No. 1 BYU Cougars(23-7, 13-3 MWC) BYU is the only team in the conference that has proven that it can win games at home and on the road. The Cougars currently hold the nation’s longest home winning streak at 31 consecutive games and are coming off a pair of impressive wins over Air Force and Utah. Senior forward Keena Young has been the heart and soul of the Cougars this entire season. He currently leads his team with 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and was recently awarded the MWC Player of the Year award.
No. 2 UNLV Rebels (25-6, 12-4 MWC)
The Rebels are firing on all cylinders just in time for the MWC tournament. They have won their last four games and have not fallen at home since Nov. 17 against UC-Santa Barbara.UNLV is led by the stellar backcourt trio of Wendell White, Wink Adams and Kevin Kruger. White leads the team with an average of 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while Kruger leads the team in assists with 5.0 per game. Adams is the Rebels’ most lethal ball handler, penetrating his way to 14.1 points per game.
No. 4 Air Force (23-7, 10-6 MWC) After starting their season 17-1 and climbing as high as No. 11 in the national rankings, the Falcons took a nosedive. They lost on the road to Utah, SDSU and BYU, then finished out the conference season with three consecutive losses, including one to lowly TCU.Air Force is driven by a group of seniors who all average at least 9.8 points per game. Dan Nwaelele leads the Falcons from his forward position, scoring 14.5 points per game.
No. 8 TCU Horned Frogs(12-16, 4-12 MWC)
The Horned Frogs’ season has been one of great contrast. They finished their non-conference schedule off 10-4, but have struggled in conference play. During one stretch, TCU lost 11 consecutive league games.Kevin Langford leads the Horned Frogs from his forward position, averaging 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. In the backcourt, junior guard Brent Hackett has been picking up most of the slack, averaging 11.1 points per game.
No. 3 San Diego State Aztecs(21-9, 10-6)
Last year’s regular-season and conference champs dipped to third this season despite two of the biggest match-up problems in the league: guard Brandon Heath and forward Mohamed Abukar. Still, thanks to a stout and opportunistic defense — which can be especially tough for teams that score from the perimeter — the Aztecs are a threat. As a team, SDSU is holding opponents to just 67.7 points per game. The team lost four of its first six conference games but caught fire down the stretch, winning 8-of-10 to close out the season.
No. 5 Wyoming Cowboys(16-14, 7-9)
The worst-rated defensive team in the Mountain West nonetheless managed to finish with a winning record overall thanks to a strong non-conference performance. But if the Wyoming Cowboys expect to go far in the tournament, they’ll likely have to be in shootout mode.If so, the pressure will be put on the shoulders of two of the top scorers in the league, Brandon Ewing and Brad Jones, who combined to score 37.4 points per game this season.
No. 9 New Mexico Lobos(15-16, 4-12)
A team that, at one point, was competing with Utah for the No. 7 slot continued to slide near the end of the season, surprisingly ending up tied with the league’s expected bottom-feeder, TCU.Like Wyoming, the Lobos have to have their offense firing on all cylinders. They were the second-highest scoring team in the MWC, but one of the worst defensive units. On an individual level, the team is paced by junior guard J.R. Giddens, who led the club with 16.1 points per game.
No. 6 Colorado State Rams(16-12, 6-10)
The Rams closed the season on a downhill slide, losing three of their last four to finish well below the .500 mark in conference play. The team has size and athleticism to spare but failed to find any cohesion on either side of the ball during the season, despite a 10-2 mark outside the Mountain West.All-conference forward Jason Smith is one of the league’s most imposing post players, as he led the MWC with 10.0 boards per game and added 17 points per contest.