TCU tops MWC women’s basketball poll; UNLV picked to share fifth slot

The Mountain West might have started a trend when it comes to women's basketball: If you win the league, you get to leave.

Brigham Young bolted for the West Coast Conference after going 15-1 last season. If Tuesday's preseason poll holds true to form and Texas Christian prevails in the 2011-12 season, the Horned Frogs won't be back to defend their title. TCU announced Monday it was joining the Big 12 Conference effective July 1, 2012.

Coach Jeff Mittie, whose team won the regular-season title two years ago and finished second last year, would like nothing better than to have that scenario play out.

"I'm not sure we deserve to be picked first, we've got such a young team, the youngest in my 19 years of coaching," Mittie said by phone from Colorado Springs, Colo., where the league held its annual media day. "But I guess someone has to be (first).

"I think every team has question marks, including ours. We have to develop some depth and stay healthy for us to win. But you certainly want to win a championship every year, and that's a goal for us."

TCU received 12 first-place votes and 136 points in the Mountain West preseason poll conducted among the league's eight coaches and selected members of the media. San Diego State was picked second with seven first-place votes and 127 points, followed by Colorado State, which received one first-place vote and had 106 points. New Mexico, which had 74 points, was picked fourth.

UNLV was picked to share fifth with Wyoming, with 65 points each. Lady Rebels senior forward Jamie Smith was selected as a member of the preseason all-conference team, and coach Kathy Olivier said that kind of publicity can only help her team.

"It's important," Olivier said. "Jamie has worked extremely hard and she's very deserving. Even though it's preseason, news like this gives your entire program a lift."

UNLV has all five starters back, including Smith, who averaged 8.1 points last year and was the team's top rebounder. Junior guard Kelli Thompson led the Lady Rebels at 14.1 points per game last season. But that team finished eighth in the conference and went 11-20 overall.

Olivier said the Lady Rebels need to take advantage of their experience and win some of the close games they lost last season to be competitive.

"I think they have a little chip on their shoulders; they're tired of losing," said Olivier, whose team lost eight games by nine or fewer points last year. "I expected us to be picked somewhere in the middle. But I'm not putting a whole lot into it. For us, it's about winning games. That's where our focus is as we start practice."

With BYU and Utah gone, Boise State entering its first season in the MWC and TCU preparing to play its seventh and last year, the conference's women's basketball landscape is rapidly changing. Mittie said the Horned Frogs have enjoyed their time in the league and would like to follow BYU's lead by going out on top.

"The Mountain West has been a good league for us," he said. "I like the coaches and the competition, and we've enjoyed a lot of success. I hate to see us leave."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.