The Mountain West had another fine season, eclipsing the Pac-12 in the eyes of many. San Diego State received a carryover of attention from their top-10 season in 2011, but New Mexico and UNLV were superior statistically.

The Aztecs and Lobos each finished the regular season with a 10-4 record.

In order to determine our team rankings, we calculate the difference between a team's own FIC per game and their opponents' FIC for the entire conference season.

The FIC is a single statistical measurement that encompasses things such as scoring efficiency, rebounding, blocked shots, etc. Its purpose is to combine the box score into one statistic, both on a team level and for players.

1. New Mexico: 18.15  
2. UNLV: 16.41  
3. San Diego State: 4.67  
4. Wyoming: 2.00  
5. Colorado State: -3.04  
6. Texas Christian: -9.17  
7. Boise State: -13.24  
8. Air Force: -15.79

Many people believe the season is won (or lost) in February. Some teams get better, the rest get left in the rear view mirror.

But looking at win-loss records in the Last 10 can be misleading because of different schedule strengths. Here are the teams whose opponent adjusted margin-of-victory numbers are trending in the right direction:

ChOff = Change in Adjusted Offense From January 31^st to February 27^th

ChDef = Change in Adjusted Defense From January 31^st to February 27^th (I changed the sign so that positive is good.)

TotalCh = Change in Offense plus Change in Defense

Rank = Monday’s Pomeroy Rank

Perhaps TCU won’t be a cellar-dweller in the Big 12 next year after all. After beating New Mexico on Saturday, TCU is one of the most improved teams in the nation over the last month. Notre Dame’s losing streak may have come to an end at St. John’s, but February was still a very good month for the Irish. And Michigan St. has staked its claim as one of the top teams in the nation.

Here are some teams trending the wrong direction:

Here are some teams that are surging on offense, but whose defense has slipped recently:

And here are some teams that are surging on defense, but haven’t seen enough offensive improvement to make a big jump in the Pomeroy Rankings:

So much for Travon Woodall salvaging Pitt’s season.  The Panthers offense continues to trend in the wrong direction.  Here are the teams with sagging offense that are not listed above:

And here are the teams whose defense has gone in the tank:

Trends can be reversed in a moment.  A breakout player will lead to a boost in offense until the scouting reports catch up.  Thus I wouldn’t necessarily believe these are permanent changes.  But if you believe that teams that get better in February win in March, these lists provide plenty of ammunition.

Two weeks ago, I presented a grid that showed how BCS teams would be using their early season tournament exemption. Obviously the great match-ups, like those in the Maui Invitational, are the main reason to tune into these exempt events. But often, there are more subtle reasons to care about these tournaments. Here are 12 under-the-radar reasons to watch these neutral site events. 

Charleston Classic:

1) Can Northwestern finally get a jump start on an NCAA at-large bid, or will they start the Big Ten season in the hole as always?

2) Shaka Smart stuck around at VCU and the student body is paying much higher fees to pay his salary. But will everyone’s favorite NCAA team continue to knock off BCS teams?

3) And what about Phil Martelli’s St. Joseph’s team? Martelli looked like he might be fired last season after an 11^th place A10 finish, but his young team came together during the A10 tournament. Was that a fluke or a sign of things to come? The four-time A10 coach of the year might still have a trick or two up his sleeve.

Puerto Rico:

4) How are the Maryland players going to adapt to Mark Turgeon’s careful, slower paced-offense, after being used to Gary Williams fast-paced attack?

5) Will we finally get to see a healthy Robbie Hummel play for Purdue?

Paradise Jam:

6) Is TCU anywhere near ready to play in a BCS conference? After all, the team is one year away from joining the Big East.

Battle 4 Atlantis:

7) A year after Harvard nearly made the NCAA tournament, can they earn a few quality non-conference victories?

Diamond Head:

8) Will UTEP be able to beat its former coach at Auburn?

Coaches vs Cancer:

9) What can we expect from a completely re-built St. John’s team?

South Padre Invitational:

10) Is this the Iowa invitational? It features Iowa St. and Northern Iowa this year. Too bad Providence fired Keno Davis because the other Iowa schools would have loved to have faced Tom Davis’ son one more time.

76 Classic:

11) Boston College features almost an entirely new roster. But someone has to score right? What surprise players should we get excited about?

Old Spice Classic:

12) With so many weak BCS teams, could the winner of this tournament still miss the NCAA tournament? Will the MAAC host finally makes a run?

Indeed every early season tournament offers a number of intriguing plotlines, in addition to who is playing Duke and North Carolina.