Mountain West Conference race shaping up like 'Survivor' contest
Crinkle, crack and pop.
It's a war zone out there.
On Jan. 20 in the Marriott Center in Provo, Wyoming's Afam Muojeke made a gallant effort to chase BYU freshman Tyler Haws and stop him from scoring a layup. But when Muojeke made a final last-gasp leap, it looked awkward, and when he landed, he came down on his left leg at a weird angle.
That night, the Wyoming Cowboys lost their best player, the second-leading scorer in the league and last year's freshman of the year. He ruptured his patellar tendon in his left knee. Surgery ended his sophomore season.
Earlier in the season at Laramie, Wyo., San Diego State lost to the Cowboys 85-83 but did so without star Billie White, who didn't make the trip.
Coaches don't like to use injuries as an excuse for losses, but the Mountain West has had significant physical setbacks to players this year; some of them ended seasons; most forced juggled lineups while others have led directly to losses.
Injuries: They are the scary and unpredictable X factor.
There have been some serious ones and weird ones in the MWC. The strangest have been pelvis injuries to three league players.
It isn't just missed games by star players that are a challenge. When a player is hurt, he can't practice. He may miss just one game, but he could be taken off the floor for multiple practices. That hurts team chemistry, execution, not to mention competition. For teams that are not that deep, it's especially tough.
After a loss to CSU last week, Utah coach Jim Boylen, whose squad has battled its share of injuries this season, said his team simply appeared fatigued.
Air Force has had 10 different starting lineups through 21 games this season. A rash of concussions took out six Falcon players including Mike McLain, Tom Fow, Avery Merriex and Sammy Schafer. Cadets who have started a combined 47 games have missed a combined 76 games.
"I don't wish what we've gone through on anyone," AFA coach Jeff Reynolds said.
"You keep encouraging your team to work hard. It's hard after getting beat, and you worry about their mental approach. I think it's a matter of putting the pieces back together."
These injuries have impacted the MWC race. Teams that might be capable of knocking off a league leader have struggled to do so.
The team's best three teams, New Mexico, UNLV and BYU, have had the least disruptive injuries and practices.
Here's a rundown of the league's teams and their respective challenges with injuries this season:
