Nevada, Utah State Cagers Open NCAA Tournament Play This Week

Nevada (29-4, 15-3 MW) will appear in its third consecutive NCAA event after the No. 7 seed incomes. The Wolf Pack will play No. 10 seed Florida (19-15, nine-nine SEC) on Thursday, March 21, at 5:50 p.m. CT on TNT. The Wolf Pack will become the fourth lively MW member to qualify for the NCAA event in 3 consecutive years. They clinched a share of the Mountain West everyday-season crown (Utah State) after posting a 15-three record. They advanced to the semifinals of the 2019 Air Force Reserve MW Men’s Basketball Championships. Jazz Johnson became the MW Sixth Man of the Year after completing Conference play, averaging 10.2 factors, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in line with the sport. Teammates Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin were named to the All-Mountain West First Team, and Cody Martin picked up All-MW Third Team honors. All three seniors made the league’s all-defense group. Meanwhile, Utah State (28-6, 15-three) makes its first NCAA Tournament look due to 2011 after defeating No. Four-seed San Diego State, 64-fifty seven, topped the 2019 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Men’s Basketball Champions. The win is the 1/3-ever MW championship for Utah State in any sport and the first time for the guys’ basketball application. The Aggies are riding a ten-recreation win streak heading into the Big Dance and will face No.

Ten-seed Washington inside the Midwest vicinity. USU has performed the Huskies thrice, triumphing in 5 of the eight contests. With a win against the Huskies, Utah State will advance to play the No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. Sixteen Iona. The Aggies have entered the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches ballot and are ranked No. 25 for the first time since that 2010-eleven season. The Rest of the Mountain West: AIR FORCE (14-18, 8-10 MW) In the 2019 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship, Air Force claimed its first win because the better seed after defeating San José State, 87-fifty six. The 31-point victory over San José State in the establishing round turned into the second-largest margin in MW Men’s Basketball Championship history. The record of 34 factors is held via San Diego State’s victory over Utah State in 2014. The Falcons cease the season with 14 wins, the most victories at Air Force in 2016, and ied for the second one-most wins beneath head instruct Dave Pilipovich.

BOISE STATE (13-20, 7-11 MW) The Broncos end the season with a thirteen-20 typical file after going 1-1 in the 2019 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Basketball Championship, choosing up a victory over Colorado State (sixty-six-57) before falling to Nevada (seventy seven-69). The win against CSU marks the first win inside the event considering 2015 as the Broncos improved to four-eight all-time inside the Conference championship. Sophomore Derrick Alston led Boise State in scoring in both contests at some point of the event, registering 17 points in opposition to CSU and a game-excessive 21 factors towards Nevada. In the final 5 video games, the guard has averaged 20—eight points in line with sport on his way to income honorable mention all-conference honors. Justinian Jessup finished his junior season with 87-three suggestions.

The defense has tallied as a minimum of eighty-five 3-pointers in back-to-again seasons, becoming the simplest Bronco to perform the feat. Additionally, Jessup was named Third-Team All-Mountain West. COLORADO STATE (12-20, 7-11 MW) Nico Carvacho completed the 12 months with a college document of 414 rebounds, which ranks as the second-maximum unmarried-season rebounds in Mountain West history, behind the most effective Utah’s Andrew Bogut (427 in 2004-05). The junior was named First-Team All-MW and the Conference’s All-Defense Team. Entering postseason play, Carvacho leads the state in rebounds according to sport (12.9) and ranks second in double-doubles (22). J.D. Paige finished his senior campaign with a recreation-high 25 factors on nine-of-17 capturing, including four-of-8 from deep.

FRESNO STATE (23-9, 13-5 MW) Fresno State is superior to the semifinals of the 2019 Air Force Reserve MW Men’s Basketball Championship for the 1/3 time after defeating Air Force, 76-50 within the quarterfinals. It was his 6th 20-factor recreation of the year. The defense picked up all-defensive crew and all-conference honorable point-out accolades. The Bulldogs fell to No. 2 seed Utah State in the semifinals and, at the moment, are 6-6 in MW tournament play. In the primary contest of the 2019 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Basketball Championship, the Bulldogs made sixteen 3-recommendations towards the No. 6 seed Air Force. The sixteen 3’s are the second one-most in match records. Senior Deshon Taylor recorded 18 factors and dished out ten assists, choosing up his first-profession double-double. The defend’s ten assists are tied for the fifth-most in tournament records, performed twice before. Head instruct Justin Hutson finished his first season as a Division I head coach with 23 wins, the most victories using first-12 months head education in application records.

NEW MEXICO (14-7-Eleveneven MW) New Mexico’s Anthony Mathis ended the season with an unmarried-season software report of 106 3-pointers, surpassing Kevin Henry (102; 1998-99). Mathis’ 106 3-hints are the fifth-most in MW unmarried-season history. Entering postseason play, Mathis leads the Conference in three-factor area desires according to sport (three.31) and second in 3-point subject-goal percentage (41.6). Mathis earned 1/3-group all-conference honors. Sophomore forward Vance Jackson finished the season with five consecutive double-digit scoring efforts and again-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his collegiate career. SAN DIEGO STATE (21-13, eleven MW) San Diego State superior to the 2019 Air Force Reserve Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship Game for the second consecutive 12 months and 5th time inside the final six years. The Aztecs defeated No. Five-seeded UNLV (sixty-three-fifty-five) and pinnacle-seeded Nevada (sixty-five-56) earlier than dropping to Utah State. San Diego State ended its season with 21 wins for the second one-consecutive season (both under head coach Brian Dutcher) and 10th time inside the final 11 seasons.

Sophomore Jalen McDaniels completed the season with 541 points, which is the 12th-most, by using an Aztec inside the DI generation. McDaniels earned 1/3-crew all-convention recognition and became named to the MW all-match crew after averaging sixteen. Three factors and nine seven rebounds in step with the contest. SAN JOSÉ STATE (four-27, 1-17 MW) San José State jumped out to a fifteen lead over No. 6 seed Air Force but could not stop the Falcons before ultimately falling 87-56. Freshman Seneca Knight stepped up for the Spartans, leading the squad in scoring with a crew-excessive 15 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Noah Baumann set the program report for unmarried-season three recommendations with seventy-nine. Entering postseason motion, the Spartans rank the various top 6 MW groups in four classes: fourth in offensive rebounds per sport (10.5), 5th in offensive rebounds in step with recreation (36.5), 5th in offensive rebound percent (28.2), and 6th in protecting rebounds according to sport (25.9). UNLV (17-14, 11-7 MW) Senior Kris Clyburn ended his senior season with All-Mountain West Third-Team and All-Defense Team honors after averaging 14.1 factors and 5.3 rebounds, keeping with recreation, even as taking pictures 76.Zero percent from the charity stripe.

The Runnin’ Rebels finished the season tied for fourth inside the MW standings, the highest league end for UNLV in 5 years. The eleven Conference wins are the maximum for this system in 8 years. UNLV has made at least one 3-pointer in an NCAA-record 1,070 consecutive games. WYOMING (8-24, 4-14 MW) Justin James finished his very last 12 months with the Cowboys with the second-maximum points in Cowboy single-season history, tallying 706 points, handiest 34 points at the back of Josh Adams’ 740 points (2015-sixteen). The senior project additionally dished out 143 assists this season, penning his call into 6th vicinity in the school’s unmarried-season document ebook. James turns into the best player in software records to check in a top-10 unmarried-season mark in each point and assists in the same season. James finished the season ranked pinnacle-20 nationally in defensive rebounds per game (the nineteenth; 7.5), loose throw attempts (4th; 270), unfastened throws made (tenth; 2 hundred), factors according to the game (the nineteenth; 22.1), general subject aim attempts (tenth; 556), total minutes performed (14th; 1,222:fifty nine) and overall factors (18th; 706). James completed his collegiate career with the fourth-most factors in Mountain West history (2,061). James is the handiest, the 6th pupil-athlete in league history, to eclipse the 2,000-factor mark. Comment