Day Two Tidbits

As we move into the "Final Four" stage at the MWC Tournament... a few thoughts.

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The CSU game turned out as I expected it would, with the exception being that the Rams hung around with the Cougars for longer than I anticipated. However, when you're staying close with essentially a series of shot clock-beaters and "H-O-R-S-E" shots, you can only expect to hang for so long.

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I thought Air Force could beat SDSU, and the Cadets were close to picking up their first-ever MWC Tournament win (and the fact they are now 0-for-9 is tough to believe). Give Air Force the ball down 1 with 20 seconds to play, and I'll take the Falcons 9 times out of 10. Yesterday, that's the situation they faced, and failed to execute. SDSU is glad to be done with the Aztecs. In three games, they scored 49, 43 and 53 points.

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UNLV was lucky to escape its game with TCU, and I really thought the Rebels were crashing out in their opener when TCU took that 2-point lead with 7 seconds to play. But Wink's "and one" saved the day for the Rebels. Take down the banners, move the courtside seats back, eliminate any UNLV references in the building, but that still felt like a "home court, home call" situation. In reality, if the Frogs shot like they'd been shooting, the Rebels would have won going away, but last night, they had just enough to take care of TCU. I'm not sure UNLV has enough left in the tank or enough depth and size to deal with Utah tonight. Which brings us to...

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The Utes were on their way to blowing another late game lead, when a funny thing happened: Luke Nevill started playing like the dominant post player he should be in this league. For all of the gushing about J.R. Giddens on the mtn. telecast last night, Nevill was the Player of the Game, and the most unstoppable guy on the floor. The Lobos had no answer for him, just like the Rebels will be left looking for solutions tonight. As for last night, yes, Giddens got his stats, but on occasion, he hurt the Lobos as much as he helped them, with his frequently displayed one-on-one mentality and sometimes unwise shot selection.

The Lobos wouldn't have sniffed 15 wins, let alone 25 wins without Giddens, but as a MWC Co-Player of the Year, he is the "anti-Lee." Cummard is so much the more complete player, and it's really not close. Lee dominates games without ever trying to "take over," and that's the beauty of his game.

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Am I the only media member who doesn't publicly profess his undying admiration and affection for the individual known as "Snake?"

I know that certain coaches also claim to be buddies with New Mexico's most visible fan, but I don't get it. To me, he's just a gruesomely-tattooed, overly wound-up wing nut. While the talking heads treat him like a fun-loving sweetheart of a guy, I sat a few feet away from him as he pinned a mugshot of Trent Plaisted's wife to his Lobos jersey a few weeks ago at the Pit. He's like any other grown man who acts like a kid for the cameras--no more, no less. The media fascination with him is as mystifying as it is disconcerting.

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Tonight, I like Utah to upset UNLV. The Rebels are relying too much on the three-ball right now, and the Utes just give the Rebels trouble. Utah scored 80+ when they met in SLC, and Utah should have won last week at the T&M.

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BYU has lost five of eight to San Diego State, but on a neutral floor, take the Cougars. BYU's offense is really clicking right now, while the Aztecs have been struggling to shoot and score. I understand it was Air Force the Aztecs were playing, but they scored 96 points in their last two games combined. BYU had almost that many points yesterday.

The Aztecs beat BYU a few weeks ago by being the more physical team (more offensive rebounds, second-chance points and free throw attempts--by a wide margin). If it comes down to simple shooting percentages and execution, BYU has the edge. If the Aztecs are outhustling the Cougars again, it gould get dicey, since SDSU is a difficult physical matchup at many positions, no moreso than with Lorrenzo Wade.

BYU's coaching staff was up late working on a defensive game plan to deal with a guy they have a tough time guarding. He averaged 24.5 points in two meetings with BYU. However, he is coming into this game on 2 of 12 shooting in his last two.

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Joe Lunardi has it figured out properly again, moving BYU back into the East Region (still as a 6 seed, and still playing 11 seed Oregon, in Washington, D.C.) in today's updated "Bracketology." UNLV is a 10 seed, and New Mexico has dropped to "Next Four Out" status.

Again, BYU can only be placed in the East or West Regions, since they are Thursday/Saturday regionals.

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