I know some may be starting to think that I’m just saying this every week to hype up the league, but I’ll say it again anyway: the Mountain West is straight up bananas. The power rankings are an absolute mess, and I’m more sure than ever that this is a one-bid league. Predicting who that one bid will go to at this point requires a level of speculation that even I’m not comfortable with. And wildly speculating about sports is my favorite pastime.
Power Rankings
1. Nevada (5-2, 16-4, last week: 1)
Despite 25 points from conference POY favorite Marcus Marshall, the Wolfpack dropped a home game to Fresno State Saturday. I still feel comfortable with Nevada at #1 because I believe they have the most talent. However, if they want any shot at an at-large bid, I’m not sure the Wolfpack can afford another bad loss in the regular season.
2. New Mexico (5-3, 12-8, last week: 4)
The Lobos own one of three 3-game winning streaks in the league (Fresno St, SDSU), but their takedown of Boise State on the road was as good as I’ve seen the team play this season. We all know the team has had some trouble holding on to leads in the second half, but they were nearly flawless down the stretch against the Broncos.
3. Fresno State (5-3, 13-7, last week: 5)
The Bulldogs completed a season sweep of Nevada and remain the only team in the league to take down the Wolfpack. Don’t look now, but they also face favorable matchups in 5 of their next 6 games.
4. Boise State (5-2, 12-6, last week: 2)
The Broncos took care of business against San Jose State Saturday, and Chandler Hutchison remains a POY contender if he can lead the team on a run at the conference title. Boise State is one of two teams in the Mountain West with three conference wins on the road.
5. San Diego State (3-3, 11-7, last week: 3)
The Aztecs round out what I believe to be the top tier of teams in the Mountain West. At 62.3 PPG allowed, SDSU has the 15th-best scoring defense in all of college basketball, and the immediate schedule is highly in their favor.
6. Colorado State (4-3, 12-8, last week: 6)
With academic suspensions kicking in earlier this week, the Rams officially have just seven eligible players on the roster from here on out. Luckily for CSU, Emmanuel Omogbo (20 pts., 16 reb. vs Utah State) is one of them. Also there were no fights in the parking lot this week.
7. UNLV (3-4, 10-10, last week: 7)
The Runnin’ Rebels won the thriller of the weekend in double overtime against Air Force Saturday. The rebuild continues in Vegas, but at least the team has given fans some hope for the immediate future under Marvin Menzies.
8. Wyoming (3-4, 13-7, last week: 8)
Remember when I said that the Cowboys needed Jason McManamen to get going in order to spark the team’s offense? McManamen went scoreless on 0-5 shooting Saturday at New Mexico. Although he was reportedly dealing with illness, his struggles have been emblematic of Wyoming’s problems since league play started.
9. Utah State (2-5, 8-10, last week: 9)
10. San Jose State (2-5, 9-9, last week: 10)
11. Air Force (2-5, 9-11, last week: 11)
Three Stars
1. Jovan Mooring (Jr., G, UNLV)
Mooring was Mr. Clutch for the Rebels in an insane contest in Vegas Saturday. Here’s what went down, courtesy of CampusInsiders:
Including the two clutch 3’s, Mooring finished with 30 points in 44 minutes played against the Falcons. Also, what is it with guys banking in late 3’s in this league?
2. Elijah Brown (Jr., G, New Mexico)
Brown poured in a season-high 33 points against Wyoming Saturday and also added 10 rebounds. He has scored in double-digits in nine straight games, including every Mountain West game so far.
3. Hayden Dalton (Jr., F, Wyoming)
Dalton is the rare player to lead his team in scoring off the bench as he did in the loss to the Lobos. Dalton put up 17 points and 13 rebounds for his 7th double-double of the season.
Game of the Week
New Mexico at Nevada, Saturday Jan. 28, 4:00 PM ET, CBS Sports
Not only is this a 1 vs. 2 matchup in the power rankings, but its also a rematch of the wildest game of the 2016-17 college basketball season. Yes, I’ve proclaimed it the wildest, because nothing will top it.