Welcome to the Mountain West, the strangest conference in basketball. This week, there was a second-half comeback of historic proportions, a coach meltdown that potentially cost a team a game in the final minutes, and on the women’s side, a bench-clearing brawl that resulted in eight ejections. Let’s get to it.
Power Rankings
1. Boise State (4-0, 11-4, last week: 3)
Boise State remains the only undefeated team in league play after two weeks. After starting slow at home against San Diego State, the Broncos quickly erased an 11-point lead in the first half to win their 7th straight game. Chandler Hutchison (18.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG) continues to impress.
2. Nevada (3-1, 14-3, last week: 2)
The Wolfpack trailed New Mexico on the road by 25 points with 11 minutes left in the game, and by 17 points with two minutes remaining, sending everyone watching (including myself) to bed early. Yes, I missed probably the biggest comeback in college basketball all season. Nevada hit SEVEN threes in the final 1:49 to send the game to overtime, and again overcame a 5-point deficit in OT. Jordan Caroline dropped 45 points and drilled the game-winning 3 in the final seconds.
Mathematically, Nevada had a 0.0% chance of winning with 1:16 left in the game. Not even Lloyd Christmas thought they had a chance. https://t.co/GKAldrLLJ0
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) January 8, 2017
The game literally defied mathematical win probabilities.
3. New Mexico (2-2, 10-6, last week: 1)
On the other side of things, I was prepared to leave the Lobos on top of this list after what looked to be a commanding win. I continue to believe New Mexico is in the top tier of the MW, but the debacle Saturday night was as bad a meltdown as a team can have. Add in a loss at Utah State earlier in the week, and Craig Neal has a tall task to get the Lobos back on track.
4. Colorado State (3-1, 11-6, last week: 5)
The Rams continue to take care of business through a light conference schedule early, but got some bad news this week that could deliver a blow to any hope at a league title. It was announced this that juniors Kimani Jackson, Che Bob and Devocio Butler will all sit out the rest of the season, starting Jan. 17, because of academic ineligibility. This will leave the team with just seven players from here on out. Head coach Larry Eustachy got his 500th career win Saturday over Air Force.
5. San Diego State (0-3, 8-7, last week: 4)
Say it with me: San Diego State is 0-3. It’s clear the preseason conference favorites were overrated coming into this season, but the Aztecs have had a highly unfavorable schedule to start MW play. They should be favorites in at least seven of their next eight games, so look for SDSU to start making up ground after a rough start.
6. Fresno State (2-2, 10-6, last week: 6)
Had it not been for New Mexico, Fresno State would have claimed this week’s worst loss, a 69-62 defeat at the hands of lowly San Jose State on the road. Bulldogs coach Rodney Terry was assessed two technical fouls in the final minutes, basically giving the Spartans free points down the stretch.
7. Utah State (2-2, 8-7, last week: 11)
The Aggies took the biggest jump this week after upsetting New Mexico at home and burying UNLV by shooting 13-21 from three. This week will prove much tougher, as Utah State travels to play Wyoming at altitude and to San Diego State.
8. Wyoming (1-2, 11-5, last week: 7)
Wyoming lost its only game of the week on the road at Fresno State. The Cowboys are 1-4 in true road games this season, but will play twice at home this week against Utah State and Nevada.
9. UNLV (1-3, 8-9, last week: 8)
10. San Jose State (1-2, 8-6, last week: 10)
11. Air Force (1-2, 8-8, last week: 9)
Three Stars
1. Jordan Caroline (So., G, Nevada)
This one was a no-brainer. Caroline led Nevada’s improbable comeback with 45 points, the most ever scored by an opposing player at the Pit. He was 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, including the game-winner in overtime. Caroline also added 13 rebounds, nine assists and five blocks.
2. Koby McEwen (Fr., G, Utah State)
It was raining 3’s in Logan Saturday, and McEwen certainly played his part. The freshman erupted for 24 second-half points on 10-13 shooting, including five threes. He leads all Mountain West freshman at 14.1 PPG.
3. Gian Clavell (Sr., G, Colorado State)
Clavell will need to continue to step for the Rams in the wake of the recently-announced suspensions. Although his output has dropped from last season, he’s put up 20+ points in three of four conference games, including 28 in a road win over San Jose State Wednesday.
Game of the Week
New Mexico at Colorado State, Saturday Jan. 14, 2:00 ET
The Rams play well at home, and can prove the season is not lost in their first true test of the Mountain West season. It will be telling to see how New Mexico responds after an embarrassing week.
Fight Night in Vegas
Saturday’s women’s game between UNLV and Utah State got ugly, as a bench-clearing brawl broke out in the third quarter after a hard foul. Eight players were ejected after the scuffle, and suspensions from the league are sure to follow.
A fight broke out in the UNLV Utah State women’s basketball game. pic.twitter.com/JzwutY8A9n
— Tyler Bischoff (@Bischoff_Tyler) January 8, 2017
There’s a few things to unpack here. The players who start the whole thing each seem to land a few decent shots. But what makes this clip is the injured player from the UNLV bench who hops into the brawl on one leg. I’m equally impressed with the mobility and the willingness to stick up for her teammates. The one-legged hero compares nicely with the two Utah State players who back away in horror. I guess there’s two types of people when it comes to a brawl.