Mountain West Basketball Primer: Week 1
Can the conference provide fans an encore performance of last season's historic run? Expectations may be lower this time around, but there were plenty of surprises last season. Fingers crossed folks!
The Mountain West Conference is coming off of a historic season. With six teams making trips to the Big Dance this past March. But a great postseason attendance record was completely overshadowed this offseason with the splintering of the conference in mid-September.
Nothing stays the same forever, no matter how much fun games against BYU, TCU or Utah were back in the day (nostalgia emoji). Things change & schools come & go.
But the Mountain West as we know it still has two more go arounds before two founding members in Colorado State & San Diego State & two members of the WAC-5 added in the early 2010s (Boise St. & Fresno St.) depart in 2026.
So let’s dive into our FIRST EVER week one primer with plenty of exciting matchups, players to watch & elements to watch out for.
Standings Week 1: Alphabetical Order
Air Force Falcons (0-0, 0-0)
Boise State Broncos (0-0, 0-0)
Colorado State Rams (0-0, 0-0)
Fresno State Bulldogs (0-0, 0-0)
Nevada Wolf Pack (0-0, 0-0)
New Mexico Lobos (0-0, 0-0)
San Diego State Aztecs (0-0, 0-0)
San Jose State Spartans (0-0, 0-0)
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (0-0, 0-0)
Utah State Aggies (0-0, 0-0)
Wyoming Cowboys (0-0, 0-0)
Games of the Week-Full Schedule Here
There are plenty of great week one games on the Mountain West docket. But we’re going to highlight five that are must watch for fans around the conference.
Nevada vs. Sam Houston
Where & When to Watch: Monday Nov. 4th @ 7:00 PM PT/8:00 PM MT on the Mountain West Network
The Bearkats are a part of what looks like a three-way race for the Conference-USA regular season title. Head Coach Chris Mudge has the program chugging along after a very solid year at the helm in Huntsville. Sam Houston over exceeded expectations in year one in their new conference.
Securing their first C-USA regular season title & returning four players who logged starting minutes for that squad last season. Gone are Davon Barnes (Ole Miss) & Jaden Ray (Graduation). But coach Mudge added some quality transfers in Dorian Finister (Kansas St.), Josiah Hammons (UIW) & Brennan Burns (Southeastern Ok. St.).
This is a great first test for an underrated Nevada team this season. And a likely decent quad 2 or 3 win if the Bearkats challenge for a C-USA title as expected.
Nevada vs. Washington
Where & When to Watch: Saturday Nov. 9th @ 7:00 PM PT/8:00 PM MT on the Mountain West Network
Steve Alford’s Wolf Pack will host the most recent Mountain West Coach of the Year Danny Sprinkle in what appears to be a very competitive week one for Nevada. Year ones are usually time to rebuild & regroup with low expectations. But Sprinkle proved anything is possible in year one at Logan.
Coach Alford’s group hosts one of the bigger home games in week one. Washington is pegged as a basement dweller for their first season in the Big Ten. But an early season win over a high major, regardless of status is always a win for those tourney resumes.
UNLV vs. Memphis
Where & When to Watch: Saturday Nov. 9th @ 3:00 PM PT/4:00 PM MT on the Mountain West Network
Penny Hardaway’s tenure at Memphis hasn’t exactly panned out the way many had hoped. But that’s usually the nature of alma mater hires in college sports. They are 50/50 at best. Memphis will be led by a two-headed scoring attack in two highlighted players down below.
Yes, the program has found itself in some unflattering light in regards to a group of assistant coaches recently. But the program returns some quality players from a team that narrowly missed out on the big dance last season & have wrangled in a top-10 transfer class to compliment them.
The Tigers are currently pegged as a top-50 team per KenPom, so an early win would be huge for UNLV, especially without star sophomore guard Dedan Thomas Jr. (injured).
Boise State @ San Francisco
Where & When to Watch: Saturday Nov. 9th @ 8:30 PM MT/ 7:30 PM PT on ESPN+
The Broncos may still need some time to gel with their new additions. But the expectations are high, likely externally & inside the program. The Broncos don’t have the same strength of schedule they did last time around. So a week one win over the Dons, who are ranked No. 84 in KenPom & predicted to finish fourth in a competitive WCC this season will need to carry some weight come March.
The Dons bring back a solid core of perimeter players, spearheaded by a former Mountain West guard highlighted as a player to watch below. The question marks will begin in the frontcourt. As NBA draftee Jonathan Mogbo is gone, but fellow frontcourt mate Ndewedo Newbury is garnering NBA interest.
*Must Watch Matchup: New Mexico vs. UCLA
Where & When to Watch: Friday Nov. 8th @ 9:00 PM MT/8:00 PM PT on CBS Sports Network
If you can only watch one game this week, as I often find myself doing early in the season. This is the one. UCLA is the highest ranked opponent on this list per Ken Pom (No. 28). And a part of a leveled up non-conference slate for coach Pitino and the Lobos. Who historically have a tough time finding competition willing to possibly drop a non-conference game in the Pit.
Gone is the last Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year ever in Adem Bona is in the NBA now. But the Bruins return five players who logged starter minutes last season, three double-digit scorers & bringing in a top-10 transfer class.
One sneaky addition of this class is former Gonzaga Bulldog & LMU Lion Dominick Harris. Who shot 44.8% from deep last season on 145 attempts, good enough for third in the nation. UCLA is DEEP this season with productive returners & impact transfers.
Opposing Players to Watch: The All-Pay Attention to that Guy Team (If you will)
PJ Haggerty, Jr. G-Memphis
23-24 Stats: 21.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.8 APG & 1.9 SPG in 33.7 MPG (31 GMS/31 Starts)
Haggerty was one of the best scorers in the country last season as a sophomore, while also stuffing that stat-sheet in multiple other categories. Even after playing on a less than stellar Tulsa squad, he was one of the more sought after transfers in the portal this offseason.
He’s already picked up where he left at Tulsa, Averaging 28.0 PPG in two of the Tigers’ exhibition contests against UNC & Alabama.
Tyrese Hunter, Sr. G-Memphis
23-24 Stats: 11.1 PPG, 4.1 APG, 2.9 RPG & 1.3 SPG in 32.1 MPG (33 GMS/33 Starts)
Hunter has made a name for himself as a gritty floor general who plays well on both sides of the floor. After leading three NCAA Tournament teams at Iowa State & Texas, Hunter was a top-20 ranked transfer in the portal before opting to play for Penny Hardaway’s Tigers.
He’ll join Haggerty to form one of the most dynamic backcourts in the country.
Great Osobor, R-Sr. F/C-Washington
23-24 Stats: 17.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.4 BPG & 1.3 SPG IN 33.6 MPG (35 GMs/35 Starts)
Mountain West fans are VERY familiar with Osobor’s work. This time around he’s now one of the highest paid athletes in college. Something to keep an eye on will be how Osobor operates with true big man Franck Kepnang. The 6-8 Englishmen can create scoring opportunities for others as we saw with Isaac Johnson & Utah State.
Marcus Williams, Sr. G-San Francisco
23-24 Stats: 14.0 PPG, 3.9 APG, 3.3 RPG & 1.4 SPG in 30.7 MPG (34 GMs/34 Starts)
Fans around the conference might remember Williams from his short time in Laramie in Jeff Linder’s first year. Back then the freshman guard helped establish a competitive culture for Wyoming Basketball. Since the Texas native has made stops at Texas A&M & San Francisco.
Williams is the squad’s returning leading scorer & assist man. Likely needing to step up slightly in both of those categories if the Dons hope to build off of the solid foundation Head Coach Chris Gerlufsen is establishing in San Francisco.
Lamar Wilkerson, Sr. G-Sam Houston
23-24 Stats: 13.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.4 APG & 1.0 SPG in 29.7 MPG (31 GMs/ 31 Starts)
Wilkerson is one of those players with unflashy statistics, but will be one of the most efficient & impactful players on the floor in live action. Don’t let his averages fool you, no one overeats in the Bearkats program. As the 6-4 guard went for 20+ eight different times last season.
He made his money alongside the now departed Davon Barnes (Ole Miss). So a breakout season could be in the cards for the longtime Bearkat.
Sebastian Mack, So. G-UCLA
23-24 Stats: 12.1 PPG, 3.6 APG & 1.6 RPG & 1.3 SPG in 36.7 MPG (33 GMs/30 Starts)
Sebastian Mack turned into the crown jewel of a Top-20 recruiting class that included several touted international prospects. As a freshman he carved his space in UCLA’s starting lineup. And he appears to be retaining his starting position, even with an influx of talented transfers.
The Lobos know a thing or two about super sophomores but will need to do their best containing this do-it-all guard.
Skyy Clark, Jr. G-UCLA
23-24 Stats: 13.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.0 APG & 1.0 SPG in 31.8 MPG (29 GMs/28 Starts)
Clark was a highly touted recruit as a member of the 2022 class. After an early commit to Coach Calipari at Kentucky, the Nashville, TN native ended up at Illinois in his first college basketball season.
He then made a quick transfer to Louisville last season & now finds himself in sunny Los Angeles for his third school in three years. Clark can score the ball & has quality floor general potential. Which will likely earn him minutes in the Bruin’s starting lineup come next week.
Kobe Johnson, Sr. G-UCLA
23-24 Stats: 10.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.3 APG & 2.2 SPG in 31.0 MPG (31 GMs/ 28 Starts)
Johnson makes his biggest impact on the defensive end. Posting 2.2 SPG last season for the Trojans who had plenty of scorers while also managing to average double-digit scoring.
The 6-6 perimeter patrolman is a nightmare for opposing teams defensively. Look for him to cover whoever is hot for the Lobos on Friday.
Tyler Bilodeau, Jr. F-UCLA
23-24 Stats: 14.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG & 1.2 APG in 29.8 MPG (32 GMs/32 Starts)
Bilodeau is a force down low averaging 60.3% inside the arc while also posting a respectable 34.5% on 87 attempts from deep for the Beavers last season.
On an extremely deep roster he looked like the Bruins go to scorer in their exhibition game against Cal-State LA. Nelly Junior-Joseph & Mustapha Amzil might have their hands full on Friday night.
Tyler Harris, So. F-Washington
23-24 Stats: 12.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.1 APG & 1.0 SPG in 33.8 MPG (22 GMs/21 Starts)
Harris had a productive season as a freshman at nearby Portland. And he’ll be a name to keep track of in Danny Sprinkle’s first season in Seattle as he is garnering NBA interest as a prototypical 3 & D player with great length.
Viewing Guide
5 Things to Lookout For:
Richard Pitino was finally able to book out a competitive non-conference schedule for the Lobos this season. After nearly missing out on the program’s first big dance in ten years thanks to an underwhelming non-conference resume. New Mexico found the needed competition in neutral site MTE’s this season.
Their first test of the season comes against Mick Cronin’s Bruins. UCLA is pegged to finish third in their first season in the Big Ten while also landing in the AP-Top 25 at 23rd. A win against a highly touted Bruins team in week one would mean plenty to the Lobo fanbase & the NCAA Tournament Selection committee.
How will San Diego State’s supporting cast of characters utilize their minutes on the floor as some of their stars are likely to be sidelined with injuries? Getting through the likes of UC-San Diego & Occidental should be a piece of cake.
But getting fine tuned to host future conference mate Gonzaga on the 18th inside Viejas Arena will likely be the real goal. Not to mention the loaded field at the Power MTE-Players Era Festival with actual prize money on the line.
Boise State looks deep, healthy & poised to run the conference this year. But they Broncos may have outed themselves last season as potential resume busters in non-conference play.
Even as the roster itself received several upgrades, this season’s non-conference slate doesn’t have the same potential to shoot Leon Rice’s squad up the Selection Committee’s metrics of choice early on.
Which the conference is dependent on, as most quad-1 or 2 wins for the Mountain West come in conference play after 2 or 3 programs make waves in the early months of the season. Early games against San Francisco & ACC title contender Clemson will carry serious weight.
Can Nique Clifford elevate his game as rumored to lead this new look & freshly put together Rams team back into a top-5 MWC finish come March?
It’s been two years since the two-headed dragon of David Roddy & Isaiah Stevens led the program together, logging three-straight top-5 finishes & capping their time together off with an tourney appearance & near upset over Michigan.
Even though last season’s 6th place finish doesn’t seem flashy. To come out with an above .500 conference record in the gauntlet of a conference the Mountain West was last season was the exact way for Stevens to go out in his career. Can Clifford capitalize on what has been built in the Niko Medved era?
Is Dedan Thomas Jr. ready to take the reigns as the conference’s premier point guard? The legacy super sophomore will look to build on a tremendous freshman season in Las Vegas.
Ready to lead a Runnin’ Rebel program with bigger expectations this season with the same poise he displayed as a true freshman. If UNLV can keep majority of their players healthy & the hefty mix of returners & newcomers gel under Thomas Jr.’s leadership, skies the limit in Sin City. Pay attention to to this dark horse Player of the Year candidate week one.