Title is up for grabs in MWC

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Jan. 10, 2003 | 10:21 a.m.

Fasten your seatbelt.

That might as well be the motto for Mountain West basketball players, coaches and fans as conference play begins on Saturday afternoon when Air Force hosts defending MWC Conference Tournament winner San Diego State in Colorado Springs.

Talk about your competitive races. Seven of the eight teams in the conference already have won at least eight games while five are ranked in the top 90 in RPI, including three teams -- BYU, Utah and UNLV -- in the top 32.

All of which figures to make for a very competive race with a number of nail-biting finishes.

"To me it's pretty clear-cut that (the Mountain West Conference) is the best conference in the West this year," said Frank Burlison, the respected national college basketball writer for Foxsports.com. "It's better than the Pac-10."

The only team with a losing record -- New Mexico (5-7) -- lost a close game at SEC heavyweight Tennessee, 71-64, last week in a contest that was even closer than the final score indicated. The Vols, who needed a game-ending 10-0 run to defeat the Lobos, then came back and lost by just one point to a Kentucky team that many basketball experts feel has strong Final Four potential.

"There isn't a team I'm looking forward to playing," said Steve McClain, coach of defending champion Wyoming. "They're all talented and they're all improved. It's going to be a real challenge for whoever does win this league."

"Nobody is going to win a bunch of games on the road this year," BYU coach Steve Cleveland said. "Last year Wyoming won three or four road games, but they were all nail-biters right down to the end. I'm thinking (a 9-5 record) is looking like it could be a pretty good record in this league this year."

So who is going to win it?

"I think Utah has shown lately that it should be a favorite along with UNLV, Wyoming and BYU," Burlison said. "I think there's a real chance the Mountain West could send three or even four teams to the (NCAA) Tournament. Colorado State could be the dark horse. Nobody is really talking about them. I think it could be one of the tightest races in the country."

Injuries figure to be very key. Already Wyoming has lost star forward Marcus Bailey for the season with torn knee ligaments and New Mexico lost starting guard Senque Carey with a devastating neck injury. But UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour believes a team's mental approach will also be important.

"It becomes such a cliche thing but you have to play the game sitting in front of you and don't worry about trying to project down the road what your record is going to be," Spoonhour said.

"You just try and win as many games as you can. You can't get caught looking ahead. I think it will be a very bunched-up race. I don't see anybody running away with it."

Here is how the Mountain West shapes up entering league play, along with RPI rankings for each school:

Air Force

Coach: Joe Scott

Record: 9-4

RPI ranking: 158

Best win: at UTEP, 63-45.

Top player: Junior forward Joel Gerlach (13.8 ppg).

Top newcomer: Freshman guard Antoine Hood (4.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg).

Key injuries: Starting point guard Vernard Jenkins separated his shoulder in a win over Navy last week and is questionable for Saturday's MWC opener against San Diego State.

Strengths: Patience, fundamentals and 3-point shooting. The Falcons twice this year have had just five turnovers in a game. They also lead the nation in scoring defense (52.0 ppg) and 3-point shooting accuracy (45 percent).

Weaknesses: Rebounding and experienced depth.

Conference champs if: They can continue their outstanding 3-point shooting and can hold up physically in the front line.

BYU

Coach: Steve Cleveland

Record: 10-4

RPI ranking: 27

Best win: at Arizona State, 64-60.

Top player: Senior guard Travis Hansen (15.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg).

Top newcomer: Junior center Rafael Araujo (11.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg).

Key injuries: None.

Strengths: Cleveland, one of the nation's most underrated coaches, the one-two shooting combo of Hansen and junior swingman Mark Bigelow, and the Marriott Center, where the Cougars have won 42 straight games.

Weaknesses: Kevin Woodberry, a JC transfer from Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, has struggled while trying to take over at point guard for Matt Montague, shooting just 32.9 percent from the floor while putting up a dismal 34-to-27 assists-to-turnover ratio.

Conference champs if: The Cougars can find a way to pick up three or four road wins to go along with their strong homecourt advantage.

Colorado State

Coach: Dale Layer

Record: 9-4

RPI ranking: 90

Best win: vs. South Carolina, 81-67.

Top player: Senior forward Brian Greene (12.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg).

Top newcomer: Freshman guard Michael Morris (5.9 ppg, 4.2 apg).

Key injuries: Backup guard Darien Chavis is out indefinitely with a concussion.

Strengths: The front line of Greene, 7-foot sophomore center Matt Nelson and athletic small forward Ronnie Clark can match up with anybody in the conference. The Rams also have excellent depth.

Weaknesses: Backcourt is iffy and Rams have yet to win on the road this season (0-3).

Conference champs if: Too many teams ignore them to prepare for travel partner and Front Range rival Wyoming.

New Mexico

Coach: Ritchie McKay

Record: 5-7

RPI ranking: 189

Best win: vs. Northern Arizona, 59-57.

Top player: Senior guard Ruben Douglas (24.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg).

Top newcomer: Freshman guard Mark Walters (9.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg).

Key injuries: Starting guard and team leader Senque Carey is out for the season after suffering a neck injury that likely ended his career.

Strengths: Douglas is the best shooter in the conference, if not on the entire West Coast.

Weaknesses: The cupboard was definitely bare when McKay took over for Fran Fraschilla, especially on the front line which has struggled most of the season against weak competition.

Conference champs if: Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado and California fall into the Pacific Ocean.

San Diego State

Coach: Steve Fisher

Record: 9-4

RPI ranking: 107

Best win: vs. Hawaii, 60-49.

Top player: Senior center Mike Mackell (16.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg).

Top newcomer: Freshman forward Evan Burns (8.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg).

Key injuries: None.

Strengths: Rebounding and defense. Mackell and forward Aerick Sanders are two of the conference's top rebounders.

Weaknesses: Point guard and perimeter shooting.

Conference champs if: Fisher can get talented newcomers Burns, a former McDonald's All-American who originally was headed to UCLA, and Arizona transfer Travis Hanour, considered a good 3-point shooter, to become more productive offensively and take the pressure off senior guard Tony Bland.

UNLV

Coach: Charlie Spoonhour

Record: 10-2

RPI ranking: 32

Best win: vs. West Virginia, 70-67.

Top player: Senior point guard Marcus Banks (19.0 ppg, 3.7 steals).

Top newcomer: Junior center J.K. Edwards (10.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg).

Key injuries: Sophomore forward Louis Amundson, expected to be a key rebounder and defender, is out for the season with a staph infection.

Strengths: Athletic backcourt led by Banks, who has a knack for making the big play at the end of games.

Weaknesses: Perimeter shooting has not been nearly as good as expected. Rebounding is also a concern.

Conference champs if: Senior forward Dalron Johnson returns to all-conference form and guards Demetrius Hunter, Jermaine Lewis and Ernest Turner can become more consistent with their 3-point shooting.

Utah

Coach: Rick Majerus

Record: 10-3

RPI ranking: 28

Best win: vs. then-No. 1 Alabama, 51-49.

Top player: Senior forward Britton Johnsen (12.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg).

Top newcomer: Junior center Tim Frost (12.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg).

Key injuries: Johnsen underwent surgery for a torn ligament in his right thumb on Dec. 18 and will wear a splint at least until mid-January.

Strengths: Team defense, a Majerus trademark. Opposing teams are shooting just 39.9 percent from the floor and are averaging just 57.5 points per game.

Weaknesses: Experience and free-throw shooting. The Utes are relying on contributions from three true freshmen, including starting point guard Tim Drisdom. How will the trio react on the road in conference play? Utah is also shooting just 67.4 percent at the free throw line which could come back to haunt the Utes in a very tight MWC race.

Conference champs if: Offense and young newcomers can continue to improve.

Wyoming

Coach: Steve McClain

Record: 11-2

RPI ranking: 43

Best win: vs. Texas Tech, 67-62.

Top player: Senior center Uche Nsonwu-Amadi (13.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg).

Top newcomer: Junior guard David Adams (5.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg).

Key injuries: Senior small forward Marcus Bailey, a conference player of the year candidate, is out for the year after undergoing knee surgery.

Strengths: The Cowboys have one of the top backcourts on West Coast led by sophomore point guard Jason Straight and senior off guard Donta Richardson.

Weaknesses: Loss of Bailey takes away a dependable go-to player in crunch time.

Conference champs if: The Cowboys can continue to play well on the road in conference play. Few, if any, visiting teams will leave the 7,200-foot altitude of Arena-Auditorium with wins this year.