Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Weekend Update
March 7, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
WEEK 18 RECAP
No. 24 BYU clinched its second consecutive and fourth overall Mountain West men's
basketball regular-season title with a 78-61 win against Wyoming on Wednesday. In other
mid-week league tilts, New Mexico beat UNLV (59-45), Utah topped Colorado State (82-
61) and Air Force dispatched TCU (57-36). Mountain West teams wrap up regular season
play on Saturday with a four-game slate that includes a nationally-televised contest on
VERSUS between Utah and UNLV (1 p.m. PT), as well as a tripleheader on The Mtn.,
featuring San Diego State at Air Force (1 p.m. MT), New Mexico at Colorado State (3:30
p.m. MT) and No. 24 BYU at TCU (7 p.m. CT)
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.
BYU CAPTURES MWC REGULAR-SEASON CROWN
With its fourth MWC regular season title, BYU becomes the first team in Mountain West
history to claim back-to-back outright regular-season crowns. This marks the second time
the Cougars have won consecutive championships, having shared back-to-back crowns in
1999-00 and 2000-01. BYU and Utah are now tied for the league lead with at least a share
of four regular-season championship titles apiece in nine years, followed by Wyoming
with two during that span. Air Force and UNLV have claimed one title each. Air Force
(2003-04), BYU, (2006-07, 2007-08), Utah (2004-05), San Diego State (2005-06) and Wyoming
(2001-02) are the only teams to date to win an outright MWC title.
NATIONAL HONORS
The Mountain West placed seven student-athletes on the NABC All-District Teams,
marking the seventh straight year the league was represented by at least five honorees. The
All-District team members are eligible for the NABC Division I All-America Teams to be
announced at the conclusion of the season.
UNLV'S KRUGER NAMED FINALIST FOR HENRY IBA AWARD
UNLV head coach Lon Kruger is one of 12 finalists for the 2007-08 United States
Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Henry Iba Award, which is presented annually
to the nation's coach of the year. Kruger has led the Rebels to a 22-7 overall record and
an 11-4 MWC mark so far this season, marking the first back-to-back 20-win campaigns
for UNLV since 2001-02 and 2002-03. In February, Kruger became the 32nd individual
among active Division I coaches to register 400 victories. He currently boasts a 404-274
(.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 teams to NCAA tourney wins (Harrick, Sutton).
NEWCOMERS MAKE THEIR MARK
Several MWC newcomers have made 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 (17.6 ppg). Salter ranks 11th and 16th in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg),
respectively, while Ortiz is 12th with a 5.1 average on the glass. Amoroso, the 2007-08 MWC
Preseason Newcomer of the Year, is fourth in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and 18th in scoring (10.9
ppg). White (6.0 rpg) and Collinsworth (4.9 rpg) are eighth and 17th, respectively, in
rebounding, with White also ranking fifth in steals (1.5 spg). Gary is eighth in assists (3.3
apg) and sixth in steals (1.5 spg), while Linskens is ninth in blocks (0.9 bpg).
MWC SCORING LEADERS
The five leading scorers in the MWC are juniors, led by Colorado State's Marcus Walker
(17.6 ppg). Overall, the junior class accounts for 14 of the league's top 20 scoring averages.
New Mexico's J.R. Giddens (6th/15.7 ppg) is the top-ranked senior, while BYU's
Jonathan Tavernari (13th/13.2 ppg) is the only sophomore of the group. In addition, San
Diego State's Billy White is contributing 9.1 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 44-24 (.647) advantage in MWC play.
- For the ninth consecutive year, the MWC regular-season champion has won no
fewer than six of its league outings at home. No. 24 BYU was a perfect 8-0 on its
home court for the second straight year.
- For the seventh consecutive year, the MWC regular-season champion has finished
with at least five road wins vs. conference opponents. No. 24 BYU currently has a
5-2 road record in league play, with Saturday's outing at TCU remaining.
- 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.
BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE
For the ninth consecutive year, home attendance at the nine MWC institutions has combined to
top the 1 million mark, tallying 1,141,457 fans to date. New Mexico is averaging a league-high
14,361 fans through 18 contests this season at The Pit, while No. 24 BYU is second with an
average attendance of 13,518 in 16 games in the Marriott Center. The MWC has ranked among
the top seven conferences nationally in attendance in each of its first eight years of existence.
HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
The nation's longest active home win streak resides in the Mountain West Conference as No.
24 BYU has won 47 consecutive games in the Marriott Center. In addition, UNLV's 11-game
win streak at the Thomas & Mack Center is is tied for 15th nationally. The Cougars' 47-game
run in Provo is a new school and MWC record for consecutive home victories, breaking BYU's
former mark of 44 games, which ran from Feb. 19, 2000 to Jan. 16, 2003. The Cougars have not
lost in the Marriott Center since an 81-73 setback to Loyola Marymount on Nov. 18, 2005.
20 WINS=POSTSEASON
No. 24 BYU (24-6), New Mexico (23-7) and UNLV (22-7) have all reached the 20-win
benchmark in 2007-08. Additionally, San Diego State (19-10) is on the threshhold of hitting
the 20-win plateau. 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 postseason bids since 2000.
GOING DANCING
Over its eight-year history, the Mountain West has received 18 bids to the NCAA
Tournament, including 11 at-large berths. The MWC has had at least one at-large qualifier in
seven of those eight years, including six straight. The only year in which the MWC sent a lone
representative to the Big Dance was in 2000-01, when BYU, Utah and Wyoming shared the
regular-season title and the Cougars captured the league's automatic bid by winning the
MWC Tournament. Below is a breakdown of the league's NCAA participants by year. The
Mountain West was not eligible to receive an automatic bid in its first year (1999-00). UNLV
and Utah earned at-large bids to the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
WORKING OVERTIME
There have been 10 overtime games played by Mountain West teams this season, including
five in MWC action. New Mexico leads the league with four overtime affairs in 2007-08,
including three in conference play. The overall conference record for overtime contests is
five, shared by Air Force (2001-02) and UNLV (2001-02), while the record for most overtime
games against MWC opponents is four, shared by New Mexico (2006-07) and UNLV (2001-
02). The longest game in MWC history was a four-overtime affair between Wyoming and
Air Force on Jan. 28, 2002 (WYO, 83-76).
