So, when it's Thursday night in Las Cruces

... Hawaii comes into town to match up with New Mexico State. Make that the 7-3 Aggies versus the 6-4 Rainbow Warriors so there are definite end-of-the-season finish implications for the contest.

UH owns a January 21 91-87 victory over Marvin Menzies' team, this despite committing 21 turnovers. In that win, Zane Johnson went for 29 points (7-13 on treys) plus Davis Rozitis totaled nine points and five boards in 14 minutes. But Johnson's shooting accuracy has been way off of late -- just 21% from long distance in the last quartet of games.

In that loss, Bandja Sy busted out for 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead NMSU in both categories. Hamidu Rahman followed with 16 points (contrast that with Vander Joaquin's 11).

Hawaii is coming off a 94-79 road loss to Montana while host New Mexico State handled Drake 71-55.

In weighing the remainder of the regular season, the Aggies host San Jose State next and then road it at Nevada followed by Fresno State.

Gib Arnold's group moves on to Ruston after this one and then returns home to face surging Idaho and then Utah State.

Calling it a critical game for both teams is a bit of an overstatement but the victor will certainly gain an advantage in the standings.

Wednesday's sweet, crunchy and hoopsy WAC-aroon

Dan Hinxman serves up a 'notes column' including a look at the WAC tournament seeding.

+++++

Jason Groves has a 'versatility-is-elementary for New Mexico State's Watson' feature.

+++++

Shawn Harrison has a 'rub-your-eyes, is-this-really-happening?' post up.

+++++

Dayton Morinaga writes about the UH players fans aren't seeing this season, but will next.

Jeff Portnoy's latest is about what's coming next for the Rainbow Warriors.

+++++

Josh Wright was at Idaho Coach Don Verlin's press conference.

Vandal Nation video previews the Idaho - Utah State Thursday night matchup.

Not WAC-related but this is to-the-core honesty

Illinois Coach Bruce Weber had a very interesting week, with various commentators saying he's on thin ice based, of course as always, on this season's W-L record.

Here are a pair of jump-off-the-page Weber quotes from Bryan Burwell's column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"The sad thing about the whole thing," Weber told reporters after a 67-62 home loss to Purdue, "and I guess it's my fault — instead of creating toughness and developing a team, I coached not to lose all year."

and

"Instead of developing people, I was worried about winning," he said. "The last three years, all I did was worry about winning instead of developing a culture and a toughness. That's my fault. You're trying to please everyone instead of pleasing yourself. That's my fault, in hindsight."

Trying not to give in to hyperbole but has any coach ever so directly bared himself? There are no lame cliches or trite coaching chestnuts on display here.

This candor more than likely won't save his job because of the circumstance of a new AD but do read the entire article and ask yourself if you would want your son to play for Weber? 

Here's a guy who proverbially stripped himself naked in public but -- and this is the key -- has learned from his travails.

Hopefully this isn't just a wanting-to-happen future turn but PTW knows Weber will be wiser and expects this to translate into greater success in his next coaching position. The humility he shared is appreciated as his frankness and genuineness were quite the breath of fresh air.

Tuesday's WAC basketball link-around

Jason Groves goes trendspotter. No, that is not a cousin to a storm chaser. Plus, it isn't to shoot or not to shoot but where to shoot, as Jason details.

+++++

Robert Kuwada is back with his weekly mining-for-gold column and, as usual, he hits paydirt.

+++++

Tony Jones assesses Utah State -- guess Stew Morrill wasn't sandbagging in the pre and early season.

+++++

Josh Gershon tweeted this yesterday: "2012 Gardena (Calif.) Serra SG Kajon Mack now has offers from San Fran & Sac State + interest from UCSB, San Jose St, UC Davis & Utah Valley"

MaxPreps has him at 6-foot-2 and 145. Serra was the high school of current Spartan Keith Shamburger. 

Mack certainly can jump -- go to the 1:45 mark. 

Here's more tape. 

+++++

Answering the query: hey, it's a bro-mance with Idaho, let's get the term straight ;-)

James Walker honored

Former Utah State guard James Walker, now at Citrus College, has been named the Western State Conference South Division Most Valuable Player.

Kyle Barone WAC POW

From Jason Erickson, WAC Director of Media relations:

"Idaho’s Kyle Barone has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of February 13-19. The honor marks the second career WAC Player of the Week for Barone.

Barone, a junior center from Garden Grove, Calif. (Pacifica HS), had a career game on Saturday in Idaho’s 77-68 Sears BracketBuster win over Portland State. Barone scored 25 points, connecting on 10-of-11 (.909) shots from the floor. He added eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in the win. He also went 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He connected on 9-of-10 shots in the first half to give Idaho its biggest halftime lead of the season at 42-25. His 10-of-11 shooting performance is the best single-game effort by a Vandal since 2008 and is tied as the third-best in Idaho single-game history. The game was Barone’s ninth in a row with at least seven rebounds and his sixth-straight double-figure scoring game. His 25 points and 10 made field goals are both career highs. During the team’s season-best active five-game win streak, Barone is averaging 17.6 points and 8.4 rebounds on 33-of-54 (.611) overall shooting and 22-of-28 (.786) from the free throw line.

Other nominees: 

* Fresno State junior forward Kevin Foster
* Louisiana Tech freshman guard Kenneth Smith
* Nevada senior forward Olek Czyz
* New Mexico State senior guard Hernst Laroche
* San Jose State sophomore guard Keith Shamburger
* Utah State sophomore guard Preston Medlin

Nick Collison has it figured out

Former Kansas star Nick Collison is no NBA superstar -- he realizes and accepts that and has devised ways -- understanding what value is and then creating it on the floor -- which will afford him a long professional career. This is a must-read article and the takeaway is that what he writes is applicable at all levels.

David Andoh/Fresno State

Credit sindog for posting an update on Fresno State recruit of interest David Andoh at the BarkBoard Save Mart Center MB.

Another Canadian being watched by New Mexico State

Alex Kline/The Recruit Scoop writes about a Canadian 2014 prospect getting attention from New Mexico State as well as many others.

Jaycee Carroll gettin' some love

Jonathan Givony/Draft Express is having a tweet love fest while watching Jaycee Carroll play for Real Madrid. Some examples:

"If there's anything prettier than watching Jaycee Carroll come off staggered screens, I haven't seen it. 14 points in 2nd half"

and

"Someone give Jaycee Carroll a NBA contract right now. He's a mormon Lou Williams!"

and

"Jaycee Carroll putting on a clinic for moving off the ball. 22 pts in 15 min in 2nd half. Most impressive Euro-scoring performance I've seen"

Monday's WAC hoops links and notes

No games until Thursday ...

Scott Daniel/Silver and Blue Sports assesses the Wolf Pack with a chock full of cultural references column.

+++++

The free is always free but then that throw kicks in, a little too often for UH -- check out Dayton Morinaga's latest post. 

+++++

A brief look at Idaho: After the sins (venial or mortal? PTW is going with the former) of dropping home games to Hawaii and then Fresno State, Idaho has pulled off victories against:

* Nevada (by four points)
* Seattle (by one point)
* New Mexico State (by one point)
* Louisiana Tech (by nine points)
* Portland State (by nine points).

If this trend continues, who wants to face the Vandals come tourney time? Yes, the Kyle Barone Emergence Project seems in full force.

Idaho hoops

Gaylen Wood offers the writeup on Idaho's takedown of Portland State. At 16-11 and 7-4, the Vandals are one loss behind New Mexico State for second place with a trio of road games remaining: Utah State, Hawaii and San Jose State. Don Verlin's squad lost 80-68 to the NMSU in Las Cruces and won 59-58 in Moscow. Marvin Menzies' bunch hosts Hawaii and San Jose State and then finishes up visiting Nevada and Fresno State.

A few Utah State items

Matt Sonnenberg writes about Aggies fans returning to an earlier incarnation.

Tony Jones posts a quote from Jordan Stone and also features Stone's spirited play against UC Santa Barbara.

Note to USU fans: think Jordan Stone, Jarred Shaw and Matt Lopez (the latter for the second semester) -- that's 6-foot-10, 6-foot-10 and 6-foot-11 in the middle for 2012-13 and at a time where a number of teams, especially so in the WAC, lack one productive big. The troika will also provide different looks to opponents.

The outcomes of Saturday's game

"I went 3,000 miles and all I got was this loss" is what Nevada might be saying as Iona proved to be ungracious hosts in beating the Wolf Pack 90-84. Actually, it's a not surprising outcome considering the travel and the opponent. Olek Czyz continued his streak, leading with 28 points while Deonte Burton contributed 21. Dario Hunt posted a 15/10 double/double and Malik Story passed for seven assists. But the keys numbers were Iona's 62% overall shooting, 57% on trey attempts.

Chris Murray made the trip (kudos to the Gazette-Journal management) and has game reports here and here. 

+++++

Louisiana Tech jumped out to a 17 point lead over Central Arkansas after the initial 20 minutes and finished up with an 84-62 triumph. Raheem Appleby paced the Bulldogs with 18 points, Cordarius Johnson went for 16 and Kenneth Smith racked up an AMAZING 15 assists.

Jason Pugh was on press row.

+++++

New Mexico State had no trouble with Drake to the tune of 71-55 as Wendell McKines posted a 25/12 double-double. Hernst Laroche added 18 points as the Aggies shot 48% for the game, 7-13 from long distance.

Jason Groves provides a game report.

+++++

Host Utah State was down by seven at the half and ended up losing to UC Santa Barbara 72-64. Preston Medlin led the Aggies with 14 points but shot 1-7 on treys and 3-11 overall. Brockeith Pane contributed 13 points. The Gauchos shot 53% to 41% for USU.

Shawn Harrison, Kraig Williams and Tony Jones caught the action. There's no airbrushing from Matt Sonnenberg in his look at the game.

Craig Peterson posted 34 photos. 

+++++

Hawaii went into the belly of winter (low of 25, chance of snow showers) to face Montana and was down 47-34 at halftime. Unfortunately the lead lengthened and the matchup concluded with a 94-79 Rainbow Warrior loss. The Griz shot 58% for the game, plus 11-23 from long distance. Vander Joaquim produced another double-double with 17/10 but Zane Johnson went 3-10 in his shooting.

Dayton Morinaga checks in.

+++++

San Jose State University was down by six to Sacramento State at the half but outscored the Hornets 48-30 after intermission to win 79-67. Wil Carter came close to a d/d with 19 points plus eight boards while James Kinney produced 19 points and Keith Shamburger totaled 15 points and eight assists.

Dave Carpenter was present and accounted for.

+++++

Idaho opened up a 42-25 lead over visiting Portland State after the first 20 minutes.It was 77-68 after 40 as Kyle Barone produced 25 points and eight rebounds with Stephen Madison posting a 15/11 double/double and Landon Tatum was credited with 10 assists. The Vandals put up 10 less shot attempts but connected on three more than the Vikings.

Josh Weight game reports.

Renado Parker and Gary Winston scored 14 and five points respectively -- both were briefly Vandals.

+++++

Fresno State traveled to southern California to battle Cal State Northridge and was down 32-23 come the first horn. The second period proved most fruitful for the Bulldogs as they came from behind and won 62-49. Kevin Foster posted 17 points and seven boards. 

Robert Kuwada made the sojourn to the San Fernando Valley.

Utah State offers another Yuba player

Tony Jones is reporting that Utah State has extended a scholarship offer to wing Spencer Butterfield of Yuba College, the same California school Aggie November signee Sean Harris attends.

We did a story a short awhile back on Butterfield for our other hoops site -- here's the link.

A brief note to Utah State fans: you want this guy. He's 100% 100% of the time, game or practice.