Mountain West Conference Basketball Updates & Power Rankings

It’s been some time when UNLV experienced consistent success with its basketball program.

But ever since Lon Krueger arrived in 2004, the Runnin’ Rebels appear to be back. Because of the way the college basketball landscape has changed since Jerry Tarkanian left in the early 1990s, UNLV probably won’t be serious Final Four contenders. However, they can be a consistent mid-major power.

At 13-2 and on the heels of a 56-55 win over Louisville and hard fought 60-58 win over New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference opener, UNLV is looking to make its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Kruger, who had success at Kansas State, Illinois and Florida, has been the first coach to restore UNLV’s reputation since Tarkanian. Two years ago, the Rebels went 30-7 and went to the Sweet 16. Last year, they went to the second round.

The Runnin’ Rebels have been relying on their defense as opponents have averaged only 62 points per game. But there has also been great leadership from senior point guard Wink Adams. He has struggled shooting the ball this year at 34 percent but the Rebels know they need his presence on the floor.

This is an important stretch for the Rebels because they play three of their next four on the road. They play at TCU and at Colorado State before returning home to Wyoming and then traveling to BYU.

Happiness in Fort Worth

TCU athletic director Danny Morrison could not look any smarter after making a change with his men’s basketball program in the spring.

By letting Neal Daugherty go and hiring Kent State coach Jim Christian, the Horned Frogs look like a different team. At 9-5, the Horned Frogs are the surprise story of the conference.

First, they broke a three-year losing streak to SMU by hammering the Mustangs, 62-44, and then have won at Big 12 schools Colorado and Texas Tech. Then they got the conference story off to a good start by beating Colorado State.

Christian, who led Kent State to the 2008 NCAA tournament, changed over the roster with seven new faces. But finally, he has gotten more out of senior forward Kevin Langford than Daugherty ever did.

Langford is shooting 47 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free throw line. Should he maintain those averages, those would be career highs.

It’s hard to know if the Horned Frogs can sustain this. They will reveal how far they have come with consecutive home games to UNLV and BYU. This is an opportunity for TCU to make a statement.

MWC Notable

While BYU’s 12-2 record is nice, the Cougars have lost their two challenging games. They lost to Arizona State and Wake Forest. That’s really no shame since those two programs are ranked. But the loss to Wake Forest ended their national best 53-game home winning streak….Cougar senior guard Lee Cummard leads the conference in scoring at 18.8 points per game and is shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. He may be affected by the new arc because he shot 39, 44 and 47 percent from long distance in his firs three years….Utah has sent a signal it could better than most thought after recent wins over Gonzaga and LSU.

MWC Power Rankings

1. UNLV
2. BYU
3. San Diego State
4. Utah
5. TCU
6. New Mexico
7. Wyoming
8. Air Force
9. Colorado State