By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
The conference race tightened in the Mountain West last week when UNLV beat Utah State and the final unbeaten team fell.
The result is a logjam at the top, with six teams separated by just two games. Nevada can’t be counted out, either, having won three in a row after starting 0-4 in league play.
Consequently, the title chase is wide open as we approach the second half of January and teams continue to build their NCAA Tournament credentials.
Top Teams Building NCAA Tournament Credentials
Despite the loss to the Rebels, the Aggies remain the highest-ranked conference team in the NET rankings, slotting in at 41st as of January 21.
Utah State is one of three Mountain West teams in the Top 50 along with San Diego State and Boise State.
Among those three, Utah State has performed the best against top competition, going 3-0 in Quad 1 games with a combined 7-2 mark in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games.
The Aztecs are 3-3 in Quad 1 games and a combined 4-4 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, while the Broncos are just 2-5 in such contests this season.
New Mexico, another conference team with just one loss, is in the driver’s seat in the standings by virtue of having more games under their belt.
UNM is 8-1 in league play and ranks inside the Top 60 in the NET.
While the Lobos are just 1-1 in Quad 1 games, their resumé is strengthened by a 6-1 mark in Quad 2 contests.
New Mexico’s seven combined Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins this season are tied for the 10th most in the nation.
UNLV Heating Up on the Boards
UNLV’s win over Utah State last week broke a two-game slide while breaking the Rebels’ six-game losing streak to the Aggies.
UNLV followed that up with a road win over San Diego State for a second win over the Aztecs in their last three meetings.
After Tuesday night’s close loss to Wyoming, the Runnin’ Rebels have won seven of their previous 11.
UNLV has improved lately by getting it done on the glass.
While the Rebels have a sub-.500 total rebound rate for the season, they have outrebounded opponents in the last three games by 104-103 for a rate of 50.2%.
Second-chance points are making a significant difference for UNLV as well.
Over that three-game span, the Rebels have averaged 5.3 more scoring chances per game than their opponents.
New Mexico Creating Second-Chance Opportunities
New Mexico takes an impressive conference record into their weekend matchup with UNLV, having opened 8-1 Mountain West play for just the second time, equaling their conference start from 2013-14.
The Lobos are another team grabbing extra opportunities on the board.
New Mexico ranks 17th in the nation with an average of 5.9 additional scoring chances per game compared to their opponents.
Another big reason for UNM’s advantage in opportunities has been its ability to force turnovers. New Mexico is among the Top 50 in the nation with a turnover forced on 20% of its opponent possessions.
When they have the ball, the Lobos take care of it, ranking 56th nationally with a turnover committed on just 15.6% of their possessions.
SuperWest MW Player of the Week: Desan Thomas Jr, UNLV
The sophomore was phenomenal in the Rebels pair of wins over Utah State and San Diego State.
He averaged 13.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in the two contests last week.
SuperWest MW Freshman of the Week: Kyle Marshall, Air Force
The Falcons are still looking for their first conference win but the first-year guard stepped up in two games last week, averaging 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.
writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).
