Mountain West Conference 2004-05 Recap
by John Eisel
2005 was the year of the Utah Utes in the Mountain West Conference.
After Alex Smith led the football Utes to an undefeated season, a blow out win in a BCS bowl and a No. 4 ranking at the end of the season, Andrew Bogut took the basketball to a play no other Mountain West team had gone before – the Sweet 16.
But 2005 was a down year for the Mountain West Conference overall. BYU fell in the tank, marquee wins were few and teams lost games that most would expect they should win.
Many different news groups and publications named Bogut national player of the year as he led Utah to unparalled success in the Mountain West Conference this past season. They won all but one game, a trip to the Pit against an ultra-hot New Mexico team. Utah (27-5) spent most of the season in the Top 25, peaking near the end of the season and finishing at 17 (AP) and 18 (Coaches).
The Lobos (26-7, 10-4) rebounded nicely from Danny Granger’s back injury at the beginning of the season to overtake Air Force for second place outright in the conference.
The Falcons (18-12, 9-5) proved 2004 was no fluke, finishing third in the conference. They had the league’s third-longest winning streak for a short time, before it was ended by Utah. Like most Air Force teams of the past, these Falcons couldn’t rebound over their more-athletic competition, but they won by forcing turnovers. Overall, teams averaged seven more a game than the Falcons.
UNLV (17-14, 7-7) didn’t live up to expectations, despite a bevy of experienced players. The team didn’t seem to come together until its miracle game against San Diego State, when they overcame a 10-point deficit in 28 seconds to beat the Aztecs 93-91 in overtime. After a very slow start, UNLV rebounded to win a few games down the stretch to take fourth in the conference.
Wyoming (15-13, 7-7) had a chance to finish fourth outright, possibly third, but an overtime loss at Colorado State late in the year dashed those hopes. Still, the Cowboys were picked to finish last in the preseason poll, so they exceeded expectations. Jay Straight capped a stellar career with perhaps his most complete season, while Justin Williams lived up to the hype as preseason newcomer of the year.
San Diego State (11-18, 4-10) collapsed down the stretch. After beating BYU and UNLV on the road to start the season, the Aztecs lost their last six conference games, starting with the aforementioned meltdown against UNLV. The Aztecs had the league’s worst defense, allowing nearly 75 points a game.
Colorado State (11-17, 3-11) could never get anything going. Despite having enough size down low to compete against an NBA team, they made barely 44 percent of their shots and were actually outrebounded in conference play. Turning the ball over five times a game didn’t help matters.
Promise didn’t translate into wins for BYU (9-21, 3-11). The Cougars had plenty of young talent, but they always found a way to make the crucial mistake that would crush their chances of winning. Baskets were a valued commodity in Provo: the Cougars shot below 40 percent from the field in conference play.
Mountain West Conference Tournament
The conference went almost as expected in the first round. Utah routed Colorado State while New Mexico beat BYU and UNLV dispatched Wyoming. The big surprise was San Diego State’s upset over Air Force, as the Falcons had beaten San Diego State on the road by 20 points just 12 days earlier.
The second round followed suit, with Utah beating UNLV and New Mexico toppling the upstart Aztecs. Then in the championship, with an NCAA Tournament bid likely on the line, the Lobos upset Utah 60-56 for the automatic berth.
Postseason
Despite having three teams (Air Force, UNLV, Wyoming) with a record over .500 that didn’t make it to the NCAA Tournament, only UNLV was invited to the NIT. The Rebels beat the Pac-10’s Arizona State before falling to eventual champion South Carolina on the road.
In the NCAA Tournament, Mountain West Conference fans were calling for New Mexico’s neck around halftime of its first round game against Villanova. The Lobos were down 34-11 and thoroughly embarrassing a league that would like to think of itself as more than a mid-major. But the Lobos battled back as Villanova went ice-cold from the field, before succumbing by a 55-47 score in the team’s first NCAA Tournament game in six years.
Utah actually had a tougher time in its first round game against UTEP than in its 67-58 second round upset victory over Oklahoma to put move into the Sweet Sixteen. There, the Utes met Kentucky, which has an annoying tendency of ending Utah’s runs in the NCAA Tournament. Bogut went ice-cold from the floor as Kentucky rotated in big men en route to a 62-52 win over the Utes.
Mountain West Conference postseason honors
First team
Andrew Bogut, C, Utah. That was pretty easy.
Danny Granger, F, New Mexico. Look at the Lobos with and without Granger.
Jay Straight, G, Wyoming. He led the league in assists in conference play.
Marcus Slaughter, F, San Diego State. He’d get more notoriety if he weren’t playing in San Diego State. The Aztecs just aren’t part of the immediate consciousness of the rest of the conference.
Odartey Blankson, F, UNLV. Despite the Rebels’ struggles this year, Blankson was still in the top six in points and rebounding.
Newcomer of the year
Justin Williams, F, Wyoming. Best shot-blocker in the conference, can also be counted on for 8.9 points and seven rebounds a game.
Coach of the year
Ray Giacoletti, Utah. In his first year, the Utes were the most dominant team this conference has ever seen.
Player of the year
Bogut. Despite only playing two years, he’ll be thought of as one of the best players the conference has ever had.
Team recaps
1. Utah (27-5, 13-1)
MVP: C Andrew Bogut (20.4 ppg, 12.2 rpg)
Top scorer: Bogut (20.4 ppg)
Top rebounder: Bogut (12.2 rpg)
Top assist man: G Marc Jackson (3.7 apg)
Starters leaving:
Bogut (declared early for NBA) (20.4 ppg, 12.2 rpg)
Jackson (graduation) (10.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.7 apg)
F Justin Hawkins (leaving school) (8.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.6 apg)
Key players returning:
G Tim Drisdom (4.7 ppg, 3.1 apg)
G/F Richard Chaney (7.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
F Bryant Markson (10.4 ppg, 3. 9 rpg)
News:
Besides the graduating Marc Jackson, Ute fans figured Andrew Bogut would bolt for the NBA after winning virtually every single award for the top college basketball player. What they might not have expected is that three players – forward Justin Hawkins and freshmen Jake Schmidt and Jermaine Calvin – would be taking off. Schmidt and Calvin rarely saw the floor, but Hawkins would have been the team’s second-leading scorer if he had returned.
Outlook:
Next year’s Utes will have a completely new look with the loss of star Bogut and floor general Jackson. How the remaining players on the team step up will decide if the Utes can come close to replicating this year’s success.
2. New Mexico (26-7, 10-4)
MVP: F Danny Granger (18.8 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.4 apg)
Top scorer: Granger (18.8 ppg)
Top rebounder: Granger (8.9 rpg)
Top assist man: Kris Collins (2.9 apg)
Starters leaving:
Granger (graduation)
Troy DeVries (graduation) 11 ppg, 2.5 apg
Alfred Neale (graduation) 10.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Key players returning:
G Mark Walters (10.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.4 apg)
F David Chiotti (10.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
News:
As if the Pit didn’t need to be a little bit more daunting, the school decided to move the student section down to the floor. Freshman Sean Phaler left the team to be with his ailing father. Also, it looks like forward Aaron Johnson, who led the Big Ten in rebounding with woeful Penn State, will walk-on with Arizona, as opposed to taking a scholarship offer at New Mexico or with St. Joe’s.
Outlook:
The Lobos are in the same predicament Utah is, except everyone saw what the Lobos looked like without Danny Granger in the early part of the conference season.
3. Air Force (18-12, 9-5)
MVP: F Nick Welch (12 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.0 apg)
Top scorer: G Antoine Hood (13 ppg)
Top rebounder: F Jacob Burtschi (4.3 rpg)
Top assist man: Welch (3.0 apg)
Starters leaving:
Tim Keller (graduation) (7.2 rpg, 2.2 rpg, 2.8 apg)
Key players returning:
Welch (12 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.0 apg)
Hood (13 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.9 apg)
Burtschi (8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.1 apg)
G/F Dan Nwaelele (7.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Outlook:
Very, very good. If the Falcons can pull down a few more rebounds a game, they should be at the top of the league with the amount of talent it has. It would also help if they had a halfway challenging non-conference schedule, so it might have a decent RPI.
4. UNLV (17-14, 7-7)
MVP: F Odartey Blankson (17.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Top scorer: Blankson (17.5 ppg)
Top rebounder: Blankson (8.1 rpg)
Top assist man: PG Jerel Blassingame (5.5 apg)
Starters leaving:
Blankson (graduation) (17.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Blassingame (graduation) (8.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 5.5)
G-F Romel Beck (graduation) (13.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Key players returning:
G Michael Umeh (9.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.4 apg)
F Louis Amundson (7.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 0.4 apg)
Outlook:
The Rebels could have made things a lot easier on itself by winning this past year. Blankson was an all-conference player and Blassingame could have been. Maybe this could be the start of a good thing, with coach Lon Kruger bringing in his guys with a very talented class of recruits, instead of dealing with a bunch of players who like to shoot a lot and occasionally play defense.
5. Wyoming (15-13, 7-7)
MVP: PG Jay Straight (18 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.4 rpg)
Top scorer: Straight (18 ppg)
Top rebounder: C Alex Dunn (8.6 rpg)
Top assist man: Straight (5.4 apg)
Starters leaving:
Straight (graduation) (18 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.4 rpg)
Dunn (graduation) (9.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg)
SG Dion Sherrell (graduation) (11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Key players returning:
F Justin Williams (8.9 points, 6.8 rpg)
G Jerry Webb (5.6 points, 4.4 rpg)
G Steve Leven (8.4 points, 2.1 rpg)
News:
Assistant coach Leroy Washington decided to leave Laramie for Idaho, where he will be in charge of recruiting. The Cowboys are expected to bring in former Colorado player and current Northern Colorado assistant Shaun Vandiver.
Outlook:
The Cowboys need a lot of players to step up next year with its top three scorers leaving. Justin Williams should be better just by having a year of Division I play under his belt. Steve Leven never got over an early knee injury and it showed with his generally dismal shooting performances toward the end of the year. Wyoming needs him to be at his early-2005 form, when he was the Pokes’ top shooter.
Wyoming’s biggest question mark comes at point guard. Jay Straight played most of the time, not allowing true freshman Abdullah Lawal to get any time on the floor.
6. San Diego State (11-18, 4-10)
MVP: F Marcus Slaughter (17.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Top scorer: G Brandon Heath (18.3 ppg)
Top rebounder: Slaughter (9.0 rpg)
Top assist man: Heath (3.7 apg)
Starters leaving:
C Chris Manker (graduation) (6.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 apg)
F Chris Walton (graduation) (6.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.5 apg)
Key players returning:
Slaughter
Heath
News:
Slaughter declared for the NBA Draft, but did not hire an agent at press time. He’s not projected to be a first round pick, so there’s a good chance that he will be back.
Outlook:
Well, that depends. The Aztecs should have enough talent with Slaughter and Heath to win the conference outright – if Slaughter returns. Even if he does return, Aztec coach Steve Fisher has to get this team to play defense consistently. Allowing the other team to shoot .462 from the field won’t cut it. Still, this team should not finish in the bottom four of this conference next year.
7. Colorado State (11-17, 3-11)
MVP: C Matt Nelson (15.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 apg)
Top scorer: Nelson (15.8 ppg)
Top rebounder: Nelson (5.9 rpg)
Top assist man: Micheal Morris (2.2 apg)
Starters leaving:
Nelson (graduation) (15.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 apg)
F Matt Williams (graduation) (11.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.7 apg)
Key players returning:
F Jason Smith (10.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.7 apg)
G Sean Morris (8.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.0 apg)
G Micheal Morris (7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.1 apg)
News:
6-10 sophomore Stephen Verwers, who was highly recruited out of Texas, will transfer to Hawaii. Also, assistant coach Pat Eberhart left the team to take over at Colorado State-Pueblo.
Outlook:
If they weren’t winning with Matt Nelson, they probably aren’t going to win without him. That won’t be good news for coach Dale Layer, who likely will be sitting on a very hot seat next season.
8. BYU (9-21, 3-11)
MVP: If I have to… G Mike Hall (13.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Top scorer: Hall (13.9 ppg)
Top rebounder: F Keena Young (5.6 rpg)
Top assist man: Austin Ainge (4.1 apg)
Starters leaving:
Hall (graduation) (13.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg)
F-C Jared Jensen (graduation) (8.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, .4 apg)
Key players returning:
Ainge (9.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.1 apg)
G Mike Rose (7.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Young (7.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.7 apg)
F Garner Meads (4.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.5 apg)
News:
Coach Steve Cleveland left the BYU job for Fresno State, with assistant coach Dave Rose moving up to take the top spot.
Outlook:
I don’t quite understand Cleveland’s move from a good job at BYU, where he’s had plenty of success, to Fresno State, which is just a scandal waiting to happen. Oh, well. BYU can’t be this bad next year, because they’re too talented and they were too young last year. A rise to the top of the league is unlikely, but general mediocrity is not.
And for next year’s addition, TCU:
TCU (21-14, 8-8 Conference USA)
MVP: G Corey Santee (14.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.6 apg)
Top scorer: Santee (14.3 ppg)
Top rebounder: F Chudi Chinweze (6.9 rpg)
Top assist man: Santee (3.6 apg)
Starters leaving:
Santee (graduation) (14.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.6 apg)
G Marcus Shropshire (graduation) (11.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.2 apg)
F Aaron Curtis (graduation) (7.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Key players returning:
G Nile Murry (12.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.3 apg)
Chinweze (11.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.1 apg)
Outlook:
The Horned Frogs could come in and win the Mountain West Conference in its first season after finishing in the middle of the pack of a superior Conference USA.
2005-06 All-MWC Preseason first team
F Marcus Slaughter, SDSU
G Nile Murry, TCU
F Nick Welch, Air Force
G Antoine Hood, Air Force
F Justin Williams, Wyoming
