second round of the league's tournament before falling to Butler. UWM enters the postseason having won five of its last six and will be making its sixth-ever Division I postseason appearance. The Panthers won 20 games for the second time in three years, marking just the 11th time in 115 years of basketball that the team has recorded 20 or more victories in a season. UWM ranks No. 5 in the nation in three-point field-goal defense (28.3 percent).

Players to watch: Senior forward Tony Meier (11.0 ppg) leads a group of four Panthers averaging double-figure scoring along with senior guard Kaylon Williams (10.8), junior forward James Haarsma (10.7) and junior guard Ja'Rob McCallum (10.0). Williams ranks No. 10 nationally in assists per game (6.4).

Just the facts: Milwaukee played at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in 2009 as part of the Preseason NIT, but did not face the Horned Frogs. The two teams have never met.

Who: Wyoming (20-11) vs. North Dakota State (17-13)
When: Wednesday, March 14, 7 p.m. MT
Where: Laramie, Wyo. --- Arena-Auditorium
TV: None

Wyoming
What you need to know: The Cowboys are making their second appearance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) since dropping a 64-62 decision to Northeastern in the first round in 2009. Wyoming's win over TCU on Feb. 28 gave the team its first 20-win season since a 21-11 mark in 2002-03 and its fifth 20-win season since 1990. The Cowboys, who finished sixth in the Mountain West, were 15-3 at home this season, the team's second-winningest season in the 30-year history of Arena-Auditorium.

Players to watch: Junior forward Leonard Washington has posted a double-double in three of his last four games. A second-team all-MW selection, Washington ranks in the top 10 of five conference statistical categories and is averaging a team-high 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds. Senior guard Francisco Cruz and junior guard Luke Martinez, the team's perimeter threats, are averaging 12.2 points apiece. Senior guard JayDee Luster, the MW Defensive Player of the Year, ranks 35th in the nation in assist-turnover ratio at 2.3. Senior center Adam Waddell averages 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Just the facts: The Cowboys have held 30 of their 31 opponents below their season scoring average. Wyoming ranked sixth in scoring defense (55.5 ppg) in the latest NCAA rankings and 24th in three-point field goal percentage defense (30.4).

North Dakota State
What you need to know: The Bison finished 9-9 in Summit League play, tied for fourth with Western Illinois, a team that beat North Dakota State in the quarterfinals of the league championships on March 4. The Bison own one of the best offenses in the Summit League, as they lead the league and rank sixth in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 48.9. NDSU is also third in three-point field goal percentage and 44th in the nation at 37.4.

Players to watch: North Dakota State is paced by sophomore guard Taylor Braun, a first-team all-Summit League selection at 15.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Braun ranks 10th in the conference in scoring and sixth in rebounding. Freshman guard Lawrence Alexander was named the league's Newcomer of the Year after finishing fourth in the league with an average of 12.9 points and 4.6 assists. Sophomore forward Marshall Bjorklund is the team's inside presence at 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. Bjorklund leads the Summit at 66.5 percent from the field.

Just the facts: The Bison are 1-2 against Mountain West opponents since beginning Division I play in 2004-05 (all against Colorado State).

As the Mountain West men's basketball tournament drew closer, New Mexico coach Steve Alford spoke of the pressure associated with preseason prognostications, of the hype heaped upon a team teeming with talent.

Yet if the Lobos showed any signs of succumbing to heightened expectations, the evidence was certainly not evident in Las Vegas.

After dispatching Air Force in the quarterfinals and putting UNLV's Rebels on the run in the semis, No. 2 seed New Mexico went to the whip in Saturday 's championship, knocking off No. 1 seed and defending tournament champion San Diego State, 68-59.

The championship was the first since 2005 and second overall for the Lobos (27-6), who gained the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"I think the neat thing about this team, there's always been somebody to pick somebody up," Alford said. "We've talked about holding the rope all year long. These guys have done a great job of holding the rope for each other."

It was a rope they used with a high degree of effectiveness against San Diego State, reining in the league's Player of the Year, Jamaal Franklin, and otherwise hog-tying the Aztecs for the duration.

San Diego State (26-7), which missed eight of its first nine shots, was 9-of-23 from the field (1-of-6 from beyond the arc) in the first half. Meanwhile, Lobo sophomore forward Tony Snell was 4-of-5 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes and had only nine fewer points than the Aztecs, whose first-half total of 23 marked their second-lowest of the season.

"We just couldn't settle into any kind of a flow offensively," said Aztecs coach Steve Fisher. "The more we missed, the faster we played. That ain't a good combination. We tried to make a couple subs, tried to talk about it at timeouts. We weren't quite able to get it under control."

Where San Diego State's women's basketball team is concerned this season, give the C's an A for effort.

Behind yet another impressive performance from junior guards Chelsea Hopkins and Courtney Clements, the top-seeded Aztecs won their second Mountain West title in three years on Saturday with a 57-43 victory over No. 7 seed New Mexico.

And while those familiar with SDSU's 2011-12 title run are also more than a little familiar with Chelsea and Courtney, Chairese may not ring a bell, even if she is C squared.

Frequently lost amidst the talents of Hopkins, the tournament MVP, and Clements, the MW Player of the Year, are those toiling in roles that, while no less critical, tend to be crowded out by stardom.

Yet if San Diego State (25-6) is to take more than one step in the NCAA Tournament, coach Beth Burns knows full well there can be no distinction between stars and subs.

Exhibit A: Chairese Culberson.

A freshman forward who had been averaging 4.6 points and 19.5 minutes, Culberson may not have factored heavily in Saturday's title game, but neither was her contribution of eight points and four rebounds in 17 minutes to be taken lightly.

"That's what's been so good about this team," Burns said. "We don't have green eyed monsters. Everybody knows it's the sum of our parts that helps us win. To me, that's why we won the league, because if we had a bad night, somebody getting sick, we always had somebody who picked us up."

New Mexico (11-20) reached the title game despite a coaching change and a season littered with injuries.

"Good players make good plays, and San Diego State did that," said first-year coach Yvonne Sanchez. "I give them all the credit. That being said, I give my team a lot of credit. We were led by a great group of seniors. They never gave up. They could have written the season off. Six other teams thought they should be here. They watched our team play in the championship game. That's the thing I'm most proud of."

The Rams head into Selection Sunday with a mark of 20-11. The information used here is the official data compiled by the NCAA.

Colorado State vs. Washington (21-10)
While this seems to be the team most are quick to compare to Colorado State, here are a couple of facts worth noting:

1) Colorado State's strength of schedule ranks No. 4; Washington sits at No. 79.

2) Against top-50 teams in the latest RPI, the Huskies are 0-5. While CSU is 3-6, two of the six losses (Duke, Southern Miss) came with junior forward Pierce Hornung sidelined by a concussion. Hornung, the Rams' fourth-leading scorer, averages a team-high 8.4 rebounds per game and has a team-best 47 steals. He has also contributed 45 assists and 12 blocks.

3) Both teams are relatively even vs. opponents with RPI rankings of 51-100 and 101-200 and both are unbeaten against opponents with an RPI of 201 or worse. However, against teams with RPI number of 201+, Washington has played 10 such opponents while the Rams have played only four.

4) The Huskies concluded their airtight case for an NCAA bid by losing to No. 9 seed Oregon State in the Pac-12 tournament. Colorado State, on the other hand, entered the MW tournament with a 4 seed and handed No. 5 TCU an 81-60 loss in the quarterfinals before dropping a 79-69 decision to top-seeded and 18th-ranked San Diego State in Friday's semis.

Colorado State vs. Arizona (23-10)
1) The Wildcats, who have a date with Colorado in the Pac-12 championship game (an event that will necessitate the utilization of at least one usher at the Staples Center in Los Angeles), boast a strength of schedule ranking of 124.

2) In the latest RPI, Arizona is 1-3 vs. top-50 teams and 4-5 against opponents ranked 51-100.

3) How far have the Wildcats come since the departure of Lute Olson? Not only did they lose to Arizona State, a team with an RPI of 251, they were also tripped up --- get this --- 69-68 by Seattle Pacific in a preseason exhibition game.

Colorado State vs. Colorado (20-11)
1) Other than finally grasping CU's reasoning behind transferring to the Pac-12, where basketball is now only slightly more compelling than intramural welding, the Buffaloes lost to CSU, 65-64, on Nov. 30.

2) Sporting a strength of schedule of 86, only 82 spots below CSU, Colorado is 2-3 vs. top-50 teams in the latest RPI and 5-5 against opponents ranked 51-100.

3) CU played 10 games against teams with RPIs of 201+.

Colorado State vs. BYU (25-8)
1) Now members of the West Coast Conference, the Cougars got out of town while the gettin' was good. Their record against teams in the top 50 RPI? Try 1-6. Strength of schedule: 99.

2) Colorado State has three wins over ranked opponents; BYU has one (No. 24 Gonzaga).

3) BYU is 4-0 vs. RPI 51-100; 8-2 against RPI 101-200; and 10-0 vs. RPI 201+.

4) While the Cougars get the nod over CSU in terms of road record (8-3), they also play in a league with a worse RPI (11) than the Pac-12.

In the end, New Mexico sophomore guard Kendall Williams sprinted to the northeast corner of the Thomas & Mack Center, holding his right index finger aloft.

Williams was not proclaiming the Lobos the best team in the land, nor even the Mountain West. Rather, he was reminding half the population of Albuquerque in attendance that one more hurdle remained between the finish line and a MW season fulfilled.

Projected as the league's preseason favorite, the No. 2 seed Lobos wiped out a 12-0 deficit at the outset of the contest to knock off No. 3 UNLV, 72-67, Friday night in the semifinals of the MW men's basketball tournament.

The victory not only put an end to UNLV's 18-game home win streak, but it simultaneously set up a title showdown matching regular-season co-champions New Mexico and No. 1 seed San Diego State. The teams split during the regular season, with the Aztecs winning 75-70 at The Pit and the Lobos posting a 77-67 victory in San Diego.

The Lobos, who won the tournament in 2005, are making their third appearance in the championship game.

"It's going to be a great, great matchup," said New Mexico coach Steve Alford. "They beat us at our place, we beat them at their place. Now we get a neutral floor setting for the rubber match."

They are certain sights synonymous with Las Vegas. The Strip. Caesars. The Fountains at Bellagio. New York-New York and the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel.

And the presence of San Diego State's men's basketball team in March.

The Aztecs, who were deemed defective after losing four starters --- one of them a lottery pick --- from last year's Sweet 16 team, continued negating the naysayers Friday night, knocking off No. 4 seed Colorado State, 79-69, to advance to the Mountain West title game for the fourth straight year.

"We talked a little bit about us and a responsibility to ourselves to come out and be as good as we can be," said coach Steve Fisher, whose team improved to 26-6 as the defending MW Tournament champion. "We want to play (Saturday). We're not worried about not having a deep bench, not having legs. We want to be playing. We want to be that last team standing here in this Mountain West Conference, and we're going to be having a chance to do that. "

Perhaps a better chance than most. San Diego State has now won a conference-record eight straight tournament games and 10 of its last 11. The Aztecs are 4-1 in MW championship games.

SDSU, which got a team-high 19 points from MW Player of the Year Jamaal Franklin, also received 17 points from Chase Tapley and 15 from James Rahon.

The Aztecs, who ranked second in the league this season in field-goal percentage defense, limited CSU to a shooting percentage of 43.1 percent (25-of-58). SDSU has gone 48 consecutive games without allowing an opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from field. The Rams were the top shooting team in the MW entering the tournament.

"We gave up a lot of offensive rebounds," said Rams guard Jesse Carr, who finished with 17 points. "Once we got in the lane, it was tough to get up an easy shot. They did a good job of making sure we didn't get easy shots and just contested everything."

Having made five previous appearances, the New Mexico's women's basketball team is familiar with the road to the Mountain West women's tournament title game.

To do so a sixth time not only demanded defying the odds, it also necessitated a minor miracle.

The Lobos, who staggered through the 2011-12 regular season beset by myriad injuries and the liabilities that come with subs assuming the roles of starters, became the first No. 7 seed in league history to advance to the championship game on Friday, holding off No. 6 seed Boise State, 51-50.

This from a team that finished 10-19 during the regular season, one that had to acclimate itself to a new coach following the retirement of Don Flanagan, who in 12 years led the Lobos to 11 consecutive winning seasons and 10 straight postseason appearances, including seven trips to the NCAA Tournament.

One that heads into the title game against No. 1 seed San Diego State with enough mojo working to persuade the most hardened of skeptics.

"It's absolutely incredible," said first-year coach Yvonne Sanchez, Flangan's former assistant. "There have been a lot of challenges, I will say. I told these kids at the beginning, regardless of what the case is, for my first year as a head coach, I don't want any other team ... They have incredible team chemistry. They are terrific to work with."

And for San Diego State, tough to beat. The Lobos, who got 15 points apiece from senior forward Porche Torrance (12 rebounds) and Caroline Durbin against Boise State, are 6-0 against the Aztecs in the MW tournament, including a 62-59 win in the 2008 championship game.

"These kids leave it all out on the court," Sanchez said. "That's what I told them: If you leave it all out on the court, give everything you have, I can live with the results. They've done that."

For the first time in program history, San Diego State's women's basketball team this season won its first outright Mountain West championship. For the third time in four years, the Aztecs put together a 20-win season. From Dec. 16-Feb. 1, SDSU won 13 straight games, its longest streak in 17 years and the fourth-longest in team history.

In reaching the MW title game as the No. 1 seed with Friday's 73-55 win over No. 5 Wyoming, the Aztecs have a chance to pocket their second league title in three years.

Should they do so, they might even crack a smile. In the interim, the safe approach would be to keep your distance.

SDSU (24-6) is playing for keeps.

"The motivation for us right now is that we want to go to the NCAA tournament," said junior guard and MW Player of the Year Courtney Clements. "We're very well aware of the fact that even though we won our conference, there's a possibility we could still not get into the NCAA tournament. If that means that we have to win the championship to get to the NCAA tournament, that's what we're going to do."

If that statement carries with it a carload of conviction, rest assured that neither Clements nor fellow guard Chelsea Hopkins lack for tenacity --- or talent.

While Clements was scoring in double figures for the 26th time this season with 22 points on Friday, Hopkins set a MW tournament record with 10 assists. In adding 16 points, she also recorded her team-leading fifth double-double of the season.

"This team, really to a player, is really one big happy group," said coach Beth Burns. "Maybe that's because we've won a lot of games, but I think it's because we've had pretty good older leadership to involve everybody. We don't have somebody in there feeling left out. Everybody feels a part of it."

A feeling that might even prompt a measure of merriment --- when the job is done.

And now for Act III.

In a regular-season series defined by high notes and a fair measure of humiliation on the part of both parties, New Mexico and UNLV will settle matters for keeps in Friday's Mountain West men's semifinals.

In the opening act, staged in Las Vegas on Jan. 22, the Runnin' Rebels dealt the Lobos their worst league loss since Feb. 2, 2008, getting 14 points apiece from Mike Moser and Carlos Lopez in an 80-63 win.

New Mexico more than atoned for any atrocities in Albuquerque on Feb. 18, getting 27 points and 20 rebounds from Drew Gordon in dealing UNLV its worst loss of the season, 65-45. In the process, the Lobos held the Rebels to season lows for points and field-goal percentage (31.1 percent, 14-of-45).

New Mexico enters the rubber match as the tournament's No. 2 seed. UNLV, which hung on to beat No. 6 Wyoming 56-48 Thursday night after building a 28-11 halftime lead, is seeded No. 3.

The showdown also will pit two of the league's showcase players in New Mexico's Drew Gordon and UNLV's Mike Moser. Gordon posted his 16th double-double of the season in Thursday's win over No. 7 seed Air Force, while Moser recorded his 15th double-double against Wyoming with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Moser single-handedly outscored the Cowboys, 18-11, in the opening 20 minutes.

The Lobos have never beaten the Rebels in any conference tournament game, going 0-3 in the MW and 0-4 overall.

"We've had that bad taste in our mouth for a long time now," Moser said of the Rebels' 20-point loss in Albuquerque. "Getting back on the court back against them is definitely really going to get our blood going, and I think we're going to come out and be really ready for this game."

With 5:02 remaining in the first half of Thursday's Mountain West men's quarterfinal game between New Mexico and Air Force, Lobos sophomore guard Kendall Williams was hit with a technical foul for hanging on the rim following a dunk.

Suffice, New Mexico didn't hang around much longer.

The No. 2 seed Lobos, whose two regular-season victories over the Falcons came by a combined average of 34.5 points, got a career-high 19 points from sophomore guard Demetrius Walker to beat Air Force 79-64.

And while three other players finished in double figures for New Mexico, including Drew Gordon (15), Walker's performance is arguably the story of New Mexico's season. A reserve whose previous high of 16 points came last season against Missouri State, Walker is part of a roster that legitimately goes 10 deep. Walker finished 5-of-6 from the field (3-of-4 from three-point range) and was 6-of-8 from the line.

In an 81-42 win at Air Force on Feb. 1, the Lobos' bench matched Air Force's entire point total. New Mexico's reserves head into Friday's semifinals accounting for an average of 26.3 points per game.

"Our bench has been terrific all year," said coach Steve Alford. "Whether it's been Demetrius or Jamal (Fenton); Cam (Cameron Bairstow) was really good tonight. Phillip (McDonald) obviously comes in and does a lot of good things for us. Chad (Adams) has had good moments for us this year. Our bench has been very deep."

The cliché is to label it a team that totes a lunch pail, toils in a hard hat and is accustomed to dislodging dirt from under its fingernails.

The truth? Colorado State is blue collar in a three-piece button-down.

Tough as a roadhouse rib-eye, and with a lineup that looks more rec league than ready-to-rumble, CSU almost certainly locked down a spot in the NCAA Tournament on Friday with an 81-60 win over TCU in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West men's basketball tournament.

In a game many believed held promise as perhaps the tournament's most grueling, the No. 4 seed Rams instead turned it into a Porsche against a plow, a Lamborghini versus a lawn tractor.

And this was without starter Greg Smith, the team's third-leading scorer. Without, as usual, a starter standing taller than 6-6. Without anyone to seemingly capable of matching might with one of the most athletic teams in the league.

But not without a whole lot of chutzpah.

Paced by junior forward Pierce Hornung (18 points, 14 rebounds), who would routinely be mistaken for Shaquille O'Neal were he seven inches taller and 120 pounds heavier, the Rams had six players score in double figures. They outrebounded TCU 38-27 and held a 50-38 advantage on points in the paint. They led by 22 with 7:48 left.

"We came to win the Conference tournament," said coach Tim Miles. "We thought that we could do what we could do until the end of the regular season, to have a high finish in the conference and put ourselves in (the NCAA Tournament) conversation.

"But, you know, about the time you say, 'Oh, we might need one (win) to get in, Boise State could go out and upset San Diego State, so now you can't lose to Boise. It never ends. Try to win the Conference tournament and see if they can keep us out that way. They can't."

If San Diego State's men's basketball team rides Jamaal Franklin any farther, the standout sophomore guard should be afforded license to charge cab fare.

In what many anticipate being the most competitive Mountain West men's basketball tournament since the league's inception in 1999, Franklin provided enough drama in Thursday's opening act to bring down the house.

Franklin, the MW Player of the Year, hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer while falling backward as the top-seeded Aztecs survived a monumental scare from No. 8 Boise State, 65-62.

"Jamaal has turned into an extremely talented, confident basketball player who has steadily pulled the reins in on himself to play within the confines of what we want to do," said Aztecs coach Steve Fisher. "You have to have wiggle room, so I give him a little wiggle room. But Jamaal is unafraid."

Just ask UNLV. In a game against the then-No. 11-ranked Runnin' Rebels on Jan. 14, Franklin made an off-balance layup with three-tenths of a second left to give the Aztecs a 69-67 victory.

"I believed in myself," Franklin said of Thursday's heroics. "I always practice the last shot. When it left my hand, I felt it was going to go in."

Said Boise State coach Leon Rice: "We knew it was going to Franklin. Like (Broncos guard Derrick Marks) said, everybody in the gym knew it was going to Franklin. That's where it should go, obviously. He showed why it should go there."

Far be it from Boise State to be the only one not to throw a monkey wrench into the madness.

In keeping with the theme of the day on Wednesday, the No. 6 seed Broncos knocked off No. 3 seed Colorado State 68-63 in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West women's basketball tournament.

Boise State, which was swept by the Rams during the regular season, became the third lower -seeded team of the day to advance to Friday's semifinals, where it will meet No. 7 New Mexico.

With the exception of top-seeded San Diego State, three of the top four seeds lost in the opening round for the first time in the history of the tournament.

On a day where No. 2 UNLV and No. 4 TCU also fell by the wayside, junior forward Lauren Lenhardt scored a game-high 18 points for first-year MW member Boise State. Kati Isham (15), Kinzi Poteet (12) and Heather Pilcher (12) also finished in double figures for the Broncos, who head to the semifinals having swept New Mexico during the regular season.

"It sounds kind of little, but you always need a hump win," said Boise State coach Gordy Presnell. "This is kind of a hump win for our program. We battled injuries for a few years that just decimated us. Our kids were so focused, not on winning this tournament but just focused on Colorado State."

Sophomore guard Haley Thompson posted the first double-double of her career with 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for the Rams, who were hampered for much of the second half by foul trouble to starters Sam Martin and Kelly Hartig.

"With Sam and Kelly on the bench, it was hard because we didn't have the normal inside threat that we usually have," said senior guard Kim Mestdagh, who finished a standout career at CSU with 14 points and five assists. "They kept pressuring us outside, so it was hard. They were really physical, too. Meghan (Heimstra) kind of had to do it on her own in the paint. All of that made it a little harder. We were just kind of out of it. We couldn't find a way to get back in it and get good shots."

Perhaps the nomination of New Mexico senior Porche Torrance as the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year was a bit premature.

Torrance, who led the MW in rebounding with an average of 8.8 per game in league play, went on the offensive Wednesday night, knocking down 8-of-12 shots from the field and tying a career high with 20 points as the No. 7 seed Lobos knocked off No. 2 seed UNLV 61-58.

It was the first time in the 12-year history of the MW women's tournament that a No. 7 seed eliminated a No. 2.

"I told myself, I'm a senior, this is my last opportunity," said Torrance, who posted her fifth double-double of the season by also collecting 11 rebounds. "I wanted us to win this game. It's hard to beat a team three times (UNLV swept the Lobos during the regular season). We definitely stepped up. I took care of business out on the court."

The Lobos, who shot 57.1 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-14), also benefitted from the first scoreless game of the season for UNLV standout senior guard Jamie Smith.

"Jamie is going to beat herself up until we play again," said Lady Rebels coach Kathy Olivier. "So we better get chosen to play in the post-season, because she needs to play again. This is not the way she wants to end her career."

Over the years, coach Joe Legerski has come to refer to it as the Wyoming way, and it works it something like this:

Identify open shooter, get ball to open shooter, demonstrably deflate defense.

Exhibit A: Wednesday's Mountain West women's quarterfinal game against TCU.

In dispatching the No. 4 seed Horned Frogs, 61-44, the fifth-seeded Cowgirls amassed 17 assists on 20 made field goals, 10 of the assists coming in the first half as Wyoming raced out to a 32-18 lead.

The Cowgirls came up one shy of eclipsing the women's MW Tournament record for assists on made field goals in a game (18, by Colorado State in 2011).

"We share the basketball," Legerski said. "Everyone's asked to shoot when they're open. Tonight we got off to a great start. I thought the game was back and forth early. Then all of a sudden we started finding some people on the perimeter with threes. Those, I always say, are easy assists...they made the right decisions, found the right person, we stepped up and knocked down some shots. "

Wyoming will meet No. 1 seed San Diego State in the semifinals on Friday at noon PT. A No. 5 seed has advanced to the tournament championship only twice, with Utah winning in 2011.

Asked to define the distinction between the first and second halves of Wednesday's Mountain West women's quarterfinal tournament game against San Diego State, Air Force coach Andrea Williams broke it down to its simplest terms.

Said Williams: "It's called the Player of the Year in the conference getting a little ticked off and saying, 'I'm Player of the Year.'"

That distinction belongs to Aztecs junior guard Courtney Clements, who finished with 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds as top-seeded SDSU ousted the No. 8 seed Falcons, 68-58.

The Aztecs trailed 34-32 at the half, with Clements, the league's leading scorer, tallying only four points in the opening 20 minutes. It was the first time in MW women's tournament history that a No. 8 seed led a No. 1 seed at the half.

"Sometimes, when shots aren't falling, you have to find other ways," Clements said, who posted her second double-double against Air Force in three meetings this season. "A lot of games where you can't knock (shots) down, can't get touches, you have to find other ways to win. I just saw an opportunity by going to the offensive boards. Luckily, I was getting putbacks and getting and ones, get us going a little bit."

Quarterfinal action on the men's side begins Thursday, March 8, with No. 1 seed San Diego State tipping off against No. 8 seed Boise State at noon PT. The Aztecs-Broncos match-up will be followed by No. 4 seed Colorado State vs. No. 5 seed TCU at 2:30 p.m. PT; No. 2 seed New Mexico vs. No. 7 seed Air Force at 6 p.m. PT; and No. 3 seed UNLV vs. No. 6 seed Wyoming at 8:30 p.m. PT.

Here's a look at each of the quarterfinal match-ups:

2012 MW MEN'S BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS

No. 1 seed San Diego State (24-6, 10-4 MW) vs. No. 8 Boise State (13-16, 3-11 MW)
Thur., Noon PT, The Mtn. HD (DirecTV 616)
Two-time defending tournament champion San Diego State swept the season series against the Broncos, winning 58-56 in San Diego on Feb. 1 and 66-53 in Boise on March 1. Aztecs sophomore guard Jamaal Franklin, the league's leading scorer, averaged 17.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two contests. Freshman forward Anthony Drmic leads Boise State with an average of 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

No. 4 Colorado State (19-10, 8-6 MW) vs. No. 5 TCU (17-13, 7-7 MW)
Thur., 2:30 PT, The Mtn. HD/ CBS Sports Network (DirecTV 616/613)
If you're waiting until Friday's semifinals for the real drama to unfold, forget it. Colorado State is trying to cement a spot in the NCAA Tournament, while TCU, with wins over Top-25 teams in UNLV and New Mexico, is bucking for its first postseason appearance as a member of the Mountain West. The Rams and Horned Frogs are squaring off in a rubber match after splitting their regular-season meetings by a mere 10 points combined, with the Rams prevailing 95-89 in double overtime on Jan. 14 and the Frogs getting even with a 75-71 victory in Fort Worth on Feb. 11.

No. 2 New Mexico (24-6, 10-4 MW) vs. No. 7 Air Force (13-15, 3-11 MW)
Thur., 6 p.m. PT, The Mtn. HD (DirecTV 616)
Though Air Force has rarely gone quietly in this event through the years, this was a nightmarish matchup for the Falcons during the regular season, with New Mexico winning both games by a combined average of 34.5 points. Senior forward Drew Gordon, who recorded his 15th double-double of the season in Saturday's win over Boise State, is averaging 13.2 points and 11.0 rebounds for the Lobos.

No. 3 UNLV (25-7, 9-5 MW) vs. No. 6 Wyoming (20-10, 6-8 MW)
Thur., 8:30 p.m. PT, The Mtn. HD/CBS Sports Network (DirecTV 616/613)
Five days after squaring off in the regular-season finale, the Runnin' Rebels and Cowboys meet again in a rubber match. UNLV prevailed 74-63 in Saturday's game in Las Vegas, with sophomore forward Mike Moser posting his 14th double-double of the season (17 points, 12 rebounds). Wyoming's 68-66 win over UNLV in Laramie on Feb. 4 marked its first victory over a ranked opponent since 2000.

2012 MW WOMEN'S BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS

No. 1 seed San Diego State (22-6, 12-2 MW) vs. No. 8 Air Force (6-23, 1-13 MW)
Wed., Noon PT, The Mtn. HD (DirecTV 616)
The Aztecs won their first outright MW regular-season title after sharing the distinction with Utah in 2009. SDSU swept the Falcons during the regular season, winning each of the two contests by 13 points. Air Force beat New Mexico in its regular-season finale, posting its second-ever victory over the Lobos and its first as a Division I team.

No. 4 TCU (16-13, 9-5 MW) vs. No. 5 Wyoming (11-16, 7-7 MW)
Wed., 2:30 p.m. PT, The Mtn. HD (DirecTV 616)
TCU, last year's runner-up, enters the tournament having won four straight, including a 58-48 victory over Wyoming in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Cowgirls beat the Frogs 64-54 in Laramie on Feb. 2. The game matches two of the top freshmen in the MW in TCU's Natalie Ventress and Wyoming's Kayla Woodward.

No. 2 UNLV (22-8, 10-4 MW) vs. No. 7 New Mexico (9-19, 3-11 MW)
Wed., 6 p.m. PT, The Mtn. HD (DirecTV 616)
UNLV, which won 20 games for the fifth time in the past 20 years, has never been seeded this high in the tournament. The Lady Rebels swept New Mexico during the regular season, winning 64-50 in Albuquerque on Jan. 21 and 65-60 in Las Vegas on Feb. 18. The Lobos are led by junior guard Caroline Durbin, who ranks second in the league in scoring at 15.4 points per game. UNLV counters with junior guard Kelli Thompson (13.6 ppg), the eighth-leading scorer in the MW.

No. 3 Colorado (13-16, 9-5 MW) vs. No. 6 Boise State (14-15, 5-9 MW)
Wed., 8:30 p.m. PT, The Mtn. HD (DirecTV 616)
Following its 67-58 win over Boise State on Feb. 14, a win that marked a sweep of the season series by the Rams, Colorado State was positioned to claim a share of the MW title with San Diego State. Yet despite beating the Aztecs, the Rams dropped three of their last four, including a 53-48 loss to UNLV on Feb. 29 that left them with the No. 3 seed. CSU is paced by senior guard Kim Mestdagh, the MW Preseason Player of the Year, who ranks third in the league in scoring (14.8 ppg) and assists (4.0). Broncos junior forward Lauren Lenhardt, who ranks second in the MW in field-goal percentage (.500), is also the league's seventh-leading scorer (13.8 ppg).

MW MEN'S BASKETBALL

• May I Assist You? UNLV senior guard Oscar Bellfield, who has recorded over 100 assists in all four years of his college career, leads the MW in assists per game with 5.2 and is fifth on the school's career assists list with 554. He is currently second all-time in the MW in career assists, 10 shy of the record held by New Mexico's Dairese Gary (2007-11). Bellfield is sixth in UNLV history with 203 career three-point baskets and is on pace to become only the second Runnin' Rebel ever to lead the team in assists in four straight seasons.

• In the Spotlight: San Diego State sophomore guard Jamaal Franklin continues to build a compelling case for MW Player of the Year honors. Franklin, the league's leading scorer, has finished in double figures in 16 straight games while recording double-doubles in 10 of his last 15 contests. In his last two games he has 49 points, 28 rebounds and four assists while connecting on 13-of-24 FGA (54.2 pct.) and 20-of-22 FTA (90.9 pct.).

• Milestone Within Reach: Air Force junior guard Michael Lyons is on track to become the 23rd player in the program's history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Lyons, who has appeared in 83 career games, has 962 career points and is 26th on the school's career scoring list. The last Falcon to join the 1,000-point club was Matt McCraw in 2007. No Air Force junior has accomplished the feat since Otis Jones in 1994.

• Shuffling the Deck: Boise State has used 13 different starting lineups this season, with each of the 12 players to see playing time having started at least one game. The Broncos are one of three teams nationally to start every player who has seen game action. The last Boise State team to do so was the 2000-01 squad. The Broncos used just eight different combinations during Leon Rice's debut season in 2010-11.

• Big on the Boards: Despite its tallest starter being 6-6, Colorado State is the only team in the Mountain West with two players --- junior forwards Pierce Hornung and Greg Smith --- ranked in the top seven in the league in rebounding. Hornung ranks third at 8.5 boards per game, while Smith is seventh (5.2) after pulling down 25 rebounds in his last four games.

• Defensive Measures: New Mexico this season has limited its opponents to 58.6 points per game and a .378 field goal percentage. The last time the Lobos held an opponent's season scoring average under 60 points was in 1983-84, the final year without a shot clock. The team's fewest average points allowed in the shot clock era is 62.4 in 2005-06.

• Going Deep: Wyoming junior guard Luke Martinez has made at least one three-point basket in 25 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the league. TCU's Hank Thorns is second at 17. Martinez ranks first in the MW and 30th in the nation in threes per game at 2.7.

• A Season of Firsts: A victory against No. 21 San Diego State on Saturday would mark the first time in history that TCU defeated three Top 25 teams (SDSU, UNLV and New Mexico) in one season. A win would also give the Frogs a winning record in league play for the first time since 2000-01 (9-7 WAC). TCU's seven league wins are its most in seven seasons as a member of the Mountain West.

MEN'S BASKETBALL HEADLINES

•  It'll be a family affair when Colorado State visits Air Force on Saturday.

• Rams still have unfinished business in quest for NCAA Tournament bid.

• The 'magician inside the locker room:' SDSU's Tom Abdenour.

• Seniors part of remarkable turnaround at TCU.

• UNLV's Massamba intent on making most of final leg of long journey.

• Former Cowboys' star Jay Straight now plying his trade overseas.

FOOTBALL HEADLINES

• New career path for former CSU football player Eugene Daniels.

WOMEN'S TENNIS HEADLINES

• Recruit from Serbia proves to be significant net gain for UNLV.

Have you seen a news article on the Mountain West, its teams and its players to share with fellow fans? E-mail them to Webmaster@TheMWC.com!

MW MEN'S BASKETBALL

1. Jamaal Franklin, G, So., San Diego State - While the general consensus throughout the season has been that the MW Player of the Year vote comes down to either New Mexico's Drew Gordon or UNLV's Mike Moser, has anybody been watching this guy? In finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's win at Boise State, Franklin posted his second consecutive double-double and his seventh in the last 10 games. This on the heels of a 31-point, 16-rebound performance against Colorado State on Saturday. He has scored in double figures in a personal-best 16 straight games.

2. Leonard Washington, F, Jr., Wyoming - Washington secured his second consecutive double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 71-59 win over TCU, helping the Cowboys post their first 20-win season since 2002-03. His 23 points marked the second-highest scoring total of his career. Washington, who has four double-doubles this season and 19 games scoring in double figures, also had 15 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's victory over Boise State.

3. J.R. Cadot, G, Sr., TCU - The reigning MW Player of the Week posted his second consecutive double-double in Saturday's win over then-No. 18 New Mexico, finishing with a game-high 15 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. He had six offensive rebounds in the game as TCU beat a Top 25-ranked team twice in a season (UNLV on Feb. 14) for the first time in program history. Cadot finished with a team-high 11 points to lead the Frogs in scoring for the third straight game in Tuesday's loss at Wyoming.

4. Dorian Green, G, Jr., Colorado State - Green played a major role in rallying the Rams from a 16-point deficit by scoring 14 of his team-high 16 points in the second half of Wednesday's win over No. 17 UNLV. He tied for team-high scoring honors with 14 points while adding seven rebounds, one assist and one steal in the Rams' loss at No. 24 San Diego State on Saturday. Green, who has now started 92 games in his career at CSU, has knocked down at least one three-pointer in 12 of his last 14 contests.

5. Drew Gordon, F, Sr., New Mexico - Gordon posted his 14th double-double of the season and the 27th of his career in Wednesday's win over Air Force. Gordon, who had 16 points and six rebounds in 16 minutes in the first half, finished the contest by hitting 8-of-9 shot attempts in 27 minutes. After pulling down 12 rebounds in Saturday's loss at TCU, he currently has 317 rebounds, the eighth-best single-season total in New Mexico history. The school season record is 375 by Tom King in 1960-61.

6. Anthony Marshall, G, Jr., UNLV - In a win over Air Force and a loss to Colorado State, Marshall averaged 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He is the only player in the Mountain West averaging at least 12 points, five rebounds and four assists per contest for all games. He has scored in double figures in each of his last five games and seven of the last eight.

7. Francisco Cruz, G, Sr., Wyoming - Cruz scored 19 points to post his second consecutive double-figure scoring game and his 18th of the season in Tuesday's 71-59 win over TCU. He also dished out five assists, marking the seventh time this season he's finished with more than four in a game. He contributed a team-high 16 points in Saturday's win over Boise State.

8. Tim Shelton, F, Sr., San Diego State - Shelton, who had 11 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's win at Boise State, posted his fourth double-digit scoring game in his last five outings after going nearly three years (and 61 games played) without a double-digit effort. After connecting on 3-of-5 attempts from the field against the Broncos, he has now made 29 of his last 50 field goal attempts. He also drew his 30th charge of the season against BSU.

9. Wes Eikmeier, G, Jr., Colorado State - Eikmeier, who finished as the Rams' second-leading scorer in Wednesday's win over UNLV, tied for team-high scoring honors with 14 points in Saturday's 74-66 loss at San Diego State. The MW's second-leading scorer, Eikmeier has now hit a three-pointer in 23 of CSU's 28 contests this season and has reached double-figure scoring in 23 games.

10. Hugh Greenwood, G, Fr., New Mexico - Greenwood established career highs for points (22) and three-pointers (5) in Wednesday's win over Air Force. He scored the Lobos' first 14 points of the second half in a span of just 3:02, with 12 of his points coming from beyond the arc. Greenwood finished 7-of-9 from the floor, including a 5-for-7 performance from three-point range.

MW WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

1. Courtney Clements, G, Jr., San Diego State - The reigning Mountain West Player of the Week posted her third consecutive and league-leading 12th 20-point scoring outing of the year with 22 points in Wednesday's win over Boise State. Clements, the league's leading scorer, has averaged 23.7 points over her last three games.

2. Kelli Thompson, G, Jr., UNLV - Thompson tallied her third straight 20-point game in Wednesday's 53-48 win over Colorado State as the Lady Rebels secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming MW Championships and claimed their first-ever top-two finish in the league. .In her last three games, Thompson has averaged 21.3 points while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor.

3. Jamie Smith, F, Sr., UNLV - Smith, who earlier this season became just the second player in MW history - men's or women's - to amass 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, became the Lady Rebels' all-time leading rebounder in Wednesday's win over Colorado State. Smith, who had 11 rebounds in the game, broke the previous record of 1,124 held by former UNLV All-American Linda Fröhlich. Smith, the team's third-leading scorer, currently has 1,131 career rebounds.

4. Chelsea Hopkins, G, Jr., San Diego State - Hopkins, who has four of the Aztecs' six double-doubles this season, hit 5-of-6 shots from the field, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals in Wednesday's victory over Boise State. The league leader in assists with an average of 6.5 per game (she has 61 more assists than any player in MW), Hopkins was a rebound shy of recording her fifth double-double in Saturday's loss at Colorado State, finishing with 11 points, nine boards, six assists and three steals in playing all 40 minutes.

5. Natalie Ventress, G, Fr., TCU - Ventress, who had 18 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's win over New Mexico, led TCU in scoring for the 18th time this season with a team-high 10 points in a 58-48 win over Wyoming on Tuesday. She also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals while scoring in double figures for the sixth straight game and 17th time this season.

For those merely concerned with the regular-season championship picture, it's simple: The possibility still remains that one, two or three teams could walk away with at least a piece of the crown because the Mountain West recognizes multiple regular-season champions in the event of a tie. All of the eye-crossing number-crunching you see below is merely a way to determine seeding for the MW tournament.

San Diego State and New Mexico simply have to win to claim their share, while UNLV has to win and hope for a little help from TCU and Boise State. However, should the Aztecs prevail Saturday on the Horned Frogs' home court (a place where all other MW teams have failed this season, I might add), SDSU will earn the coveted No. 1 seed due to New Mexico having split its series with the Horned Frogs.

Meanwhile, TCU, which has won eight straight at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, enters Saturday's contest knotted up with Colorado State in fourth place. In any tiebreaker scenario, should the Frogs and Rams finish tied in the final standings, Colorado State would earn the higher seed, regardless of whether both finish 8-6 or 7-7. Should CSU and TCU finish in a three-way tie with Wyoming at 7-7, the Rams would be seeded fourth, while the Frogs and Cowboys would be seeded fifth and sixth, respectively.

In the interim, if you have yet to purchase tickets to next week's Conoco Mountain West Basketball Championships, visit UNLVTickets.com. Single-session tickets are now on sale - purchase yours online or by calling 702-739-3267.

Oh. And happy reading.

Two-way tie between UNM and SDSU at 10-4:
• UNM and SDSU split with each other
• Both teams split with CSU and UNLV
• SDSU is 2-0 vs. TCU, UNM is 1-1 vs. TCU
• Both teams are 2-0 vs. WYO
• SDSU gets No. 1 seed due to sweep of TCU

Three-way tie between UNM, SDSU and UNLV at 9-5:
• UNM, SDSU and UNLV split with each other
• All three teams split with CSU, TCU
• UNM and SDSU are 2-0 vs. WYO; UNLV is 1-1
• UNLV gets No. 3 seed
• UNM is 2-0 vs. AFA; SDSU is 1-1 vs. AFA
• SDSU is 2-0 vs. BSU; UNM is 1-1 vs. BSU
• If BSU is 4-10 and AFA is 3-11, tiebreaker goes to SDSU
• If AFA and BSU are tied at 4-10 (both UNM and SDSU went a combined 3-1 against AFA and BSU), tie broken based on Feb. 27 RPI ranking (28-SDSU; 34-UNM)
• SDSU is No. 1 seed due to higher RPI ranking

Two-way tie between UNM and UNLV at 9-5:
• SDSU is No. 1 seed at 10-4
• UNM and UNLV split with each other
• Both teams split with SDSU
• Both teams split with CSU, TCU
• UNM is 2-0 vs. WYO; UNLV is 1-1
• UNM gets No. 2 seed due to sweep of WYO

Two-way tie between SDSU and UNLV at 9-5:
• UNM is No. 1 seed at 10-4
• SDSU and UNLV split with each other
• Both teams split with UNM
• Both teams split with CSU, TCU
• SDSU is 2-0 vs. WYO, UNLV is 1-1 vs. WYO
• SDSU gets No. 2 seed due to sweep of WYO

Two-way tie between UNM and SDSU at 9-5:
• UNM and SDSU split with each other
• Split with UNLV, CSU, TCU
• UNM and SDSU are both 2-0 vs. WYO
• If AFA and BSU are tied at 4-10 (both UNM and SDSU went a combined 3-1 against AFA and BSU), tie broken based on Feb. 27 RPI ranking (28-SDSU; 34-UNM) - SDSU gets No. 1 seed due to higher RPI ranking
• If AFA is 3-11, SDSU still gets No. 1 seed due to 2-0 record vs. BSU because UNM is 1-1 vs. BSU

Three-way tie between UNLV, CSU and TCU at 8-6:
• UNM is No. 1 seed at 10-4 if it defeats BSU
• SDSU is No. 1 seed if it is tied with UNM at 9-5
• UNLV, CSU and TCU split with each other
• UNLV, CSU and TCU split with UNM and SDSU
• CSU and TCU are 1-1 vs. WYO; UNLV is 0-2 vs. WYO
• UNLV gets No. 5 seed
• CSU and TCU are both 3-1 vs. AFA and BSU
• Tie is broken based on Feb. 27 RPI ranking (27-CSU; 90-TCU)

Two-way tie between UNLV and CSU at 8-6:
• SDSU is No. 1 seed, UNM is No. 2 seed
• UNLV and CSU split with each other
• Both teams split with TCU
• CSU is 1-1 vs. WYO; UNLV is 0-2 vs. WYO
• CSU gets No. 3 seed due to split with WYO

Two-way tie between UNLV and TCU at 8-6:
• UNLV and TCU split with each other
• Both teams split with both SDSU and UNM
• Both teams split with CSU
• TCU is 1-1 vs. WYO; UNLV is 0-2 vs. WYO
• TCU gets No. 3 seed due to split with WYO

Two-way tie between CSU and TCU at 8-6:
• Split with each other
• Both teams split with SDSU, UNM, UNLV, WYO and BSU
• Both teams are 2-0 vs. AFA
• Tie broken based on Feb. 27 RPI ranking (27-CSU; 90-TCU)
• CSU gets No. 4 seed due to higher RPI ranking

Three-way tie between CSU, TCU and WYO at 7-7:
• CSU, TCU and WYO split with each other
• CSU split with UNM, SDSU and UNLV
• TCU split with UNM and UNLV, is 0-2 vs. SDSU
• WYO went 2-0 vs. UNLV, is 0-2 vs. UNM and SDSU
• CSU gets No. 4 seed, TCU gets No. 5 seed, WYO gets No. 6 seed

Two-way tie between CSU and TCU at 7-7:
• CSU and TCU split with each other
• CSU split with UNM, SDSU and UNLV
• TCU split with UNM and UNLV, is 0-2 vs. SDSU
• CSU gets No. 4 seed, TCU gets No. 5 seed

Two-way tie between TCU and WYO at 7-7:
• TCU and WYO split with each other
• TCU split with UNM and UNLV, went 0-2 vs. SDSU
• WYO is 2-0 vs. UNLV; is 0-2 vs. UNM and SDSU
• TCU gets No. 5 seed, WYO gets No. 6 seed

Two-way tie between CSU and WYO at 7-7:
• CSU and WYO split with each other
• CSU split with UNM, SDSU, UNLV and TCU
• WYO split with TCU and UNLV; went 0-2 vs. UNM and SDSU
• CSU gets No. 5 seed, WYO gets No. 6 seed

Two-way tie between AFA and BSU at 4-10:
• SDSU is the No. 1 seed in this scenario because UNM can't be the No. 1 seed if it loses
• AFA and BSU split with each other
• AFA split with SDSU, CSU, WYO and went 0-2 vs. UNM, TCU, UNLV
• BSU split with UNM, CSU, TCU and went 0-2 vs. SDSU, UNLV, WYO
• AFA gets No. 7 seed due to split with SDSU

Two-way tie between AFA and BSU at 3-11:
• AFA and BSU split with each other
• AFA split with SDSU, WYO and went 0-2 vs. CSU, UNM, TCU, UNLV
• BSU split with CSU, TCU and went 0-2 vs. UNM, SDSU, UNLV, WYO
• AFA gets No. 7 seed due to split with SDSU
• BSU gets No. 8 seed