Many games postponed due to COVID-19 last week, but the rankings continue!
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Air Force rises following impressive win
1.) Colorado State – 77 Points
Colorado State finally returns to action following their three-week hiatus. They’ll face Air Force in their first game back, which shouldn’t be a huge obstacle to get past. However, if Boise State’s able to play, they’ll host the Rams on Friday evening. It’s hard to know if that game gets played — Boise State’s Saturday matchup in Laramie got postponed shortly before tip-time due to COVID-19 protocols. That’s a situation worth monitoring throughout the week, heading into Friday.
The Rams currently ranked 20th nationally in this week’s iteration of the Associated Press top 25 poll.
Still 🧗♂️‼️‼️#TeamTogether x #CSURams pic.twitter.com/ZlmRocOcQr
— Colorado State Men’s Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) January 3, 2022
2.) San Diego State – 67 Points
The Aztecs might not be the same offensive unit as they were the past two years — that looks clear based on the two-month sample size of 2021-22. Brian Dutcher doesn’t need an elite offense to win games, though, as San Diego State’s defense ranks 10th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency metric. On Saturday, the Aztecs had a challenging offensive game in Vegas, scoring 63 points, while shooting 33 percent.
Congrats @kj_showtime0 on being named Mountain West Player of the Week. #GoAztecs
Release: https://t.co/cQGNNRKmPM pic.twitter.com/8FJMBFKmWs
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) January 3, 2022
The plus side? UNLV scored 55 points on 19-64 (28%) from the field. Defensive wins championships, as the Aztecs calling card, they’ll need a stout defense to win the Mountain West title. San Diego State hosts Nevada on Saturday in Viejas Arena. The matchup between Matt Bradley and Grant Sherfield is must-watch Mountain West television.
3.) Wyoming – 58 Points
Earlier, I detailed the Cowboys matchup on Saturday getting postponed due to Boise State’s COVID-related issues… well, Wyoming won’t travel to Reno for their scheduled Tuesday matchup against Nevada due to COVID-19 protocols. Currently, Wyoming’s road game against Fresno State remains scheduled to play on Saturday.
4.) Boise State – 56 Points
During December, Boise State was one of the top teams in College Basketball, winning six consecutive games. The final month of 2021 capped off with a 65-55 victory over Fresno State. Marcus Shaver led Boise with 18 points and four threes in 34 minutes. It’ll be interesting to see how the Broncos rebound off their own COVID-issues, which also postponed their game in Logan this week.
#BroncoNation, it’s time to look at the Threes of the Week brought to you by @MountainAmerica! This season, Mountain America Credit Union is donating $50 for each Bronco three pointer made to St. Luke’s Health Foundation. With 104 threes made so far, they’ve donated $5,200! pic.twitter.com/Cck45Gjm1g
— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) January 4, 2022
Boise’s scheduled to play Colorado State on Saturday — could be a marque conference matchup, as Leon Rice tries getting his team in the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation. The Broncos’ top-20 ranked efficient defense is the reason for the recent turn of fortune.
5.) Fresno State – 46 Points
In the past three games, the Bulldogs are now 1-2 with two tough road losses to Utah and Boise State. Orlando Robinson scored 22 of Fresno State’s 55 points in the loss last Tuesday in Boise. Following their lethal shooting night in Ogden, Utah, the Bulldogs only connected on 4 of 18 shots from deep. Currently, Fresno has Wyoming scheduled for Saturday — which gives us a good glimpse at Graham Ike facing Orlando Robinson.
