Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Weekend Update
Feb. 8, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
WEEK 13 RECAP
BYU took over sole possession of first place in the MWC men's basketball standings with
a victory over TCU on Wednesday. Also collecting wins in midweek league tilts were
New Mexico, San Diego State and Utah, while Wyoming earned a non-conference
triumph over Cal State-Bakersfield.
The second half of the 2007-08 MWC schedule gets underway on Saturday, Feb. 9. In
addition to CSTV's broadcast of the Utah-Air Force game that day, The Mtn. will air an
MWC tripleheader: San Diego State at TCU (2 p.m. CT); Colorado State at UNLV (3 p.m.
PT); and Wyoming at New Mexico (7 p.m. MT).
MWC ON TELEVISION
The 2007-08 MWC men's basketball package features a minimum of 100 games on national
and regional television, including 27 to be broadcast nationally with 19 on CSTV and seven
on VERSUS. Sixty-three of the 72 conference match-ups, and seven of eight MWC
Championship contests are included in the television package. Seventy-five games will be
shown on The Mtn. - MountainWest Sports Network, and two of the 100 televised contests
will feature simulcasts on The Mtn. and CSTV.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The Mountain West recorded its ninth consecutive season with an overall winning
percentage of 61 percent or greater in non-conference play. Last year, MWC teams
combined to win a league-record 72.2 percent of their games outside of the conference.
This season, MWC teams own a collective 83-41 (66.9%) mark against non-league foes.
MWC SCORING LEADERS
Eight of the 10 leading scorers in the MWC are juniors, led by Colorado State's Marcus
Walker (18.3 ppg). Overall, the junior class accounts for 13 of the league's top 20 scoring
averages. Air Force's Tim Anderson (6th/15.4 ppg) is the top-ranked senior, while BYU's
Jonathan Tavernari (12th/13.6 ppg) is the only sophomore of the group. In addition, San
Diego State's Billy White is contributing 8.8 points as the top freshman scorer.
HOME VS. ROAD IN THE MWC
- Over the previous eight years in the Mountain West, home teams have won 63
percent or more of the games in league competition. Thus far in 2007-08, home
teams hold a 22-14 (.611) edge in MWC play midway through the league schedule.
- BYU (4-0) and UNLV (3-0) are the only teams who remain undefeated vs. league
opponents in their home venues this season. For each of the previous eight years,
the MWC regular-season champion has won no fewer than six of its league outings
at home.
- For each of the last six years, the MWC regular-season champion has finished with
no fewer than five road victories against conference competition. Currently, BYU
(3-1), UNLV (3-2) and San Diego State (2-1) have .500 or better records in road MWC
contests.
- Only twice in the history of the Mountain West has a team claimed a share of the
regular-season crown with a losing record in road games (Utah, 1999-00, 3-4; BYU
and Utah, 2000-01, 3-4 each). UNLV shared the 1999-00 crown with the Utes but
had a 4-3 record in MWC road games.
NEWCOMERS HAVING AN IMPACT
Several MWC newcomers are making their mark this season as five junior college transfers
(Colorado State's Marcus Walker and Willis Gardner, San Diego State's Ryan Amoroso
and TCU's Henry Salter and John Ortiz) and two freshmen (SDSU's Billy White and
BYU's Chris Collinsworth) find themselves ranked among the Conference's scoring
and/or rebounding leaders. Walker leads the MWC in scoring (18.3 ppg), while Gardner
is 20th (11.0 ppg). Salter ranks 11th and 16th in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg),
respectively, while Ortiz is 11th with a 5.4 average on the glass. Amoroso, the 2007-08
MWC Preseason Newcomer of the Year, is ranked sixth in rebounding (6.5 rpg), followed
by White in ninth (5.9 rpg) and Collinsworth in 17th (4.9 rpg).
UNLV'S KRUGER APPROACHING 400 WINS
UNLV Head Coach Lon Kruger heads into Saturday's action one victory shy of reaching
the 400-win mark for his career. The fourth-year Runnin' Rebel coach currently boasts a
399-272 (.595) record over a 22-year collegiate career that has included stops at Texas-Pan
American (1982-86), Kansas State (1986-90), Florida (1990-96), Illinois (1996-00) and
UNLV. At each of those institutions, Kruger has produced at least one 20-win season
within four years of his arrival, racking up 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in the
process. Kruger is one of only three coaches to lead four different schools to NCAA
Tournament wins (Jim Harrick, Eddie Sutton) and is also just one of five coaches to ever
take four different schools to the NCAA Tournament (Harrick, Sutton, Lefty Driesell and
Rick Pitino).
