College basketball this week

WHO IS HOT?

Dave Rose, BYU coach

Everything seems to be coming up, well, roses for the Cougars head coach. He celebrated his birthday on Saturday with the biggest win over a Division I opponent in the school's history.

GAME OF THE WEEK

BYU vs. Nebraska

Today, 8:30 p.m. at Las Vegas

The Cougars will take a crack at the Huskers, who downed Tulsa in the nightcap Tuesday.

RPI RANKINGS

86: BYU — Weak strength of schedule

172: Weber State — Moved up 45 spots

180: Utah State — Tough to beat in Logan

216: Utah — Strongest strength of schedule

296: Southern Utah — Faces Nebraska next

337: Utah Valley — At Cal next Monday

—Source: CBSSports.com

AROUND THE WAC

LOGAN — What was a terrible preseason looked to become an almost-unbearable conference run at New Mexico State.

That was until Wendell McKines had a grade changed a few days ago and suddenly became academically eligible.

McKines is one of the most talented forwards in the Western Athletic Conference, averaging 12.1 points and 10 rebounds per game, but had been declared ineligible to play during the fall semester because of grades from the previous year.

When grades for the semester were posted, McKines — along with fellow academic casualty Troy Gillenwater (12.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg) — didn't have the results needed to play with the Aggies.

On Monday afternoon, however, McKines got good news from an academic appeals committee and had a grade changed. That night he was in uniform as a starter and played 26 minutes, scoring eight points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out six assists.

"It's a compliment to him for working so hard and to come out with the grades he did with the load that he took on is a testament to how hard he worked," NMSU coach Marvin Menzies told the Las Cruces Sun-News after the game.