Mountain West Rankings: There are no easy conference games

Brian Dutcher wants everyone to know how difficult it is to win games in Mountain West.
“There are no easy games,” said the San Diego State Aztecs coach. “This conference is unforgiving.”
The Aztecs, No. 1 in this week’s Nevada Appeal Mountain West rankings, could be the most unforgiving team of the conference. San Diego State beat No. 5 Utah State 85-75 and No. 7 State San Jose 72-51 last week, improving to 17-4 overall and 8-1 in conference.
“It’s all about energy and effort,” said the Aztecs’ Keshad Johnson, who had 27 points and 18 rebounds combined in the two games. “We give our full energy in every game.”
Adam Seiko, a 6-foot-3 senior, gave all his energy off the bench against Utah State with a career-high 25 points in 27 minutes and finished with 7 of 9 3-pointers.
“The guys always tell me, ‘Let it bang, let it fly,'” said Seiko, who had just three points in 25 minutes against San Jose State three nights later and has gone under 10 points in 15 games this year. “It has taken me a while this year to feel comfortable, but as the season progresses I feel more and more comfortable.”
“You know he can,” Johnson said. “But when it happens, it’s extraterrestrial.”
New Mexico No. 2 (19-3, 6-3) lost 97-94 in double overtime in Nevada last week and defeated the Air Force 81-73.
Jamal Mashburn had 24 points, Jaelen House had 19 and Morris Udeze had 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks against Air Force.
“The building was fantastic,” said Lobos coach Richard Pitino, referring to the 15,143 spectators at The Pit for the Air Force game. “It’s getting to the point where I sound like a broken record when it comes to how much I appreciate our fans. The last thing I want to do is let these fans down.
“I chose this job because of The Pit and the fans. Our players came here because of The Pit and the fans.”
Pitino said the emotional loss in Nevada earlier in the week didn’t cause his team to lose confidence.
“I try not to put too much stock in the bottom line,” Pitino said. “I watch the whole 50 minutes of this game. Did we play hard? Naturally. Have we done many good things? Absolutely. If you lose by three, you don’t have to tear everything down. We could have won. There were many things we did well and many things we didn’t do well. Just keep going.”
No. 4 Nevada (16-6, 6-3) improved to 10-0 at home by beating New Mexico, but then lost 68-62 at UNLV five nights later.
“That game (against New Mexico) was fun to be a part of, fun to watch,” said Wolf Pack coach Steve Alford. “It was one of those games where it was a shame someone had to lose. But the teams have made an incredible effort. Finding a way to win speaks volumes for our boys.”
The Wolf Pack hosts the No. 1 in the State of San Diego Tuesday and the Air Force No. 8 at the Lawlor Events Center on Friday (12-10, 3-6). Air Force lost twice last week (82-52 in San Jose State and 81-73 in New Mexico). The Falcons also have a difficult test against Boise State at home on Tuesday before traveling to Reno.
No. 3 Boise State (17-5, 7-2) defeated Fresno State, 63-53, and Colorado State, 80-59, last week. Boise’s five starters all scored 63 points against Fresno State, led by Marcus Shaver (16 points). The Broncos bench then scored just three points against Colorado State as starter Tyson Degenhart had 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting.
“They (the Boise players) are getting more and more efficient and better at making each other better,” said Broncos coach Leon Rice. “They are hungry to get better.”
Losing to Boise State last week was the only game for the No. 9 Colorado State (10-12, 2-7).
“We’ve seen all the teams now and they (Boise State) are playing as well as anyone else,” said Colorado State coach Niko Medved. “I expect them to be there at the end (in the title game of the Mountain West tournament).
“They have really good chemistry. They play very confidently and are very well networked in attack.”
Utah State No. 5 (17-5, 6-3) rebounded from its loss to San Diego State by defeating Fresno State 70-53 three nights later. Dan Akin had 23 points and eight rebounds against Fresno State.
No. 10 Fresno State (7-13, 3-6) scored just 53 points in each of its losses to Boise State and Utah State last week. The Bulldogs were just 2 of 25 in threes against Boise State and missed 36 of 55 shots against Utah State.
“We need to get over 53 points,” said Justin Hutson, Fresno State coach. “That’s the bottom line.”
The Bulldogs are averaging just 60.6 points per game, most recently in the 11-team Mountain West.
“We have to split the ball side-by-side to get a piece of paint,” Hutson said. “If we do that, we’re really good.”
No. 6 UNLV (14-7, 3-6) won twice last week, beating Wyoming (86-72) and Nevada (68-62) at home. Elijah Harkless had 28 points in 11-of-11 free-throw shooting against Wyoming and 18 points, nine rebounds against Nevada.
“They fought like crazy,” said UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger of his Rebels against Nevada. “They scrapped and fought, as this group is known.”
UNLV forced Nevada to 19 turnovers.
“This was our first game in a while where you could just feel the confidence on the defensive,” Kruger said. “If they (Nevada) got a bucket, they would deserve it. When you have confidence and that pride you can do a lot of great things defensively.”
The Rebels held Nevada center Will Baker to just two points in 19 minutes. The 6-11 Baker has averaged 21 points per game in his last three games.
“We knew early on in the game that they (Nevada) weren’t going to run with us in the substitution,” said UNLV’s Justin Webster. “So our job was to get Baker and get him running and tire him out.”
A crowd of just 4,539 watched the Rebels defeat Wyoming, but that was almost double against Nevada (8,734).
“It had the buzz of a rivalry game,” Kruger said. “There’s no doubt that crowd was a big reason why we had that confidence.”
No. 7 San Jose State (13-9, 4-5) beat Air Force, 82-52, at home and lost at San Diego State last week, 72-51. Omari Moore had 26 points and Robert Vaihola had 18 against Air Force, while Vaihola had 12 and Moore 11 against San Diego State. The Spartans missed 15 of 19 three-pointers against San Diego State.
No. 11 Wyoming (6-14, 1-7) lost at UNLV, 86-72, in its only game last week.
“For whatever reason, this team is struggling to play with the effort it takes to win at this level,” Wyoming coach Jeff Linder said of his team. “You’re talking about one of the better leagues in the country. We’re not talented enough to just show up and play. You have to play with a certain level of desperation and urgency and make the other team uncomfortable.”

The Nevada Appeal Mountain West men’s basketball rankings for the week of January 30…
1. SAN DIEGO STATE (17-4, 8-1): Last week: San Diego State 85, Utah State 75 (Jan. 25); San Diego State 72, San Jose State 51 (January 28). This week: State of San Diego in Nevada (January 31); State of Boise in the state of San Diego (February 3).
2. NEW MEXICO (19-3, 6-3): Last week: Nevada 97, New Mexico 94, 2 OT (Jan 23), New Mexico 81, Air Force 73 (Jan 27). This week: New Mexico, Utah (February 1).
3. BOISE STATE (17-5, 7-2): Last week: Boise State 63, Fresno State 53 (Jan. 24); Boise State 80, Colorado State 59 (January 28). This week: Boise State in the Air Force (January 31); State of Boise in the state of San Diego (February 3).
4. NEVADA (16-6, 6-3): Last week: Nevada 97, New Mexico 94, 2OT (Jan. 23); UNLV 68, Nevada 62 (January 28). This week: State of San Diego in Nevada (January 31); Air Force in Nevada (February 3).
5. UTAH STATE (17-5, 6-3): Last week: San Diego State 85, Utah State 75 (Jan. 25); Utah State 70, Fresno State 53 (January 28). This week: New Mexico, Utah (February 1); State of Utah in the state of Colorado (February 4).
6. UNLV (14-7, 3-6): Last week: UNLV 86, Wyoming 72 (January 24); UNLV 68, Nevada 62 (January 28). This week: UNLV in the state of Colorado (January 31); State of Fresno at UNLV (February 3).
7. SAN JOSE STATE (13-9, 4-5): Last week: San Jose State 82, Air Force 52 (January 24); San Diego State 72, San Jose State 51 (January 28). This week: Wyoming, in the state of San Jose (February 4).
8TH AIR FORCE (12-10, 3-6): Last week: San Jose State 82, Air Force 52 (January 24); New Mexico 81, Air Force 73 (January 27). This week: Boise State in the Air Force (January 31); Air Force in Nevada (February 3).
9. COLORADO STATE (10-12, 2-7): Last week: Boise State 80, Colorado State 59 (January 28). This week: UNLV in the state of Colorado (January 31); State of Utah in the state of Colorado (February 4).
10. FRESNO STATE (7-13, 3-6): Last week: Boise State 63, Fresno State 53 (January 24); Utah State 70, Fresno State 53 (January 28). This week: Fresno State in Wyoming (January 31); State of Fresno at UNLV (February 3).
11. WYOMING (6-14, 1-7): Last week: UNLV 86, Wyoming 72 (January 24). This week: Fresno State in Wyoming (January 31); Wyoming, in the state of San Jose (February 4).