Mountaintop View 3-28-22. $$$, Hawaii learning curve, NIL, Baseball/Softball updates, Hall Award Finalist

It’s Monday and we are back at it! March Madness is upon us, even if the four Mountain West teams took an early tumble. Football news is always plentiful even in the off-season. Through it all, coverage is still coming your way today in the form of the latest news around the internet and original content later today and all of this week.

MWC MBB team spending.

These numbers are from two seasons ago. The Covid year is hard to determine anything and this year’s numbers aren’t out yet. SDSU is the flagship basketball team in the conference, so it’s no surprise they are the highest spender. Likewise, SJSU is usually a bottom-dweller and they bring up the rear in terms of spending, less than half of what the Aztecs spend. UNLV and New Mexico arguably get the least production out of their money spent. On the other hand, Boise State and Fresno State see results that go beyond their MBB budgets.

Hawaii players and coaches learning as they go.

With mostly a new staff and tons of new players, spring practices are a great way for the program to mesh together and figure each other out. Hawaii’s football team is doing exactly that. The coaches are installing schemes and plays at a high rate and the mistakes are coming just as quickly, which is to be expected. With new players and so many quarterbacks in the mix, experimentation is the keyword for the spring.

NIL uncertainty is changing the sports landscape

The NCAA continues to be vague on NIL rulings and laws vary from state to state. That leaves a big window for different schools to push the envelope when it comes to finding ways to compensate players and market it to recruits. It’s brought a legality to a long-time practice of money finding their ways to athletes, at least at some schools. And perhaps it has evened the playing field at other schools. The NCAA seems to be waiting for Congress to act at a national level with standards but that doesn’t seem to be happening soon. Until then, expect the ambiguity and varying practices between different states and schools.

MWC Baseball and Softball news.

Kruger is a finalist.

Spring Practice Schedule:

Although the football season hasn’t been over for too long, teams are already starting on preparations for next year. Spring practices are already underway for some teams and are coming up quickly for others. Below is the spring practice schedule list for each of the teams in the Mountain West who have announced so far.

Air Force: February 16th - March 16th

Boise State: March 4th- April 9th

Colorado State: March 22nd- April 23rd

Fresno State: March 21st -

Hawaii: March 22nd -April 23rd

Nevada: March 24th -April 23rd

New Mexico: February 8th - March 12th

San Diego State: February 28th- March 24th

San Jose State: March 1st - March 26th

UNLV: March 29th - April 30th

Utah State: March 21st - April 23rd

Wyoming: March 29th- April 30th

On the horizon:

• Later today: A new MWC Recruiting Roundup with the latest news and offers.
• Coming Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Kickers and Punters
• Coming Wednesday: Peak Perspective: Reviewing the MWC Top 30 Coaches Under 30