Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Weekend Update
Feb. 22, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
WEEK 16 RECAP
BYU (21-5, 10-1) holds a two-game lead atop the Mountain West standings in Week 16
following a 67-59 win over fifth-place Utah (15-9, 6-5) on Wednesday. UNLV (19-6, 8-3)
was idle during midweek action and remains in second place. New Mexico (21-6, 8-4)
climbed into third with a 68-51 triumph Wednesday at Air Force (13-12, 5-7), while San
Diego State (17-9, 7-5) sits in fourth after Tuesday's 79-68 victory over eighth-place
Wyoming (10-15, 3-9). Air Force and TCU (13-12, 5-7) are tied for sixth following the
Horned Frogs' 66-64 win over ninth-place Colorado State (6-19, 0-11) on Wednesday.
All four MWC games on Saturday will be televised, beginning with a tripleheader on
The Mtn.-Mountain West Sports Network featuring New Mexico at Utah (12 p.m. MT),
UNLV at Wyoming (2:30 p.m. MT) and Air Force at Colorado State (7 p.m. MT). The
day's action will close with a nationally-televised contest on CSTV between BYU and
host San Diego State (8 p.m. PT).
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.
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 four freshmen (SDSU's Billy White, BYU's Chris Collinsworth, New
Mexico's Dairese Gary and Wyoming's Mikhail Linskens) find themselves ranked among
Conference leaders in several key statistical categories. Walker leads the MWC in scoring
(18.1 ppg). Salter ranks 13th and 17th in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg),
respectively, while Ortiz is 14th with a 5.1 average on the glass. Amoroso, the 2007-08 MWC
Preseason Newcomer of the Year, is fifth in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and 19th in scoring (10.8
ppg). White (5.8 rpg) and Collinsworth (4.9 rpg) are eighth and 18th, respectively, in
rebounding, with White also ranking sixth in steals (1.5 spg). Gary is sixth in assists (3.4 apg)
and fifth in steals (1.5 spg), while Linskens is seventh in blocked shots (1.1 bpg).
MWC SCORING LEADERS
The six leading scorers in the MWC are juniors, led by Colorado State's Marcus Walker
(18.1 ppg). Overall, the junior class accounts for 14 of the league's top 20 scoring
averages. Air Force's Tim Anderson (8th/14.5 ppg) is the top-ranked senior, while BYU's
Jonathan Tavernari (12th/13.4 ppg) is the only sophomore of the group. In addition, San
Diego State's Billy White is contributing 8.6 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 33-19 (.635) advantage in MWC play.
- BYU (6-0) 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), New Mexico
(3-3), San Diego State (3-3) and UNLV (3-3) each 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.
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 401-273 (.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 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 teams to NCAA tourney wins (Harrick, Sutton).
20 WINS=POSTSEASON
BYU (21-5) and New Mexico (21-6) are the first MWC teams this season to reach the 20-win
benchmark. Additionally, UNLV (19-6) is poised to join the Cougars and Lobos in the 20-win
category. 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.
