Arnie Stapleton

LAS VEGAS -- Brandon Davies' asbsence might not have made much difference. Not as passionate and poised as No. 7 San Diego State played in its third meeting with No. 8 BYU.

Senior Billy White put on an offensive display that was equally as impressive as his defense that helped bedevil national scoring leader Jimmer Fredette in leading the Aztecs past the top-seeded Cougars 72-54 Saturday night for the Mountain West Conference title.

White had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five steals and fellow all-tournament selection Kawhi Leonard pitched in 20 points and eight boards, then jawed with Fredette as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

LAS VEGAS -- The stat sheet was ugly and the final score certainly won't impress the NCAA tournament selection committee. But to BYU coach Dave Rose, the No. 8 Cougars' 64-58 squeaker over TCU on Thursday was a thing of beauty.

"I was really pleased with how we competed. I thought our team in crucial situations got big rebounds. We made big shots. We made big free throws. We were able to win that first-round game, which is very difficult, to play a team for the third time," Rose declared after the Cougars advanced to the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference tournament.

The Cougars (29-3) will face nemesis New Mexico, which has handed them two of their three losses this season -- and by an average of 13.5 points.

The Mountain West Conference has never created this much buzz.

The up-and-coming league is ranked fourth in the RPI behind the Big East, Big Ten and Big 12 and will feature two top-10 teams at its tournament in Las Vegas this week in BYU and San Diego State while showcasing Cougars scoring machine Jimmer Fredette, one of the favorites for national player of the year, and Aztecs super sophomore Kawhi Leonard.

The real rumble, though, is all about one player who won't be on the court for a single minute.

DENVER -- Everybody seems to be talking about where Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony will end up next season.

What about coach George Karl?

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Tragedy and grief have become all too familiar visitors to the Denver Broncos.

DENVER -- Just how much longer will Carmelo Anthony play for the Denver Nuggets?

He can opt out of his contract after the upcoming season and become the headliner of the 2011 free agent class or he could play out the final two years of his contract and put off the wine-and-dine tour for a year.

PARKER, Colo. -- Tom Lehman won the 71st Senior PGA Championship on Sunday with a par on the first playoff hole, where Fred Couples and David Frost were done in by bad tee shots and double-bogeyed.