2011 MWC Football Team Previews are here!

June 6th, 2011

College football season is almost here folks. While the college sports world is focused on the 2011 College World Series right now, creeping up on us is the 2011 college football season, and College Sports Fans is ready having already released the teams previews from the Mountain West Conference. While expansion has now added and subtracted teams from the MWC, for 2011 Boise State will solidify the Mountain West Conference after Utah’s departure to the Pac 12. Check out the entire 2011 NCAA college football preview for details on each MWC team this season.

San Diego State tops Temple in double overtime, Sweet 16 awaits

March 20th, 2011

The San Diego State Aztecs had never reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament before. Therefore, if they didn’t know how to act on a stage this big, one supposes they couldn’t be blamed too much. In the end, for all their stumbles and mistakes, the sons of San Diego gathered their composure just enough to make the first Sweet 16 in program history.

Yes, the Aztecs played a very shaky and nerve-addled game, but fortunately for the co-champions of the Mountain West Conference, the Temple Owls quivered and quaked in their boots as well. Two clearly nervous teams played an NCAA Tournament game that was tense and exciting, but not for the best of reasons. While Butler and Pittsburgh produced an epic built on the back of phenomenal shotmaking, San Diego State and Temple remained close because neither side could string together two or three good possessions in a row. As two hungry and hard-working squads battled well, they didn’t supplement their work ethic with good decision making, and that led to an ugly slog through a messy endgame phase plus two gruesome overtime periods.

Here’s the first eye-grabbing stat from this game. San Diego State scored just four points in the last 10:18 of regulation… and didn’t lose. That’s because Temple was able to score only nine points in the final nine minutes of regulation. The Owls did erase a 52-45 deficit in that span of time, but they couldn’t finish off the No. 2 seed in the West Region. That set the tone for what was to come.

In the first overtime, SDSU’s Kawhi Leonard – who played the worst game of his season by far – threw the ball away under his own basket after grabbing a rebound. Temple came up with a steal and score to grab a 61-58 lead with 2:20 left. However, on the next trip down the floor for the Aztecs, Temple stupidly fouled SDSU’s Malcolm Thomas on a layup attempt that the brawny post player was able to finish. Thomas hit the and-one foul shot, tying the score at 61-all following the exchange of gifts from both sides. In the final minute and a half of regulation, Leonard bobbled a rebound out of bounds, giving Temple the chance to take the lead, but the Aztecs snuffed out a horrible Temple possession and got the ball with 35 seconds left. The shot clock was off, giving SDSU the chance to create the last shot, but the Aztecs bizarrely went to Thomas, their fourth-best scoring option, for a 10-foot hook shot that wasn’t particularly close. The teams stumbled their way into overtime number two.

In that second bonus period, San Diego State got beaten down the floor after a made basket, showing a lack of focus in the heat of battle. The Aztecs clearly looked panicky at times, but to their great credit, they played enough defense to get to the finish line first. After that poor display of transition defense – with 2:39 left – SDSU didn’t allow Temple to score another basket. The Owls managed only one more point over the remainder of overtime, and the Aztecs pulled away to earn a date with Connecticut in a highly-anticipated West Regional semifinal next week.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

BYU advances to Sweet 16, crushes Gonzaga 89-67

March 20th, 2011

While Saturday featured some classic contests and nail-biting finishes in other arenas across the country, there was no louder or more emphatic statement made than the one made by the Mountain West Conference’s regular-season champions.

The Brigham Young Cougars defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs to secure their first trip to the Sweet 16 in 30 years. It was three decades to the day of the Cougars’ last win in the second round of NCAA Tournament. Jimmer Fredette, the nation’s leading scorer, poured in 34 points and hit seven three-pointers as the third-seeded Cougars rolled to the easy victory. In the two squads’ first-round contests, the Bulldogs looked nearly invincible while BYU had some problems with Wofford. Many analysts had already advanced Gonzaga to the Sweet 16. BYU had different plans, however. The Cougars maxed out against the overwhelmed Zags, hitting 14 three-pointers as a team and dominating the second half by extending their lead to as many as 24. Gonzaga was unable to stop the continual pressure BYU applied on the perimeter and wilted in the second half as the pro-BYU Pepsi Center clearly affected the tone and tenor of the game. The Bulldogs finished the season at 25-10. BYU advances to face second-seeded Florida next Thursday in the Southeast Regional semifinals.

Mountain West Conference Postseason: NIT & CIT Tournament recaps

March 18th, 2011

New Mexico & Air Force advance, Colorado State upset in postseason play

NIT First Round: New Mexico 69, UTEP 57
The New Mexico Lobos defeated the UTEP Miners in the opening round of NIT play at the Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Tuesday evening. In the Lobos first action without captain Dairese Gary, they looked comfortable in every facet, extending a four point halftime lead to double-digits as the second continued on. Drew Gordon had 18 points and 9 rebounds while Freshman Kendell Williams added 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. A great crowd turned out to see the Lobos face off with their long-time rival from the Lone Star State. UTEP struggled to find an offensive rhythm all night long. Randy Cullpepper led all scorers with 23 points. The Miners finished the season at 25-10. New Mexico advances to the second round to face top-seeded Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

NIT First Round: Fairfield 62, Colorado State 60
The Fairfeld Stags, regular season champions from the small Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, upset Colorado State from the Mountain West Conference in the opening round of the NIT at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado on Tuesday night. The Stag defense was tremendous all night long, holding the Rams to just 32 percent shooting and forcing 20 turnovers. First Team All-MWC selection Andy Ogide had just 13 points in a losing effort. Fairfield’s Yorel Hawkins led all scorers with 17 points. The Rams, who finished their season in very disappointing fashion, could not close out yet another close ballgame and lost their sixth game in the past seven contests. Fairfeld will play St. Mary’s in the second round of the tournament.

CIT First Round: Air Force 77, North Dakota 67
The Air Force Falcons defeated the North Dakota Fighting Sioux in the opening round of the College Insider Tournament at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Falcons, who lost to UNLV in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference tournament, got back to their winning ways with an impressive performance. Michael Lyons shrugged off a horrendous shooting performance the last time he stepped on the court and poured in 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Josh Schuler and Troy Huff led the Sioux with 21 and 20 points respectively. North Dakota, who play in the Great West Conference, finished the season at 18-14. Air Force’s second round opponent will be decided later.

By Matt Zemek & Zach Bloxham
DFN Sports Staff Writers

Utah falls to Boise State in final game as MWC representative

December 23rd, 2010

The Utah Utes entered Wednesday night’s MAACO Las Vegas Bowl as a 17-point underdog to the Boise State Broncos, and the Utes did little to prove they deserved better. In their final football game as a member of the Mountain West Conference, Utah failed to capitalize on 4 Boise State turnovers thanks to a recipe of ill-timed penalties and dropped passes as the Utes fell 26-3. The future members of the new Pac-12 Conference scored first with a FG and led 3-0 heading into the 2nd quarter, but Boise State responded with 16 points in the 2nd quarter for a 16-3 halftime lead in a game that featured a sellout crowd of 41,923; the 3rd highest total of fans to attend an event in the state of Nevada.

With the loss, Utah ends their season at 10-3, a significant drop off after an 8-0 start and a Top 5 ranking nationally. However, with Utah’s move to the Pac-12 comes better recruits and more national attention as well as increased sales of Utah Utes apparel & merchandise to alumni and fans of the Utes across the nation. Meanwhile, the Mountain West will welcome Boise State in 2011, a team that has grown into a national powerhouse and ends their 2010 season at 12-1.

What will the new-look Mountain West Conference look like?

December 10th, 2010

Over the past several months the Mountain West Conference has been in the news frequently as conference expansion continues to change the college football landscape. While the college football world is at the center of all of this due to football being the big revenue sport, the western conferences have all experienced some announced changes. Here is a look at what is happening with the Mountain West Conference:

- Leaving the MWC - Utah, TCU, BYU - Utah was the first to bolt the Mountain West Conference when they joined the new Pac 12 Conference. BYU announced their desire to be a wanna-be Notre Dame as they will be a football independent while their other sports will join the West Coast Conference in July 2011. Finally, TCU accepted a football-only invite to join the Big East Conference in 2012.

- Joining the MWC - Boise State, Nevada, Hawaii, Fresno State - Boise State will join the MWC in June 2011 and will play TCU in the Mountain West in 2011. Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii will all join the Mountain West Conference in July 2012 and thus will miss playing MWC games with TCU due to the Horned Frogs’ departure.

> Fans can buy Mountain West Conference merchandise online through DFN Sports sites!

The moves mean that once the dust has settled, the MWC will look a lot like the WAC used to in football with the following 10 schools competing: Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, Air Force, Colorado State, San Diego State, UNLV, New Mexico & Wyoming.

Mountain West looks to continue conference success

December 18th, 2009

The Mountain West bowl season opens with Wyoming facing Fresno on December 19th in the New Mexico Bowl. This match-up should be very entertaining and high scoring. BYU will face a very athletic Oregon State squad on December 22nd at 8:00. BYU will be playing in their 5th consecutive Las Vegas Bowl. Utah will face the Cal Golden Bears in the Poinsettia Bowl as the Bears will likely be without star RB Jahvid Best. Air Force has a tremendous defense which will have a difficult test against the high flying Cougars of Houston on New Years Eve at the Texas Bowl. The BCS came calling as a battle of undefeated teams will ensue when TCU faces Boise State on January 4th in the Fiesta Bowl. The entire bowl schedule has been released featuring games from December 19 through January 7th.

TCU remains #4, hopes for Texas to slip

December 1st, 2009

The Horned Frogs left little doubt to the legitimacy as they rolled New Mexico 51-10. TCU remained at #4 in the BCS Top 25 rankings, but it is unlikely they will get a shot in the big game. TCU will need a Texas loss in the Big 12 Championship Game to have a shot, but given history voters may even look to bypass both TCU and Boise State to ensure the BCS Championship game features two BCS automatic qualifier teams. BYU moved up five slots to #14 with their thrilling victory over rival Utah. With the loss Utah dropped four slots to #25.

TCU remains #4, New Mexico is final regular season test

November 25th, 2009

The 11-0 Horned Frogs remained at #4 following their 45-10 destruction of Wyoming. TCU will look to end their regular season on a perfect note when they host New Mexico as the latest bowl projections have TCU facing Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. The #19 BYU Cougars defeated Air Force in impressive fashion winning 38-21. The #21 Utah Utes defeated San Diego State 38-7. BYU and Utah will square off in Provo in what should be a very tight tussle.

TCU dominates Utes, remains #4 in BCS

November 17th, 2009

TCU dominated Utah on Saturday night scoring a 55-28 victory. The Horned Frogs are proving they are one of the best teams in the nation, but unfortunately without a playoff system it is unlikely they will get a chance to prove it. If they win out they will enter the bowl season ranked #4 in the Top 25 rankings. TCU travels to Wyoming this week. With their loss to TCU, Utah fell to #21. The Utes host San Diego State this week. BYU maintained their #22 ranking following a surprisingly tough game against New Mexico. The Cougars will have a tough test when they host Air Force. Meanwhile, fans should be pleased to know that college Snuggies now feature two Mountain West Conference schools as BYU Snuggies and Utah Snuggie blankets are now available.