Jan. 9, 2012
Mountain West Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Jan. 9, 2012 
For the second straight year, Mountain West play will tip off with a Top-25 match-up when No. 12 UNLV visits No. 22 San Diego State on Saturday, January 14 (1 p.m. PT, NBCSN). The rest of Saturday's MW-opening slate will feature a triple-header on the The Mtn.-MountainWest Sports Network, with New Mexico at Wyoming (1:30 p.m. MT), Air Force at Boise State (4 p.m. MT) and TCU at Colorado State (7 p.m. MT).
Notables:
- The Mountain West is one of three conferences (Big East, Big Ten) to have all of its teams with winning records, including at least four teams with 13 victories, heading into this week's action.
- With six non-conference games left on the regular-season schedule, the Mountain West is on pace to post the best composite out-of-conference record in the league's 13-year history. MW teams are a collective 94-26 (.783) against non-conference foes in 2011-12, which ranks ahead of the .722 (96-37) win percentage the league finished with during the 2006-07 campaign. The 2008-09 season is the only other year in which MW teams surpassed the 70 percent win mark in non-conference play, going 101-40 (.716).
- UNLV and San Diego State both gained spots in this week's Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' polls. The Runnin' Rebels are listed 12th by both organizations, marking the program's highest ranking since the 1992-93 season, while the Aztecs are ranked 22nd in both the AP and Coaches' polls. New Mexico continues to receive votes in both polls, garnering 28 by the AP voters and 25 from the coaches. The Mountain West is one of six conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, SEC) to have multiple teams ranked in both polls.
- The Mountain West has the sixth-best conference RPI through games of January 8, according to Collegiate Basketball News. Four Mountain West teams are listed among the top-100 of the Jan. 9 NCAA RPI report, with UNLV leading the pack at No. 13. Colorado State is second at 27th, followed by San Diego State (45th), New Mexico (64th) and Wyoming (99th).
- Fans from around the Mountain West can have their men's basketball questions answered by MW Senior Writer Mick McGrane in McGrane's Mailbag. Questions can be submitted several ways - by email (mick@themwc.com), through Twitter (@MWCMick), or by comment on McGrane's Take, the MW official blog on TheMWC.com
- The 2011-12 MW men's basketball schedule features a minimum of 80 telecasts available on a national basis. All 56 Conference regular-season match-ups and all eight MW Championship contests are included in the television broadcasts. MW fans have the opportunity to watch men's basketball games on the league's family of networks - The Mtn. (DirecTV 616), CBS Sports Network (DirecTV 613) and NBC Sports Network (DirecTV 603).
| Coming Up in Mountain West Men's Basketball |
| Game |
Time |
TV |
| MONDAY, JANUARY 9 |
| UTPA at AIR FORCE |
7 p.m. MT |
|
| Idaho State at WYOMING |
7 p.m. MT |
|
| TUESDAY, JANUARY 10 |
| Chicago State at No. 22/22 SAN DIEGO STATE |
7 p.m. PT |
4SD/The Mtn. |
| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 |
| UTPA at TCU |
7 p.m. CT |
|
| Denver at COLORADO STATE |
7 p.m. MT |
The Mtn. |
| SATURDAY, JANUARY 14 |
| *No. 12/12 UNLV at No. 22/22 SAN DIEGO STATE |
1 p.m. PT |
NBCSN |
| *NEW MEXICO at WYOMING |
1:30 p.m. MT |
The Mtn. |
| *AIR FORCE at BOISE STATE |
4 p.m. MT |
The Mtn. |
| *TCU at COLORADO STATE |
7 p.m. MT |
The Mtn. |
| Legend |
| * - Mountain West game. |
| # - TCU Film/Television/Digital Media Production. |
| CAPS denotes Mountain West team. |
| The Mtn. - The MountainWest Sports Network |
DirecTV 616 |
| CBSSN - CBS Sports Network |
DirecTV 613 |
| NBCSN - NBC Sports Network |
DirecTV 603 |
| Rankings listed according to Associated Press / USA Today Coaches' Top-25 polls. |
| All dates and times subject to change. |
| Live stats available for most games. |
