We are getting the last rendition of the Mountain West conference as we know it. The Mountain West has been the best Mid-Major conference the last half decade. The conference had a record six NCAA Tournament
bids two years ago.
We have a clear echelon at the top, but the middle of this conference is going to be a war every night. There are a couple of new coaches in the league this year. Richard Pitino moved on from New Mexico, and Eric Olen from UCSD filled in. March Madness legend Ali Farokhmanesh gets his shot to lead the Colorado State program after longtime coach Niko Medved left for Minnesota. UNLV brings in Josh Pastner as head coach. Plus, Grand Canyon is now in the conference.
The Favorite
San Diego State
As you can see, the Aztecs were unanimous No. 1 team in the coaches’ poll. They are led by star Miles Byrd, who was picked as the best mid-major player ahead of the season. Byrd is one of the most explosive two-way wings in the country. Even with multiple power conference suitors vying for him in the transfer portal, Magoon Gwath comes back to San Diego, which guarantees the Aztecs will be top defensive team in the nation. BJ Davis and Reese Waters give head coach Brian Dutcher experienced scoring options at both guard positions. Look out for MW preseason freshmen of the year Elzie Harrington, who was an ESPN top-100 recruit in the 2025 class. The Aztecs have key non-conference games against Michigan, Oregon and Arizona.
The Contenders
Utah State
The Aggies enter year 2 of the Jerrod Calhoun era after winning 26 games last season. Junior guard Mason Falslev returns after scoring 15 points per game last season. The Aggies added some pieces in the portal such as MJ Collins Jr., who got regular minutes on a Vanderbilt team that made the Tournament last year. Center Zach Keller is a sturdy 6-foot-10 center from the University of Utah and will give the Aggies a defensive presence in the middle. The X-factor may be Texas A&M-Corpus Christi transfer Garry Clark, who is a versatile long wing who averaged 14.9 points per game. The Aggies will be an explosive team on offense. The ceiling for this team will be how it can improve defensively.
Boise State
Leon Rice produces a contender year after year. The Broncos are coming off three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Replacing four-year starting forward Tyson Degenhart will be a challenging task. Rice responded by bringing in two power-conference transfers with Dylan Andrews coming from UCLA and Drew Fielder coming from Georgetown. The Broncos have returning role players who can step up to fill a bigger role. Pearson Carmichael and Andrew Meadow set up as breakout candidates.
Grand Canyon
The Lopes enter the Mountain West Conference early after four WAC championships in the last five years. Bryce Drew brings in an entirely new starting five after last year’s team was hit hard by the portal and graduation. The most significant newcomer is Brian Moore Jr. from Norfolk State. Moore was named the MW preseason newcomer of the year after averaging 18.7 points per game with the Spartans. Former top recruit Dusty Stromer comes to the Valley from Gonzaga. Jaden Henley comes from UNLV and gives the Lopes some MW experience. Nana Owusu-Anane is a transfer from Brown who gives the Lopes a physical presence. The wildcard for the Lopes is that teams will have to travel to GCU Arena to play in a very hostile environment. The Arena holds upwards of 7,500 people, but the student section known as the “Havocs” account for a big portion of the crowd and make it one of the toughest places to play in the country.
New Mexico
Richard Pitino brought success back to the Pit. The Lobos hired the right man to continue that success with Eric Olen coming from UC San Diego. The shelves were bare this offseason, but Olen will build it. The biggest challenge will be replacing the explosive play making of last year’s MW player of the year Donovan Dent. New Mexico brings in junior Kevin Patton Jr. from USC. Deyton Albury, from New Mexico, will carry the scoring. Watch out from D-II transfer Luke Haupt. He is a 6-foot-7 point forward, who should be a defensive menace in Olen’s system. He shot 39% from three last season. With Olen at the helm, New Mexico will be in the mix.
Rest of the Pack
UNLV
UNLV starts the Josh Pastner era. One of the most bubbly coaching personalities gets another chance in the city that never sleeps. UNLV is always a sleeping giant. It’s going to take some steps to get the Runnin’ Rebels back to glory. A top-five finish in the conference may be a good start. Alabama transfer Naas Cunningham and High Point transfer Kimani Hamilton should make immediate impacts. Four-star freshman Tyrin Jones may lay the building blocks for the future of this program.
Nevada
Steve Alford always puts a talented core together in Reno. This year the Wolf Pack comes in with low expectations. Elijah Price was the Mountain West top freshman last season at Fresno State. The Wolf Pack have challenging non-conference games against Santa Clara, UCSB, Washington State and Washington. We should know if Nevada can be a contender in this conference by mid-December.
Colorado State
Ali Farokhmanesh’s tenure begins this upcoming season, and it’s a team that I will be glued to all year. Farokhmanesh made his name in college basketball as a player when he helped his Northern Iowa team upset 1-seed Kansas in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Farokhmanesh is an offensive savant and has been a huge part of CSU’s offensive development the last few seasons. The Rams lost a majority of their production from last season’s NCAA Tournament team. It’s hard to replace a first-round NBA Draft Nique Clifford. Josh Pascarelli is CSU’s most notable transfer after averaging 15.9 points at Marist.
The Cellar
Wyoming
It was a forgettable year for head coach Sundance Wicks at Wyoming last year. The Cowboys went 12-20 and 5-15 in conference play. They bring in essentially what is a brand new roster. You really don’t know what to expect. Wicks wants to play up tempo and fast. They bring in former top recruit Jared Harris from Memphis. Harris is a small combo guard who could excel in Wicks system. There are a lot of unknowns with the Cowboys this year. They could pop, but it will most likely remain in the bottom half of the conference.
San José State
Tim Miles does pretty well with what he does in San José. They finished in the top five in the conference a couple years ago. It’s hard to accomplish consistent success with the resources this school has. Colby Garland is a transfer from Longwood who averaged 12 points per game. He was a role player on a really good Drake team as a freshman. Big power forward Sadraque NgaNga showed some potential last season. Miles is one of the best coaches in the conference. This team has the talent to compete every night. San José State don’t have the depth of talent to win consistently in this league.
Fresno State
Elijah Price, Fresno’s star freshmen phenom from a season ago, transferred two hours east to play at Nevada. Zaon Collins comes back for his junior season, and that man is a bucket. Collins averaged 12 points per game last season. The Bulldogs will require to lean on Collins, and I would not be surprised if he leads the league in scoring this season.
Air Force
It’s hard for service academies to compete in the NIL/transfer portal era. College sports are simply unfair. Coach Joe Scott does well with what he has but unfortunately, the Falcons are the heavy favorites to finish in the bottom of the conference once again.
