When in doubt — and doubt surrounds most of the basketball teams in the Mountain West at the moment — it would be easy to side with Steve Fisher. He gets the job done at San Diego State year after year.
UNLV
The curtain is set to be raised on the 18-game Mountain West schedule. Here’s the predicted order of finish:
The quote goes like this: Seize the moment, because some opportunities don’t come twice.
With the Mountain West men’s basketball conference play beginning Wednesday, the Review-Journal peeked into the MW writers’ notes exchange network and looked at how beat writers around the league evaluate the teams they cover.
The Mountain West Conference has reprimanded Wyoming coach Larry Shyatt for his statements about the league’s decision to limit the conference tournament to eight teams rather than 11 as it has invited in the past.
UNLV now apparently has an important ally in its efforts to bring NCAA-sanctioned events back to Las Vegas.
Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said the conference plans to keep its basketball tournaments in Las Vegas, but he is exploring a possible change of venue after 2016, when a contract with the Thomas & Mack Center expires.
An issue that has tormented the Rebels for most of the Mountain West season did them in again Thursday, when UNLV emerged from its locker room at intermission and promptly gave up a six-point lead, watching helplessly as San Diego State opened the second half on a 12-0 run.
Aqeel Quinn scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half as No. 2 seed San Diego State rallied to defeat seventh-seeded UNLV 67-64 in a Mountain West tournament quarterfinal at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Rebels are 6-point underdogs when they face San Diego State in a Mountain West Tournament quarterfinal game at the Thomas & Mack tonight.
UNLV and San Diego State, who will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Mountain West basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center, have played twice this season, with the Aztecs winning by six and two points. The Rebels had chances to win both games.
Chris Wood was sensational on Wednesday. The sophomore forward, who may be playing his final games with the program, clearly wants to continue the season.
Chris Wood rose to the occasion Wednesday, scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds to lift the seventh-seeded Rebels to a 67-46 victory over 10th-seeded UNR in a Mountain West tournament first-round game at the Thomas & Mack Center.
UNLV opens the Mountain West Tournament against UNR today at the Thomas & Mack. Tip is at 2:30 p.m.
Mountain West basketball this season has neither been good enough from top to bottom or in possession of a dominating team to suggest anything is inconceivable as the conference tournament opens today at the Thomas & Mack Center.