Mountain West Basketball: 2020-21 power rankings heading into new year

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 11: Matt Mitchell #11 of the San Diego State Aztecs reacts after drawing a foul during the first half of a game against the New Mexico Lobos at Viejas Arena on February 11, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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Colorado State basketball Niko Medved Csu Vs Fresno State 7 /

5-1 (2-0 MWC). . Rams . 6. team. 503.

Colorado State is a bit of a risky pick at the moment. The Rams have a very promising rotation of players, and could potentially finish in the top-5 of the conference, but an early blasting at the hands of Saint Mary’s gave cause to pump the brakes on this team, at least for a tiny bit.

Even then, 5-1 is a good position to be in, and the Rams looked miles ahead of Fresno State to open conference play – But to be fair, if you read my above glance at the Bulldogs’, the Rams really are miles ahead of Fresno at the moment. San Diego State is up next on CSU’s schedule, and the Aztecs are in an entirely different tier than any team the Rams have faced this season.

Guards David Roddy, Isaiah Stevens and Kendle Moore have all been great for the Rams so far, and junior forward Adam Thistlewood hasn’t even really gotten going quite yet. As this young team gets more comfortable, they will be difficult to stop. As for now, we need to see how they match-up against the league’s best.

The Nevada Wolf Pack started off the 2020-21 season with some momentum, going 3-0 after an exciting down-to-the-wire win over a struggling Nebraska team. In the weeks since, Nevada’s inexperience has shown, with the Pack adding 3 to the wrong side of the record column.

The good news is, there is plenty to be excited about for Nevada fans. Steve Alford has a very talented, and very young group of players (Sports Reference averaged this roster’s playing experience at .9 years – Wow). For the coming years, this bodes well for the ceiling of the program.

Transfer guards Grant Sherfield (Wichita State) and Desmond Cambridge, Jr. (Brown) have been absolutely stellar thus far. The pair have combined for nearly 30 points per game, donning the Nevada jersey for the first time – That’s an impressive and promising showing.

An early conference-play split with Air Force could be concerning to fans of the Wolf Pack, and it does seem that head coach Steve Alford has a way to piecing together how this team can perform at its best. However, the Pack should continue to develop and improve, and will only become more dangerous throughout Mountain West play.

A pair of dates with the similarly-inexperienced Lobos is up next on the schedule, and should help both teams in figuring out their respective identities and keys to success this season.