Dec 26, 2024
When Utah State Athletic Director Diana Sabau introduced new men’s basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun last spring, she slipped and said he had spent the past seven years “at Utah State.” Wishful thinking. Calhoun, who came from Youngstown State, is the Aggies’ fourth head coach in five seasons. It’s the price of success. Craig Smith won 74 games in three seasons, went to the NCAA Tournament in all three and was lured away by a six-year, $12.6 million contract at Utah. Ryan Odom replaced him, won 26 games in his second season and left for $1.7 million per year at VCU. Danny Sprinkle replaced him from Montana State, inherited a roster that returned eight total minutes and no points, won 28 games and a Mountain West title, and bolted for a six-year, $22.1-million deal at Washington. Now it’s Calhoun. The Aggies opened the season 10-0, the best start in school history, and are 11-1 entering Saturday’s network TV showdown against No. 20 San Diego State at Viejas Arena (3 p.m., Fox). “They’ve done a good job,” said Brian Dutcher, who represents the opposite extreme, in his 26th year at SDSU and eighth as head coach. “They’ve hired good coaches. It’s hard to find the right guy all the time. They’ve done really well with all the turnover.” By now, we shouldn’t be surprised they are the surprise of the Mountain West. Conference player of the year Great Osobor followed Sprinkle to Washington for a reported $1 million, but guards Mason Falslev and Ian Martinez stayed in Logan along with several other members of a team that won a game in the NCAA Tournament. Calhoun added seven transfers, instituted his uptempo offense and put together a metric-friendly nonconference schedule. History tells us that Mountain West familiarity is a prerequisite for winning, and outsiders regularly struggle. But Calhoun does know the league better than most. “I’ve been a fan from afar for a number of years,” Calhoun recently told KSL Sports. “Typically my routine was to put my kids to bed about 8:30 and then start watching Mountain West basketball about nine o’clock at night for really like the last five years.” Here’s a look at what he, and others, face as the 20-game Mountain West schedule ramps up this week after one pre-Christmas game. Teams are listed in order of predicted finish from the preseason media poll. Boise State Record: 9-3 overall (1-0 MW play) Last season: 22-11 (13-5, tied for second place) Coach: Leon Rice (15th year) Metrics: 58 by Kenpom.com, 52 in the NET rankings Best win: 84-71 vs. 39 Clemson (at home) Worst loss: 63-61 vs. 203 Boston College (neutral site) Key players: F Tyson Degenhart (17.6 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game) F O’Mar Stanley (10.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg), G Alvaro Cardenas (10.8 ppg, 6.4 apg) Outlook: The Clemson win keeps the Broncos in the NCAA Tournament conversation, but the rest of the resume screams bubble team. The big problem has been perimeter shooting after losing Max Rice (to graduation) and Saint Augustine High School alum Chibuzo Agbo to USC. The addition of Cardenas from San Jose State gives them a traditional point, and Degenhart and Stanley comprise the conference’s best front line. And outside of SDSU, Rice has arguably its best coaching staff. In a down year for the Mountain West, that should be enough to contend. New Mexico Record: 9-3 (1-0) Last season: 26-10 (10-8, tied sixth) Coach: Richard Pitino (fourth year) Metrics: 67 Kenpom, 85 NET Best win: 72-64 vs 21 UCLA (neutral) Worst loss: 89-83 vs. 238 New Mexico State (home) Key players: G Donovan Dent (19.6 ppg, 7.3 apg), C Nelly Junior Joseph (13.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg), F Mustapha Amzil (14.8 ppg) Outlook: It started well, with the big win against UCLA in the second game. But the Lobos have tumbled 15 spots in Kenpom and 19 in the NET this month thanks to the anvil of a loss against New Mexico State. Legal allegations by a player that a teammate hit him on a charter flight give the waft of internal strife. The Lobos traditionally have started fast under Pitino before faltering in February, and the conditions are ripe for a repeat from a lack of depth married with one of the nation’s fastest tempos. Junior Joseph is among the league’s best true centers, and Amzil can get hot from the perimeter (although he hasn’t so far). The Lobos also rank 12th in Division I in turnover margin at plus-5.4 per game. If they can avoid the February swoon, this is still a dangerous team, especially at The Pit. Nevada Record: 8-4 (0-1) Last season: 26-8 (13-5, tied second) Coach: Steve Alford (sixth year) Metrics: 56 Kenpom, 57 NET Best win: 64-61 vs. 69 VCU (neutral) Worst loss: 66-64 vs. 111 Colorado State (home) Key players: G Kobe Sanders (15.2 ppg, 4.7 apg), F Nick Davidson (15.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg), F Tre Coleman (9.3 ppg) Outlook:  Alford had to replace his all-conference backcourt of Kenan Blackshear and Jarod Lucas, and he struck gold with Cal Poly transfer (and Christian High School alum) Kobe Sanders, who at 6-9 creates a matchup nightmare at the point much like the 6-6 Blackshear did. The roster is huge, with a starting unit of 6-5, 6-7, 6-9, 6-10 and 6-10 and more size off the bench. They’re not running much to create easy baskets, but they don’t need to with a shooting percentage (49.6%) that is best in the Mountain West and 3-point accuracy (41.6%) that ranks fifth nationally. With numbers like that, you’d expect better than a road loss at Loyola Marymount and a home loss against middling Colorado State in the conference opener. No. 20 San Diego State Record: 8-2 (1-0) Last season: 26-11 (11-7, fifth) Coach: Brian Dutcher (eighth year) Metrics: 36 Kenpom, 42 NET Best win: 73-70 (OT) vs. 6 Houston (neutral) Worst loss: 78-68 vs. 15 Oregon (neutral) Key players: G Nick Boyd (13.4 ppg), G Miles Byrd (13.0 ppg, 92.3% FT), F Magoon Gwath (3.4 bpg) Outlook: The Aztecs have no one in the top 10 of the Mountain in scoring, rebounding or minutes, yet they have emerged as the conference’s only ranked team despite being picked fourth. They’ve done it with multiple scorers and vintage Aztecs defense backed by the nation’s top rim protector in Magoon Gwath. Opponents are shooting a mere 34.8%, which ranks third nationally (no one else in the Mountain West is below 40%). They possess the conference’s only clean NCAA Tournament resume: three top-75 wins, with both losses coming against top 15 teams. Most metrics rank the schedule in the top 15 nationally UNLV Record: 6-5 (0-0) Last season: 21-13 (12-6, fourth) Coach: Kevin Kruger (fourth year) Metrics: 101 Kenpom, 121 NET Best win: 66-53 vs 157 UC Riverside (home) Worst loss: 83-65 at 72 Creighton Key players: G Dedan Thomas Jr. (16.5 ppg, 4.1 apg), F Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), F Jalen Hill (7.2 ppg) Outlook: The Rebels can’t beat anybody good, but don’t lose to anyone bad. All five losses are against the NET top 75. All six wins are against teams worse than 150. Thomas is as advertised, and Cherry, a 6-11, 280-pound San Diego native, has filled the void for injured forward Rob Whaley Jr. Oklahoma transfer Jalen Hill is back for a sixth season but isn’t yet his pre-injury self after tearing knee ligaments at SDSU last January. Jaden Henley, their third-leading scorer, has missed five games. The seat is starting to get toasty for Kruger. Utah State Record: 11-1 (1-0) Last season: 28-7 (14-4, first) Coach: Jerrod Calhoun (first year) Metrics: 46 Kenpom, 29 NET Best win: 75-68 at 56 St. Mary’s Worst loss: 75-73 vs. 58 UCSD (home) Key players: G Mason Falslev (17.6 ppg, 45.7% 3FG, 6.5 rpg), G Ian Martinez (17.0 ppg), F Karson Templin (10.3 ppg, 5.3 RPG) Outlook: The media keeps picking the Aggies to finish in the middle of the pack, and the Aggies keep defying them. Calhoun convinced Falslev and Martinez to stay, then added grad transfer Dexter Akanno. They bounced back nicely from the lone loss with a road win at St. Mary’s last Sunday to halt a slide in the metrics (they’ve been as high as No. 12 in the NET). Their scoring margin of plus-19.7 is best in the Mountain West, and they appear on track for their fifth 25-win season in the last seven years under four different head coaches. Colorado State Record: 7-5 (1-0) Last season: 25-11 (10-8, tied sixth) Coach: Niko Medved (seventh year) Metrics: 79 Kenpom, 111 NET Best win: 66-64 at 57 Nevada Worst loss: 77-75 vs. 157 UC Riverside (home) Key players: G Nique Clifford (16.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg), G Jalen Lake (13.8 ppg), F Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (7.3 ppg, 4.4 RPG) Outlook:  Clifford opted to return, and he leads the Mountain West in rebounding as a 6-6 guard. Jalen Lake more than doubled his scoring average, but a third offensive threat hasn’t materialized. There’s not much size, either, and the Rams are in the 300s nationally in key rebounding metrics. They’re probably not headed to the NCAA Tournament again, but they could spoil someone else’s chances. Ask Nevada, which lost at home to the Rams last Saturday. San Jose State Record: 7-6 (0-1) Last season: 9-23 (2-16, tied 10th) Coach: Tim Miles (fourth year) Metrics: 195 Kenpom, 196 NET Best win: 69-64 vs. 133 UNC Greensboro (neutral) Worst loss: 59-55 vs. 311 Western Illinois (home) Key players: G Josh Uduje (17.6 ppp), G Will McClendon (12.7 ppg), F Robert Vaihola (8.6 ppg, 7.3 RPG) Outlook: Miles lost his point guard to Boise State and shooting guard to Loyola Marymount. He dipped into the transfer portal for replacements, landing Uduje from Utah State and McClendon from farther down UCLA’s bench. SJSU opened the season 0-5 against Division I opposition but is 5-1 since and has climbed 82 spots in the NET. Wyoming Record: 7-5 (0-1) Last season: 15-17 (8-10, eighth) Coach: Sundance Wicks (first year) Metrics: 165 Kenpom, 148 NET Best win: 56-69 vs. 207 Southeastern Louisiana (home) Worst loss: 82-81 at 206 South Dakota Key players: G Obi Agbim (18.9 ppg, 47.8% 3FG), G Kobe Newton (10.2 ppg), G Jordan Nesbitt (9.9 ppg, 8.2 RPG) Outlook: The Cowboys have experienced an even more meteoric rise, rocketing 96 spots since the NET was released Dec. 1. The next step is actually beating somebody good, and they came close at Utah State before losing 70-67. Agbim has been the great revelation, going from a Colorado JC to Div. II Metro State to Division II Fort Lewis College. The 6-3 guard ranks second in the Mountain West in scoring, second in field-goal percentage and first in 3-point percentage. Fresno State Record: 4-8 (0-1) Last season: 12-21 (4-14, ninth) Coach: Vance Walberg (first year) Metrics: 278 Kenpom, 285 NET Best win: 72-69 at 300 Long Beach State Worst loss: 74-56 at 237 Cal State Bakersfield Key players: G Zaon Collins (13.4 ppg, 2.3 spg), F Mykell Robinson (11.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg), G Amar Augillard (13.3 ppg) Outlook: Practically the entire roster flipped. Collins was initially a UNLV commit before pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter and serving jail time after a high-speed crash killed a Las Vegas man in 2020. Augillard was the JC player of the year. Robinson was at Fresno State last year but academically ineligible. Walberg is the antithesis of the defensive-oriented Hutson, preferring a run-and-press style that so far hasn’t yielded results outside the NET 300s. SDSU beat them 84-62 in the conference opener. Air Force Record: 3-9 (0-1) Last season: 9-22 (2-16, tied 10th) Coach: Joe Scott (fifth year) Metrics: 276 Kenpom, 278 NET Best win: 73-67 vs. 142 Jacksonville State (home) Worst loss: 63-61 vs. 342 Sacramento State (home) Key players: G Ethan Taylor (14.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg), C Wesley Celichowski (10.5 ppg), F Caleb Walker (9.0 ppg) Outlook: Scott had four losing seasons in his first stint at Air Force in the early 2000s, then went 22-7 in his fifth year. Don’t expect a similar progression, Scott’s fifth in his return engagement at the Academy. When you lose at home to No. 342 in the NET, you’re not good. They’ve gone 11 years without a winning season.
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