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Could MW Hoops Be Even Better Than Last Year?

By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
January 5, 2012

As I sat with a rather stoic John Welch on the Denver Nuggets practice court a couple of weeks ago, I wondered if anything could get the former UNLV standout to crack a smile. Welch, now in his seventh year as an NBA assistant coach, remained serious and in full “coach speak” mode while discussing the upcoming season for his Nuggets. Then I brought up the current edition of the Runnin’ Rebels.

“Did you and coach (George) Karl have any sort of bet on the game?” I asked Welch in reference to the Rebels stunning upset of Karl’s beloved North Carolina Tar Heels three weeks earlier.

“No,” Welch finally smiled. “He knew better.”

We both chuckled before I prodded him further. “Not even dinner or anything?”

“Nope,” Welch said, still grinning. “Just satisfaction.”

How great is it when you can expect to knock off the No. 1 ranked team in the country and not be surprised when it actually happens? That used to be how Rebel Nation thought when they weren’t holding down the top ranking themselves. Has UNLV made it all the way back?

That remains to be seen, but you certainly can’t argue with the start head coach Dave Rice and the Rebels are off to. The Rebels again appear to be a national power and it’s not foreign territory. UNLV has a pedigree that no other Mountain West program can match, including a National Championship and numerous Final Four appearances under legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian. Welch played for and coached under Tark the Shark, and he can be counted among the legions of UNLV fans who are longing for - if not expecting - a return to the glory days of the Runnin’ Rebels.
 
To do so, these Rebels will have to conquer a Conference that is much more difficult to navigate than the league’s Tark’s teams dominated in the late 1980s and early 90s. Mountain West basketball remains on the rise after a glorious season in 2010-11.

2011-12 is “Year One AJ” – After Jimmer – for MW hoops. If you thought things peaked a year ago when Fredette and fellow first round draft pick Kawhi Leonard from San Diego State were helping lift the Conference RPI to unprecedented heights, then you might be wrong. With the 16-2 Rebels ranked among the nation’s best teams, the Aztecs now joining the Top 25 and preseason favorite New Mexico hitting stride with an 11-game winning streak after a 2-2 start, this year could be collectively better for the Mountain West than last season.

There’s still a whole lot of hoops to be played, and no, there are no MW teams threatening the top five as both BYU and SDSU did a season ago. But top to bottom, the Conference might be, dare we say, even more competitive than a year ago.

So far this season, the Rebels have beaten not only North Carolina but also taken down a Top 20 Illinois squad and remain unbeaten at home. The Aztecs, who most observers thought would be in rebuilding mode this season, have only lost two games – both to ranked foes – and have beaten Arizona and Cal on their way to a 13-2 start. New Mexico has knocked off Boston College and Oklahoma State – both on neutral courts – and won road games at Southern Cal and Arizona State.

We’re roughly a week away from the start of Conference play. The Rebels and Aztecs will go at it right out of the shoot on Jan. 14 in San Diego. New Mexico starts out at Wyoming, which promises to be no cakewalk, either. The Cowboys have won 13 of their first 15 under Larry Shyatt and have statistically one of the best defensive teams in the nation.  Colorado State just won the Sun Bowl Invitational Tournament and the Rams figure to be heard from before the season is over. TCU and Boise State are both five games north of .500 and heading into the final few non-conference games, and the worst record among MW teams is Air Force at 8-4.

There appear to be no nights off in MW hoops this season. You can bet on it.
See all of Mark Knudson's blog entries HERE.