Clash for the crown: MW Hoops Preview
With the college basketball season beginning on Tuesday, here’s a glance at the pecking order of the Mountain West Conference.
The Kings: A sovereign or monarch; the chief authority over a country and people.
San Diego State Aztecs
Not only are the Aztecs the reigning champions, but they also have six tournament championships and have appeared in four consecutive Mountain West finals games and seven of the last eight. For a league with a lot of parity, this is impressive.
Well established as the current kings of the conference, San Diego State looks to extend their sovereign rule despite losing last year’s Mountain West Player of the Year, Matt Mitchell, and All-Mountain West guard Jordan Schakel.
To fortify their advantage, the Aztecs raided the transfer portal to bring in reinforcements to join their ranks. Highly touted guard Matt Bradley from Cal will likely run the show on offense.
SDSU will also look within their current personnel to find seasoned returners such as Nathan Mensah and Trey Pulliam to promote to positions of higher responsibility. Head coach Brian Dutcher is a proven and capable commander and should be able to lead his team to continued success.
The Pretenders:
A person (or team) who claims or aspires to a title or position.
Colorado State Rams, Nevada Wolfpack
Colorado State and Nevada were seeded #3 and #5 respectively in last year’s conference tournament. Although neither team finished atop the conference in the regular season or played in the championship game, both are widely considered to be next in line for the throne if San Diego State should relinquish it.
As ten teams clamber for the crown, both the Rams and Wolfpack are among the most capable of usurping the reigning champions.
Both teams will rally behind a returning starter with legitimate hopes to be in the running for Mountain West player of the year. Grant Sherfield of Nevada and David Roddy of Colorado State are familiar names in the conference, and each makes his team a threat to overthrow the Aztecs and take the crown of the Mountain West.
Colorado State, behind Niko Medved, looks to improve on recent success. In 2020-21 the Rams had a win percentage of .714, their best since 2015. This season, they’re picked to win the Mountain West, and received five votes in the preseason coaches poll.
Nevada is well-equipped with Sherfield, Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Warren Washington. Head coach Steve Alford came into the program with high expectations, and although he hasn’t reached those expectations yet, he appears to have fully implemented his systems and personnel. Entering the season, Nevada is currently receiving a vote in the preseason coaches poll.
The Dark Horses:
A candidate or competitor about whom little is known but who could unexpectedly win or succeed.
Boise State Broncos, Fresno State Bulldogs, Utah State Aggies, and Wyoming Cowboys
Any of the dark horse teams could make the jump and compete with Colorado State and Nevada in a competitive hunt for the throne, but in order to do so, they need to find a way to consistently beat the other dark horses.
Boise State lost their leading scorer Derrick Alston Jr. but returns Emmanuel Akot and Marcus Shaver. Although head coach Leon Rice has had success with the Broncos, they remain one of the only teams in the conference that hasn’t won a conference tournament championship.
Consistency is key with Fresno State. The Bulldogs are one of two teams in the conference that has never finished the regular season in first or last place. Spending time in the middle of the pack hasn’t been too bad for the Bulldogs. While history dictates that Fresno State will land between 2-10, it says nothing about exactly where they will land. In reality, the Bulldogs could reasonably find themselves in any of those nine spots at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.
Utah State’s roster was gutted over the offseason. The Aggies lost head coach Craig Smith to Utah, Neemias Queta to the NBA, and seven additional players to the transfer portal. Due to the high turnover from last year, there are several unknowns about this USU squad. But the Aggies might be good again. USU brought in a proven head coach in Ryan Odom and real talent in Rylan Jones, RJ Etyle-Rock and Brandon Horvath. Utah State is a mid-major basketball powerhouse and has been for generations. Continued success is not just part of the story for the Aggies; it is the story.
Wyoming lost one star, but they won’t have to look far to replace him. Marcus Williams and his 14.8 points per game departed to Texas A&M, but second-leading scorer Hunter Maldonado, who averaged 12.5 and also led the team in minutes per game, assists, and rebounds, should be able to compensate for Williams’ departure. Third leading scorer Graham Ike, who had an injury-riddled yet impressive freshman season, will also return for the Cowboys and could show significant improvements.
Sleeping Giants:
One that has great but unrealized or dormant power or prominence.
New Mexico Lobos, UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
The success achieved by the sleeping giants is unmatched by almost any other two teams in the conference. Long ago, UNLV and New Mexico roamed as titans of college basketball. These two squads account for the second and third most Mountain West titles, although none have come since 2014. The two have a total of 35 NCAA Tournament appearances and 12 Sweet 16 appearances.
When the giants fell, they created a massive power void that resulted in a chaotic rush to the top. Since the Rebels and Lobos began their slumber, four teams won their first-ever Mountain West Championship, including Wyoming, Fresno State, Nevada, and Utah State.
Both sleeping giants are on their longest championship drought since joining the conference and seem overdue for an awakening. Additionally, both have a brand new head coach.
The Lobos are one of only three teams in Mountain West history to win consecutive tournament championships and are the only team to win three in a row when they went back-to-back-to-back from 2012-14, although they haven’t won it since. New Mexico has four tournament championships and four regular-season championships. The home of the Lobos is “The Pit,” and it’s one of the most notorious college basketball venues in the west. If Richard Pitino starts to pick up some momentum, Albuquerque will once again be a brutal place to play basketball.
UNLV won the national championship in 1990 and has four Final Four appearances. At .691, the Rebels have the fifth-highest win percentage historically in the nation (behind Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, and Duke). UNLV will be led by former Runnin’ Rebel and Mountain West champion Kevin Kruger. Kruger’s father, Lon Kruger, also coached the Rebs from 2004-11. UNLV’s last championship was in 2008 as part of a back-to-back in 2007 and 2008. Kruger was the tournament MVP in the first of those tournaments.
The Jesters:
A professional fool or clown, especially at a medieval (or basketball) court.
Air Force Falcons, San Jose State Spartans
These two teams combined have zero conference tournament championships and just one regular-season championship. In a conference that survives under the rule of parity, these two are an exception to that rule.
Due to its direct affiliation with the United States Air Force, the Air Force Falcons face very specific recruiting challenges, which have affected them on the court. The Falcons have not had a winning record since the 2012-13 season. This was one of five winning seasons since joining the Mountain West at its inception in 1999.
San Jose State, on the other hand, does not face the same challenges as does the Air Force Academy and has seen less success. The Spartans have never finished a season as one of the top three teams in the Mountain West. The Spartans have not had a winning record since joining the conference. Against other Mountain West members, they have an all-time winning percentage of .371. They are also the only team in the conference that has not won a regular-season or tournament championship.