Championship Week Preview- Mountain West

Mountain West Tournament Preview

Locks

  • New Mexico
  • BYU
  • UNLV

Bubble

  • San Diego State- Beat New Mexico in the semis, although 1 win in the quarterfinals may be enough

3 Players to Watch

  1. Jimmer Fredette (BYU)- Outstanding shooter, probably will  make an NBA squad based on his shooting ability.  He led the conference in scoring at 20.6 ppg.
  2. Darington Hobson (New Mexico)- He’s a smooth athlete who can score from anywhere on the floor.  He can can go for a triple-double anytime he steps onto the court.  Named the Player of the Year in the Mountain West.
  3. Tre’Von Willis (UNLV)- A hot and cold player, 2nd in the MWC in scoring (17.7 ppg).

(Darington Hobson)

Projected Championship Game- 1. New Mexico (28-3) (14-2) vs 2. BYU (28-4) (13-3)

It would be nice for these two combatants to meet each other one more time in the Championship Game.  The previous two meetings were heated and extremely competetive.  The Lobos won both matchups.  The Mountain West has had an extremely succesful season ranking 7th on Conference RPI.  New Mexico and BYU have a shot at both achieving top 4 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

New Mexico started out 0-2 in conference play.  They then rattled off 14 straight capturing the MWC Regular Season Crown.  The Lobos are led by Darrington Hobson, the MWC Player of the Year.  He averaged 15.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg, and 4.6 apg.  He can play guard or forward. F Ramon Martinez is a crafty and fundamentally sound forward.

BYU has exited the first round of the NCAA Tournament the last 2 years, losing both games to Texas A+M.  They haven’t lost a step this season, even with the departure of swingman Lee Cummard.

Jimmer Fredette has J.J. Reddick range from downtown, he can fill it up.  The question is his health, he’s been dealing with mono and stomach problems.  Jackson Emery and Tyler Haws accompany Fredette in the backcourt.  F Jonathen Tavernari is an emotional leader off the bench.  He’s a streaky 3 point shooter.

(Jimmer Fredette)

Projection- New Mexico, the title game is a toss up, but I’m not sure about the health of Fredette.  Also a potential BYU UNLV semifinal matchup may be looming.  The MWC Tournament is in Las Vegas.

Projected NCAA Tournament Seeds

  • New Mexico (3)
  • BYU (5)
  • UNLV (9)
  • San Diego State (12)

STANDINGS- http://espn.go.com/ncb/conferences/standings?confId=44&year=2010

TOURNAMENT BRACKET- http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/bracket/_/id/13/2010-mountain-west-conf-tournament

  

 

 

2010
03/10
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