Mountain West Conference Play Begins Wednesday
Nevada, UNLV, Boise State, San Diego State and Fresno State are looking like the top contenders for the regular season title
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Nevada leads the MWC in projected over/under win totals
Conference play starts for the Mountain West on Wednesday. Check out our projected win-loss records for each team. Which teams will finish over or under our expected win totals? Let us know.
Air Force Falcons
O/U W-L Record Projection: 4.0-14.0
-Two of Air Force’s six wins are against non-DI teams and rank just 297th in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Falcons will have trouble keeping up with the league’s better scoring attacks.
Boise State Broncos
O/U W-L Record Projection: 13.0-5.0
-Boise State started off hot (9-1), but needed two overtimes to hold off Grand Canyon and home and was dismantled by SMU on the road last Monday. Three of BSU’s first five conference games are away from Boise, facing off with UNLV, Wyoming, and Fresno State.
Colorado State Rams
O/U W-L Record Projection: 7.0-11.0
-Like Air Force, Colorado State’s offense is a very legitimate concern. CSU has scored over 75 points just twice: at home vs. Winthrop and at home vs. non-DI Arkansas Fort Smith. Colorado State ranks 319th in effective field goal percentage.
Fresno State Bulldogs
O/U W-L Record Projection: 11.0-7.0
-Fresno State won ten of its first 13 games, and the three losses are by a combined 17 points. Deshon Taylor (18.6 PPG, 39.3% 3P) is a major threat on offense, and Jaron Hopkins (back) could return to the lineup as early as Wednesday.
New Mexico Lobos
O/U W-L Record Projection: 5.0-13.0
-The bright spots have been few and far between, but the recent surge by Dane Kuiper (16.0 PPG over last three games, 4.8 PPG over his first ten games) is encouraging. New Mexico’s run-it-up style could make matchups against UNLV, San Diego State, Wyoming and Nevada scoring shootouts.
Nevada Wolf Pack
O/U W-L Record Projection: 14.5-3.5
-Nevada’s program-best start ended on a sour note. The Wolf Pack were unable to pick up a quality victory against Texas Tech or TCU away from Reno, and suffered a bad loss to San Francisco on Saturday, putting at-large hopes on edge. Regardless, Nevada is the team to beat in conference play.
San Diego State Aztecs
O/U W-L Record Projection: 12.0-6.0
-Unlike Nevada, San Diego State finish non-league play with an exclamation point. The Aztecs enjoyed their most complete performance in over a year, frustrating and upsetting a ranked Gonzaga team in Viejas. If SDSU can continue to play at the same level, Brian Dutcher’s first season as head coach could result in an NCAA Tournament trip.
San Jose State Spartans
O/U W-L Record Projection: 3.0-15.0
-SJSU’s 3-8 non-conference record is disappointing, but the Spartans have shown glimpses of life throughout their first 11 games. Jean Prioleau notched his best win as head coach topping Santa Clara by 12 points on the road. SJSU has been solid on the boards, but offense remains an issue.
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
O/U W-L Record Projection: 13.0-5.0
-There’s a lot that can be said about UNLV. The Rebels are 11-2, tying last year’s win total, and could reasonably be 13-0 if it weren’t for the overtime losses to Northern Iowa and Arizona. Freshman Brandon McCoy and JUCO transfer Shakur Juiston have formed one of the best front court duos in the country, and the Rebels have been effective from the perimeter as well (33rd in 3P%). Good things are happening in Las Vegas.
Utah State Aggies
O/U W-L Record Projection: 7.0-11.0
-The duo of Sam Merrill and Koby McEwen hasn’t been nearly as impressive as most anticipated, but JUCO transfer DeAngelo Isby (12.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG) has been a great addition for the Aggies. As a whole, Utah State has been relatively inconsistent but competitive. The Aggies have either led in the second half or lost by less than 10 points in each of their six defeats.
Wyoming Cowboys
O/U W-L Record Projection: 9.5-8.5
-Wyoming looked awesome out of the gates, but has since struggled. The Cowboys suffered their first non-conference home loss since December of 2015 on Tuesday against Northern Colorado. Wyoming also had to scratch out victories over Drake and Eastern Washington in overtime, and none of its nine D-I wins have been by more than 14 points.
