Mountain West Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

By Connor Hope | Aug 14, 2018

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 10: Mountain West Conference seat covers are seen before the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the New Mexico Lobos and the San Diego State Aztecs at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 10: Mountain West Conference seat covers are seen before the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament between the New Mexico Lobos and the San Diego State Aztecs at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 10, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /

After sending multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament last season, the Mountain West Basketball looks even stronger heading into the 2017-18 season.

Mountain West Basketball appears to be on the rise and could return to their position atop mid-major basketball sooner rather than later. This season, there will be three excellent teams with NCAA Tournament aspirations, while the rest of the conference will look to play spoiler.

Prior to conference play, there are several big opportunities to watch the top teams in action. One such occasion will be the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge, headlined by a Sweet Sixteen rematch between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers. The San Diego State Aztecs also have a few marquee matchups, including a spot in one of the strongest Maui Invitational fields in history.

While Nevada may be the strongest team in the conference, New Mexico, San Diego State, and UNLV are all rising. As most fans know, the Mountain West is best when those three teams are at or near the top of the standings.

With the Pac-12 struggling to keep up with other high-major conferences, the door is wide open for the Mountain West to become the top conference in the region. In fact, the conference could earn the most at-large bids it has had since 2015.

Last season, it took a surprising conference tournament upset to secure multiple NCAA Tournament bids, but this season should see the conference comfortably in the at-large picture. Let’s take a look at how each Mountain West team stacks up in the upcoming season.