Mountain West Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2019-20 season

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 16: Justin Bean #12 of the Utah State Aggies defends Matt Mitchell #11 of the San Diego State Aztecs during the championship game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 16, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Utah State won 64-57. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 22: Nick Blair #20 of the UNLV Rebels reacts after dunking against the New Mexico Lobos during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center on January 22, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Rebels defeated the Lobos 74-58. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

All aboard the Otz hype train. TJ Otzelberger is bringing energy and passion to UNLV in his first season as head coach that the proud program hasn’t seen in quite some time. Names like David Jenkins, Jr. (The star guard is sitting out this season per NCAA transfer rules) have people buzzing about the potential of the 2021 season – But how do things look for the season only days away?

Remember these names – Amauri Hardy, Nick Blair, Bryce Hamilton, Cheikh Mbacke Diong, and Donnie Tillman, the newly-eligible transfer from Utah. These guys are all primed for a big season, and there’s no doubt TJ Otzelberger will have the entire roster playing with a passion UNLV has been missing as of late.

As far as depth goes, UNLV always recruits at a high level relative to the conference; But this does not always translate to depth. Development, especially under a new and excited coaching staff, will be something to keep a fixed eye on. Consistency will be a concern this season, both individually, as well as for the team in general – UNLV has fallen very short of expectations in recent years. The loss of guys like Shakur Juiston, Noah Robotham, and Joel Ntambwe doesn’t help either, but isn’t entirely crippling.

The eligibility of Donnie Tillman is invaluable to this roster, and the return of Amauri Hardy is severely underappreciated. Again, this team has several reasons to be excited, but how exactly will that translate to actual play and performance? Hardy is known to have issues with consistency at the lead position. And the rest of the roster is talented, but mostly unproven, save for Tillman (who will have to quickly figure how to fit in properly with his new team.)

There are way too many question marks to have the Runnin’ Rebs any higher on this list, but don’t overlook them – Especially with a leader hellbent on revitalizing and reviving a once-proud Mountain West giant.