New Mexico at Air Force, 2/1/2011
How do you follow up with a big win at home against top-10 BYU? How about a loss at Air Force? New Mexico is 0-3 in conference on the road, with two of those losses coming to teams worse than Air Force. Air Force has not beat a team as "good" as New Mexico, though they are 8-2 at home on the season. Section 8 is not the impenetrable fortress that it used to be, but I still think New Mexico has a letdown after playing "by far their best game of the season against BYU," according to several "experts." If Air Force can close out on outside shooters in their matchup zone, New Mexico will have a long day. Falcons 64, Lobos 58
San Diego State at Colorado State, 2/2/2011
I think this is a big game for the MWC Title Chase. SDSU did themselves well by winning in the Pit, as that is a road win that BYU did not get. This is a road win that BYU got, so SDSU needs to get it as well (plus the Thomas & Mack). That will be no easy task in the altitude of Fort Collins. The Rams have been scoring a lot of points against most teams, but against their better opponents, they have struggled somewhat. They are also capable of losing at home to anybody, as an early season double-digit loss to Sam Houston indicates. But they are certainly a good team at home, and this is a game to show that they have arrived: win and be tied in second with SDSU. They are starting to enter the NCAA Tournament discussion, some projections placing them "in" the bracket, with others having them just outside. This would be huge. With that said, SDSU is a very solid defensive team, they rebound fairly well, and they are athletic around the basket. Given the altitude problems SDSU has had recently, it may be tighter than it probably should be from their perspective. SDSU 71, CSU 64
Utah at UNLV, 2/2/2011
Utah won both of the regular season meetings last season between these two teams. Both teams are very different from last year, however, personnel-wise at least. Both have had similar struggles against supposedly inferior competition, just like last year. UNLV has had a week off to try to right the ship. Utah is coming off of a home loss to CSU. Utah is 3-5 on the road, with all 3 wins coming against teams with losing records. UNLV has lost 3 home games, so they are certainly beatable. A loss here could tip the scales against UNLV and make it a lot harder for them to get into the NCAA Tournament. They are motivated to get back into the top 3. They may look a bit rusty with a week off, but I think the rest will eventually serve them well. Rebels 78, Utes 69
One final word on Player of the Week. It is not a big deal, obviously, but it underscores a bigger argument, if you ask me: Jimmer has a better chance to win National Player of the Year than he does the MWC Player of the Year. If BYU wants POY in the MWC, they must be conference champions. But even then, unlike with every other school in the conference, it's not a guarantee.
No comments:
Post a Comment