Toyminator's 2001-2002 Mountain West Conference Preview

Last season was a rough one for the MWC. With Rick Majerus on leave, Utah was left without its leader for the entire season, and it showed. Injuries and inconsistent play made things even worse as they played their worst ball in years, despite tying for first place. Then again, that showed how bad the rest of the league was also! Promising seasons for Wyoming & UNLV didn't fall into place, leaving their fans disappointed. Only BYU came through and made it to the Big Dance, only to get humbled by Cincinnati. Ironically, the one program that seemed to be falling apart at the start of the season, was the league's best team by season's end: New Mexico.

Well, a new season is here and it can only be better! Utah has Majerus back, along with most of their key players, meaning they should be back on the national scene again! Wyoming returns most of their players, who hopefully realized they need to work a little harder in order for them to achieve their goals. New Mexico could be the league's most dangerous team, with players like Marlon Parmer, Ruben Douglass & ex-Washington star Senque Carey in its backcourt. They're a big man away from being one of the better teams in the country! And watch out for San Diego St., who could make a surprise run on postseason play. They've got a savvy coach and a truck load of players who've got big game experience coming in! Even if it's RPI rating isn't that great, this conference is always exciting to watch!

ON THE RISE: San Diego St.
Steve Fischer knows how to win, and last season the Aztecs began to do that for the first time since the days of Michael Cage! This season promises to be their most exciting! What's returning? How about Newcomer of the Year Randy Holcomb, who is one of the league's top inside players and super quick PG Deandre Moore. Now, who's coming in? Tony Bland, the steady guard from Syracuse, Brandon Smith, a decent player from Michigan and Mike Mackell, a big time JUCO center. That's a quality starting 5 if I ever saw one! Go Aztecs!

IN DECLINE: BYU
Last season's team was good, but quite Senior-laden! Other than Mark Bigelow, who returns from his mission, there aren't too many quality players left on the roster. Michael Vranes quit due to injury, and Garner Meads is on mission. Eric Nielson & Matt Montague are good guys to have on a team, but their not going to lead them to many victories. It won't be a good year in Provo!

1. UTAH

Strengths: Good shooting & rebounding team. Excellent team defense. Good depth & experience. Big frontcourt.
Weakness: Slow offense, without a true leader. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: The Utes have a well balanced team, but need someone to step up when necessary. Other than that, this looks to be another solid, Majerus-led team!

2. WYOMING

Strengths: Big, strong, deep frontcourt. Good rebounding team. Good ball-handling & distribution. Solid team defense. Very experienced.
Weakness: Horrible 3-pt shooting team. Big ? at SG.
Outlook: If they could hit some 3's, that would really open things up down low for their frontcourt to take over games. Otherwise, they may be left out again on Selection Sunday!

3. NEW MEXICO

Strengths: Excellent backcourt. Quick, aggressive team defense. Limit their turnovers. Good scoring on wings.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Little inside scoring.
Outlook: The Lobos really came on late last season and that should continue. Parmer is sometimes out of control, but many times, unstoppable. Carey will be a steady force next to him. If their frontline can contribute, they may win this conference!

4. SAN DIEGO ST.

Strengths: Solid, deep backcourt. Good team defense. Talented newcomers.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Poor FT shooting team.
Outlook: There's so much talent here now, 3 year starter Myron Epps will probably have to come off the bench. A pleasant change for a program that's been so bad, for so long!

5. UNLV

Strengths: Very quick team. Decent shooting team from everywhere. Lots of experience.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Poor team defense. Little frontcourt depth. Very inconsistent.
Outlook: Lost a lot of players from last season's disappointing squad, so that could be either good or bad. Will struggle at times, but have a shot at making the the NIT!

6. BYU

Strengths: Good shooting team, especially from the FT line. Good team defense. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Poor ball handling team. Not very quick. Little depth.
Outlook: The Cougars will take a hit this season, but the return of Mark Bigelow bodes well for the future!

7. COLORADO ST.

Strengths: Good team defense. Good ball handling & distribution.
Weakness: Nobody left to score points or rebound! Very inexperienced!
Outlook: The Rams simply lost too much from last season to put a scare in anyone this season!

8. AIR FORCE

Strengths: Good 3-pt & FT shooting team. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Terrible team defense. Not much better on offense! Poor rebounding team.
Outlook: The Falcons have a few decent players, but let's face it: they blow shit up! They're not here to win basketball games!

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Last updated on 10/16/01 by toyminator@prodigy.net