The weekly MWC beat report

Here's the weekly Mountain West Conference roundup with each team's newspaper beat reporter providing an update.

Jimmy Durkin on the Spartans:

The team probably needed the week off it received after its most recent defeat, an 86-36 drubbing at Boise State that's the second-most lopsided defeat in Mountain West history.

The 36 points isn't even the Spartans' lowest scoring game of the season. They put up just 33 in the Mountain West opening loss to Utah State. It's the third time they've been held up 40 points and the seventh time they've failed to score at least 45. SJSU's average margin of defeat is at a whopping 15.7 points and only one of its seven MW losses has been by single digits.

The season hasn't gone a ton better for Air Force, the Spartans' next opponent. The Falcons are just 1-7 in Mountain West play. Who was that one win against? You guessed it.

San Jose State was throttled 78-56 in Colorado Springs on Jan. 7 in a game in which Rashad Muhammad scored 26 points but got little help.

There are precious few remaining chances for the Spartans to get a conference win this year, which would also serve as their first win over a Division I opponent. Air Force is one of those opportunities, along with a pair of meetings with Nevada (SJSU's only MW win last year was against the Wolf Pack).