There was a changing of the guard in the Mountain West last season.
New Mexico won the conference tournament title for the first time since 2014, and Utah State won its first outright Mountain West regular-season championship in program history. The Aggies are well on their way to winning another title or two this season.
Utah State is ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll after winning 15 of its first 16 games and opening Mountain West play 5-0, despite having to replace the bulk of last year’s starting lineup under new head coach Jerrod Calhoun.
Boise State was picked to win the conference in the media preseason poll, earning 19 first-place votes. New Mexico was picked to finish No. 2, followed by Nevada and San Diego State, which is two years removed from its run to the 2022-23 National Championship game. Utah State was picked to finish No. 6 in the preseason poll.
Utah State and New Mexico (13-3, 5-0 MWC) look like the favorites to play for the conference title right now, but both have big games coming up on Saturday. The Aggies host Boise State (12-4, 4-1 MWC) at 9 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network, and New Mexico hosts San Diego State (10-3, 3-1 MWC) at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
Utah State is the college basketball betting odds favorite to win the regular-season title on BetMGM.
Mountain West Basketball Odds (Regular-Season Champion)
| Team | BetMGM Odds |
| Utah State | -135 |
| New Mexico | +333 |
| San Diego State | +450 |
| Boise State | +800 |
| UNLV | +3500 |
| Colorado State | +3500 |
| Nevada | +10000 |
| Wyoming | +25000 |
| Fresno State | +25000 |
| San Jose State | +25000 |
| Air Force | +25000 |
Mountain West Basketball Predictions
Utah State and New Mexico are off to hot starts, but the race for the Mountain West title is wide open.
The Aggies and Lobos both have plenty of star power. New Mexico point guard Donovan Dent leads the conference in scoring, averaging 19.1 points a night. He also leads the Mountain West’s top offense, which is putting up 85.4 points a game.
Utah State is averaging 83.4 points a night thanks in large part to a pair of experienced guards. Mason Falslev and Ian Martinez are both averaging 16.8 points a game.
The cupboards are far from bare at Boise State and San Diego State.
The Broncos, who won the Mountain West regular season and tournament titles in 2022, are led by reigning conference player of the year Tyson Degenhart, who ranks No. 3 in the league right now with 17.7 points a night. Former San Jose State point guard Alvaro Cardenas joined the Broncos this year, and he has posted 108 assists to go along with 11.1 points a game.
The Aztecs, who have won three regular-season and two tournament titles since 2020, are led by guards Miles Byrd (13.3 ppg) and Nick Boyd (13.2 ppg).
Boise State may be the best bet to make a late run at the title, but San Diego State is far from out of the race. There is a lot of talent in the top half of the Mountain West, which is in great shape to send at least four teams to the NCAA Tournament.
