Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Weekend Update
Feb. 15, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
WEEK 14 RECAP
League-leading BYU defeated Colorado State (79-65) on Wednesday to stretch its win
streak to seven games in MWC men's basketball action. Also picking up victories in midweek
action were New Mexico (73-63 vs. San Diego State), UNLV (58-51 vs. Air Force)
and Wyoming (72-54 vs. TCU). Two nationally-televised match-ups highlight
Saturday's MWC slate. San Diego State visits Utah in a 2 p.m. MT outing that will air on
VERSUS, while UNLV's 7 p.m. MT meeting with host BYU will be broadcast on CSTV.
Saturday's schedule also includes a twinbill on The Mtn., featuring Wyoming at Air
Force (4 p.m. MT) and TCU 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.
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 27-17 (.614) edge in MWC play midway through the league schedule.
- BYU (4-0) and UNLV (5-0) are the only teams who remain undefeated vs. league
opponents in their home venues this season. 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 at
least five road wins vs. conference opponents. Currently, BYU (4-1), UNLV (3-2), San
Diego State (2-2) and Utah (2-2) 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 four junior college transfers
(Colorado State's Marcus Walker, 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 (18.0 ppg). Salter ranks 12th and
16th in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg), respectively, while Ortiz is 12th with
a 5.4 average on the glass. Amoroso, the 2007-08 MWC Preseason Newcomer of the Year,
is tied for sixth in rebounding (6.5 rpg), followed by White in 10th (5.6 rpg) and
Collinsworth in 17th (4.9 rpg).
MWC SCORING LEADERS
Seven of the 10 leading scorers in the MWC are juniors, led by Colorado State's Marcus
Walker (18.0 ppg). Overall, the junior class accounts for 13 of the league's top 20 scoring
averages. Air Force's Tim Anderson (6th/15.2 ppg) is the top-ranked senior, while BYU's
Jonathan Tavernari (13th/13.5 ppg) is the only sophomore of the group. In addition, San
Diego State's Billy White is contributing 8.2 points as the top freshman scorer.
20 WINS=POSTSEASON
BYU (19-5), UNLV (19-5) and New Mexico (19-6) will each be vying for their 20th win of
the season when they take the court on Saturday. In the previous eight years of the
Mountain West, all 25 MWC teams that have had 20 or more wins prior to "Selection
Sunday" have been invited to the postseason. In 2007, BYU (25-9) and UNLV (30-7) each
received invitations to the NCAA Tournament, while Air Force (26-9) and San Diego State
(22-11) particpated in the NIT. Overall, the MWC has had 31 postseaon bids since 2000.
UNLV'S KRUGER CAPTURES 400TH VICTORY
UNLV Head Coach Lon Kruger reached a notable milestone with the Runnin' Rebels Feb.
19 victory over Colorado State, collecting his 400th career win as a collegiate head coach.
Among active NCAA Division I coaches, Kruger is the 32nd individual to register 400
victories, currently boasting a 401-272 (.596) 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 just five coaches to take four different schools
to the NCAA Tournament (Jim Harrick, Eddie Sutton, Lefty Driesell and Rick Pitino) and
one of only three to lead four different schools to NCAA Tournament wins (Harrick, Sutton).
