Saturday August 31st: Boise State at Washington, TBD. Not to worry. The Pac 12 just has to figure out which of its network options will fit best with this dandy re-match from last season's MAACO Bowl Las Vegas. Boise State won, 28-26. Broncos D will have its hands full with an explosive Husky attack...but Bronco offense could have a BIG day. Another game that has yet to get a kick-off time, but will also be featured on the Pac 12 Networks is Nevada at UCLA. Life after Chris Ault begins for the Wolf Pack against a strong Bruins squad.
In the evening, it's Wyoming at Nebraska, 6 p.m. Big Ten Network. After hosting the Cornhuskers in 2011, the Cowboys make the first of two trips to Lincoln to face the Big Red. Head Coach Dave Christensen was a big winner in Lincoln in 2007 as the Offensive Coordinator for Missouri. Sunday, September 1st: Colorado vs. Colorado State in Denver, 4 p.m., CBS Sports Network. Former San Jose State Head Coach Mike MacIntrye makes his Colorado debut against a Rams team his Spartans handled easily last season. But the Rams will be looking to make it two in a row over CU, so there's that.
Saturday September 7th: San Diego State at Ohio State. TBD. Big Ten will figure this out shortly and decide which network will showcase the MW against the cream of the Big Ten in what will likely be an early kick-off, setting the stage for another exciting day. Utah State at Air Force, 1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network will showcase some early season conference play, and San Jose State at Stanford, TBD but surely ticketed for the Pac 12 Networks, will give us a good indication on where the Spartans stand with their new coaching staff.
Friday September 13th, Air Force at Boise State, 6 p.m. ESPN. Conference action takes center stage. Who will be unlucky on this night?
Saturday September 14th Nevada at Florida State, TBD. The Wolf Pack venture across the country to face a perennial powerhouse on their home turf. Count on an early start on TV someplace. New Mexico at Pitt, TBD. The MW takes a shot at the ACC newbie.
Friday September 20th: Boise State at Fresno State, 7 p.m. ESPN. Last season, this game played a part in deciding the tri-championship. Bulldogs will be looking for revenge at home and a shot at an outright conference title.
Saturday September 21st: Colorado State at Alabama, TBD. Networks can't resist the defending national champs, so Ram fans can plan on eyeballing Coach Jim McElwain's return to Tuscaloosa. Later in the day it's Oregon State at San Diego State, 5:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network. Mike Riley takes his team back to play in the stadium he once coached in as the HC of the Chargers.
It's sure to be a September to remember...and watch closely...for the MW. It will be just the start of a season that promises great excitement and a climatic finish.]]>
Alas, we know that's not the case. The only time any sizeable chunk of America pays attention to college baseball is mid June when the College World Series begins in Omaha. What fans (and network TV) miss prior to that is something that can be pretty darn entertaining. And if more guys like Stephen Strasburg were playing, it would be even better.
That's not the case of course, due to the fact that more than half of the best young talent never plays an inning of college ball. More prospects than not go directly from high school into the low levels of the professional ranks - many to be swallowed up and never to be seen nor heard from again. The ones that do successfully climb the ladder normally take five or six years to resurface.
Unlike football and basketball, baseball remains a sport beholden to its "farm" system, developed by Branch Rickey back in the 1940's. Unlike football and basketball, young, promising baseball players are actually discouraged from going to college, where they can grow as people AND athletes. Instead, professional baseball continues to draft high school kids and lure them from home (and often times from previously signed letters of intent) with hefty signing bonuses - figuring that money can more than make up for a lifetime without a college education. You know the argument: I can get the money now, or I can earn it over the course of my lifetime, later. Hmmm.
Too few have the foresight to look past the dollars and into the immediate AND distant future. In the immediate future, it's been well documented that going to college is actually the FASTER path to the Major Leagues. Players like Strasburg spend far LESS time in the minors, and reach the big league (where the real "life changing money" exists) before the high schoolers that are still struggling up that ladder, one arduous rung at a time. Ex-college players have a tendency to catch on sooner and establish themselves in the show longer as well. Last summer, I studied the box scores for all the games played over the first weekend in July. Of all the middle infielders who started games that weekend, only TWO American born players did NOT go to college. (One was named Jeter. The exception that proves the rule.) College players are more used to big crowds, pressure atmosphere, and everything that goes with being in the show, including the business side. In short, they are far more ready for all they are getting into.
As for the distant future, learning and growing in a college atmosphere, whether a player stays long enough to earn his degree or not, as immeasurable benefit to a young man. Where do you think Strasburg would learn more - spending three years of being tutored by Tony Gwynn, or six years with six different minor league managers, who if they put their heads together couldn't match Gwynn's expertise on the game?
If a family is facing financial hardship, then it's understandable why they would opt to take the immediate money that professional baseball offers. If not, then it's hard to fathom why any player would choose six years of beating the bushes over three or four years on campus.
On the other side of it, it remains baffling why professional baseball continues to thumb its collective nose at what could be a ready-made farm system. The pros spend millions every year on bloated farm systems that may or may not actually produce big league ready players - while they complain about the huge salaries they have to play players. It's sort of astounding that someone has not stood up, pointed at pro football, and said 'Hey, look at them. They're the most popular sport in the country and they do it by having the colleges operate as their farm system. And they don't spend a dime doing it!...Umm, why don't we do that?'
In order to become the owner of a team, you very likely had to be a great businessman first. Yet continuing to operate a large and often ineffective farm system like baseball does doesn't make good business sense.
We can only hope that someday that changes. In the meantime, we can continue to enjoy watching players like DJ Peterson at New Mexico and not be surprised when he bursts onto the national stage in a year or two. The Mountain West has produced a lot of high quality major league talent, from "Mr. Padre" himself, Tony Gwynn, to Bud Black, Matt Williams, Mark Grace, Ryan Ludwick and newcomers like Addison Reed and Jordan Pacheco. The list goes on, and it will continue to grow, despite the obstacles the college game faces.]]>
But this race is far from over. Second-place UNLV, sporting a glistening 27-12 overall record (11-7 in league play) and boasting the league's best NCAA RPI, comes to Lobo Field this weekend. The Rebels just finished off their first series victory over San Diego State since 2007, and still have a shot at catching New Mexico.
Rebels coach Tim Chambers has said he feels that a strong second-place finish in the conference should earn his team an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. But he knows that the experts out there who evaluate these things for a living will only give the league a second bid if it's truly warranted. In other words, the Rebels have to finish with a flourish in order to lock that up.
Ironically, the last time the MW failed to get at least two teams into the NCAA tournament was 2008 - the same year that current MW newcomer Fresno State won the College World Series. Every year since, the MW has landed at least two teams in the NCAA tourney. San Diego State, led by No. 1 MLB draft pick Stephen Strasburg, led the MW party of three to the NCAA tournament in 2009, joining regular season champion TCU and tourney champ Utah. New Mexico crashed the NCAA party in 2010 with an at-large bid and earned the league's automatic berth in 2011 and 2012 by winning the conference tournament, joining TCU in NCAA postseason.
This weekend's series between New Mexico and UNLV in Albuquerque will set the tone for the remainder of the regular season as teams vie for seeding in the MW Championship and potential at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos (72), Rebels (67) and third-place San Diego State (74) currently hold the top three NCAA RPI ratings, one of the factors in determining an at-large berth, in the league thanks to some key non-conference wins early in the season. While those three teams may be the current favorites for the Conference's automatic spot in the NCAAs, don't count out fourth-place Fresno State, fifth-place Nevada or sixth-place Air Force. In two of the past four seasons the No. 6 seed in the MW tournament has earned the league's automatic bid (Utah - 2009; New Mexico - 2011) and don't think Bulldog fans have forgotten how quickly their 2008 squad turned into Cinderella wearing a pair of glass slippers all the way to the CWS in Omaha.
The final MW standings will not keep any team out of this year's conference tourney, but they will determine seeding and which two teams earn a first-round bye. Those final standings may also help determine if the MW can remain a two-bid league come NCAA tourney selection time.
]]>Gwynn not only considered it, he lobbied for the opportunity before the ink was dry on his MLB retirement papers following the 2001 season. After serving his apprenticeship on Jim Dietz staff in 2002, he took the reins of the Aztecs program in 2003. Now in his 12th season on the mesa and still in recovery from a serious health scare, Gwynn says he remains committed to the program and is in this for the long haul. That fact alone makes "Mr. Padre" unusual.
"I've always thought of myself as being unusual," Gwynn said. "I did things at the big league level that were considered unusual, and then when I got this job, nobody thought I would be here this long. My passion for it has really grown. My admiration for it has really grown. I'm perfectly happy doing what I'm doing right now. You always have to weigh what opportunities are going to be out there in the future. I'm 52, and if I ever wanted to do something (in coaching) at the big league level, my clock is running out on that. As I sit here, that's perfectly fine. I'm perfectly happy doing what I'm doing."
This year's Aztecs are fueling Gwynn's desire to win even more at the college level. They finished last weekend's series at Air Force one game behind New Mexico in the Mountain West race after taking two of three in Colorado Springs. After playing a challenging non-conference schedule, they are squarely in the thick of the conference race...and will be a big factor come MW tournament time.
"We're still a young team," Gwynn said. "And sometimes we still have those young team moments that drive coaches crazy, but for the most part it's been good. This year more so than any other since I've been here, the juniors and seniors are really taking ownership of this club - and the other guys have followed. We really haven't had to remind them of things like, hey, we're going out on the road, this is a business trip.
"But the guys who play every day are mostly sophomores and freshman," he continued. "I keep harping on us being a young team because the guys who play the majority of the time are relatively young guys, and they follow the juniors and seniors lead. It's really been a good mix this year." The progress within the program is what keeps Gwynn motivated.
"I hate not getting to where I think we should be yet," he added. "You want to finish the job. I haven't finished the job yet, so as far as I'm concerned, this is where I want to be."
His health remains a concern. He missed a lot of time in the Aztecs dugout last season while he recovered from off-season surgery. He was diagnosed with cancer of a salivary gland and had both lymph nodes removed prior to the start of the 2012 season. He missed several road trips last season, but was strong enough to make the Mountain West championships in Las Vegas. That's changed this year.
"I'm feeling good," Gwynn smiled as we watched batting practice prior to game two of the series with the Falcons. "I've been able to make almost every trip. I didn't go to Arkansas...that's the only one I didn't go on because I was getting treatment, but so far so good. I've been here for every game. The team's progressing pretty good, they're maturing right in front of my eyes, and I'm happy. I kind of think we are where I thought we'd be."
One week earlier on the same field, New Mexico's Ray Birmingham picked up his 1,000th win as a collegiate head coach. Gwynn was asked if that could be a milestone that he'd someday shoot for.
"I hope so," he laughed. "I love doing what I'm doing. My love for the game hasn't changed. I like the college environment because we do a lot of teaching and that's what I really like." He paused. "Yeah, if I could stay around long enough, I'd love to win 1,000 games. The track record of the guys who have coached here before me, they all coached 30 years, so I got 18 more years to go. If I can last that long, then maybe I could win 1,000 games."]]>
1. Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State
An All-MW first team selection, Taylor last season finished with a team-high three interceptions, a mark that tied for fourth in the MW, and led the Broncos with nine pass break-ups. His 47 tackles (29 solo), which included 3.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks, ranked second among Bronco defensive backs and fourth on the squad. Early assessments by some draft analysts suggest Taylor could become the fifth Boise State player to be taken in the first round during coach Chris Petersen's tenure.
2. Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
Escobar, who opted to enter the draft following his junior season last year, led the Aztecs in receptions (42), receiving yards (543) and touchdown catches (6) while recording 10 receptions of 20 or more yards. Considered one of the most sure-handed tight ends in the nation and boasting superior speed, Escobar was a three-time All-MW selection.
3. Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State
Thomas, the MW Defensive Player of the Year last season, was selected to the 2012 Associated Press All-America first team after finishing the regular season as the national leader in interceptions with eight (a MW record). He returned three interceptions for touchdowns and led the Bulldogs with 82 tackles. His 12.0 tackles for a loss were the second-most in the MW.
4. Duke Williams, CB, Nevada
A second-team All-MW selection last season, Williams finished as the team's second-leading tackler (106) while tying for team-high honors with 68 solo stops. Highly valued for his leadership qualities, Williams also had 5.5 tackles for loss to go along with eight pass break-ups and an interception.
5. Leon McFadden, CB, San Diego State
McFadden last year became the fifth SDSU player in school history to earn first-team All-MW honors in three consecutive seasons. Having played in every game since arriving on campus as a true freshman in 2009, he set career highs last season for tackles (61), solo stops (46), interceptions (3), forced fumbles (1) and returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
6. John Lotulelei, LB, UNLV
Lotulelei turned heads at the NFL Combine in February, ranking second among 16 linebackers in the 3-cone drill with a time of 6.91 seconds and fourth out of 20 in the vertical jump at 35.5 inches. He also was sixth out of 26 in the bench press with 25 reps of 225 pounds. A first team All-MW selection last season, his 120 tackles ranked 10th-highest in UNLV single-season history.
7. Mike Edwards, CB, Hawai‘i
Edwards, who bypassed his senior season to enter the draft, was named the MW Special Teams Player of the Year last season after ranking sixth nationally with a 30.4 kickoff return average and tying for the national lead with three returns for touchdowns. He also ranked 11th nationally in passes defended (17) and recorded two interceptions.
8. Khalid Wooten, S, Nevada
Wooten finished second in the MW last season with 15 pass break-ups and 17 passes defended while collecting a team-high two interceptions, one of which was returned for a 78-yard touchdown. He led the league with an average of 15.1 yards per punt return and averaged 21.7 yards on three kickoff returns.
9. Stefphon Jefferson, RB, Nevada
A first-team All-MW selection, Jefferson chose to forgo his senior season after finishing as the second-leading rusher in the nation last year with a league record 1,883 yards and 24 touchdowns. Jefferson, who averaged 5.0 yards per carry, also eclipsed the MW single-season mark for rushing touchdowns in a season, previously held by Air Force's Chance Harridge (22 in 2002).
10. Lucas Reed, TE, New Mexico
Reed, whose size and speed consistently created match-up problems, concluded his career with the most receptions by a tight end in Lobo history (77). Reed, a first-team All-MW pick in 2010, started 34 of 48 career games in Albuquerque. Reed's older brother, Brooks, was a second-round pick of the Houston Texans two years ago.]]>
The Portsmouth Invitational, staged at Churchland High in Portsmouth, Va., is designed for college seniors to showcase their talents for NBA and European scouts. This year's event marked the tournament's 60th anniversary.
Story, one of four MW players invited to this year's event, finished the tournament averaging 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists while playing an average of 24 minutes in three games.
In Saturday's other games featuring MW players, former UNLV guard Anthony Marshall, playing for team Cherry Bekaert, had nine points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal in 18 minutes of action before fouling out of a 94-89 win over Portsmouth Partnership. Marshall, the only MW player last season to average more than five assists per game, averaged 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals while playing an average of 24 minutes in three tournament games in Portsmouth.
Former San Diego State guard Chase Tapley had his highest-scoring game of the tournament on Saturday. Playing for Roger Brown's Restaurant, he finished with nine points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in just 17 minutes of an 87-78 loss to K&D Rounds Landscaping in the championship game. Tapley averaged 6.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals during the tournament while averaging 19 minutes in three games.
Colorado State forward/center Colton Iverson, an Associated Press honorable mention All-American who averaged a team-high 14.2 points and a league-best 9.8 rebounds for the Rams this past season, was invited to the event but elected not to take part.
The Portsmouth Invitational, whose alums include such players as Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and John Stockton, is the first of two NBA pre-draft camps, with the other being staged in Orlando, Fla., next month.
]]>Story, one of three MW players participating in this year's event, was the fourth-leading scorer in the league last season, averaging 16.7 points per game. The MW's second-leading three-point shooter in 2012-13, Story connected on 5-of-12 attempts from the floor on Friday in 26 minutes of action.
In Friday's only other game featuring MW players, former UNLV guard Anthony Marshall, playing for team Cherry Bekaert, had seven points, four rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes in his team's 68-67 loss to Roger Brown's Restaurant.
Former San Diego State guard Chase Tapley, a member of the squad opposing Marshall's team, finished with two points, one rebound, three assists and a steal in 18 minutes. Tapley's team will play for the tournament championship on Saturday night.
The Portsmouth Invitational, whose alums include such players as Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and John Stockton, is the first of two NBA pre-draft camps, with the other being staged in Orlando, Fla., next month.]]>
Marshall, the only MW player to average more than five assists this season (5.8), also contributed eight points and three rebounds while tying for game-high honors with three steals in 26 minutes.
Marshall was one of four former MW players invited to compete in the tournament, along with Colorado State forward/center Colton Iverson, Nevada guard Malik Story and San Diego State guard Chase Tapley.
Story, a member of the team that opposed Marshall's squad on Thursday night, finished with five points and three rebounds in 21 minutes.
Tapley, who averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals in his final season at San Diego State, had seven points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 26 minutes while playing for the team of Roger Brown's Restaurant in a 91-64 win over Portsmouth Sports Club.
Meanwhile, a Colorado State spokesman confirmed Friday that Iverson, an Associated Press honorable mention All-American who averaged a team-high 14.2 points and a league-best 9.8 rebounds in 2012-13, opted not to take part in the event.
The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-draft camps, with the other being staged in Orlando, Fla., next month.
CSU Assistant Named Head Coach at Furman
Colorado State men's basketball assistant coach Niko Medved was officially named the new head coach at Furman University on Friday.
Medved, who spent six seasons with the Rams, formerly served as an assistant at Furman. He spent the 2006 season as the Paladins' interim head coach.
While at CSU, Medved helped guide the Rams to four consecutive postseason appearances, including back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament in 2012 and 2013. CSU set a school record for wins (26) last season while earning its first top 25 ranking in the Associated Press poll since 1954.]]>
The four former MW players invited to compete in the tournament include Colorado State forward/center Colton Iverson, UNLV guard Anthony Marshall, Nevada guard Malik Story and San Diego State guard Chase Tapley.
None of the four seniors, all of whom took the court for the first time today, is playing for the same team, though the squads represented by Marshall (Cherry Bekaert) and Story (Sales Systems, Ltd.) are scheduled to square off in the day's final contest.
The Portsmouth Invitational, whose alums include such players as Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and John Stockton, is the first of two NBA pre-draft camps, with the other being staged in Orlando, Fla., next month.
SDSU Looks to Fill Vacancy
San Diego State assistant coach Tony Bland has announced that he is leaving the program to become the associate head coach at USC under newly-appointed head coach Andy Enfield.
Bland, who played for the Aztecs in 2002 and 2003, was the first SDSU graduate to serve as a full-time assistant for the team since the 1977-78 season.
The Aztecs have had significant success filling the position in the past, with Bland, considered the team's lead recruiter, following in the footsteps of current New Mexico State head coach Marvin Menzies, Cal assistant Gregg Gottlieb and UNLV assistant Justin Hutson. ]]>
We all know the Big Ten and the Big East have gotten all the accolades following strong performances in the NCAA tourney. That's fine. They deserve it. But a team of MW all-stars wouldn't take a back seat to any conference. So, for the sake of this exercise, let's imagine each conference putting together say, a 14-man roster as chosen by the coaches and league administrators to go out and represent the league in The (insert sponsor here) Tournament.
We'd start with the coaching staff, which would have included Steve Alford, but obviously won't now. That leaves the head job to the conference veteran, Steve Fisher from San Diego State. His assistant coaches would be Larry Eustachy from Colorado State and Dave Rice from UNLV. Very solid staff indeed.
Our guards: At the point we'd have Colorado State senior Dorian Green. Equal parts distributor and clutch scorer. Top 12 in the league in scoring with an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio. Even though he played out of position much of the season, UNLV's Anthony Marshall needs to be part of the squad, especially since he can play both guard spots and is a proven winner. He averaged double figures in scoring and led the league in assists. Then you bring in the sharpshooters in Boise State's Derrick Marks (16.3 points per game) and Deonte Burton and Malik Story of Nevada (16.3 and 16.7 ppg, respectively), along with reigning MW Player of the Year Kendall Williams (13.3 ppg) from Conference champ New Mexico. The tough part with this group would be dividing up playing time.
There's no shortage of talent at the forward positions, either. Start with 2011-12 MW Player of the Year Jamaal Franklin of San Diego State. All he did this season was lead the Aztecs in scoring (17.0 ppg) rebounding (9.5, 2nd in the league) and assists. More scoring punch can be supplied by Air Force sharpshooter Michael Lyons, who tied for the league lead in scoring at 17.7 ppg, NBA-bound UNLV freshman Anthony Bennett, and of course, the guy Lyons was tied with, Boise State's Anthony Drmic.
Our Mountain West Dream Team also needs some low post grinders. The combo of Colorado State's relentless Pierce Hornung and Wyoming's bruising Leonard Washington will would be able to battle for rebounds with the stars of any other conference and not give any ground. The two seniors combined for more than 17 rebounds per game this past season.
In the middle, the MW can boast a couple of future pros in Colorado State's Colton Iverson and New Mexico's Alex Kirk. Iverson led the MW in rebounding at just under 10 per game and scored better than 14 points per game in 2012-13, while Kirk averaged better than 12 points and eight rebounds per game. It's a tandem that could hold up against anyone in the country.
Would a team of MW all-stars be able to win a national tournament? Maybe not on pure talent alone, but one thing this conference is long on that others don't have is experience. Iverson, Green, Hornung, Lyons, Marshall, Story and Washington are all seniors, while Franklin, Burton, Williams are juniors. Bennett has become one of the infamous "one and done" players who spent a single season in college before leaving for a shot at the NBA, but that doesn't happen very often in this conference. And teams like the MW Dream Team would be better because of it.
It's fun to dream, right? ]]>
Whatever the case, Alford is now part of New Mexico's outstanding basketball history. Athletic director Paul Krebs and his staff must now look toward the future.
Opponents of the Lobos have been quick to jump on the "this will really weaken New Mexico" bandwagon. Make no mistake, Alford is a great coach who will be missed. Then again, a quick glance up Interstate 25 can offer a pretty good illustration of what could very well happen. All is certainly not lost in Lobo Nation.
About this time a year ago, head coach Tim Miles left Colorado State to take on the massive rebuilding job at Nebraska. CSU was coming off a terrific 20-win season and had a loaded roster returning for what promised to be an even better 2012-13. The timing of Miles' move puzzled many observers, given the shaky state of Nebraska basketball. Had the Rams and Huskers played this season for example, CSU would have likely boat-raced Miles' new team by a couple dozen points or more.
After Miles' departure, the CSU administration did not panic. They set about doing a thoughtful and complete coaching search, which finally led them to veteran Larry Eustachy at Southern Mississippi. The former National Coach of the Year accepted the CSU gig and relocated (again) to Fort Collins. You know the rest of the story: A school record for wins in a season, a second-place finish in the Mountain West, and a second-round NCAA tournament win over Missouri. Talk about your smooth transitions.
Coaching transitions are actually never easy. Even with a loaded roster, Eustachy had a difficult job in front of him, and he did it exceptionally well. The point here is, CSU found the right man to take its program to the next level without skipping a beat. Can there be any question that New Mexico is capable of doing the same thing?
The Lobos - like CSU last year - return a loaded roster for 2013-14, including Conference Player of the Year Kendall Williams (whom Alford recruited away from UCLA, ironically.)
"We return everybody," Alford said at the new conference announcing his departure, obviously still feeling connected to his former program. "We return the entire starting five of a 29-6 team. We've been one of the premier programs out west."
Of course, there could be more departures, via transfers or early exits for the pros, still to come. But the point is Alford, like Miles, does not leave a bare cupboard at UNM. Quite the opposite. He took over a decent program and elevated it to greater heights. He made serious upgrades on the academic side of things, and he won 155 games in six seasons, at least 22 per year every season. He won four Conference titles. UNM was in the postseason every single year. Whoever his replacement is comes into a situation even better than Eustachy inherited. There's no real reason for any sort of dropoff.
Alford has already endorsed his long-time assistant, Craig Neal, who was officially named the 20th head basketball coach at UNM. The Lobo players reportedly wanted Neal very much, and he should keep the Lobos moving upward.
]]>But this is Las Vegas. There's always something more. Much more.
Less than a mile from the Thomas and Mack Center, Ray Birmingham's Lobos were trading hard knocks with Tim Chambers' Rebels in the second game of what had already become a key MW three-game baseball series. New Mexico had taken the first game on Friday to put a halt to UNLV's 10-game winning streak and give the landslide preseason Conference favorite a leg up very early in the Conference race. New Mexico was ranked in the Top 25 to start the season for the first time in school history, but a sluggish start to the season had dropped UNM out of the polls and they lugged a sub- .500 record with them to Vegas.
Meanwhile, the Rebels were flying high. The 10-game win streak included an impressive three-game sweep at nationally-ranked power Stanford, which propelled UNLV into the national rankings at No. 21 and to the top of the MW leader board heading into Conference play.
The stage had been set. It was step up time for the visitors, and a chance to make a big time early season statement for the home team.
Predictably, there's no quit in any Ray Birmingham team. Twice UNM came from behind on Friday night, and eventually a Josh Melendez double put the Lobos ahead for the first time in the top of the 10th inning, and New Mexico captured Game One, 3-2. That shifted the burden back to UNLV to step up and show some bounce back in Game Two, especially after the Lobos took a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. The series - and an early jump on the conference race - appeared to be theirs.
Not quite. Mark Shannon's two-run homer, just UNLV's second long ball of the season, in the bottom on the eighth capped a five-run outburst and led the Rebels to a critical 8-7 win, knotting the series at a game apiece.
Then came Sunday. And DJ Peterson time.
The Lobos' All-America third basemen picked a good time to have yet another of what have become semi-routine days at the office for him, clubbing a pair of home runs to move his season total to 10 in just the first month of the season. His three-run shot in the third inning and a grand slam in the sixth helped Peterson rack up eight more RBI and sent UNM to a 12-7 win and that key MW opening series victory.
The win moved the Lobos to 2-1 in the Conference, and improved their overall record to 8-10. Not where they wanted to be at this point, but well within striking distance of the 30+ wins this program is expected to gain now. UNLV - which bounced back again on Monday night to defeat BYU at home behind a great pitching effort from the versatile Shannon - now sits at 16-5 and just that single game behind the Lobos, Nevada and San Diego State. Don't sleep on the Aztecs. They took two of three at Fresno State and share the Conference lead after the first week. UNLV travels to San Diego State this coming weekend. The best news? UNLV and New Mexico will meet again on the diamond in Albuquerque on April 26-28 in what will probably be an even bigger series by that point in the season.
A nationally relevant rivalry between New Mexico and UNLV already exists on the basketball court. These two powerful programs are led by big time coaches and have aspirations that stretch far beyond conference championships. It certainly appears that the baseball rivalry may be heading in that same direction. Chambers' team is very young - the same way Birmingham's Lobos were in 2011 when they stunned the country and won the MW tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. New Mexico has already arrived on the national stage. There's nothing standing in the way of a UNLV baseball resurgence that could take them there as well and help push MW baseball into the national spotlight as well.
A sell-out crowd filled the Thomas & Mack on Saturday to watch the UNM-UNLV hard court match-up. Let's hope most of them took the time to watch a little baseball as well. It's a great time to be a Lobo ... AND a Rebel.]]>
If you take a look at the numbers, it's clear to see that the Broncos belong in the tournament.
Boise State currently holds a top 40 Ratings Percentage Index ranking (37), has won 21 games and finished MW play at 9-7 in the nation's top-rated RPI conference.
Before embarking on the Conference portion of this year's schedule, Boise State showed that it can play - and beat - some of the best teams in the nation. The Broncos lost by four points on the road to Michigan State (No. 8 RPI and Associated Press, No. 7 USA Today/Coaches) in late November. A week later, they took down Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament champion Creighton - also on the road - by 13 points, 83-70. The Blue Jays are currently ranked No. 23 by AP, No. 24 Coaches and No. 25 in the RPI.
With Conference victories over Colorado State (No. 15 RPI) - a win that ended the Rams' 27-game home win streak,- UNLV (No. 22), San Diego State (No. 32) and two close losses to MW regular-season and tournament champion New Mexico (No. 2 RPI, No. 15 AP, No. 14 Coaches), the Broncos have defeated four top-40 RPI teams.
Here's a look at other NCAA Tournament bubble teams and how they compare to Boise State:
Middle Tennessee State (28-5, No. 29 RPI)
The Blue Raiders do own a higher RPI than the Broncos (ranked No. 29), but do not own any wins against top 50 RPI opponents and played just four games against top 100 RPI opposition, compared to Boise State's 16 games and 8-8 record against comparable competition.
LaSalle (21-9, No. 41 RPI)
The Explorers are ranked No. 41 in RPI, but when compared with the Broncos, they have two fewer wins against RPI top 50 teams, and have played only seven games versus top 50 opponents - compared to 11 for Boise State. LaSalle has a .571 winning percentage against teams ranked No. 51-100 in RPI, while Boise State is 4-1 against similar opponents, good for an .800 winning percentage.
Kentucky (21-11, No. 50 RPI)
The 2012 national champion Wildcats are just 2-4 against RPI top 50 teams - two fewer than the Broncos - with both wins coming at home. They are 5-5 against RPI teams in the 51-100 range, contrasted to Boise State's 4-1 record.
Ole Miss (24-8, No. 56 RPI)
Like most teams on this list, Ole Miss has neither won as many games against top 50 opponents (two) or played in the number of contests (five) as Boise State. The Rebels are just 8-6 against teams in the RPI top 100.
Alabama (21-12, No. 62 RPI)
The Crimson Tide did not win a single game against a top 50 RPI opponent (0-4), while the Broncos defeated as many teams as the Crimson Tide played. Boise State played 11 games against top 50 RPI opponents. Alabama is 8-3 against RPI teams in the 51-100 range, but none of those wins came on the road; Boise State has two road wins against the RPI top 100.
Virginia (21-11, No. 66 RPI)
The Cavaliers defeated Duke (27-5), but have also lost to the likes of Boston College (16-17), Florida State (18-15), Delaware (19-14) and Old Dominion (5-25). Their No. 66 RPI ranks 29 spots lower than Boise State.
Maryland (22-11, No. 86 RPI)
The Terrapins did beat Duke twice, but 18 of its 22 wins came against teams with an RPI over 100. Conversely, Boise State won eight of its 21 games against teams ranked in the RPI top 100. Maryland owns a 3-9 record against teams in the RPI top 100, where the Broncos are 8-8 against similar opponents.]]>
Unless something way off the charts happens during several conference tournaments this week, the Mountain West - the top-rated RPI college basketball conference in the country - will be sending five of its nine teams to the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. Two others (Air Force and Wyoming) may also play in the postseason.
It's been another stellar season for Mountain West basketball. Remember, we're just two seasons removed from the year that saw San Diego State and Kawhi Leonard (who finished the season 34-3) battling for conference supremacy against Jimmer Fredette's BYU Cougars (32-5) with America glued to the TV. The two powerhouse programs squared off three times that season, with neither really being clearly established as the better team. While fans around the country were entertained, most were also certain that Leonard and Fredette's departures to the NBA would mean the MW might take a step back.
Didn't really happen like that.
Instead, the MW landed four teams in the Big Dance the following season- twice as many as the Pac 12- with Colorado State rising up to establish itself as a national player, alongside the Aztecs, UNLV and New Mexico. Media pundits would never have thought the Mountain West would have more than four teams in the NCAA tournament.
Don't look now, but that line of thinking is also about to go the way of the set shot. Remember the MW school best known for its blue football turf and nationally-relevant football program? That school is suddenly becoming a basketball power as well. With key wins over CSU and San Diego State in the final week of the season, to go with an early-season win at nationally-ranked Creighton, Boise State has now established itself as the fifth MW school worthy of hearing its name called on Selection Sunday.
So go ahead and mark it down: Five MW teams in the Big Dance.
If you spend any time looking at the RPI rankings and listening to the national pundits, you already know that New Mexico (RPI # 2), CSU (# 15), UNLV (# 22) and SDSU (# 32) are all virtual locks for at-large bids to the NCAA tournament (one MW team will gain an automatic bid after they win the conference tourney this weekend.). Now you can add the Broncos (# 37) to that list.
At-large bids are tricky. There are only 37 of those bids available nationally. If a conference regular season champ gets knocked off in the conference tournament and ends up with an at-large spot, it can end up bumping a team that was otherwise projected to get in. So anything can happen. Still, as things stand, the MW is poised to take four of those 37 at-large bids.
No matter how you stack it up, that's impressive.
Is the MW the best conference in the country? Just look at the numbers. You can obviously make a great case for the powerful Big Ten, with four teams ranked in the top 10.
For that reason alone, most would give them the nod as the best conference overall.
But the Big Ten (with 12 teams) is top-heavy. The teams at the bottom, Penn State, Nebraska and Northwestern are not as good as say, Wyoming or Nevada or Fresno State. Nevada vs. Northwestern on a neutral court? I'm picking the Wolf Pack.
Top to bottom, the MW doesn't take a back seat to anyone.
With that in mind (along with Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference rising to the top of the polls) it's about time someone in a high-up place put a stop to the ridiculous use of the term "Power Conference" to describe the six conferences that have a Bowl Championship Series affiliation in football. (By the way, this would be a good time to remind everyone that the term "BCS" has nothing to do with college hoops - it only pertains to college football.)
Sorry, but the Almighty Southeastern Conference may rule the gridiron, but in hoops, the SEC is far from being a "power" conference. The Big 12 and Pac-12 are also not close to as good, top-to-bottom, as the MW. It's been a down season overall for the Atlantic Coast Conference (outside of Duke) so only what's left of the current/temporary Big East and the truly powerful Big Ten rank with the MW in terms of overall conference strength. It's the Mountain West that has proven over the last several years that it is a "power" conference.
When Kawhi and Jimmer were at the top of their games, most of us thought MW basketball was as good as it would ever get. How cool is it to be able to look back and be so wrong? The really exciting part is what lies ahead for the future. With another historically powerful program in Utah State joining the conference starting next season, could we be talking about, dare I say it, six bids in future seasons? Another reason to stay tuned.
]]>The bar had been officially raised. But expectations are a funny thing. You welcome the recognition, but the weight can be cumbersome if you're trying to grow. Growing was exactly what Chambers and his coaching staff knew they still had to do.
So when the 2012 season rolled around, and everyone was expecting bigger and better things, UNLV tiptoed into the fray with the coaches knowing that an encore was going to be much more difficult to pull off than the opening act.
Peters had left for professional baseball, and in his place was a group of peach fuzz-faced recruits. Chambers' second UNLV team was an uncomfortable mixture of his new recruits - many with ties to CSN - and upperclassmen who remained from the previous staff. They didn't always mesh on the field. There were occasional flashes, but nothing that was sustainable. It became a very young team that was reliant on numerous first- and second-year players. Not the exact recipe for success.
They were eliminated early from the conference tournament they were hosting, finishing the season with a 26-31 mark and very little momentum going into 2013.
Fast forward to February 2013. The Mountain West preseason coaches' poll came out and the Rebels were picked to finish fifth in the six-team conference.
"We understand why," said Rebels assistant coach Kevin Higgins. "The coaches remember the last thing they saw, and they didn't see much from us by the end last season."
It wasn't just momentum that was missing at the beginning of the season. Key contributors like Academic All-America performer Trevor Kirk were gone, along with shortstop Danny Higa and outfielder Trent Cook. And their replacements were going to be very young. Again.
The rebuilding job would have to center on young guys like sophomore Erick Fedde, who had finished his rookie season with a 6-5 record, 3.59 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 90.1 innings pitched - earning Freshman All-America honors. And Chambers got a lift when slugger Brandon Bayardi turned down an offer from the Minnesota Twins, who had drafted him in the 36th round, to come back for his senior year, trying to match or even improve on his stellar performance of .361 batting average, 7 home runs and 53 RBI last season. Hartman is also back hoping to post numbers even better than his 3-1 record and seven saves from 2012.
While the changes in the 2013 UNLV team aren't as dramatic, they are significant, and less than a month into the new season, very successful. The Rebels opened the season taking three of four games from SEC member Tennessee. After rolling through the Rebel Classic last week and beating Hawai'i on Monday night, UNLV has now won six games in a row as they prepare for a trip to nationally-ranked Stanford, packing a 10-3 overall record and a good deal of confidence. The Rebels played five games in five nights through the Classic and extra game with the Rainbows, a challenge that would tax every pitching staff in America. These Rebels were up to the challenge.
Fedde is already 2-0 with a stellar 2.00 ERA. Freshman pitcher Kenny Oakley has already picked up his first win along with his first MW Pitcher of the Week award after hurling seven shut-out innings against Gonzaga. He's also 2-0, with a 1.17 ERA. And so it goes...so far.
Sophomore Joey Swanner leads a group of youngsters that have been sensational, hitting .340. The Rebels boast a team batting average of .323 during their hot start, while holding opponents to a .236 mark. That's a recipe for long term success.
"We're very young and that's exciting and scary at the same time," Higgins said. "They're going to make mistakes, but we like that they are aggressive mistakes, things you can learn from. We may boot a few balls, but then they'll make a great play and turn things around.
"We're going to go as far as our seniors take us," Higgins continued. "Just like most teams. So far, those guys have been tremendous."
While Bayardi has started the season predictably, hitting .377 through 13 games, fellow senior Mark Shannon is pulling double duty. After going 3-for-5 against Hawai'i on Monday night, Shannon is hitting .382. And oh, by the way, he also pitched seven innings against the Rainbow, yielding just one run on three hits. Has a player ever been named MW Pitcher AND Player of the Week in the same week?
And oh, what about those pre-season prognostications about now?
"We have used it as something of a rallying cry," Higgins acknowledged. "But in the end, it doesn't matter a bit, because it's all about what you do on the field and especially what you do in the conference tournament. That's how we will be judged, so that's what really matters."
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