Three more Thursday links

The Rusty Maverick also previews the Texas Arlington - San Jose State University matchup for tonight.

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BleedTechBlue looks at tonight's LA TECH - Utah State pairing.

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Coach Cameron Dollar has a new commit. From Coast2CoastHoops: "Seattle University has landed a commitment from 2013 IMG Academy (FL) wing William Powell"

Thursday: four game previews

It's the big one tonight: Louisiana Tech hosting Utah State. At the risk of alienating even more readers, gotta pull for the Bulldogs in this one since they now rep the WAC inside the lofty Top 25. What will be intriguing is that Coach Mike White's guys will want to play very uptempo and USU might just might cooperate at times too. But with eight players available, such a move will be opportunity-based rather than a game long element for Coach Stew Morrill.

Bulldog athletics game previews as does Matt Vines, Timothy R. Olsen, Kraig Williams and Shawn Harrison.

Timothy R. Olsen goes long in his Marvin Jean feature.

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Alongside are three contests in Texas:

Seattle competing against Texas State.

Redhawk athletics and Bobcat athletics game preview.

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Ditto for Idaho battling Texas San Antonio.   

Vandal athletics and Roadrunner athletics game preview.

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Texas Arlington is welcoming San Jose State University.

Spartan athletics and Maverick athletics game preview

Tyrone Watson's return

PTW doesn't get it (which conjures up this scene - a number of you nodding your heads in unison like bobblehead dolls, with a few 'amens' tossed in). But we digress.

Tyrone Watson is accused of attacking a fellow student at an off-campus party. Watson denies throwing the punch that his fellow student is claiming caused the bruising and swelling to his right eye. Watson is current charged with a third-degree felony. Most if not all of the circumstances of and surrounding the injuries suffered are publicly unknown or unverified at this point but matters will become clearer as evidence and testimony is filed and given. Maybe there are exculpatory facts favoring Watson, maybe not. The district attorney is proceeding in the direction of Watson as the punch thrower, if not more.

But the decision to allow him back on the court as of March 1 is a shocker. His actions were determined by the New Mexico State University committee hearing his appeal as rating a seven-game suspension (see Jason Groves' opening paragraph here)///Teddy Feinberg has more background here).

Here's one of JasonG's latest Twitter posts: "Marvin Menzies: Tyrone is not going to be punished. His punishment has already been put in."

Yes, Watson is a senior in his last season. Yes, he was lauded by Coach Marvin Menzies: "[Watson] has been an exceptional student and person in our program for his entire time here." It also appears to be the first time Watson was involved in such a happening.

However, the attack as reported was generated by this fellow student perceived as dancing with Watson's girlfriend. 

So that's considered a beat down offense nowadays? It makes the incident appear as a hair-trigger response to a nothing event.

There's a history of vandalism and other worse offenses associated with New Mexico State basketball student-athletes and that can't be ignored, fair or unfair as this might be to Watson. Similarly, there's a history of the current NMSU athletics administration treating such matters with an extremely light touch.

This can't bode well for Aggie sports as a new conference is desperately being sought, let alone for the healing of Watson's fellow student.

Seven games?

Try waiting until a final adjudication of the charge, as long as that may take.

That's only fair.

Wednesday's link-o-rama

Kyle Goon writes about Coach Stew Morrill's take on the reaction of his Aggies to both wins and losses. KyleG also offers a bit of a Bulldog - Aggie game preview -- there's never any 'stop the press' order issued in Ruston.

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Shawn Harrison looks at USU's chances to copy their football team brethren.

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Josh Wright digs into Idaho's rest of the season schedule.

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Irv Moss does the same for Denver plus takes a look at the top three in the WAC.

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Texas State hoops also peruses the future for the Bobcats.

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Matt Vines' latest is on LT trying to remain focused on the next game and not the national ranking.

Tuesday: we got linkage

Jason Pugh is on Louisiana Tech's entry into the Top 25 as Coach Mike White strikes all the right notes. David Brandt also checks in on this achievement.

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Jason Groves provides the basketball meaning regarding Tyrone Watson's return to the court.

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Seattle U Hoops has a post up on why the Redhawks must get talent from the Emerald City and its environs in order to prosper.

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Mile High Mids has a very informative piece up on Pioneer basketball and the upcoming WAC stretch run.

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A tweet from Crimson Illustrated: "MBB: NMSU has sold all of its allotted WAC tournament tickets and has requested more"

So where are those certain fans who were calling for Coach Marvin Menzies' head earlier in the season?

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Matt Sonnenberg looks at the uptick in USU recruiting.

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Timothy R. Olsen reviews Utah State's efforts last week.

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Shawn Harrison writes about the all-for-one, one-for-all atmosphere that is USU hoops.

Monday's link collective + Joel Wright WAC POW

Jason Groves writes about this past Saturday being Kevin Aronis Night.

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Matt Sonnenberg checks in with reflections also from Saturday night.

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Missed this from Sean Kramer on, yes, Saturday night.

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 Matt Norlander's latest Mid-Majority Power Pyramid has Louisiana Tech at #8 with this note: "Bulldogs roaring towards a very nice seed."

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Texas State’s Joel Wright has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 18-24.

Wright, a junior forward from Brooklyn, N.Y. (Thomas Jefferson HS), scored 27 points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished out six assists, blocked four shots and recorded two steals in a 74-61 BracketBusters road win at Lamar. Wright connected on 12-of-23 shots () from the field and was a perfect 2-for-2 at the free throw line to help Texas State stop a five-game skid and pick up its fourth road win of the season. Wright scored eight straight points for Texas State to end the first half highlighted by a dunk. He added an 11-0 scoring run late in the second half to record his eighth 20-point scoring game of the season.

Other nominees:

* Idaho sophomore guard Connor Hill scored 22 points in a win at Idaho State

* Denver sophomore guard Brett Olson scored 16 points in a road win at Northern Iowa

* New Mexico State junior guard Kevin Aronis scored 11 points in a win over UTEP

* UTSA junior forward Jeromie Hill recorded a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double in a win over Nicholls

* Utah State junior guard/forward Spencer Butterfield averaged 18.5 points and 10.0 rebounds as the Aggies went 1-1 with a win over Illinois State.

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No WAC games until Thursday and then its Louisiana Tech versus visiting Utah State plus three others.

Seattle extends an offer -- USU lands a 2014 guard

At the risk of having nothing for tomorrow:

A Coast2Coast Hoops tweet: "Seattle has offered 2013 IMG Academy (FL) wing William Powell after watching his workout"

Rivals lists Middle Tennessee State has having offered but there is no way of telling if that is still correct.  

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A Kyle Goon tweet: "Heard from 2014 guard Willie Mangum he's committed to Utah State hoops. He's a guard at Western Nebraska"

He's a 6-foot-1, 200 pound shooting guard originally out of Virginia. Here's a note of his signing with Western Nebraska.

Sunday: seven game reports

Texas San Antonio blasted Nicholls State 76-58 as guard Kannon Burrage paced the Roadrunners with 17 points. Jerome Hill and Michael Hale III each scored 16 and Hill's 12 rebounds gave him a double-double.

Roadrunner athletics game reports.

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Famous potato bragging rights are in the hands of Coach Don Verlin's Idaho Vandals after a 75-69 road victory over Idaho State. The scoring for the victors was spread out with 20 points for Connor Hill, 19 by Stephen Madison, 12 plus 11 rebounds from Kyle Barone and 10 via Mike McChristian. Two shooting notes: 17-18 on free throws for Idaho while 31 of the UI 62 field goal attempts were from long distance. The Vandals owned the boards with a 40-19 margin.

Vandal athletics game reports.

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UC Irvine came to town, won both 20-minute periods by small margins over Texas Arlington and headed back to the OC a 77-70 winner. For the Mavs, backcourter Jamel Outlier led with 21 points with forward Brandon Edwards posting a 16/11 double-double. The most surprising stats? The Anteaters shot 52% overall, TSA 36%.  

Maverick athletics game reports.

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On the road, Texas State bested in-state foe Lamar 74-61 as forward Joel Wright busted out for 27 points. Bobcat Deonte Reed totaled 19  with man-in-the-middle Matt Staff producing a 12/11 double-double.

Bobcat athletics game reports.

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Denver went Hawkeye state-ing to face Northern Iowa and the Pioneers continued to roll 63-57. Sophomore backcourter Brett Olson led the scoring with 16 points while Chris Udofia compiled 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. The latter two totals paced Coach Joe Scott's squad.

Pioneers athletics game reports.

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Utah State welcome-wagoned Illinois State and led the visitors 36-32 at halftime after falling behind earlier. The northern Aggies maintained and came away with an 80-71 win. Center Jarred Shaw's 18/11 double-double paced Coach Stew Morrill's guys, with Spencer Butterfield going for 16 points and TeNale Roland 13. 23 of the 29 USU baskets resulted in assists being awarded.

Kyle Goon and Kraig Williams live-tweeted the pairing.

Rhett Wilkinson, Shawn Harrison, Kraig Williams and Kyle Heywood all game report. KyleG notes the upgraded performances from the Aggie backcourters.

Eli Lucero serves up 36 game photos, Curtis Ripplinger 23.

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It's with an out-of-state opponent but the New Mexico State - UTEP rivalry is as fierce as they get. Maybe all were too keyed up but it was 17-14 Aggies after the initial 20 minutes. Scoring picked up somewhat after that and it was the finally Aggies securing a 55-51 victory and evening out the I-10 series this season. Backcourt sharpshooter Kevin Aronis led the Las Cruces crew with 11 points, aided by 3-5 long distance accuracy. UTEP was awarded but six free throws and connected on four of them. 

Jason Groves live-tweeted the contest.

JasonG game reports.

Saturday: a load of game previews

BracketBuster-ing or not, the majority of the WAC members are in action today and all versus non-conference opponents.

Texas San Antonio has Nicholls State, out of Louisiana, coming to town.

Jerry Briggs writes that Coach Brooks Thompson is hoping for another late-season spark.

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State bragging rights are on the line as Idaho and Idaho State are pairing off in Pocatello.

Vandal athletics game previews.

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UT Arlington is welcoming the OC to the Big Hat State as UC Irvine -- better known as the Anteaters -- arrives for a duel.

Maverick athletics previews.

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Texas State stays within the Lone Star boundaries in a matchup with Lamar. Let's see who is all brush and no cattle. Tyler Mayforth also previews.

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Denver travels to the flatlands to battle Northern Iowa.

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Utah State welcome-wagons Illinois State.

Kyle Goon, Kraig Williams and Shawn Harrison game preview.

KyleG profiles Logan-Mayor-To-Be Spencer Butterfield and then he presents recent Aggie verbal JoJo McGlaston. ShawnH provides a Danny Berger update.

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It's with an out-of-state opponent but the New Mexico State - UTEP rivalry is as fierce as they get.

Jason Groves previews and he breaks the news that Tyrone Watson will return to the court on March 2.

Friday's bunch o' links

Shawn Harrison writes about an Aggie season to remember.

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The UI Argonaut provides video of Coach Don Verlin talking about Saturday's matchup with Idaho State.

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Jason Groves comments about the differences in playing a BracketBuster opponent versus a fierce rival at this point in the season.

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Jerry Briggs features TSA's Edrico McGregor.

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Kyle Goon highlights the recent play of Jordan Stone.

Thursday: two game reports plus other links

It was the Broncs getting bucked as Texas Arlington showed no neighborly mercy in downing Texas Pan-American 63-48 last night. A 39-19 first half margin sealed the deal early. Center Jordan Reves led with a 14/11 double-double, with forward Brandon Edwards just missing a D/D with 11/9 while Kevin Butler also scored 11 points. A 39-21 rebounding differential aided in the victory.

Maverick athletics game reports.

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The margin was even bigger down in Ruston with Louisiana Tech taking apart Central Baptist College 118-48. 59-21 and 59-27 splits did the trick for Tech as the hosts out-shot the visitors 50% to 25% and dominated the boards 65-33. Both Kenneth Smith and Alex Hamilton passed for 10 assists apiece while reserve freshman Gilbert Talbot certainly enjoyed the night with his initial double-double of 10 points plus 11 boards.

Bulldog athletics and Matt Vines game report.

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Jordan Stone. The name sounds like a bad-guy-bashing cop on a television show or maybe a pilot who has landed a plane full of orphans in a blinding dust storm. But his current job is for the defense of USU as Kyle Goon explains.

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Teddy Feinberg features Remi Barry who is beginning to make an impact in Las Cruces.

TeddyF also covers NMSU's upcoming rivalry rematch, specifically how much has changed since the teams first met this season.

Tyrone Watson won't be suiting up this Saturday.

This certainly is an interesting piece even if minutely tangential to WAC hoops. 

The next WAC games are scheduled for Saturday.

Gotta applaud this effort

Jason Groves is passing along information on a fan-designed plan to 'up' attendance and effect at the Saturday matchup between New Mexico State and UTEP.

A ray of light for Idaho and NMSU?

Chad Bishop who is on the Western Kentucky beat for the Bowling Green Daily News (got all that?) has a post up that will be of interest to Idaho and New Mexico State fans (gotta think especially the latter due to geography).

Wednesday: one game report and two game previews

So it went down in the Marriott Center last night and no it wasn't two teams of traveling salespeople going mano-a-mano MMA. Rather, it was bitter rivals Utah State and BYU and the latter finished ahead by two, 70-68, in a contest that literally went down to the last second. USU was down 41-32 at the half. Spencer Butterfield finished with a 21/14 double-double plus five assists while Jarred Shaw totaled 14 and eight. Do make note that Jordan Stone played 25 minutes and finished with nine points, four blocked shots, three rebounds and two assists. 18 Aggie turnovers didn't aid the cause. Tyler Haws led the Cougars with 27 points. Coach Stew Morrill's guys shot better overall -- 45% to 35% -- but went 17-27 at the foul line to 28-33 for Coach Dave Rose's crew.

Kyle Goon and Kraig Williams live-tweeted the matchup.

Jay Drew, Kraig W, Shawn Harrison, Rhett Wilkinson, Matt Sonnenberg, Landon Hemsley and Kyle Heywood all game report. Curtis Ripplinger serves up game photos. 

KyleG writes about the Aggie lack of depth.

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Louisiana Tech hosts 7-22 Central Baptist College (Arkansas) tonight with both teams utilizing a fast pace so expect a high-scoring affair.

Bulldog athletics previews.

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It's also Texas Arlington welcoming 13-14, 3-3 (Great West Conference) Texas Pan-American to town. The Mavericks won a December 3 matchup 60-51 in Edinburg. From the Broncs perspective, here's the game preview. Go here for the TA version.

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Gotta love the national respect: "@LATechSports HC Mike White joins @GoodmanCBS & @stlappas on #SXM91 to talk about how the Bulldogs are preparing for the #WAC Tourney." 

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Dublin (CA) High's JoJo McGlaston recently tripped to Utah State. He's a 6-4 high-flying wing and below is some highlight video:

JUST ADDED: Kyle Goon reports McGlaston has given a verbal to USU.

Tuesday: one game preview plus links

It's showdown time in Provo as Utah State enters the lair of the Cougars tonight. BYU is 19-8 overall, 9-4 in West Coast Conference play (that would look so much better if still in the Mountain West Conference) and 12-2 at home. Wasn't Cougar freshman guard Cory Calvert once a USU commit?

BYU athletics game previews as does Timothy R. Olsen and Kyle Goon.

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Garrett Tucker tweeted: "New Mexico State has a nice high-upside commit in 2013 God's Academy (TX) PF Pascal Siakam. Super athletic and extremely long"

It looks like his brother James plays basketball at Vanderbilt.

Also just saw this from Tucker: "Also worth noting Pascal Siatam is expected to take a prep year to get acclimated to the US" -- don't know if the different spelling of the last name in this tweet is an error or correct.

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Irv Moss salutes the Denver Pioneers.

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Louisiana Tech is now #5 on Matt Norlander's Mid-Major Power Pyramid. The words attached to the ranking are "Bulldogs are this year's Utah State, pretty much."

Further down, it's: "Why it's here: Why not? La. Tech has more than earned it after two more road games, two more victories and a 14-0 WAC record. It's the best streak/start in league play in school history. The Bulldogs have officially reached the point where we'll feel sorry for them if they can't keep it together and peel off enough wins to warrant an at-large, should they not win the WAC tourney title.
Something you should know: Most wins in a season in Louisiana Tech history? The '84-85 team with Karl Malone went 29-3, making the Sweet 16 in the process. This team would eclipse that mark if it won out to the WAC title game. And there is no Malone on this team.
Jerry Palm says: No. 13 in the Midwest, as of early Monday morning" 

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Joseph Fullbright/Aggie Nation Blog writes about the top five teams in the WAC and the games remaining on the respective schedules.

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Tom Kirkland/KSL print and video interviews USU's Danny Berger.

San Jose State University makes a change

PTW has learned that San Jose State Athletic Director Gene Bleimeyer has dismissed Coach George Nessman and his staff, effective immediately. Who will act as an interim coach is unknown at this point.

*** Just added @ 7:20 p.m. -- A person in SJSU athletics denies any changes have taken place at this point.

*** Just added @ 9:00 p.m. 2/19 -- A second source says the SJSU coaching staff will finish out the season (please do note that change) but has been informed they will be let go at season's end. The last official SJSU athletics offering states this is not true, that no decision has been made.

A note for those posting comments: two words - IP addresses

*** Just added 1:30 p.m. 2/20 --  My use of the words "effective immediately" appears incorrect. That error is regretted. PTW still stands behind writing that the decision on the present coaching staff has been made and expressed by AD Bleimeyer to the parties involved.

All feedback is appreciated, positive, negative or neutral.

Coach Nessman and his staff have done a terrific job cleaning up an inherited horrific APR mess and also in not committing any NCAA infractions. That cannot be argued. But coaching tenures in D-I athletics are predicated, barring inappropriate personal behavior, on winning more games than losing, sometimes many more. This certainly isn't an all-inclusive measuring device and it can be argued not a fair one but it is what all know and acknowledge to be the overarching factor.

*** Just added 9:30 a.m. 2/22 -- PTW now has a third individual affiliated with San Jose State University confirming that the decision not to retain the present men's basketball coaching staff has been made and expressed by AD Gene Bleimeyer to the parties involved. The staff's tenure will conclude at season's end.

Farrin is movin' on up

Idaho SID Spencer Farrin is departing Moscow for Pullman so a hearty congratulations and thank you goes out to him.

One of his tweets: "Today are my final home events as an Idaho SID. It's been really fun."

Another: "I'm going to Washington State."

Chris Udofia named WAC POW

Denver’s Chris Udofia has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 11-17.

Udofia, a junior forward from Irving, Texas (Jesuit Prep), continued his well-balanced offensive and defensive play in DU’s road sweep over Utah State and San Jose State last week. He recorded five assists, five rebounds and a blocked shot in each game. He scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including a 1-of-1 mark from three-point range in a 63-60 overtime win at Utah State. Udofia recorded a team-high 13 points and career-high five steals in the 62-41 win at San Jose State. His assist-to-turnover ratio for the week was 3.3. He played a key role to Denver’s defense that limited its opponents to 60 and 41 points per game, improving their season average of 54.9, which is first in the WAC in sixth in the nation. Udofia became the 33rd player in DU history to eclipse 1,000-career points this past week.

On the week, Udofia averaged 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He shot 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from the field and 66.7 percent (2-of-3) from three-point range.

Other nominees:

* Idaho senior Kyle Barone averaged 20.0 points and 9.0 rebounds over two game

* Louisiana Tech sophomore guard Raheem Appleby scored 28 points with four rebounds in a win at Idaho

* New Mexico State senior Bandja Sy averaged 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds over a pair of games on the road

* UT Arlington senior forward Kevin Butler connected on a perfect 7-for-7 threes to break the school record in a win over Idaho on the road

* UTSA senior guard Michael Hale III averaged 15.5 points over two games

* Utah State junior Jarred Shaw averaged 21.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games

Monday: a handful of links

A Westwind Prep tweet: "Conference USA Texas San Antonio after WPA National 7'0" 2013 Namdi Okonkwo. Big boy blowing up"

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Missed this from earlier: Raphielle Johnson gives props to Louisiana Tech hoops.

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Tom Kensler/Denver Post offers a look at the peripatetic Pioneers, with a great quote from Chris Udofia. Coach Joe Scott's squad is a prime example of a team improving as the season goes on whereas far too many programs remain in a static state or even recede.

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Bert DeSalvo 'hearts' Stew Morrill.

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Matt Sonnenberg's writing and content is always a treat and, this time, a guaranteed blood pressure raiser for southern Aggie fans.

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Texas State Sports covers Coach Doug Davalos will to try most anything to break his team's 0-7 homecourt conference record.

Sunday: five game reports

Texas State and visiting Texas San Antonio went at it Saturday afternoon with the latter nabbing a 73-62 victory and therefore some temporary state bragging rights. The Roadrunners jumped out to a 46-20 halftime advantage only to have the Bobcats do a 46-27 second 20 minutes number on their opponents, but such wasn't enough. Five of Coach Brooks Thompson's guys went for double figures: Kannon Burrage 15, Jeromie Hill plus Michael Hale III 13, Jordan Sims 12 and Edrico McGregor just missed a double-double with 10 points alongside nine rebounds. For Coach Doug Davalos, three talents hit that mark: Matt Staff 18 (plus 13 boards) and 13 apiece for guard Phil Hawkins and forward Joel Wright. But neither team shot all that well at 42% for the victors and 38% for the hosts.

Bobcat athletics and Roadrunner athletics game report as does Texas State Sports. 

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Rocky Mountain high or elsewhere, Denver is a tough opponent due to skills, style and execution and host San Jose State University took a turn in the barrel before falling 62-41. The Pioneers led 28-14 after the initial period. For the game, UD shot 53% to 32% for SJSU. Chase Hallam and Chris Udofia scored 13 points apiece with the latter adding five rebounds, five assists and five steals. Forward Chris Cunningham grabbed 12 rebounds and totaled seven points for the Spartans.

Pioneer athletics and Spartan athletics game report.

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Did New Mexico State get Spectrum-ized or did the southern Aggies take out their Logan-based namesakes? It was the former as Utah State nabbed a 73-69 victory. Jarred Shaw slammed the visitors with 28 points, followed by 17 from Spencer Butterfield. Remi Barry scored 15 points in 20 minutes of play to pace NMSU. A quartet of unexpected numbers: Utah State led in blocked shots at 5-4, led 40-35 on the boards, outscored the Las Cruces-ites in the paint 34-28 and shot just three less free throws.

Jason Groves offered his game keys and a prediction.

Kyle Goon and Kraig Williams live-tweeted the duet.  

NMSU athletics and KyleG, KraigW, Shawn Harrison, Rhett Wilkinson, Kyle Heywood all game report and Curtis Ripplinger serves up a plethora of game photos.

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Facing the #1 team in conference, host Idaho needed some special spark versus Louisiana Tech. Whatever the ingredients of the formula, it was working as Coach Don Verlin's crew led 30-24 at the half with Kyle Barone owning 11 points. But the Bulldogs proved resilient and came back to win 67-61. Guard Raheem Appleby went for 28 points, bolstered by 7-12 shooting from long distance. As a team, LT shot just 40% but went 12-23 from three-point range. Kenneth Smith's night was 10 assists versus no turnovers. Barone finished with 19 points, eight boards and a pair of blocked shots while teammate Stephen Madison posted an 11 point/eight rebound line.

Vandal Nation and Joshua Wright live-tweeted the pairing.

Vandal athletics and Bulldog athletics game report as does Josh Wright.

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In an interesting contrast of styles, Seattle welcome wagon-ed Texas Arlington and initially proved rude hosts by being five points ahead, 31-26, after 20 minutes. Backcourter Jarell Flora came off the bench to score 14 points for the Redhawks in that initial period. But TA persevered and took the second half by seven points, winning 65-63 despite shooting 36% overall and 18-30 at the foul line. Kevin Butler finished with 15 points on an off-shooting night and two Mavericks posted double-doubles: Brandon Edwards 12/10 and Jordan Reves 11/11 plus four steals. Flora paced Coach Cameron Dollar's outfit with 18 points with Deshaun Sunderhaus going for 13/7.

Seattle U Hoops live-tweeted the matchup.

Redhawk athletics and Maverick athletics game report. 

Saturday: get your game previews

New Mexico State ventures into The Spectrum to face USU.

Kyle Goon, Timothy R. Olsen, Shawn Harrison and Kraig Williams preview as does Jason Groves and New Mexico State athletics.

Jason Groves writes about southern Aggie win streaks.

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Denver has come down from on high into Silicon Valley to mix it up with San Jose State University.

Pioneer athletics previews.

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In a matchup not listed on the official WAC schedule, Idaho has league-leading Louisiana Tech tripping into Moscow.

Vandal athletics and Bulldog athletics preview as does Sean Kramer (who has posted a must read piece) and PTW thanks him for it.

Plus, Matt Vines features LT frontcourter Isaiah Massey, who is contributing more now that he is fully healthy.

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In another non-listed game, Texas Arlington and Seattle will mix it up in the Northwest.

Maverick athletics previews.

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In yet a third contest missing from the WAC slate, Texas State welcomes in-0state rival Texas San Antonio to town.

Bobcat athletics and Roadrunner athletics preview as does Tyler Mayforth.

More links for Friday

Matt Sonnenberg covers USU's just falling short to Denver. He also calls out the Aggie student body for no there being there so let's see what happens next game.

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Curtis Ripplinger serves up 43 Utah State - Denver game photos.

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Josh Wright has a feature on Idaho's Kyle Barone.

Friday: four game reports

It was a night for playing on the road as each victorious team planed/trained/automobiled it (actually, minus the mode of transportation in the middle).

So Denver and Utah State faced off in Logan and ... in a game that could have gone either way, it was the Pioneers 63-60 in overtime. Four of Coach Joe Scott's guys scored in double figures: Brett Olson with 17, Royce O'Neale 14, Chase Hallam 13 and Chris Udofia 10. UD achieved 20 assists on 22 baskets.  For the Aggies, Jarred Shaw just missed a double-double with 18/9, Spencer Butterfield totaled 16 points and Ben Clifford 14. USU won the boards 35-19. Denver shot 47%, Stew Morrill's squad 49%.

Kyle Goon and Kraig Williams live-tweeted the game.

Pioneer athletics and KraigW, KyleG, Shawn Harrison, Rhett Wilkinson and Kyle Heywood all game report.

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Visiting Louisiana Tech rained on Seattle's basketball parade but not by much, 64-58. LT was led by junior forward Chris Anderson's 15 points and also four steals (in 20 minutes). The Bulldogs were out-shot 56% to 38% but enjoyed 22 turnovers by the Redhawks. D'Vonne Pickett paced Coach Cameron Dollar's team with 12 points. He also had seven assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals but also six turnovers.

Seattle U Hoops live-tweeted the matchup.

Redhawk athletics and Terry Wood game report.

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It was a block party!

Host San Jose State University had to cope with the court firm of Bhullar, Mullings and Sy which is headquartered in Las Cruces, New Mexico and finished down by 10, 67-57. It was truly an Aggie team effort:

* Daniel Mullings with 15 points, five rebounds and three steals
* Bandja Sy with 13 points, nine boards, five assists and two shotblocks
* Sim Bhullar with 10 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots

But Renaldo Dixon became a junior partner (at least for the night) with a 10 points and 14 rebound double-double plus a trio of shotblocks.

Backcourter Xavier Jones' 17 points was tops for SJSU.

NMSU won the contest of the boards 42-24 while shooting 43% to 36% for the Spartans.

Jason Groves live-tweeted the contest.

JasonG offered a prediction and then game reports as does Spartan athletics.

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The Butler did it!

Was it better to be a Vandal or a Maverick on Valentine's Day night? Go with the latter by a trey and Texas Arlington topped host Idaho 71-68. Forward Kevin Butler was unconscious with his accuracy at 7-7 from long distance and 1-1 elsewhere -- he finished with 23 points. Fellow frontcourter Brandon Edwards went for 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Stephen Madison totaled 25 points to lead Coach Don Verlin's bunch, aided by 5-5 shooting from three-point range. Kyle Barone posted a 21/10 double-double, powered by 11-12 at the foul line. The Mavericks finished at 49% overall from the floor to 41% for the Vandals.

Josh Wright and Vandal Nation live-tweeted the pairing.

Maverick athletics and Vandal athletics game report as does JoshW.

More links for today

James Kerti recently talked again with Jared Stutzman, a 2014 wing prospect out of Idaho and the young man (re)confirms Utah State has offered but he has no faves at this time.

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Matt Vines writes about Louisiana Tech and the RPI.

Trending heavily Bulldog with this post:

Bleed Tech Blue offers video with Isaiah Massey, Kenneth Smith and Coach Mike White.

Thursday: a healthy slate of Valentines's Day games tonight

It's Utah State versus Denver in Logan -- can't the television gods and goddesses get this on ESPN2 (not ESPN3)? Please. Great crowd, an interesting match of offenses, two upper division teams. Heck, maybe Mr. Bill would make an appearance.

Pioneer athletics previews as does Kyle Goon, Shawn Harrison, Timothy R. Olsen and Kraig Williams. Kyle also profiles the contributions of Ben Clifford.

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Louisiana Tech is in the Emerald City to face Seattle in what is appropriate to be called a clash of similar styles.

Bulldog athletics and Redhawk athletics preview.

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New Mexico State is Golden State-ing and pairing off with San Jose State University. Spartans fans should make it a point to be there simply to see Sim Bhullar.

Aggie athletics and Spartan athletics preview. Jason Groves also previews.

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Idaho welcomes Texas Arlington to Moscow in what should be a low-scoring contest.

Vandal athletics and Maverick athletics preview as does the Rusty Maverick.

More links for today

Shawn Harrison writes about frosh Marcel Davis' play this season for USU. Is he back in the lead for Freshman of the Year? (not that there is such an award)

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Check out this Picoso link at The Cantina MB. The Aggies need BSy for multiple reasons, foremost being SJSU has a very difficult time matching up with him.

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Jason Groves has the news about Tyrone Watson's appeal.

The Rusty Maverick

"The Rusty Maverick" is a new blog providing coverage of Texas Arlington basketballm -- do bookmark it.

The most recent post predicts the upcoming Maverick - Idaho contest and also offers video of a Kibbie Dome conversion.

The Mavs certainly are an interesting team. Definitely not the most talented offensively, the team wins by playing tough and exerting themselves defensively and that's a credit to the players and the coaching staff.

Wednesday: one game report and some links

It was Roadrunner versus Roadrunner last night, alternatively knows as Texas San Antonio versus Cal State Bakersfield, so someone had to play the role of Wile E. Coyote and that turned out to be the host Texans in a 61-52 loss. Michale Hale III led Coach Brooks Thompson's squad with 18 points as the Alamo-ites shot 33% to 42% for the Californians.

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An interesting Jason Groves tweet: "Utah State says Preston Medlin (wrist) still at least two weeks away"

But what kind of shape will Medlin be in as a whole, let alone his wrist?

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Someone has Louisiana Tech ranked 18th in the nation on his ballot. But Gary Parrish doesn't not approve.

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Kyle Goon reports on the increased effectiveness of TeNale Roland.

Tuesday: one game preview and a whole lotta links

Texas San Antonio hosts Cal State Bakersfield tonight -- Roadrunner athletics previews.

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Matt Norlander's Mid-Major Power Pyramid has Louisiana Tech at #8 this week, with this note: "Why it's here: The Bulldogs keep rampaging through the WAC, winning games by 15 and 25 and 13 and 22. There have been a few close ones, but they've all been wins, and with so many of them not even being close, Michael White's team should officially be receiving a lot more love and credit for going 18-16 last season and hitting the throttle in 2013.Something you should know: Win Thursday and it'll be 14 in a row, a new school record."

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Teddy Feinberg looks at the New Mexico State squad of late, with special praise for TDR

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Jason Groves had a report on a NMSU student who was excommunicated during the Aggie matchup with Seattle on Saturday.

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Seattle U Hoops looks at the effects of the Redhawk change in lineup last Saturday.

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Kyle Goon goes deep into the numbers to demonstrate how USU is compiling those recent Ws.

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Timothy R. Olsen continues the praise for the Aggie Eight.

Spencer Butterfield named WAC POW

Utah State’s Spencer Butterfield has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 4-10.

Butterfield, a junior forward from Loomis, Calif. (Del Oro HS/Yuba CC), posted his fifth-straight double-double with game highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead USU to its 63-36 road at San Jose State on Friday. He also added one steal and one assist in the victory. Butterfield averaged 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game heading into Wednesday’s matchup with San Jose State.

Butterfield’s 22 points were one shy of his season-high 23 points, and came off a season-high nine made field goals on 9-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three-point range. He nearly had a double-double in the first half with 13 points and seven rebounds, nearly single-handedly matching SJSU’s 16 points and 11 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. During USU’s 25-2 run that broke the game open in the first half, Butterfield started the spurt with a three-pointer and later netted six of the last nine points in the streak for USU’s 31-11 lead.

Butterfield now has 12 double-figure scoring outings and five double-digit rebound games, posting double-doubles in all five. Butterfield netted three-pointers for the second-straight game and it was his 10th multi-three-pointer game. It was also his sixth game with three or more treys, including second game going 3-for-3 from distance.

Other nominees included:

* Denver junior Chris Udofia averaged 18.0 points in a pair of wins

* Louisiana Tech junior Chris Anderson averaged 9.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in two wins

* New Mexico State freshman Sim Bhullar averaged 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in a pair of victories

* UT Arlington senior Kevin Butler averaged 19.0 points over two wins.

Who will be the WAC MVP?

Idaho's Kyle Barone is second and first respectively in scoring and rebounding in the WAC so are those achievements enough to land him the Most Valuable Player honor? Will the Vandals record preclude such an award?

Bandja Sy of New Mexico State is fifth and third in scoring and boardwork respectively with the Aggies currently sitting in second place.

What if USU's Spencer Butterfield continues his streak (now at five) of double-doubles as the Aggies adjust to play minus former MVP candidate Preston Medlin and frontcourter Kyisean Reed? Would doing so be enough or is his candidacy dependent on how Utah State finishes the season as a team?

How will the overall statistics of Denver's Chris Udofia and New Mexico State's Daniel Mullings be rated? The Pioneers have but one frontcourter who plays -- that's Udofia -- so his statistical numbers combined with his non-stat contributions are the mightiest to UD's success. With Mullings, his collective numbers can't be filled by anyone else on the roster of the southern Aggies.

In summary, Barone is having the best season -- that's impossible to argue against. But team finish will be in the minds of some of the coaches.

Monday: a few links for you

Okay, USU's rubber meets the road because the northern Aggies face Denver and New Mexico State at home this week as Kyle Goon reports.

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In the latest ESPN poll, the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech rank #32 nationally.

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Below are the WAC standings plus the overall team records as of this morning:

Louisiana Tech
12-0
21-3

New Mexico State
11-2
17-8

Denver
11-2
15-8

Utah State
8-4
17-5

UT Arlington
7-5
12-9

Idaho
5-8
9-14

San Jose State
3-9
9-14

Texas State
3-10
7-18

Seattle U
2-11
7-16

UTSA
1-12
5-18

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Not WAC-related but this just had to be included:

CBS analyst Clark Kellogg on a certain Indiana Diaper Dandy:"I'll tell you what, Victor Oladipo is like a baby’s bottom: Smooth and sometimes explosive."

Don't even try to top that one.

Sunday: four game reports

It was Denver hosting Idaho and a 36-14 point differential in the initial 20 minutes powered Coach Joe Scott's guys to a 74-58 victory. How did the Vandals go from 14 points to 44 points in the second half? Coach Don Verlin will accept COD answers. UI got 'hearted' as Pioneer freshman Jalen Love shot 9-10 overall (4-5 on treys) on his way to 22 points, a career high. UD achieved 21 assists on 29 field goals plus 14 steals and six blocked shots. Both Mike McChristian and Stephen Madison scored 14 points to lead the Vandals, who pilfered the ball seven times but didn't register a blocked shot. Kyle Barone played just 19 minutes, scoring eight points and grabbing five boards.

Vandal Nation live-tweeted the pairing.

Pioneer athletics and Vandal athletics game report as do Irv Moss and Sean Kramer

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Louisiana Tech welcomed Texas State and won both 20-minute sessions and thus the game 84-69. Tech's Raheem Appleby owned the neighborhood with 21 points and Alex Hamilton finished with 15. Joel Wright didn't shoot all that well from either the floor or foul line but still topped the Bobcats with 13 points. LT won the boards battle 43-30 and there was also a big difference in free throw accuracy -- 18-20 for the hosts, 13-25 for TS.

Bulldog athletics and Bobcat athletics game report as does Matt Vines.

Below is a three and a half minute video of game highlights.


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New Mexico State mixed it up with visiting Seattle and led 34-30 at halftime. It became even closer but with the hosts eventually pulling the game out 60-57. There really are no moral victories but, if such did exist, chalk this one up for the Redhawks. Daniel Mullings paced NMSU with 18 points and big Sim Bhullar just missed a double-double with 14 points, nine boards and four blocks. Deshaun Sunderhaus led Coach Cameron Dollar's bunch with 14 points while fellow frontcourter Chad Rasmussen finished with 12. Seattle outshot the Aggies 39% to 34% and also outboarded them 42-30 but was 8-13 at the charity stripe versus 24-36 for the Las Cruces crew. Two frontcourters fouled out for the Redhawks and a third was tagged with four fouls.

Aggie athletics and Redhawk athletics game report. Seattle U Hoops and Jason Groves live-tweeted the matchup.

JasonG also game reports. Here is his game prediction.

Tim Barnett-Queen serves up 32 game photos.

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It was a close one all the way between Texas Arlington and visiting Texas San Antonio, being 37-35 Roadrunners at the half. However, that became reversed with the Mavericks ahead 68-63 at the final horn. Kevin Butler scored 17 points with Jordan Reves leading in rebounding with 13 for UTA, which shot 47%. Kannon Burrage paced UTSA with 22 points, followed by 18 from Michael Hale III. 36 of the 54 shots by Coach Brooks Thompson's crew were from long distance. A favorable note for the Alamo-ites: forward Jeromie Hill is back from injury: he compiled eight points, six rebounds, four assists and a trio of steals in 28 minutes.

Maverick athletics and Roadrunner athletics game report.

Saturday: one game report -- four game previews

The Aggie Eight went California dreaming out to San Jose State University and such quickly became a reality as Utah State led 34-16 after the first 20 minutes and with Spencer Butterfield on his way to another double-double. The game finished 63-36 and the Aggie leader ended with 22/10. USU shot 51% but curiously with only three free throw attempts. The Spartans shot 13-49 overall, just 4-20 from long distance.

SJSU athletics game reports including official notice that James Kinney will not be playing anymore this season.

Kyle Goon, Timothy R. Olsen and Shawn Harrison also game report and all were in San Jose so a triple shout-out goes out to the managements of all the newspapers. 

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In tonight's games:

* Louisiana Tech has Texas State coming to Ruston.

Bulldog athletics game previews. LT has won 12 consecutive games.

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* Denver faces Idaho in the altitude.

Pioneer athletics and Vandal athletics game preview. Coach Don Verlin's crew pushed New Mexico State to the final buzzer on Thursday and both here are rather methodical offenses.

Irv Moss features Denver senior Chase Hallam.

Brendan Loy offers insight on Denver heading to the Summit League, UMKC's jump to the WAC and more.

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* New Mexico State will mix it up with visiting Seattle.

Aggie athletics game previews. It's an appropriate question for every WAC team but who on Seattle is assigned to guard Sim Bhullar?

JasonG take a gander at the WAC as a whole and he also notes that a pair of Aggies have stepped in and produced..

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* It's another Lone Star State showdown with Texas Arlington welcoming Texas San Antonio to town.

TA athletics and Roadrunner athletics game preview.

Jerry Briggs looks back at the Roadrunner season to date plus the future.

Friday: four reports on last night's games, one game tonight

For some degree of Lone Star State supremacy, it was Texas Arlington hosting and beating Texas State 75-50. A five point halftime advantage ballooned with a 44-24 advantage Mavericks second 20 minutes. Forward Kevin Butler shot 4-7 from long distance and finished with a game-leading 21 points while fellow frontcourter Brandon Edwards corralled 11 boards. Reid Koenen paced the Bobcats with 12 points. Neither team shot over 40%: 39% for the victors, 23% for TS.

Maverick athletics and Bobcat athletics game report.

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WAC frontrunner Louisiana Tech welcomed wagon-ed Texas San Antonio to the Bayou State and then proceeded to flatten the Roadrunners 74-49. Get this: no Bulldog scored more than 11 points, Michael Kyser didn't block a shot and LT shot 36%!! The top stat of the night was sophomore point Kenneth Smith being credited with nine assists versus zero turnovers. UTSA was accurate on just 30% of its shot attempts as Kannon Burrage paced the Roadrunners with both 15 points and seven boards.

Bulldog athletics and Roadrunner athletics game report as does Matt Vines.

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So far in the night, shooting eyes and touches were definitely blurred and numb. 

Fast Seattle versus methodic Denver became a 72-55 victory for the host Pioneers in a game producing very odd numbers. It was a night where UD shot 5-21 from three-point range and was out-rebounded by 10. However, Coach Joe Scott's squad must have enjoyed the 26 Redhawk turnovers as well as out attempting Seattle in shot attempts 54-36. Both teams shot well, 56% for the visitors, 50% for the D-men. Chris Udofia led the way with 23 points for the victors while guard Luiz Bidart topped Seattle with 14. 

Pioneer athletics and Redhawk athletics game report as does Irv Moss.

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Idaho didn't find New Mexico State all that enchanting but it was mighty close -- a 76-74 Aggie victory as the hosts outscored the visitors by a single point in each half. Sim Bhuller shot 8-8 and led with 20 points and Bandja Sy collected 15 rebounds. NMSU shot 54% overall but just 12 free throws. Coach Don Verlin had a pair of 20+ points scorers: 26 for Kyle Barone and 21 from Connor Hill. The Vandals finished at 46% shooting.

Jason Groves and Vandal Nation live-tweeted the game.

Aggie athletics and Vandal athletics game report as does Jason Groves.

Tim Barnett-Queen has posted 28 game photos.

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Utah State heads into Silicon Valley to battle San Jose State University tonight. Spencer Butterfield ought to have his own section of fans appearing from the Sacramento area for the game.

Spartan athletics and Aggie athletics preview.

Stew Morrill discusses the pairing. 

Kyle Goon previews and also offers a piece on Jarred Shaw's changing of his game. Kraig Williams and Shawn Harrison (who is in San Jose) also check in.

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The WAC will have a new member next season. Here's an in-depth look at the move.

A couple more Thursday links

Texas Arlington Coach Scott Cross has penned a letter to Maverick students and fans asking for them to bring the noise.

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Shawn Harrison profiles Jarred Shaw.

Thursday: four game previews and some links

Seattle is in Denver -- can the Redhawks handle the altitude and the difference in pace?

Seattle athletics and Pioneer athletics game preview.

Redshirt freshman Darren Sunderhaus receives praise from Seattle U Hoops.

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It goes down in Arlington, that being the Mavericks hosting Texas State in a Lone Star State showdown.

UT Arlington athletics and  Bobcat athletics game preview.

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Louisiana Tech has Texas San Antonio coming into Ruston.

Bulldog athletics and  Roadrunner athletics game preview.

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Can Idaho pull off an upset in Las Cruces?

Idaho athletics and Aggie athletics game preview.

Per this Jason Groves tweet, it looks like Chili is off the menu for the Aggies the rest of the season. He also reports that other injuries are holding back NMSU. 

Jason also updates the legal status of Tyrone Watson.

WAC post-seasons honors if handed out today

What if the top five scorers were deemed to be the talents making the All-WAC First team?

Currently, that would be:

* Joel Wright 20.8 (Texas State)

* Kannon Burrage 17.4 (Texas San Antonio)

* Kyle Barone 17.1 (Idaho)

* Michael Hale III 15.7 (Texas San Antonio)

* Daniel Mullings, Banja Sy 15.5 (New Mexico State)

Interesting, because only the latter two reside on a top level team.

What will be fascinating is who, if anyone, gets a nod from Louisiana Tech? Kenyon McNeail is 13th in scoring at 11.3 points per game.

USU's Spencer Butterfield occupies the tenth spot at 12.7 (and 7.1 rebounds a contest) with Denver's Chris Udofia fourteenth with 11.1 but not in the Top 15 in board work. Sy is tied for third in rebounding at 8.0, with Mullings at 5.6 is 13th plus the best in steals at 2.8..

Barone is tops on the boards at 11.5 and the only one in double figures. Wright is eighth at 7.0.

Watch for Sim Bhullar (11.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 blocked shots) but surely three Aggies will not be selected.

Wednesday: it's an all Utah State link collection

For those keeping track: former Utah State wing Steven Thornton has given a verbal to Cal State Northridge.

His skills set wasn't a particularly good match for Stew Morrill's offensive system to begin with so the divorce was good for both parties.

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Kyle Goon has Coach Stew Morrill talking about BracketBustering.

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Shawn Harrison writes about Spencer Butterfield being the vocal and demonstrative leader for USU.

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Timothy R. Olsen looks over the Aggie roster, pointing out who is stepping up in the absence of Preston Medlin and Kyisean Reed.

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Matt Glade praises the Aggie Eight.

An only in New York story

No car and no computer but 66-year-old Tom Konchalski continues his talent scouting service for basketball recruiters.

A look at the 2012-13 WAC back in April 2012

Back in April 2012, this blog entry looked at the upcoming season in the WAC (it will take some scrolling down to near the very end). It's worth a look.

Not WAC related: making the most of a business opportunity

Chris Dortch writes about a young man who began training others during his high school days, continued it in college while playing basketball for a D-I team and is now the owner of a blossoming business.

Tuesday: more links for you

At the Bulldogs Barks & Bytes MB, Louisiana Select announces a 2014 6-foot-8 frontcourt commit to Coach Mike White's squad. Here's one ranking which looks a bit out-dated. 

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AggieNation takes 'credit' for the improved play of Bandja Sy.

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Anna Gauldin looks back at what Denver accomplished this past weekend.

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Rob Dauster has some love for Jarred Shaw:

Jarred Shaw stepping up for Utah State: We have to give some love to Utah State big man Jarred Shaw. The Aggies lost both Kyisean Reed and Preston Medlin in the same half of the same game last month, which all but ended their chance at a WAC title this season. In the last three games, he’s averaging 21.7 points, 10.0 boards and 2.0 blocks while shooting 69.0% from the floor. USU is 2-1 in that stretch, with two road wins and a three point loss to league leader Louisiana Tech.

Shawn Harrison writes that others having to step up is a very good thing for USU.

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Travel-wise it's perfect as Idaho will be facing Idaho State in the BracketBuster but the records of the respective teams aren't close.

Lamar will be welcoming Texas State in another territorial rivalry.

Nicholls is coming over from Louisiana to face Texas San Antonio.


UT Arlington will be BracketBustering with visiting UC Irvine.

Illinois State will be hitting Logan in what looks now as a good BB matchup.

Denver's BB opponent will be host Northern Iowa in the only televised (ESPN3) WAC-involved pairing. John Templon writes: "Two sneaky around .500 teams that are actually better than their records indicate, which is why they’re playing in a television game. The Pioneers are ranked 51st in KenPom and Northern Iowa is 64th. This game with be sloooooooooow. Denver is 319th in adjusted tempo and UNI isn’t much better at 298."

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The Mid Majority folks are going away after next season. 

Bandja Sy named WAC POW

New Mexico State’s Bandja Sy has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3.

Sy, a senior forward from Cergy, France (Stoneridge Prep), led New Mexico State to a pair of road wins at Texas State and UTSA. In the 86-72 win over Texas State, Sy posted his third double-double of the season and the fourth of his career with 24 points and 13 rebounds. He made his first six shots from the field and scored 14 of the Aggies’ first 16 points. It marked Sy’s third 20-plus point game of the year. He hit 9-of-11 shots from the field, including a 2-of-2 mark from long range. He also hit 4-of-5 shots from the charity stripe against the Bobcats. In the 75-62 win at UTSA, Sy scored 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds. He connected on 8-of-12 shots from the field and recorded three assists, a blocked shot and a steal.

On the week, Sy averaged 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He shot 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the field, 100 percent (2-of-2) from three-point range and 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from the free throw line. Sy recorded five assists, one block and a steal over the two games.

Other nominees:

* Denver sophomore guard Brett Olson averaged 19.0 points and 3.5 assists in two road wins

* Texas State junior forward Joel Wright averaged 23.5 points and 9.0 rebounds over two games

* Utah State junior center Jarred Shaw averaged 21.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in a pair of road wins.

The Five & Five WAC

The teams in the WAC have divided themselves to date this season into what PTW will call the five and five.

Meaning there are five teams who for various reasons have a good to decent chance of winning come each game time, those being:

* Louisiana Tech 10-0 (duh!) 
* New Mexico State 9-2  
* Denver 9-2    
* Utah State 7-4
* UT Arlington 5-5 (not all that talented but will always bring tough defense which gives them better odds to succeed)

Unfortunately, this means five teams fall into the category of you don't know what you are going to witness on the court nightly, those being:
     
* Idaho 5-6     
* San Jose State 3-8    
* Texas State 3-8       
* Seattle U 2-9
* UTSA 1-10

Yes, Idaho is included because ... you just don't know.  The Vandals took down UT Arlington 77-64 and also played Louisiana Tech tough (72-66), both on the road, plus fell by one to New Mexico State and to Denver by six at home. But Coach Don Verlin's guys lacks a victory this season against anyone rated superior. Being last in turnover margin is negating being first in free throw percentage, tops in three-point accuracy and second in overall shooting.

The other teams just currently don't have the overall talent level to compete, meaning they lack enough guys who consistently win their position each game, a necessity for a positive W-L record.

Monday's set o' links

Matt Norlander's Mid-Major Power Pyramid has this Louisiana Tech notation: "could be a 12 seed if things break right" plus this background:

10. Louisiana Tech (19-3).
Why it's here: Think I'm overrating the Bulldogs here? They have a 3-1 top-100 record, and if the tournament was seeded this afternoon, I think we're looking at a possible 12 seed here, if Southern Miss keeps getting better (lost to La. Tech). La. Tech is running strong through the WAC and has a decent macro profile.

Something you should know: The Bulldogs get help from their bench in 39.4 percent of available minutes, second in Pyramid teams only to super-deep Wichita State.

Jason Jones has identified what powers Raheem Appleby. Will a commercial tie-in banner soon be hanging in the Thomas Assembly Center?

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Jason Groves offers a commentary that the Aggies season can be summarized by a five-letter word.