With non-conference play now finished for the Mountain West women’s basketball programs, each team is ready for the grind of conference play. The Lobos (4-6) look to be in the middle of the conference ladder right now, but conference play can change things in a hurry. While the non-conference schedule didn’t give the results everyone wanted to see, they did show great promise in a few of the games, including the drumming of NMSU at home. The Lobos have the talent to make things difficult for the top contenders for the conference title, and could find themselves in the top tier of the conference. With the lack of advanced statistics on the women’s side, it’s a little difficult to compare how the teams have performed, but I’ll give it a shot.
Team Stats:
(I.B. Luc’s Pre-Conference Rank in parentheses)
AFA, 2-8: (11th) The struggles will continue for the Falcons, likely finding themselves on the wrong side of lopsided games with regularity. One good thing for the Falcons is that they will have a chance to win a couple of conference games this year, which would be an improvement from their single win last year.
| Falcons | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 53.1 | 68.7 |
| Field Goal % | 32.5% (177/544) | 40.7% (248/609) |
| 3 Point % | 30.5% (36/118) | 32.6% (43/132) |
| Free Throw % | 61.8% (141/228) | 71.5% (148/207) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 17.7/54.4 | 24.8/60.9 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 3.6/11.8 | 4.3/13.2 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 14.1/22.8 | 14.8/20.7 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 37.5, -3.8 | 41.3 |
| Assists Per Game | 9 | 13.6 |
| Turnovers | 22.7 | 17.4 |
| Steals | 7.8 | 9.9 |
| Blocks | 3.9 | 2.5 |
| Fouls Committed | 21.1 | 21.9 |
BSU, 10-1: (2nd) While the league has been dominated by CSU in recent years, it looks like this Broncos squad is the most likely team to unseat the three-peat champions. BSU has the offensive firepower to win the conference regular season, their biggest issues have to do with defense and taking care of the basketball.
| Broncos | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 74.8 | 64.5 |
| Field Goal % | 41.3% (295/714) | 39% (254/652) |
| 3 Point % | 38.8% (104/268) | 26.4% (62/235) |
| Free Throw % | 73.7% (129/175) | 70.7% (140/198) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 26.82/64.91 | 23.09/59.27 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 9.5/24.36 | 5.6/21.36 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 11.7/15.91 | 12.7/18 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 41.2, +5.5 | 35.7 |
| Assists Per Game | 16.7 | 12 |
| Turnovers | 18.5 | 19.5 |
| Steals Per Game | 8.1 | 7.9 |
| Blocks Per Game | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 17.27 | 17.36 |
CSU, 8-4: (1st) While this Rams team won’t go 31-2 and 18-0 in conference play this season, they will be a serious title contender and would be surprised at all if they end up sweeping the regular and tournament titles. Once again, CSU will run a very solid offense and will be the best defense in the conference. They shouldn’t be challenged in games against the bottom half of the league, and should only have a couple of games that should be up for grabs.
| Rams | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 68.2 | 53.9 |
| Field Goal % | 42.7% (295/691) | 34.6% (227/653) |
| 3 Point % | 35.8% (103/288) | 29.6% (75/253) |
| Free Throw % | 73.3% (126/172) | 64.9% (118/183) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 24.58/57.58 | 18.92/54.42 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 8.6/24 | 6.3/21.08 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 10.5/14.33 | 9.8/15.25 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 36.7, +.3 | 36.4 |
| Assists Per Game | 14.9 | 9.8 |
| Turnovers | 12.8 | 16.7 |
| Steals Per Game | 9.9 | 6.1 |
| Blocks Per Game | 4.0 | 6.1 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 16.08 | 14.17 |
FSU, 7-4: (6th) After finishing second last season at 15-3, look for the Bulldogs to fall back to the middle of the conference this season. They should be in a lot of close games, so their conference record will depend on how well they will do in the one/two possession games. I would expect between 9-12 conference wins for the Bulldogs this season.
| Bulldogs | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 61.7 | 58.3 |
| Field Goal % | 39.3% (251/638) | 37.2% (245/659) |
| 3 Point % | 27.8% (58/209) | 31.8% (62/195) |
| Free Throw % | 69.6% (119/171) | 65.9% (89/135) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 22.82/58 | 22.27/59.91 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 5.27/19 | 5.64/17.73 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 10.82/15.55 | 8.09/12.27 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 38.9, +.9 | 38.0 |
| Assists Per Game | 13.9 | 12.3 |
| Turnovers | 16.6 | 17.6 |
| Steals Per Game | 7.1 | 9.2 |
| Blocks Per Game | 6.2 | 3.1 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 13.73 | 15.54 |
Nevada, 6-5: (8th) The Wolf Pack are a pretty good shooting team, but have had difficulty taking care of the ball and have also struggled defending inside the 3-point line. The Wolf Pack could possibly steal a game or two against the top half of the conference, but could also lose to teams below them in the standings.
| Wolf Pack | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 70.0 | 70.9 |
| Field Goal % | 40.0% (270/675) | 38.7% (304/785) |
| 3 Point % | 33% (66/200) | 26.6% (61/229) |
| Free Throw % | 75.6% (164/217) | 64.9% (111/171) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 24.55/61.36 | 27.64/71.36 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 6/18.18 | 5.55/20.82 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 14.91/19.73 | 10.09/15.55 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 42.9, +5.4 | 37.5 |
| Assists Per Game | 14.8 | 13.7 |
| Turnovers | 20.7 | 13.8 |
| Steals Per Game | 6.7 | 12.5 |
| Blocks Per Game | 4.5 | 2.7 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 15.64 | 19.91 |
New Mexico, 4-6: (5th) The Lobos could be the wildcard in this year’s conference, as there is the chance the team will start clicking and the Coach Bradbury’s offense could become very hard to stop. In any given game, the Lobos could have two of the best players on the court in Cherice Beynon and Rachelle van der Keijl. The Lobos need to improve their free throw shooting or they could lose most of their close games.
| Lobos | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 68.6 | 64.9 |
| Field Goal % | 38.4% (251/653) | 35.2% (248/704) |
| 3 Point % | 28.1% (68/242) | 30.6% (66/216) |
| Free Throw % | 55.9% (114/204) | 73.7% (87/118) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 25.1/65.3 | 24.8/70.4 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 6.8/24.2 | 6.6/21.6 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 11.4/20.4 | 8.7/11.8 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 47.3, +2.2 | 45.1 |
| Assists Per Game | 15.6 | 13.7 |
| Turnovers | 15.0 | 13.0 |
| Steals Per Game | 6.2 | 7.4 |
| Blocks Per Game | 5.0 | 3.7 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 13.9 | 17.8 |
SDSU 4-6: (9th) Times have changed on the Mesa for the Aztec Women’s Program, as long ago are the times of Coach Burns. The Aztecs do have a decent offense, but possibly has the worst defense in the conference. The Aztecs will struggle this year and could see a few lopsided loses against the better offensive teams in the conference. I would be surprised if this Aztec team won more than 6 conference games this year.
| Aztecs | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 63.5 | 71.7 |
| Field Goal % | 40.0% (218/545) | 45.9% (271/590) |
| 3 Point % | 31.1% (60/193) | 37.1% (72/194) |
| Free Throw % | 76.0% (139/183) | 64.0% (103/161) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 21.8/54.5 | 27.1/59 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 6/19.3 | 7.2/19.4 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 13.9/18.3 | 10.3/16.1 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 31.7, -5.1 | 36.8 |
| Assists Per Game | 11 | 16.5 |
| Turnovers | 16.3 | 16 |
| Steals Per Game | 6.1 | 6.2 |
| Blocks Per Game | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 18.2 | 18.8 |
SJSU 3-9: (10th) The Spartans still play at a fast pace where they shoot a lot of the threes over the course of a game. If they are knocking down shots, they could make some games interesting. The two biggest areas of concern for the Spartans are their defense and rebounding.
| Spartans | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 67.3 | 80.6 |
| Field Goal % | 37.4% (292/780) | 45.0% (375/834) |
| 3 Point % | 28.9% (92/318) | 33.1% (83/251) |
| Free Throw % | 68.8% (132/192) | 72% (134/186) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 24.33/65 | 31.25/69.5 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 7.67/26.5 | 6.92/20.92 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 11/16 | 11.16/15.5 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 34.4, -13.5 | 47.9 |
| Assists Per Game | 12.9 | 17.8 |
| Turnovers | 15.5 | 16.7 |
| Steals Per Game | 8.4 | 6.8 |
| Blocks Per Game | 2.4 | 3.6 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 17.58 | 15.67 |
UNLV 9-3: (4th) The Rebels have been a great surprise in the conference so far this season. They look like a team that could give the favorites of the conference problems with their great defense and being able to force turnovers. If the Rebels see an uptick in their offensive production, they could end up challenging for the conference title.
| Rebels | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 65.5 | 57.2 |
| Field Goal % | 38.2% (276/722) | 38.0% (245/644) |
| 3 Point % | 31.8% (74/233) | 29.7% (74/249) |
| Free Throw % | 65.0% (160/246) | 60.6% (123/203) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 23/60.17 | 20.42/53.67 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 6.17/19.42 | 6.17/20.75 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 13.33/20.5 | 10.25/16.92 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 43.2, +8.9 | 34.9 |
| Assists Per Game | 12.5 | 11.9 |
| Turnovers | 17.3 | 19.8 |
| Steals Per Game | 10.8 | 6.5 |
| Blocks Per Game | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 19.17 | 19.33 |
USU 7-4: (7th) The Aggies are in the group with the Lobos and Bulldogs as teams that could possibly move up to the top third of the conference. The Aggies have a very good defense, but any let down defensively could cost the Aggies the chance to move up in the conference ladder.
| Aggies | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 61.8 | 55.2 |
| Field Goal % | 39.3% (266/676) | 34.6% (211/609) |
| 3 Point % | 31.9% (46/144) | 27.8% (57/205) |
| Free Throw % | 65.8% (102/155) | 65.3% (128/196) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 24.18/61.45 | 19.18/55.36 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 4.18/13.09 | 5.18/18.64 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 9.27/14.09 | 11.64/17.82 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 39.7, +1.0 | 38.7 |
| Assists Per Game | 14.8 | 11.2 |
| Turnovers | 15.8 | 19.1 |
| Steals Per Game | 9.7 | 7.9 |
| Blocks Per Game | 7.4 | 2.5 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 18.18 | 16.73 |
Wyoming 8-3: (3rd) The Cowgirls have the best win for the conference during the non-conference season, beating nationally-ranked Colorado. The Cowgirls have a chance to challenge CSU along with BSU, which could make the conference title race very interesting. The Cowgirls have a very efficient offense as well as a good defense.
| Cowgirls | Opponents | |
| Points Per Game | 66.5 | 53.8 |
| Field Goal % | 42.0 % (253/603) | 37.1% (217/585) |
| 3 Point % | 34.6% (83/240) | 34.2% (54/158) |
| Free Throw % | 77.6% (142/183) | 66.2% (104/157) |
| Field Goals Per Game | 23/54.82 | 19.73/53.18 |
| 3 Pointers Per Game | 7.55/21.82 | 4.91/14.36 |
| Free Throws Per Game | 12.91/16.64 | 9.45/14.27 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 36.4, +3.5 | 32.9 |
| Assists Per Game | 15.4 | 9.3 |
| Turnovers | 13.5 | 15.2 |
| Steals Per Game | 7.6 | 5.9 |
| Blocks Per Game | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| Fouls Committed Per Game | 17.18 | 19.09 |
I.B. Luc’s Predicted Finish:
- CSU
- BSU
- WYO
- UNLV
- UNM
- FSU
- USU
- Nevada
- SDSU
- SJSU
- AFA
Conference Awards Prediction
First Team All-Conference: Ellen Nystrom CSU, Rachelle van der Keijl UNM, Brooke Pahukoa BSU, Liv Roberts, Bego Faz Davalos, FSU. In the end, I think only one Lobo player is named to the first team unless they finish in the top two, but Cherice Beynon and van der Keijl will both put up huge numbers in conference play and could force the issue.
Player of the Year: Ellen Nystrom CSU
Freshman of the Year: Mykiel Burleson UNM
New Comer of the Year: Rachelle van der Keijl UNM
Coach of the Year: Kathy Olivier UNLV