Nearly two weeks into Mountain West play, from top to bottom the conference looks to be the best it has been in a long time. Having six teams ranked #53 or higher and no team over #200, night in and night out fans can nearly always expect games to be competitive. Below I list notes on each team along with opponents for the week and what fans might expect moving forward as the conference standings start to round out:
Nevada (14-3 | 4-0 MW | #29 NET | #60 KenPom)
Led by Kenan Blackshear and Jarod Lucas, Nevada has gotten off to a great start this season. The Wolf Pack opened Mountain West play to end 2022 with a close victory over Boise State and since have victories against Air Force, Colorado State and San Jose State. Nevada currently sits in first place in the conference with none other than a terrifying gauntlet ahead. The next six games for Nevada include two games against San Diego State along with matchups against Utah State, New Mexico, UNLV and Boise State. This stretch will give Steve Alford’s team an opportunity to either pull ahead in the conference or fall right back into the mix.
Schedule this week:
Tuesday Jan. 10 @ San Diego State (CBS Sports Network, 9 p.m. MT)
Friday Jan. 13 vs. Utah State (FS1, 9 p.m. MT)
#23 San Diego State (12-3 | 3-0 MW | #23 NET | #20 KenPom)
Following the 2021-22 season, most fans know what they are getting from San Diego State. The Aztecs returned nearly a full roster with last year’s conference Defensive Player of the Year Nathan Mensah being the anchor on defense. Matt Bradley and Darrion Trammell both average double figures on the offensive side of the ball. I had the opportunity to see San Diego State face St. Mary’s earlier this season in the Jerry Colangelo classic in which the Aztecs received one of their three losses on the year. San Diego State is beatable, but with a 3-0 start to conference play and a two-game homestand ahead I believe the Aztecs will continue to run the table until they show otherwise.
Schedule this week:
Tuesday Jan. 10 vs. Nevada (CBS Sports Network, 9 p.m. MT)
Saturday Jan. 14 vs. New Mexico (CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m. MT)
Utah State (13-3 | 2-1 MW | #26 NET | #45 KenPom)
Even following a 23-point loss at Boise State, the Aggies have impressed this season and their numbers have backed it up. Utah State is still shooting over 42% from deep and when they’re hot the scoreboard can start to light up quickly. The Aggies have five players averaging double figures scoring including Steven Ashworth (16.1 ppg) coming off the bench. The schedule doesn’t loosen up in the future for Utah State, hosting Wyoming (has potential to be a Quad-4 loss in the NET) and Nevada at The Spectrum this week.
Schedule this week:
Tuesday Jan. 10 vs. Wyoming (FS1, 8:30 p.m. MT)
Saturday Jan. 14 vs. Nevada (FS1, 9 p.m. MT)
Boise State (12-4 | 2-1 MW | #35 NET | #48 KenPom)
After it took the 2022 Mountain West Champions some games to mesh their new starting five to start the season, Boise State has bounced back. The only thing separating the Broncos from a 3-0 conference record is a go-ahead layup with just seconds on the clock in a thriller at Nevada. Marcus Shaver Jr. has been phenomenal since returning from injury and Tyson Degenhart looks as if his struggles from behind the arc may be close to over. Texas Tech transfer Chibuzo Agbo has been a pleasant surprise from 3-point range as well, shooting 44% from deep. The Broncos have a tough week ahead with a conference standalone game at UNLV on Wednesday before heading to Laramie to face Wyoming on Saturday.
Schedule this week:
Wednesday Jan. 11 @ UNLV (CBS Sports Network, 9 p.m. MT)
Saturday Jan. 14 @ Wyoming (FS1, 9 p.m. MT)
Boise State jumped 17 spots to a season-best No. 46 at KenPom after the 23-point blowout win of Utah State.https://t.co/hgPUhdB5kC
— B.J. Rains (@BJRains) January 8, 2023
New Mexico (14-2 | 2-2 MW | #50 NET | #68 KenPom)
The Lobos are back. The trio of Jamal Mashburn Jr., Jaelen House and Morris Udeze has propelled New Mexico to be as competitive as any team in the Mountain West. After starting the season 14-0, the Lobos are coming off back-to-back losses to Fresno State and UNLV with an opportunity Monday night to bounce back hosting Oral Roberts in a rare January non conference game. The Summit League’s finest are no easy test for New Mexico, sitting at 13-3 and rated #79 on KenPom. The Lobos will also travel to San Diego State to wrap up the week in a premiere Mountain West Conference matchup.
Schedule this week:
Monday Jan. 9 vs. Oral Roberts (Mountain West Network, 7 p.m. MT)
Saturday Jan. 14 @ San Diego State (CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m. MT)
San Jose State (11-6 | 2-2 MW | #113 NET | #133 KenPom)
Led by junior guard Omari Moore, the Spartans have been potentially the biggest surprise in the conference when looking at success. San Jose State has already matched its second largest win total (11) since the 2011-12 season and nearly beat Boise State at ExtraMile Arena following a win against Colorado State in Fort Collins. Tim Miles has things rolling during his second season in the Bay Area.
Schedule this week:
Tuesday Jan. 10 vs. Fresno State (Mountain West Network, 8 p.m. MT)
Fresno State (6-9 | 2-2 MW | #190 NET | #152 KenPom)
With the loss of Orlando Robinson to the NBA it was expected that the Bulldogs would have a major drop off in 2022-23. Forward Isaih Moore leads Fresno State in scoring and has shot 40% from deep up until this point, helping the Bulldogs tally wins against both New Mexico and Wyoming. The NET and KenPom rankings for Fresno State mean a loss to the Bulldogs could be costly, but they’re no team to glaze over when seen on the schedule.
Schedule this week:
Tuesday Jan. 10 @ San Jose State (Mountain West Network, 8 p.m. MT)
Saturday Jan. 14 vs. Air Force (Mountain West Network, 5 p.m. MT)
UNLV (12-3 | 1-2 MW | #53 NET | #71 KenPom)
Following losses to San Jose State and San Diego State to open conference play, UNLV bounced back strongly with a win over New Mexico at The Pit. The Runnin’ Rebels have three main sources of point production led by Oklahoma transfer EJ Harkless and complemented by Luis Rodriguez and Keshon Gilbert. Since the end of last season there has been a buzz in the air on campus surrounding UNLV’s potential. With a 12-3 overall record, UNLV has proven they can run with competition. Home games against Boise State and Colorado State this week will show where they truly stand in the conference.
Schedule this week:
Wednesday Jan. 11 vs. Boise State (CBS Sports Network, 9 p.m. MT)
Saturday Jan. 14 vs. Colorado State (CBS Sports Network, 5 p.m. MT)
Colorado State (9-8 | 1-3 MW | #108 NET | #105 KenPom)
With the departure of David Roddy the Rams have seen a significant dropoff in production on the court. With that being said, Colorado State is still just as competitive as any team in the conference. Niko Medved’s team had an opportunity to notch a win in Reno being up on the Wolf Pack late in the second half, but were unable to close out the game. The Rams bounced back with a 79-57 home win over Fresno State on Saturday and moved to 1-3 in conference play.
Schedule this week:
Tuesday Jan. 10 vs. Air Force (Mountain West Network, 7 p.m. MT)
Saturday Jan. 14 @ UNLV (CBS Sports Network, 5 p.m. MT)
Air Force (9-7 | 0-3 MW | #166 NET | #170 KenPom)
Jake Heidbreder has been the lone star for the Falcons this season, leading with nearly 16 points per game and shooting 49.7% from the field. The main advantage Air Force has is the luxury of playing at Clune Arena, which without a charter is never an easy trek to get to from most cities in the Mountain West. The Falcons will hit the road this week playing at rival Colorado State and then heading to the SaveMart Center in Fresno for a tough matchup against the Bulldogs.
Schedule this week:
Tuesday Jan. 10 @ Colorado State (Mountain West Network, 7 p.m. MT)
Saturday Jan. 14 @ Fresno State (Mountain West Network, 5 p.m. MT)
Wyoming (5-10 | 0-3 MW | #200 NET | #138 KenPom)
The Cowboys struggles have been one of the more shocking developments in the Mountain West this season, projected in the preseason to finish second in the conference and currently sitting at #200 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. Many of Wyoming’s struggles have had to do with the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year Graham Ike being out with a lower-leg injury since just before the season started. Don’t let the 0-3 conference record fool you, the Cowboys have lost all three games by a total of 11 points. I would expect Wyoming to get things back on track very soon, making Boise State’s Jan. 14. Matchup with the Cowboys in Laramie dangerous.
Schedule this week:
Tuesday Jan. 10 @ Utah State (FS1, 8:30 p.m. MT)
Saturday Jan. 14 vs. Boise State (FS1, 9 p.m. MT)
