One of the more competitive conferences in all of college basketball, Mountain West basketball has plenty of t..."/> One of the more competitive conferences in all of college basketball, Mountain West basketball has plenty of t..."/>
Busting Brackets
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Mountain West Basketball: 2017-18 stars on each team in the conference

By Tristan Freeman

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: A general view of the seats with Mountain West Conference seat covers are seen before the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Colorado State Rams at the Thomas
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 11: A general view of the seats with Mountain West Conference seat covers are seen before the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Colorado State Rams at the Thomas /
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OMAHA, NE – MARCH 22: (L-R) Kendall Wallace
OMAHA, NE – MARCH 22: (L-R) Kendall Wallace /

UNLV Running Rebels – Brandon McCoy

In his second year at the helm, former New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies is hoping that year two will go better than year one. In what seems to be a complete rebuild, the Rebels finished in last place a year ago.

Where they struggled the most was on the defensive end, where they were in the bottom four in each category. Nobody on the team averaged more than 13 points per game either, as they struggled on the offensive end as well.

The issues that plague this program are a combination of talented high school prospects that didn’t work out or those that decide to transfer for better opportunities. Right now it’s hard to see top recruits going to UNLV, but seemingly out of nowhere, a local kid did just that.

Brandon McCoy was the #15 ranked recruit and a McDonald’s All American. UNLV won the upset recruiting battle over teams like Oregon, Arizona and Michigan State to play for a team that will likely miss the tournament. At 6’11” and 244 pounds, his physically imposing stature will be difficult for any big in the conference to handle.

The problem for McCoy will be whether he receives any type of help from a teammate in terms of scoring. Outside of senior Javon Mooring, no one else coming back scored more than a few points per game.

So while Brandon will have plenty of chances to dominate the Mountain West, it will almost certainly come at the cost of winning. This roster is just not constructed to compete right now against the top of this league, but watching the future pro should still be fun.