Men's Basketball Weekly Release - Championship Edition
March 11, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
TOURNAMENT NOTEBOOK
What you should know:
- No. 1 seed BYU is a combined 7-1 this season vs. teams on its side of the
bracket (posting 2-0 records vs. Air Force, Colorado State and Wyoming,
and going 1-1 vs. San Diego State).
- BYU enters the MWC Tournament as the top seed for the second
consecutive year. The Cougars are one of six different teams to enter the
tournament as the No. 1 seed (Air Force-2004; BYU-2007 and 2008; San
Diego State-2006; UNLV-2000; Utah-2001, 2003 and 2005; Wyoming-2002).
- The top seed has made it to the MWC tournament finals four times in eight
years, posting a 2-2 record. The No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 seeds
have won MWC tournament titles. The No. 7 seed is the lowest seed ever
to advance to the championship game, while the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds are
the only seeds without an appearance in the MWC Tournament final.
- The No. 2 seed has posted the best winning percentage in MWC
Tournament contests at 13-5 (.722), including a 7-1 mark in quarterfinal
games and a 3-0 record in title games.
- The top two seeds have only met twice in the MWC Tournment finals, with
the No. 2 seed winning both times. No. 2 seed New Mexico defeated No. 1
seed Utah in the 2005 title game, while No. 2 seed UNLV beat No. 1 seed
BYU for the 2007 tournament crown.
- The No. 9 seed is the only one without a win in tournament action, sporting
an 0-2 record since the field was expanded to nine teams in 2006.
- Six different teams have won the Mountain West Conference tournament
championship in the last eight years: UNLV (2000, 2007), BYU (2001), San
Diego State (2002, 2006), Colorado State (2003), Utah (2004), New Mexico (2005).
- The MWC regular-season champion has made it to the finals of the MWC
tournament five times in eight years (UNLV 2000, BYU 2001 and 2007, Utah
2005, San Diego State 2006), winning the championship three times. BYU,
San Diego State and UNLV are the only teams to win an MWC regularseason
title and tournament crown in the same year, while the Aztecs are
the only team to capture the tournament title after winning the regularseason
crown outright. UNLV and BYU won MWC Tournament titles after
sharing the regular-season crowns in 2000 and 2001, respectively.
#8 Wyoming (12-17, 5-11) vs. #9 Colorado State (6-24, 0-16)
Game Notes
- Wyoming and Colorado State will meet in the MWC Tournament for the
first time since 2003, and the third time overall. The Rams defeated the
Cowboys, 74-71, in their last tournament meeting in 2003.
- The Cowboys are 6-8 all-time in the Mountain West Tournament, while the
Rams are 6-7. CSU won the tournament title in 2003.
- In its six conference tournament victories, Wyoming has averaged 66.7
points per game.
- Ram junior Marcus Walker has averaged 20.0 points per game vs. the
Cowboys this season.
- Wyoming senior Joseph Taylor has tallied two of his three highest scoring
games of the season vs. Colorado State. He scored 14 points in the first
meeting and a career-high 21 points (8-of-10 shooting) in the second game
for an average of 17.5 points vs. the Rams this season. He also has averaged
9.5 rebounds in two meetings with CSU in 2007-08.
- Wyoming had four players score in double figures in both regular-season
games vs. Colorado State.
#1 BYU (25-6, 14-2 MWC) vs. #8 Wyoming (12-17, 5-11 MWC) or #9 Colorado State (6-24, 0-16 MWC)
Game Notes
- The Cougars swept the Cowboys and the Rams this season. BYU has won
seven of the last eight meetings vs. Wyoming and three of the last four vs.
Colorado State.
- BYU comes into the 2008 tournament as the No. 1 seed for second straight
year and the second time overall.
- The Rams defeated the Cougars in their lone MWC Tournament matchup,
86-80 (OT) in the 2003 semifinals. BYU is 3-0 vs. Wyoming in MWC
Tournament competition, with its last victory coming in the 2004
quarterfinals (79-74).
- BYU's Trent Plaisted averaged 21.5 points, on 67.3 percent shooting (33-
for-49) from the field, and 7.8 rebounds per game vs. Wyoming and
Colorado State this season.
- Wyoming's Tyson Johnson is averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per
game over his last 10 games.
#4 San Diego State (19-11, 9-7 MWC) vs. #5 Air Force (16-13, 8-8 MWC)
Game Notes
- San Diego State and Air Force will meet for the second time in MWC
Tournament history. The Aztecs defeated the Falcons, 73-68, in the
quarterfinal round of the 2005 championship.
- The Falcons are 0-8 all-time in the Mountain West Tournament and 4-21
overall in conference postseason play. Air Force has lost 15 straight
opening-round conference tournament games, including its last six by an
average of five points per game. The Falcons are the only No. 1 seed to lose
a quarterfinal round game in MWC history, losing to Colorado State, 60-
48, in 2004.
- The Aztecs are 7-6 all-time in the Mountain West Tournament, and are one
of only two MWC teams to win the tournament title twice. San Diego State
is 3-1 as the higher seed in the MWC Championship. Overall, SDSU
averages 68.4 points per game in seven tournament wins.
- Air Force senior Tim Anderson has averaged 11.5 points per game vs. the
Aztecs this season.
- San Diego State had its two respective lowest scoring outputs of the season
in both of its games vs. Air Force. The Aztecs scored 49 points in the firsts
game and 43 points in the second meeting. SDSU has shot a combined 38.1
percent (59-for-161) from the floor vs. the Falcons this season.
#2 UNLV (23-7, 12-4 MWC) vs. #7 TCU (14-15, 6-10 MWC)
Game Notes
- UNLV and TCU will meet in MWC Tournament play for the first time.
- UNLV is 14-5 all-time in the MWC Championship, while the Horned Frogs
are 1-2. The Runnin' Rebels' 14 tournament wins lead all other Conference
institutions.
- The Rebels have played in the championship game of the MWC
Tournament a conference-best five times, winning the title in 2000 and
2007.
- The Horned Frogs won their first tournament game as members of the
MWC last year, defeating New Mexico, 62-54.
- In the second meeting of the season, a 74-55 Runnin' Rebel victory, four
UNLV players scored double figures. The Rebels were led by Wink Adams
and Joe Darger who scored 15 points apiece, followed by Rene Rougeau's
14 points and Corey Bailey's 10 points.
- UNLV's Wink Adams averaged 20 points per game, while shooting 51.9
percent (14-for-27) from the field vs. TCU this season.
#3 New Mexico (24-7, 11-5 MWC) vs. #6 Utah (16-13, 7-9 MWC)
Game Notes
- The Lobos and Utes will meet in the MWC Tournament for the third time
overall. New Mexico defeated Utah in their last meeting, 60-56, to win the
2005 MWC Tournament title.
- The Lobos have won four of its last five games over the Utes by an average
of 6.5 points per game.
- Utah is 7-1 all-time in its opening game of the MWC Tournament, while
New Mexico is 2-6.
- In the first meeting of the season, a 77-67 overtime win for the Lobos, eight
players scored 10 or more points. For UNM, Daniel Faris scored a teamhigh
15 points, while J.R. Giddens and Chad Toppert scored 14 points
apiece, Jamaal Smith scored 12 points and Dairese Gary put in 10 points.
The Utes were led by Johnnie Bryant's game-high 25 points, follwed by
Luke Nevill with 13 points and Tyler Kepkay with 12.
- New Mexico's Jamaal Smith averaged 14.5 points per game vs. Utah this
season.
- Utah's Johnnie Bryant averaged 21.0 points per game on 61.1 percent
shooting (11-for-18) in two games vs. the Lobos this season.
BYU CAPTURES MWC REGULAR-SEASON CROWN
With its fourth MWC regular season title, No. 24/23 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 backto-
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 405-274 (.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).
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 1,166,567 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.
20 WINS=POSTSEASON
No. 24/23 BYU (25-6), New Mexico (24-7) and UNLV (23-7) have all reached the 20-win
benchmark in 2007-08. Additionally, San Diego State (19-11) 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.
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 three freshmen (SDSU's Billy White, BYU's Chris Collinsworth and
New Mexico's Dairese Gary) find themselves ranked among Conference leaders in several
key statistical categories. Walker, the 2007-08 MWC Newcomer of the Year, leads the MWC
in scoring (17.2 ppg). Salter ranks 12th and 15th in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.0
rpg), respectively, while Ortiz is 12th with a 5.2 average on the glass. Amoroso is fourth in
rebounding (6.7 rpg) and 18th in scoring (10.8 ppg). White, the 2007-08 MWC Freshman of the
Year is eighth in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and fifth in steals (1.5 spg), while Collinsworth (4.9 rpg)
is 17th in rebounding. Gary is ninth in assists (3.2 apg) and tied for seventh in steals.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The nation's longest active home win streak resides in the Mountain West Conference as No.
24/23 BYU has won 47 consecutive games in the Marriott Center. In addition, UNLV's 12-
game win streak at the Thomas & Mack Center is 12th 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.
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).
MWC SCORING LEADERS
The five leading scorers in the MWC are juniors, led by Colorado State's Marcus Walker (17.2
ppg). Overall, the junior class accounts for 13 of the league's top 20 scoring averages. New
Mexico's J.R. Giddens (6th/15.6 ppg) is the top-ranked senior, while BYU's Jonathan
Tavernari (11th/13.3 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.
