Tuesday, March 8, 2005 | 10:57 a.m.
First Team
Andrew Bogut, Utah, So., C, 7-0, 245, Melbourne, Australia.
Danny Granger, New Mexico, Sr., F, 6-8, 225, Metarie, La.
Jay Straight, Wyoming, Sr., G, 5-11, 178, Chicago, Ill.
Odartey Blankson, UNLV, Sr., F, 6-7, 220, Chicago, Ill.
Marc Jackson, Utah, Sr., G, 6-1, 175, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Second Team
Marcus Slaughter, San Diego St., So., F, 6-8, 223, Riverside, Calif.
Brandon Heath, San Diego St., So., G, 6-3, 183, Los Angeles, Calif.
Nick Welch, Air Force, Jr., C, 6-8, 210, Fort Worth, Texas.
Matt Nelson, Colo. State, Sr., C, 7-0, 270, Chicago, Ill.
Antoine Hood, Air Force, Jr., G, 6-4, 205, Sugar Land, Texas.
Third Team
Bryant Markson, Utah, Jr., F, 6-6, 190, Monrovia, Calif.
Justin Williams, Wyoming, Jr., F/C, 6-10, 215, Chicago, Ill.
Mike Hall, BYU, Sr., G, 6-3, 205, San Bernardino, Calif.
David Chiotti, New Mexico, Jr., F, 6-9, 245, San Jose, Calif.
Troy DeVries, New Mexico, Sr., G, 6-4, 195, Mt. Vernon, Wash.
Honorable Mention
Air Force: Tim Keller (Sr., G), Matt McCraw (So., G), Jacob Burtschi (So., F)
BYU: Austin Ainge (So., G)
Colorado State: Jason Smith (Fr., F), Matt Williams (Sr., F)
New Mexico: Mark Walters (Jr., G), Alfred Neale (Sr., F)
San Diego State: Matt Thomas (Fr., G)
UNLV: Michael Umeh (So., G), Romel Beck (Sr., G), Louis Amundson (Jr., F)
Utah: Justin Hawkins (So., F)
Wyoming: Dion Sherrell (Sr., G)
Player of the Year
Andrew Bogut, Utah
Defensive Player of the Year
Justin Williams, Wyoming
Freshman of the Year
Jason Smith, Colo. State
Coach of the Year
Ray Giacoletti, Utah
On paper it appears the winner of this weekend's Mountain West Conference tournament at the Pepsi Center in Denver will probably be one of two teams -- Utah or New Mexico.
The Utes (25-4, 13-1), led by likely NBA lottery pick Andrew Bogut at center, breezed through the conference race and stumbled just once. That was at New Mexico (23-6, 10-4), which has won nine of its past 10 games since star forward Danny Granger returned from a minor knee operation.
But if history is any indictation, the top-seeded Utes, who face Colorado State (11-16, 3-11) in Thursday's quarterfinals, and the second-seeded Lobos, who take on No. 7 seed BYU (9-20, 3-11), may be too highly seeded to win the tournament.
In the previous five years of the Mountain West tournament, only one No. 1 seed -- Mark Dickel-led UNLV in 2000 -- has even advanced to the title game. The Rebels whipped sixth-seeded BYU, 79-56, to claim the championship.
BYU, a No. 2 seed, won the title the following year by defeating New Mexico, which was fourth-seeded. But the past three years the highest seeded teams to reach the title game were a couple of No. 3 seeds: UNLV in 2002 and Utah last year.
The Utes knocked off fourth-seeded UNLV, 73-70, in last year's final. Colorado State, a 6 seed, won the title in 2003 while San Diego State, which was a No. 5 seed, won it in 2002.
So it's little wonder that folks like Aztecs coach Steve Fisher, whose 10-17 squad has lost nine of its past 10 games, and BYU's Steve Cleveland, whose Cougars have dropped six of their past seven contests, aren't ready to throw in the white towel just yet.
"Hope springs eternal for all of us now," Fisher said during a coaches' teleconference Monday.
"It's the hope that you have that you can get hot for a two or three day period of time," Cleveland added. "Colorado State has done it in the past. San Diego State has done it."
UNLV coach Lon Kruger, whose squad has won six of its past seven games, was asked if he was glad to have the spotlight shining squarely on Utah and New Mexico this week so his team can sort of linger in the shadows.
"Oh, we'd rather be in Utah's shoes given that they've proven themselves over 14 games," Kruger said. "But no, it really doesn't matter."
Defending champion Utah may come in with the least amount of pressure. The Utes are guarranteed an NCAA at-large berth even if they were to fall in the first round to Colorado State.
The same can't be said for New Mexico, however.
The Lobos more than likely need to reach the championship game on Saturday to land an at-large berth.
ESPN.com bracketologist Joe Lunardi currently has Ritchie McKay's squad as one of his last four teams in the NCAA tournament, along with Maryland, West Virginia and North Carolina State. He projects the Lobos as a 12th seed but warned "they probably needed to reach the finals of the Mountain West."
Considering only two weeks ago many people considered the Lobos all but NIT bound because of a weak nonconference schedule, that's a major improvement.
"We're trying to focus on the things that we can control and that's the way we play against BYU," McKay said. "Whether we've done enough to warrant an at-large berth remains to be seen. We can win the next game and that, in my mind, would really improve our chances."
McKay doesn't believe his squad will feel any added pressure to win at least two games this week.
"I don't think our team is worried about the pressure of, 'What if we lose?'" McKay said. "I think this team is focused on trying to get better and trying to compete at the national level."
Granger, however, told the Albuquerque Journal this week that the team doesn't want to give anything up for chance when it comes to the NCAA Selection Committee.
"That's the number, three," Granger said referring to MWC tournament wins. "We're going there to win all three. We don't want to say we're going to win two and might get an at-large bid. We would rather just win the whole tournament."
But, as past history indicates, that's a whole lot easier said than done.
"I think our league is really competitive," McKay said. "There is so much balance, it really doesn't matter who you play. It's a good thing we're not on the same side (of the bracket) as Utah, but that being said, we have to get to (the championship game) first -- and so do they."
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