Broncos retain top spot in Mountain West power rankings

Alex Taylor, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne
·6 min read

Jan. 26—LARAMIE — The Mountain West has cemented itself as the best mid-major in college basketball this season, with five of its 11 teams ranked inside the top 50 of the NCAA Net rankings this week.

The conference is projected to have four teams in the NCAA Tournament in March, including three at-large bids. The conference race continues to heat up as team's pass the midway point of the MW season.

1. Boise State

(Last week: 1)

The Broncos (16-5 overall, 6-2 Mountain West) have won six of their last seven games, the last being a 63-53 home win over Fresno State on Tuesday, and sit at No. 22 in the Net rankings. Boise State has the No. 1 defense in the MW with an average of 61.2 points allowed per game are narrowly lost 81-79 in overtime to New Mexico on the road last weekend. The Broncos will look to further cement themselves at the top of the conference at home this weekend. Boise State will host Colorado State at 6 p.m. Saturday in Idaho.

2. San Diego State

(Last week: 3)

The Aztecs (15-4, 6-1) have bounced in and out of the top 25 a handful of times this season and sit in first place in the MW, with their only loss coming at home to New Mexico earlier this month. SDSU is No. 28 in the NET rankings but has a 1-4 record in quad one games. The Aztecs hosted Utah State on Wednesday night and will return to the court this weekend with another home game. SDSU will host San Jose State at 7 p.m. Saturday in California.

3. New Mexico

(Last week: 2)

Like SDSU, the Lobos (18-3, 5-3) have bounced in and out of the top 25 rankings over the past two months and sit at No. 25 this week. New Mexico will likely drop out of the rankings after a 97-94 loss in double overtime to Nevada on Monday to drop to No. 30 in the NET rankings. The Lobos have the No. 1 offense in the conference at 82.5 points per game and will host Air Force at 8 p.m. Friday in Albuquerque.

4. Nevada

(Last week: 5)

The Wolf Pack (16-5, 6-2) continue to be one of the biggest surprises in the conference after being picked to finish ninth in the MW preseason polls. Nevada sits at No. 34 in the NET rankings after a 97-94 double-overtime win over No. 25-ranked New Mexico on Monday. The Wolf Pack will hit the road for another conference game this weekend, facing rival UNLV at 8 p.m. Saturday in Las Vegas.

5. Utah State

(Last week: 4)

The Aggies (16-4, 5-2) have the No. 2 offense in the conference at 80.6 points per game and are ranked No. 35 in the NET rankings after squeezing by San Jose State 75-74 last weekend. Utah State has two quad four losses and has the second-worst defense in the MW at 71.2 points allowed per game. The Aggies faced SDSU on the road Wednesday and will play a second consecutive road game this weekend. Utah State will play Fresno State at 5 p.m. Saturday in California.

6. UNLV

(Last week: 6)

The Rebels (13-7, 2-6) picked up just their second conference win of the season this week, beating the University of Wyoming 86-72 on Tuesday in Nevada. UNLV is ranked No. 81 in the NET rankings and has the No. 3 offense in the conference at 76.4 points per game. The Rebels' other conference win was an 84-77 upset over New Mexico earlier this month, but UNLV followed it up with four straight losses before beating the Cowboys. UNLV will host rival Nevada at 8 p.m. Saturday in Las Vegas.

7. San Jose State

(Last week: 8)

Another surprise in the conference, the Spartans (13-8, 4-4) were picked 10th in the MW preseason polls and sit in fifth place after a huge 82-52 win over Air Force on Tuesday. SJSU has the No. 9 offense in the conference but has made up for it with the fourth-best defense at 66 points allowed per game. The Spartans jumped 14 spots to No. 109 in the Net rankings going into a big matchup with SDSU this weekend. The Aztecs will host SJSU at 7 p.m. Saturday in California.

8. Colorado State

(Last week: 7)

The Rams (10-11, 2-6) have been one of the bigger disappointments in the conference so far this season after being picked to finish fourth in the preseason polls. CSU gave UW its first conference win of the season, a 58-57 win in the Border War in Laramie last weekend. The Rams' defense ranks No. 9 in the conference and the team sits at No. 121 in the Net rankings going into this weekend's matchup with Boise State. The Broncos will host the Rams at 6 p.m. Saturday in Idaho.

9. Air Force

(Last week: 9)

The Falcons (12-9, 3-5) had a bit of momentum going with three straight conference wins earlier this month but dropped two consecutive games to SDSU and SJSU to fall to No. 151 in the NET rankings. Air Force has the second-worst offense in the conference but ranks No. 3 in defense at 65.2 points allowed per game. The Falcons will travel to play New Mexico at 8 p.m. Friday in Albuquerque.

10. Fresno State

(Last week: 10)

The Bulldogs (7-12, 3-5) have lost four of their last five conference games to drop to No. 181 in the NET rankings going into this weekend. Fresno State has the worst offense in the conference at 60.9 points per game but ranks second in defense at 62.9 points allowed per game. The Bulldogs will host Utah State at 5 p.m. Saturday in California.

11. Wyoming

(Last week: 11)

After being picked second in the MW preseason polls, the injury-plagued Cowboys (6-14, 1-7) have been the worst team in the conference so far this season, particularly on the defensive end. UW is dead-last in the MW with 72 points allowed per game and hasn't been able to keep pace with opponents because its offense ranks eighth in the conference at 70.1 points per game. The Cowboys are the only MW team outside the top 200 in the Net rankings, sitting at No. 201 after an 86-72 loss to UNLV on Tuesday in Nevada. UW will take the weekend off before returning to the court Tuesday against Fresno State. The Cowboys will host the Bulldogs at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Laramie.

Alex Taylor covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net or 269-364-3560. Follow him on Twitter at @alex_m_taylor22.