Mountain West Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

The departure of Derrick Alston Jr. is clearly a big loss for the Broncos, but that’s no reason to despair if you’re Boise State. These Broncos return basically everyone else from last year’s squad that was part of the big 4 atop the MWC. Even while other teams in the conference may be adding a slew of new faces, the familiarity with most of this roster is a certain advantage in Boise.

Among those expected to step up this season are a pair of former highly recruited Pac-12 players, with the Broncos expecting more out of Arizona transfer Emmanuel Akot (9.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and Oregon transfer Abu Kigab (11.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg). Marcus Shaver will look to add on to his 10.6 points per game and may get his chance to run the offense this season. In all, the Broncos are still figuring out their depth and have a big hole to fill with Alston gone, but this is a team that’ll be clawing for wins near the top of the MWC once again.

After flaming out at UCLA, Steve Alford returned to familiar ground in the MWC and begins his third season with Nevada. He’s still putting things together with the Wolf Pack, but this year’s team has a chance to do some pretty special things. While Nevada lost a slew of players from last year’s 16-10 campaign, it’s all about who is coming back this season.

Grant Sherfield (18.6 ppg, 6.1 apg) will be the early favorite to win MWC Player of the Year, and he’s joined again in the backcourt by Desmond Cambridge (16.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg), giving the Wolf Pack a dynamic punch at the top.

When you throw in former Robert Morris star AJ Bramah, a forward who averaged 21 points in just twelve games last season, you’ve got the potential for points all over the court. If Nevada’s defense can take a step forward, this is not only an NCAA Tournament team but a dynamic program that could cause trouble for power conference foes in March.