Mountain West Conference newcomer Texas Christian earned its way to prominence in football, from its season- opening upset of Oklahoma to its No. 11 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.
Not so in basketball.
Not only does the MWC’s newest member wreak havoc with the league’s once-tidy basketball scheduling, TCU weighs in at No. 271, out of 334 Division I men’s teams, on the latest collegerpi.com list. Win or lose against the Horned Frogs (4-13, 0-3 MWC), everyone’s RPI will slide.
Not that any MWC teams are doing that well in the RPI, which can fluctuate wildly this time of year. Colorado State is No. 43 and Air Force is No. 48. It’s appearing more likely that the MWC could have only one NCAA Tournament team for the first time. Typically one MWC team, such as Utah last season, gets in on its own merits and another team pulls upsets in the MWC Tournament to earn automatic qualification.
CSU and Air Force will have to solve the mystery of winning on the road to make a significant improvement in their RPI.
TCU’s only contribution to MWC basketball is replacing the old AFA teams as a win oasis for road teams. Home teams are 13-3 through the first two weeks, with the Horned Frogs having lost their only home game (to Wyoming).The gap between the Horned Frogs and the rest of the MWC is so large that the next- lowest RPI in the league is Wyoming at No. 161.
TCU coach Neil Dougherty said last week there is no basis for comparing the Horned Frogs’ football and basketball programs.
“Football is at a different juncture in their program,” he said of TCU’s winning tradition in that sport.
In his fourth season, Dough- erty is attempting to rebuild a basketball program that hasn’t had much success since the mid-1990s, when Billy Tubbs had the Frogs hopping.
Dougherty pointed to injuries as a key factor in his team’s struggles this season. Senior forward Chudi Chinweze underwent knee surgery before the season. Junior guard Neil P. Dougherty, the coach’s son, missed nine weeks because of a knee injury. Sophomore guard Brent Hackett has been in and out of practice because of shoulder issues.
Rookie on the rise
Wyoming freshman guard Brandon Ewing, MWC co-player of the week with San Diego State junior guard Brandon Heath, is starting to shine at the same point in his career as his talented predecessor with the Cowboys, Jay Straight.
Ewing averaged 17 points, four assists and a steal in two Wyoming victories last week.
Straight helped recruit the 6-foot-2 product of Chicago.
Aztecs don’t forget
Sure, San Diego State was picked to win the MWC title because of the return of Heath and Marcus Slaughter, another standout, along with Florida transfer Mohamed Abukar. But the Aztecs’ history of underachieving left some doubters.
San Diego State is playing like the favorite now. The Aztecs didn’t just overwhelm Nevada-Las Vegas 83-67 last weekend. They gained revenge for last year’s meltdown against the Rebels. The previous time the teams had met, San Diego State watched a 10-point lead with 18 seconds left in regulation evaporate into a 93-91 overtime loss at home. The Aztecs then lost six of their next seven.
San Diego State (10-6 overall, 3-1 MWC) looks to take control of the league lead with a game at TCU tonight and a home game Saturday against struggling Brigham Young.
Staff writer Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
