My preseason MWC predictions

[BlueK]

Originally Posted by jay santos

I haven't followed other MWC teams to know how good they'll be. I know BYU lost a lot. They have the potential to be as good as last year but also could be an NIT team. They're a decent choice for MWC champ because their downside isn't too low.

Utah, I don't know. I know they have some good players, but they had them last year too and did awful. I'm not one to think coaching can make that big of a difference.

Wyoming. They just don't scare me for some reason. Guards may win in March, but you have to have an inside game to win the MWC, especially games on the road.

SDSU should be good. I thought they returned a lot.

UNLV--I don't know much, but I thought Kruger was doing some great recruiting. If so, they'll be good. College basketball is more reloading than rebuilding if you have your recruiting in line.

Here's my bold prediction for this year MWC BB. Plaisted will make a bigger impact in the MWC than anyone's giving him credit for. The guy makes me crazy, but athletically he can be all MWC with a peanut brain. I predict he's first team all MWC and has a reasonable shot at being MWC MVP. He'll be a 15-7 guy with no improvement from last year. And I think he's got a chance to improve on that. We'll see.

BYU going to the NIT this year would be a complete, utter, absolute, colossal, unequivocal FAILURE. There is no excuse for not making the NCAA tournament this year except for massive injury problems.

[jay santos]

Originally Posted by BlueK

BYU going to the NIT this year would be a complete, utter, absolute, colossal, unequivocal FAILURE. There is no excuse for not making the NCAA tournament this year except for massive injury problems.

Interesting. You think so? NCAA team means you're top 40. We've had four NCAA teams the last ten years. Those were all pretty good teams, yet we were a loss or two or three from missing out on the tourney with all those teams. I can easily see this team being two or three losses worse than last year's.

[K-dog]

I like BYU's team a lot. I expect them to win the conference without too much trouble. Their real risk is early, before everyone knows their role and the rotation gets tight. Other than that, they are dangerous. Their biggest position drop off will be PG. At PF they will go from Keena to Tavernari and I think we will see similar but slightly less production from Tav. Burgess at the 2 will allow Cummard to play offense because he won't have to play perimeter D against the opponents best offensive player every night. Plaisted won't be much improved but he will be improved.

Utah has a great shot as the only team to challenge BYU. Coaching is paramount in hoops and Utah had bad coaching issues last year. Their talent level is good and with good coaching they will do well. I expect them to have losses in the early MWC season that cost them the title but they will probably beat BYU late.

UNLV lost a lot of talent but I like Kruger as a coach and their soph. pg from Tav's HS is talented enough to help them through the loss of Kruger Jr.

Alford's Big Ten background in hoops will prove to be an advantage because he'll find out that the MWC is similar in many respects to the old Big Ten. He has very good talent on his team but cohesion will cost them too many road games.

Wyoming will stand next with great guard play and big men who wouldn't make it at the Y or the U as walk-ons.

SDSU coaching is once again paramount but on the wrong side. SDSU has talent but their system sucks.

AFA is back to losing lots of games.

CSU as bad as they were last year with an NBA player on roster they will be predictably worse this year. I do like their skinny big man though.

TCU, I can't say enough bad about them and their program.

[K-dog]

Originally Posted by jay santos

Interesting. You think so? NCAA team means you're top 40. We've had four NCAA teams the last ten years. Those were all pretty good teams, yet we were a loss or two or three from missing out on the tourney with all those teams. I can easily see this team being two or three losses worse than last year's.

I think this team is very similar to last year's team. IOW, I don't think they are 2-3 losses worse, all things being equal. Breaking down position by position it doesn't look that bad. Adding in the intangible of increasingly having Rose type players helps the outlook substantially. Some of the rm talent is very good.

[BlueK]

Originally Posted by jay santos

Interesting. You think so? NCAA team means you're top 40. We've had four NCAA teams the last ten years. Those were all pretty good teams, yet we were a loss or two or three from missing out on the tourney with all those teams. I can easily see this team being two or three losses worse than last year's.

I don't think so. It's not like the schedule is harder than last year's. In the past BYU has hurt themselves not with losses to good teams, but by having two many bonehead losses. Sure, 2 or 3 more losses could have meant falling all the way out, just like wins over Lamar and Boise State could have easily meant a couple of seeds better and a win in the first round. It's that way for nearly every team in the NCAA field. Call me crazy, but I really think the three key games for BYU's seeding in the tournament are at Long Beach State, at Boise State and at Portland. Historically, losing too many games like that have been what have killed our seeding. The conference also isn't as good this year. I think most teams got a little worse while we're about the same or possibly a little better with the additional maturity of Plaisted, Cummard and Tavernari.

[ute4ever]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I think I would very much enjoy the Utes imploding this year. Just because I am tired of hearing people rip on Giac.

That wouldn't be possible considering that you don't follow Utah basketball.