College basketball notes: BYU lone MWC team in polls after big start

Colorado State coach Tim Miles' team lost big at BYU last Saturday, but at least he hasn't lost his sense of humor.

The Cougars crushed the Rams 91-47 at the Marriott Center in a game that pitted the only two teams without a Mountain West Conference loss. Now, BYU (18-1, 3-0 MWC) is in sole possession of first place and looked almost invincible against CSU.

Quipped Miles during Monday's weekly coaches' teleconference: "Well, Sunday I got done watching the replay of the BYU-Colorado State game. The only entertainment was the 92-year-old lady at halftime doing the splits."

BYU, which moved up to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll this week, took another step toward a fourth consecutive MWC championship, though there's still a lot of conference games to be played.

Just a couple of weeks ago, New Mexico was nationally ranked and UNLV and San Diego State looked like strong contenders for a league title. But since then, the Lobos, Rebels and Aztecs have all looked vulnerable, dropping two games apiece.

"The top four teams clearly set themselves apart in the preseason — San Diego State, New Mexico, UNLV and BYU," said Miles. "Now, the way we've kind of just cannibalized each other, it looks like BYU and everybody else."

Of course, the Cougars, who entertain Wyoming tonight, will be tested Saturday when they travel to SDSU. But for now, BYU is rolling.

"They're excellent in all areas," said Miles. "They have a really great team. I think it's only a matter of time before they're in the top 10 in the country ... They're clearly the best team we've played to date."

SHOT-BLOCKER EXTRAORDINAIRE: Utah center David Foster tallied six blocks in the Utes' victory over UNLV, giving him a total of 68 for the season. He now owns the MWC single-season sophomore record for blocks, eclipsing the 66 blocks by Colorado State's Jason Smith in 2005-06.

Foster leads the league in blocked shots (4.3 per game) and ranks fifth nationally. He's rejected at least one shot in all 16 games he has played in, including 14 games with multiple blocks.

STAT WATCH: BYU's Jimmer Fredette leads the league in scoring (19.9 ppg); San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard and TCU's Zvonko Buljan are tops in rebounding (9.3 rpg). San Diego State's Billy White is No. 1 in field goal percentage (.613), while TCU's Ronnie Moss leads in assists (6.2 apg). Fredette is No. 1 in free throw (91 percent) and 3-point (44 percent) shooting.