The MWC is down so far

From Michael Rogner:

It's early, but damn, Mountain West

Through the first few games the Mountain West is currently rated as the 10th strongest conference according to Ken Pomeroy. Last year they were 5th. They haven't been weaker than 7th in three years, and haven't been below 9th since Pomeroy began tracking things a dozen years ago.

And it can't be blamed in the new guys, either. Yes, San Jose State is terrible (No. 287 at Pomeroy), but Utah State is one of three top-50 teams in the conference. Here are there Pomeroy rankings from this year and last, ranked by biggest negative margins. I see you, UNLV, hiding behind Air Force.

Team     2012-13     2013-14     Difference
Air Force     98            254            156
UNLV           41            159            118
Colorado State 30         83              53
San Diego State 35       65              30
Wyoming    113           130             17
Fresno State 104         117             13
New Mexico 19              22               3
Nevada      177            179               2
Boise State  54              41             13
San Jose St. 315          287             28
Utah State    118           50              68

Burton named POW

Nevada's Deonte Burton has been named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week:

Meet newest Spartan Jeremiah Ingram

According to Colby Community College Head Coach Rusty Grafel, San Jose State University is getting a complete package with the signing of Jeremiah Ingram.

Ingram is a 6-foot-7 sophomore at Colby and a "3/4, 4/3 who is really long, can really put it on the floor and has a high ceiling," per Granfel. "He can make a highlight reel."

A qualifier out of high school, Granfel said Ingram is a latecomer to basketball -- "he started playing as a freshman or sophomore [in high school] and didn't play AAU ball." It can be difficult for a prospect to attain recognition without participation in the various regional, statewide and national tournaments that take place during spring and summer. Out of Michigan, Ingram attended a year of prep school in Kansas before what will be two years at Colby.

Ingram sports a 3.2 grade point average and Granfel offered that "he is a really smart kid."

The marriage was a fast-moving event as Ingram visited San Jose at the end of October. Assistant Coach Chris Brazelton was the lead recruiter.

The Spartans need a frontcourter who can win his position on a nightly basis and Ingram certainly projects that capability.

Spartans fall to JM

The road is quite the fickle mistress as San Jose State University found out, falling in their third consecutive matchup in the Northern Illinois-based tournament, this time 79-66 to James Madison today.

Freshman wing Rashad Muhammad again led the scoring parade for SJSU with 18 points but shot 5-16 overall. Fellow frosh Dylan Alexander added an early in his career high 12 points. The Washington Square contingent finished 10-40 from three-point range, losing the overall shooting contest 52% to 26%.

Senior forward Chris Cunningham played just 17 minutes, taking but one shot although he grabbed six rebounds.

NIU 60, SJSU 59

It was almost time for San Jose State University basketball tonight as the Spartans pushed host Northern Illinois to the end only to fall 60-59.

Four players scored in double figures for the Washington Square-ites: Jaleel Williams 13 points (plus six boards), DJ Brown 12, Jalen James and Rashad Muhammad 11 apiece.

It was another ugly shooting night as SJSU went 35%, 32% and 63% to 35%, 20% and 70% for JIU.

Forward Chris Cunningham finished with a trio of points and rebounds, taking two shots from the floor. Like last night, foul trouble prevailed as he was whistled four times.

The great news is just nine turnovers for the Spartans.

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Here's the earlier writeup for tomorrow night's matchup:

James Madison has played just once and that was a 20-point loss to Virginia, 61-41. 14 points was the JM halftime total. Colonial Athletic Association members, the Dukes received the prediction of a seventh place finish with sophomore guard Andre Nation selected as a Second Team All Leaguer although he won't be facing the Spartans due to a 16 game suspension.

An update: JM bested Northern Illinois 60-55 on Friday but fell tonight to Milwaukee 77-66. The latter beat SJSU 64-61.

The Spartans fall by three

In a close one, it was Milwaukee over San Jose State University tonight by the score of 64-61. Neither team shot well with the victors at 37%, 33% and 63% and the Spartans finishing at 39%, 38% and 65%.

Freshman Rashad Muhammad led with 17 points and also corralled six rebounds while fellow frosh Jalen James produced a line of 12 points, six board and five assists. It's also noteworthy that he incurred but three turnovers.

Chris Cunningham fouled out is 22 minutes of play, getting up but two shot attempts.

Freshman big Matt Pollard produced four points and a pair of rebounds in 17 minutes, his first extended period of court time.

SJSU did win the rebounding battle 43-34 but loss the turnover count 18-11.

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Now it's on to battle host Northern Illinois which lost tonight to James Madison 60-55.

As previously posted:

...Northern Illinois has started the season with with a 68-66 home loss to Omaha, a game in which the former led until the final minutes. Mid America Conference members, the Huskies were paced by sophomore wing Darrell Bowie's 16 points plus 13 by sophomore guard Daveon Balls. Shooting 3-16 from long distance and 15-28 from the foul line waylaid the prospects for a win.

The pre-season media poll had Northern Illinois finishing fifth in the West Division of the conference.

This weekend's basketball games

Wisconsin Milwaukee, Northern Illinois and James Madison walk into a bar...

Uh, sorry, wrong context. Now if it was George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, well...

San Jose State University faces Wisconsin Milwaukee, Northern Illinois and James Madison this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday in back-to-back-to-back matchups as part of the NIU Invitational.

Milwaukee is a member of the Horizon League, with a four point loss to Loyola (Chicago) and a four point win over Davidson, both road contests, so far this season. 6-foot-8 sophomore Matt Tibby is positively stuck on 21 points having scored that amount in both games for the Panthers. He is also averaging 8.5 rebounds a contest.

As a team, they are shooting 28% from long distance and averaging 16 turnovers each night.

The coaches predicted WM as a ninth place finisher in 2013-14 and 5-foot-10 senior guard Jordan Aaron was awarded a pre-season spot as a Second Team honoree.

After four straight winning seasons, the Panthers dropped off to an 8-24 overall record last year.

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As for the hosts, Northern iIlinois has started the season with with a 68-66 home loss to Omaha, a game in which the former led until the final minutes. Mid America Conference members, the Huskies were paced by sophomore wing Darrell Bowie's 16 points plus 13 by sophomore guard Daveon Balls. Shooting 3-16 from long distance and 15-28 from the foul line waylaid the prospects for a win.

The pre-season media poll had Northern Illinois finishing fifth in the West Division of the conference.

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James Madison has played just once and that was a 20-point loss to Virginia, 61-41. 14 points was the JM halftime total. Colonial Athletic Association members, the Dukes received the prediction of a seventh place finish with sophomore guard Andre Nation selected as a Second Team All Leaguer although he won't be facing the Spartan due to a 16 game suspension.

This is fascinating

The following evaluation (scroll down about halfway) of Boise State's Derricks Marks amply demonstrates the gap in talent level between being in the NBA and being a solid college scorer.

...Measured at 6'3”, 206 pounds, Marks will not wow scouts with his physical attributes. He has an average build with only decent speed and acceleration. He doesn't have tremendous explosiveness and because of this, he struggles to finish consistently in the paint at the Missouri Valley Conference level. Marks finds crafty ways to score for Boise State, but he may struggle to replicate this in the NBA against more athletic defenders.

Due to his lack of athleticism, Marks struggles to get to the rim off the dribble which causes him to settle for mid-range pull up jump shots. He does shoot well off the dribble, converting 44% on such shots according to Synergy Sports, as he is great at squaring to the rim and getting on balance for his attempts. Marks is able to offset some of his struggles of getting to the rim by possessing an excellent series of ball and shot fakes, which allows him to get to the line 7.6 times per 40 minutes pace adjusted...

and

...Defensively, Marks is a liability at this point in his career and will need to make some major leaps to become a serviceable defender going forward. Marks is already at a disadvantage due to his below average physical tools, and he compounds the issue with poor footwork and awareness. He often runs into screens or take poor routes around them due to having tunnel vision on his man and not recognizing the screen being set on him.

Marks pressures the ball well, which helps him force 2.4 steals per 40 minutes pace adjusted . However, he has poor footwork when moving laterally which allows offensive players to easily beat him off the dribble. He can sometimes be lazy playing defense off the ball and teams will want to see him put forth better effort on this side of the court...

This is not to say Marks won't find himself in The Big Show if he closes his gaps -- it's more to demonstrate what we as fans are oblivious to when watching a game.

This should have been titled "Get the ball in this player's hands"

Tessa Terrill features San Jose State University senior frontcourter Chris Cunningham.

Santa Clara triumphs

One of the long-standing maxims of basketball is don't let a team hang around if you have them on the ropes. Apply the proverbial killer instinct and bury the opponent or regret may be in your future.

Santa Clara a-l-m-o-s-t learned this lesson tonight as the Broncos had San Jose State University in position to apply the hammer at different times and failed to do so, either sledge or ball peen. So the Spartans staged a late second half comeback that brought a degree of unease to Broncoville before Coach Kerry Keating's guys triumphed 89-77.

The Spartans were down 42-28 at the half after shooting 7-24.

The second 20 minutes shooting numbers: 17-31.

In 27 minutes, Jaleel Williams posted 20 points, aided by a marvelous 8-8 from the foul line.  

Chris Cunningham went for 12/7 but it's a mystery again why he put up such few shots -- just five. That has to change.

Yes, he's but a freshman but point Jalen James can't continue with six turnovers per game, like tonight. His learning curve with that particular aspect will be crucial.

More on Jeremiah Ingram

The 6-foot-7 Ingram should be signing and submitting his national letter-of-intent this week. The official signing period is November 13-20.

FWIW - Here's what one message poster wrote: "Kid's a 3.0 student, and highly athletic. He's a forward, not a SG."

FWIW II - Another typed: "Talked to someone who actually has seen him play, and he tells me this kid is very good."

2013-14 statistics thus far

22.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, shooting 44%, 11% and 72% (he's definitely not a distance marksman)

* 30 points, 11 rebounds, 12-17 overall shooting
* 16 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots (didn't shoot well in this game)
* 21 points, six rebounds, four blocked shots (again didn't shoot well)
* 15 points, six rebounds, fouled out, playing just 15 minutes
* 29 points, 13 rebounds

Discard the initial three games as the last two have been against junior college opponents.

The keys: a lot of talent and physical ability to work with and hone, he's someone who has the potential to win his position during a Mountain West Conference matchup. SJSU has to land/produce many more of these types in order to be competitive. Does he sign if SJSU was still in the WAC? More than likely not.

New basketball commit

Via Brad Winton: "Remember Jeremiah Ingram's (Colby CC) name next season. San Jose State just stole one"

Coach Wojcik is going against his stated disdain for building via JC transfers. As to why...

From Rick Lewis on August 13, 2013:

6’7 2014 Jeremiah Ingram of Colby Community College

 Ingram was a very intriguing prospect. We liked his ability to put the ball on the floor, although he has a tendency to dribble with his back to the basket at times. That being said, Ingram made a few big time moves off the dribble. One was his right to left cross over move that got him to the rim almost every single time and the other was a nifty reverse spin move that he used near the paint. Ingram was able to finish around the rim using either hand or we really liked the ability to Ingram stepping out and knocking down 3-point perimeter jumpers. He has really good elevation on his jumper with a high release, although he will need to get his shot off quicker at times. He created a mismatch at the WG position with his length and height.

13.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists last season with 40%, 25% and 73% shooting. But he's averaging 22 points plus 12 boards in four games so far this season.

He's 6-foot-7 and originally from Detroit.

Below is a dunk from the opening game this season:

Wynne named MWC POW

Fresno State sophomore guard Marvelle Wynne is the initial Mountain West Conference Player of the Week:

A Coach Wojcik feature

Here's an Associated Press feature on San Jose State University Coach Dave Wojcik.

Santa Clara on Tueaday

It's at Santa Clara next, 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Let's see if Bronco senior guard Evan Roquemore is healthy enough (back injury) to play as he is the best talent and producer on the team. Freshman backcourter Jared Brownridge lacks experience but has the best shooting touch and range on the squad. Another frosh, Jalen Richard, played very well in Santa Clara's opener.

If Roquemore is unable to go, look for a freshman - freshman backcourt battle between these two teams.

This will also be an interesting frontcourt matchup. 7-foot Robert Garrett and 6-foot-9 senior John McArthur aren't big time scorers plus neither is 6-foot-7 Jerry Brown who transferred up from Fresno State for his last season of eligibility or 6-foot-7 junior Yannick Atanga. So Coach Kerry Keating doesn't have an imposing frontline but a veteran one -- let's see if Chris Cunningham can do some damage.

A Bronco assessment from the Mercury News:

SCOUTING REPORT: The Broncos start this season in a rebuilding stage, as school all-time leading scorer Kevin Foster and Marc Trasolini (No. 5 on the Broncos' all-time scoring list) were seniors last season and combined for 34.7 points per game. In addition, Roquemore, the top returning scorer from last season, has a lower back injury and in all likelihood is out for the opener. He should be ready by the San Jose State game on Nov. 12, Keating said. "You are really rebuilding every year," Keating said. "What we are really trying to do is build to get to a higher level." ... The Broncos have five returners with starting experience, including the 6-foot Clark. He led the Broncos with 17 points, seven assists and two steals in their exhibition opener, an 89-60 win over San Diego Christian on Nov. 2. Besides Roquemore and Clark, senior forward John McArthur (De La Salle High), and junior guards Denzel Johnson and Julian Clarke also have starting experience.