Nov. 24, 2009

Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Press Release Week No. 3

RECENT RESULTS

Monday, November 16
NIT Season Tip-Off (Tempe, Ariz.) - TCU 83, Cal State Northridge 65
@Saint Mary's 80, SAN DIEGO STATE 58, ESPN

Tuesday, November 17
@BYU 87, Idaho State 53
NEW MEXICO 97, @New Mexico State 87
NIT Season Tip-Off (Tempe, Ariz.) - @Arizona State 52, TCU 49, ESPN2

Wednesday, November 18
@UTAH 68, Utah State 67, The Mtn.
@UNLV 88, Nevada 75, The Mtn.
@WYOMING 120, Peru State 73

Thursday, November 19
@SAN DIEGO STATE 86, Santa Clara 53

Friday, November 20
Reggie Minton Air Force Classic (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - @AIR FORCE 95, Dickinson State 77
BYU 83, @Hawai`i 65, KFVE-TV
@Indiana State 65, COLORADO STATE 60, WFXW-TV
World Vision Classic (Albuquerque, N.M.) - @NEW MEXICO 83, Nicholls State 59, My50

Saturday, November 21
Reggie Minton Air Force Classic (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Northern Colorado 70, @AIR FORCE 46
World Vision Classic (Albuquerque, N.M.) - @NEW MEXICO 81, Louisiana Tech 52, My50
@Nebraska 90, TCU 77
@UNLV 78, Southern Illinois 69
Las Vegas Invitational (Salt Lake City, Utah) - @UTAH 88, Southern 48
@WYOMING 87, Boise State 61

Sunday, November 22
World Vision Classic (Albuquerque, N.M.) - @NEW MEXICO 85, Miami (OH) 60, My50

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Monday, November 23
SAN DIEGO STATE at Fresno State, 7 p.m. PT
Colgate at TCU, 8 p.m. CT

Tuesday, November 24
Southern at BYU, 7 p.m. MT
Mayville State at COLORADO STATE, 7 p.m. MT
Las Vegas Invitational (Salt Lake City, Utah) - Seattle at UTAH, 7 p.m. MT
Texas State at TCU, 8 p.m. CT

Wednesday, November 25
WYOMING at Denver, 7 p.m. MT, FS-RM
Holy Cross at UNLV, 7 p.m. PT
SAN DIEGO STATE at Pacific, 7 p.m. PT, Big West TV

Friday, November 27
Weber State at BYU, 7:30 p.m. MT, The Mtn.
World Vision Challenge (Laramie, Wyo.) - Monmouth at WYOMING, 7:30 p.m. MT
Las Vegas Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.) - UTAH vs. Illinois, 7:30 p.m. PT
NEW MEXICO at Hawai`i, 8 p.m. HT, Oceanic PPV

Saturday, November 28
Louisville at UNLV, 1 p.m. PT, VERSUS
Northern Arizona at SAN DIEGO STATE, 3 p.m. PT
Charleston Southern at AIR FORCE, 7 p.m. MT
Louisiana Tech at TCU, 7 p.m. CT
World Vision Challenge (Laramie, Wyo.) - Hampton at WYOMING, 7:30 p.m. MT
Las Vegas Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.) - UTAH vs. TBD, TBA

Sunday, November 29
San Francisco at COLORADO STATE, 2 p.m. MT
World Vision Challenge (Laramie, Wyo.) - Pepperdine at WYOMING, 3 p.m. MT

*Mountain West Conference game.
CAPS denotes Mountain West Conference team.
All times listed are local to game site and subject to change.

MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DARINGTON HOBSON, JR., G/F, LAS VEGAS, NEV. (NEW MEXICO)
New Mexico junior guard/forward Darington Hobson led the Lobos to a 4-0 record last week, including a 3-0 mark at the World Vision Classic. The Las Vegas, Nev., native opened the week with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 97-87 victory at in-state rival New Mexico State. At the World Vision Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., Hobson received Most Valuable Player honors after tallying a combined 55 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals in wins over Nicholls State (83-59), Louisiana Tech (81-52) and Miami, Ohio (85-60). Hobson registered his first career double-double in the Louisiana Tech contest with personal-bests of 30 points and 10 rebounds, marking the most points scored by a Lobo since J.R. Giddens netted 30 in overtime against BYU on Feb. 26, 2008. For the week, Hobson was 22-of-49 (.449) from the field and 6-of-14 (.429) from 3-point range, while averaging 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 27.8 minutes played per game.

LAST WEEK
Mountain West teams posted a collective 15-5 record in non-conference play last week. New Mexico ran its record to 5-0 with wins over New Mexico State (97-87), Nicholls State (83-59), Louisiana Tech (81-52) and Miami, Ohio (85-60), with the latter three games coming as part of the World Vision Classic in Albuquerque. BYU and UNLV also remained undefeated at 3-0 each as the Cougars rollled past Idaho State (87-53) and host Hawai'i (83-65), while the Runnin' Rebels beat Nevada (88-75) and Southern Illinois (78-69). Utah and Wyoming both won their respective match-ups as the Utes topped Utah State (68-67) and Southern (88-48), while the Cowboys routed Peru State (120-73) and Boise State (87-61). Air Force split its two match-ups in the Falcons' own Reggie Minton Classic, defeating Dickinson State (95-77) and falling to Northern Colorado (70-46). San Diego State also went 1-1 last week, losing at Saint Mary's (80-58) and beating Santa Clara (86-53). In addition to a 90-77 loss at Nebraska, TCU split its first two outings of the NIT Season Tip-Off, defeating Cal State Northridge (83-65) before dropping a narrow 52-49 decision to host Arizona State. Colorado State lost a tough 65-60 outing at Indiana State in its only game of the week.

UPCOMING GAMES
Twenty-one games against non-conference opponents are on tap for the week of Nov. 23-29, highlighted by a nationally-televised meeting between Louisville and UNLV on Saturday, Nov. 28. UNLV handed Louisville one of just two losses in Freedom Hall last season and the Cardinals will be looking for revenge when they visit the Runnin' Rebels at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. VERSUS will carry the broadcast, which is set to tip off at 1 p.m. PT. Two other non-conference match-ups will also be nationally-televised this week. Wyoming visits Denver in a Wednesday, Nov. 25, meeting that will be aired on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, starting at 7 p.m. MT, while BYU's home contest against Weber State on Friday, Nov. 27, will be televised on The Mtn.-MountainWest Sports Network, beginning at 7:30 p.m. MT.

MWC-MVC CHALLENGE
The Mountain West Conference moved out to a 2-1 advantage in the inaugural Mountain West/Missouri Valley challenge as Colorado State and UNLV combined for a 1-1 mark in two Challenge games last Friday. The Rams dropped a 65-60 decision at Indiana State, while UNLV posted a 78-69 win at home against Southern Illinois. The 2009-10 edition of the MWC/MVC Challenge is the first in a four-year agreement between the Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences. Nine Challenge games will be played each year, and each conference will host a total of 18 games in the four-year period. Evansville, by virtue of finishing the 2007-08 MVC regular season in 10th place, will be the Valley team that does not participate in the 2009 Challenge Series. Below is a listing of the 2009-10 MWC/MVC Challenge contests:

HOME OPENERS
Colorado State finally tips off the home portion of its 2009-10 schedule on Tuesday, Nov. 24, when Mayville State visits Fort Collins. The Rams are the only MWC team to have won all 10 of its home openers in Moby Arena since the league's inception in 1999. Below is a look at MWC home openers since 1999-00:

300 WINS AND COUNTING
The Mountain West Conference is home to three 300-win head coaches. UNLV's Lon Kruger has eclipsed 400 wins and boasts a 433-286 (.602) record in 22 years as a head coach. New Mexico's Steve Alford has accumulated a 359-204 (.638) record over an 18-year head coaching career, while San Diego State's Steve Fisher is 359-223 (.617) in 19 seasons as a head coach.

DIALING FROM LONG DISTANCE
UNLV currently holds the NCAA record for consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer. Since the official adoption of the 3-point rule at the start of the 1986-87 season, the Runnin' Rebels have connected on at least one trey in all 741 of their games. Below is a list of MWC teams and their consecutive streaks with at least one made 3-pointer through games of Nov. 22, 2009:

AHEAD OF THE CLASS
Since the inception of the Mountain West in 1999, BYU sits atop the league standings in MWC (99) and overall (217) victories. Below is a look at how all nine MWC teams have fared:

BYU, UNLV, UTAH AMONG NATION'S ELITE
Three Mountain West teams rank among the NCAA's top programs in regards to overall wins and/or winning percentage. UNLV has the nation's fourth-best winning percentage at .712 (1,061-429) while Utah ranks 10th (.656; 1,639-859). The Utes' 1,639 wins are the 12th-most in NCAA Division I history, while BYU's 1,581 victories rank 19th. Kentucky tops both lists with 1,991 wins at a .758 clip. Below is a look at the top five programs in each category, along with rankings for the top two MWC teams, through games of Nov. 22, 2009:

Only games against four-year American institutions are included (data from NCAA):

MWC ARENAS AMONG TOUGHEST IN NCAA
Mountain West teams have combined to tie for the nation's best home-court winning percentage in conference-only games over the first 10 years of the league. Since the inception of the MWC in 1999, member institutions are a collective 424-204 (.675) against MWC opponents on their home courts. Below is a look at the top five conference home court winning percentages from the 1999-00 through 2008-09 seasons:

UNM'S ROMAN MARTINEZ CANDIDATE FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
New Mexico senior forward Roman Martinez is among 30 candidates for the 2009-10 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, character, community and competition. An acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School", the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Martinez leads the Lobos and ranks fourth in the league with a 21.0 scoring average this season. The El Paso, Texas, native is a three-time Academic All-MWC honoree and was named to the ESPN the Magainze Academic All-District VI team in 2009. An active member of the Albuquerque community, Martinez was accepted to the UNM Anderson School of Management a year ago and carries a 3.44 cumulative grade point average. The list of candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four "Cs" of classroom, character, community and competition. The winner will be announced at the 2010 NCAA Men's Final Four® in Indianapolis in April.

MWC CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO LAS VEGAS
The MWC Championship returns to the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., March 10-13, for the eighth time in the league's 11-year history. The MWC Tournament was held in Las Vegas from 2000-2003 before moving to Denver's Pepsi Center for three years (2004-06). The 2011-13 MWC Tournaments will also take place at the Thomas & Mack Center.

MWC COACHES
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher is the dean of Mountain West Conference men's basketball coaches. Fisher is in his 11th season at the helm of the Aztec program and is the only MWC coach to hold his current position since the inception of the conference in 1999. UNLV head coach Lon Kruger is the second-longest tenured coach in the league, now in his sixth season with the Runnin' Rebels. BYU's Dave Rose is in his fifth season with the Cougars, while Air Force's Jeff Reynolds, Colorado State's Tim Miles, New Mexico's Steve Alford, Utah's Jim Boylen and Wyoming's Heath Schroyer are each in their third year with their respective programs. Jim Christian is in his second year at TCU.

LEAGUE OF NATIONS
MWC rosters feature 17 international student-athletes in 2009-10. TCU has a league-high five players from outside the United States, followed by Wyoming with four.

MWC PREDICTIONS
Below is a look at how the media poll favorite has fared in regular-season play since the inception of the Mountain West Conference in 1999:

RETURNING STARTERS/LETTERWINNERS
In 2009-10, Mountain West teams feature rosters that total 67 returning letterwiners, including 23 starters, the second-lowest tally in league history. Youth will be served in 2009-10, as this season's 38-member freshman class is the largest for the MWC since a league-record 40 freshmen hit the courts in 2005-06. Meanwhile, the 2009-10 sophomore class of 37 is a conference-high. The upperclassmen are largely outnumbered with 29 juniors matching a league-low (three previous times) and 24 seniors ranking as the second-fewest number (22 in 2007-08). Following is a breakdown of the 2009-10 rosters.

RETURNING ALL-MWC PERFORMERS
Only two of 15 all-MWC selections return for the 2009-10 season, and both are from BYU: junior guard Jimmer Fredette and senior forward Jonathan Tavernari, who were first and third-team all-MWC selections in 2008-09, respectively. Also back are the 2008-09 Newcomer and Freshman of the Year, TCU senior center Zvonko Buljan and Wyoming sophomore guard Afam Muojeke, respectively.

MWC PLAYERS IN THE NBA
As of October 27, 2009, NBA opening-day rosters featured 12 individuals who played their collegiate careers at current Mountain West institutions:

Jason Smith, Colorado State (Philadelphia 76ers)
J.R. Giddens, New Mexico (Boston Celtics)
Danny Granger, New Mexico (Indiana Pacers)
Kenny Thomas, New Mexico (Sacramento Kings)
Kurt Thomas, TCU (Milwaukee Bucks)
Louis Amundson, UNLV (Phoenix Suns)
Joel Anthony, UNLV (Miami Heat)
Marcus Banks, UNLV (Toronto Raptors)
Shawn Marion, UNLV (Dallas Mavericks)
Andrew Bogut, Utah (Milwaukee Bucks)
Andre Miller, Utah (Portland Trailblazers)
Theo Ratliff, Wyoming (San Antonio Spurs)

WORKING OVERTIME
There have been a total of 93 overtime games played in the 10-year history of the Mountain West Conference. The overall MWC record for overtime contests in a season is five, shared by New Mexico (2007-08), Air Force (2001-02) and UNLV (2001-02), while the record for most overtime games in league play is four, shared by New Mexico (2006-07) and UNLV (2001-02). The longest game in MWC history was a four-overtime outing between Wyoming and Air Force on Jan. 28, 2002 (WYO, 83-76). Below is a breakdown of the number of overtime games played by MWC teams since the league's inception in 1999.

FIVE MWC TEAMS IN TOP-100 OF FINAL 2008-09 RPI RANKINGS
Five MWC teams were ranked in the Top-100 of the final 2008-09 NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) report. The league record for most Top-100 RPI teams at the end of a season is six (2001-02). Utah was the MWC's top-ranked team in 2008-09, with the Utes checking in at No. 14, followed by San Diego State at No. 31. Three other MWC teams joined Utah and SDSU in the Top 100 (BYU-33; New Mexico-69 and UNLV-72). Below are the RPI rankings for MWC teams since 1999-00 (data from NCAA):

GOING DANCING
Over its 10-year history, the Mountain West has received 22 bids to the NCAA Tournament, including 13 at-large berths. The MWC has had at least one at-large qualifier in nine of those 10 years, including eight straight. The only year in which the MWC sent a lone representative to the Big Dance was in 2000-01, when BYU, Utah and Wyoming shared the regular-season title and the Cougars captured the league's automatic bid by winning the MWC Tournament. Below is a breakdown of the league's NCAA participants by year. The Mountain West was not eligible to receive an automatic bid in its first year (1999-00). UNLV and Utah earned at-large bids to the 2000 NCAA Tournament.