MW Basketball Week In Review: Utah State's Martinez Earns Player of Week Honors

From the offices of Theresa Kurtz/Mountain West Conference

COLORADO SPRINGS – Utah State senior Ian Martinez were named the Mountain West Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, while UNLV rookie Dedan Thomas Jr. was tabbed the MW Freshman of the Week.

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

IAN MARTINEZ, UTAH STATE

Senior, Guard, Heredia, Costa Rica/Maryland

  • Led Utah State to a pair of victories over Santa Clara (84-82) and San Francisco (54-53).

  • Averaged 24 points, six rebounds and four steals per game, while shooting 52 percent from the floor.

  • Against the Broncos, scored a career-high 28 points, while adding four rebounds, three steals and two assists.

  • Recorded 20 points and a career-best eight boards against the Dons. Also tallied five steals, tying a career-high mark.

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

DEDAN THOMAS JR., UNLV

Guard, Las Vegas, Nevada/Liberty HS

  • Helped UNLV to a 1-1 record with a win over No. 8 Creighton (79-64) and a double-overtime loss to Saint Mary’s (69-67).

  • Averaged 20 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, while connecting on 41.9 percent of attempts from the field.

  • Against Creighton, recorded 16 points and nine assists without a turnover. Also tallied six boards and a steal.

  • Against Saint Mary’s, scored a career-high 24 points, including a layup to send the game into overtime. Also registered three boards and two assists.

Around the Mountain West

  • The Mountain West is celebrating its 25th season of men's basketball during the 2023-24 campaign.

  • In the current NET rankings, the Mountain West has four programs ranked among the top 30. Colorado State (20), San Diego State (25), New Mexico (28) and Utah State (29) are among the top 30.

  • The Mountain West is one of three conferences (Big 12, 6; SEC, 5; MW, 4) with four or more teams ranked among the top 30 of the current NET rankings.

  • Among the 32 conferences, the Mountain West ranks seventh in NET rankings with an average NET of 106.3.

  • The Mountain West is 85-32 (.726) in nonconference action in 2023-24, which is the second-best nonconference record among the 32 conferences. The MW has had a nonconference winning percentage of .600 or better in each of the last four seasons.

  • Best in the WEST. The Mountain West is 19-5 against the Pac-12 (5-0) and West Coast Conference (14-5) in 2023-24.

  • The Mountain West is one of four conferences (Big 12, Big East, SEC) to have five or more teams with a winning percentage of .800 or better.

  • The top five teams in the MW standings (Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State and Utah State) are a combined 48-6 on the season.

  • The Mountain West is one of two conferences (Big 12) with at least four teams with one or fewer losses on the season.

  • The Mountain West and Big 12 are the only two conferences with at least three teams with 10 or more wins on the year.

  • For the fourth week in a row, Colorado State is ranked in both the Associated Press poll and the USA Today Coaches poll. The Rams are No. 16 in the AP poll and rank No. 17 in the coaches poll.

  • Heading into the seventh week of the season, Nevada, New Mexico and San Diego State are receiving votes in the national polls.

  • Three MW guards rank among the top eight in the nation in total assists. Utah State's Darius Brown III ranks first with 91 assists, while Colorado State's Isaiah Stevens is third with 81 assists and New Mexico's Donovan Dent is eighth with 73 assists in 2023-24.

  • Three players from the Mountain West are among the top 15 in the country in double-doubles posted. San Diego State's Jaedon LeDee ranks eighth with six double-doubles, while Utah State's Great Osobor and Wyoming's Cam Manyawu are tied for 13th with five each.

  • Mountain West programs have won five nonconference tournaments this season. Colorado State won the Hall of Fame Classic, New Mexico won a share of the Ball Dawgs Classic title, San Diego State won both the SoCal Showcase and Continental Tire Main Event and Utah State won the Cayman Isla.

NON-CONFERENCE RESULTS

Utah State 0-0 .000 11-1 .917 W10

Colorado State 0-0 .000 10-1 .909 W1

New Mexico 0-0 .000 10-1 .909 W9

Nevada 0-0 .000 9-1. 900 W2

San Diego State 0-0 .000 8-2 .800 W1

Boise State 0-0 .000 8-3 .727 W5

Air Force 0-0 .000 7-4 .636 L2

Fresno State 0-0 .000 6-4 .600 W3

Wyoming 0-0 .000 6-4 .600 L1

San Jose State 0-0 .000 6-6 .500 L1

UNLV 0-0 .000 4-5 .444 L1

Tracy RingolsbyComment