I thought I had this figured out, at least to a reasonable degree. Saturday in college basketball was complete anarchy; the Big 12 alone was enough to make a for wild weekend. Maybe we’re at the point in the season where teams thought to be contenders are hitting bumps in the road against bubble teams hungry to extend their seasons. Such was the case not only for several top 25 teams, but the upheaval extended into the mid-major conferences, and the Mountain West was no exception.
Power Rankings
1. Boise State (8-3, 15-7, last week: 3)
The Broncos slide up to #1, thanks both to teams in front of them losing and wins at Colorado State and home against Utah State. They now sit alone on top of the conference standings with a month to go, though I still have doubts about whether the Broncos will be able to secure an at-large bid by then.
2. Nevada (7-3, 18-5, last week: 1)
Others stepped up in previous games where Marcus Marshall was having an off night, but that was not the case Wednesday at Utah State. 57 points is the Wolfpack’s lowest output all season, and Marshall was held to single digits for the first time this year.
3. New Mexico (7-5, 14-10, last week: 2)
Losing Tim Williams indefinitely to a foot injury is a crushing blow for the Lobos, and a home loss to San Jose State Saturday made for as bad a week as one could imagine.
4. Colorado State (7-4, 15-9, last week: 5)
Larry Eustachy is a legit candidate for MWC coach of the year for having this team in contention. This is your weekly reminder: THE RAMS HAVE SEVEN PLAYERS ON THEIR ENTIRE ROSTER.
5. Fresno State (6-5, 14-9, last week: 4)
The Bulldogs continue to be one of the more difficult teams to figure out in the league. Previously unbeaten at home in conference play, Fresno St. played dismal defense in the second half of a loss Saturday against San Diego State.
6. San Diego State (5-5, 13-9, last week: 6)
A quick rundown of the Atzec’s conference season: 3-game losing streak, 3-game winning streak, two more losses and then two more wins.
7. Wyoming (5-6, 15-9, last week: 7)
The Cowboys continue to play at one of the quickest paces in the country, and 47 points in the first half against Air Force Saturday shows what the team can do when combining that pace with hot shooting.
8. San Jose State (4-6, 11-10, last week: 10)
As evidenced by the program’s first win ever at the Pit, the Spartans have clearly taken a big step forward this year. A lot of credit goes to Dave Wojcik for leading the turnaround.
9. Utah State (4-7, 10-12, last week: 9)
10. UNLV (3-8, 10-14, last week: 8)
11. Air Force (3-7, 10-13, last week: 11)
Three Stars
1. Justin James (So., G, Wyoming)
James leads the Cowboys with 15.3 points per game despite coming off the bench for 23 minutes per game. After dropping 20 points in 23 minutes at San Diego State, James led the team with 27 points and seven assists Saturday at Air Force.
2. Trey Kell (Jr., G, San Diego State)
After being held scoreless in the first half, Kell came up huge for the Aztecs with 22 points in the second half Saturday. He’s now been in double digits for seven straight games.
3. Koby McEwen (Fr., G, Utah State)
McEwen’s 26 points helped the Aggies knock off first-place Nevada at home. I’m no expert, but I think it’s safe to say that he is the conference’s freshman of the year.
Game of the Week
Fresno State at Colorado State, Saturday Feb. 11, 4:00 PM ET, ESPN 3
Both teams are sandwiched in the middle of the conference and both could serve to benefit if New Mexico’s rough patch turns into a full-blown downward spiral.
