Mountains are stolid and implacable. The constituents of the Mountain West Conference are anything but. Perhaps there had been some hope that the MWC would rise to be the best conference west of the Rockies after the dissolution of the Pac-12. That didn't happen. When the Pac 12 rises again next season, it will take nearly half of the Mountain West with it. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State will all leave next year. Grand Canyon joins the Mountain West this year. Hawaii, UTEP, and UC-Davis will step in in 2027-28. 

2025-26 Mountain West College Basketball Preview

The Mountain West is coming off a banner season in which four teams made the NCAA tournament. In other words, the MWC had four more teams in the Big Dance than the Pac-12 last season. New Mexico and Colorado State won their first-round games as double-digit seeds before bowing out in the second round. 

Tournament success for the Lobos and Rams allowed their coaches to fly off to possibly better opportunities. New Mexico coach Richard Pitino went to Xavier, where he will face off against his father at St. John's twice per season. He was replaced by UC-San Diego's Eric Olen, who led his team to a 30-win season and its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025. Nico Medved moved to Minnesota (where the younger Pitino was once a coach). Ali Faroukmanesh, author of a buzzer-beating shot against Kansas in the 2010 Big Dance, is CSU's new coach. He moves to the head spot after being an assistant at Colorado State since 2018. Lastly, Kevin Kruger was fired by UNLV after a four-season run with the Runnin' Rebels. Former boy wonder Josh Pastner will hope to get UNLV into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2013. Pastner spent seven years with both Memphis and Georgia Tech, but had been out of college hoops coaching for the past two seasons. 

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Top Mountain West Players 

Overall: Mason Falslev, G, Utah State 

Falslev joined the starting lineup for the Aggies as a freshman and has put up double-digit scoring production through two seasons and 68 starts. He had the benefit of being a bit older than the usual freshman after serving a mission in Brazil and redshirting in 2023-24. The 6-4 guard provided 15.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists a sophomore last season. He improved his 3-point conversion rate from 30.4 percent as a freshman to 39.0 percent. Falslev had three double-doubles, two in the Preseason NIT (which the Aggies won) and another in the NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA. Now that leading scorer Ian Martinez has moved on, look for Falslev to the main man in Logan. 

Also considered: Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State; Jaden Henley, F, Grand Canyon; Andrew Meadow, F, Boise State 

Scoring: Andrew Meadow, F, Boise State  

In his first year as a starter, the 6-7 Meadow put up 12.6 points in 29.2 minutes for the Broncos. The bespectacled forward nailed 35.2 percent of his 3-pointers and went 5-for-9 in BSU's three games in the College Basketball Crown Tournament. Meadow had a five-game run in late February and early-March in which he scored 20 or more points in three games and was not held below 14 points. Those numbers should be the standard for his junior season. Meadow is an excellent free throw shooter (83.9 percent) and could further improve his scoring if he able to attack the basket more often (4.0 free throws per game). 

Also considered: Dylan Andrews, F, Boise State; Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State; Vaughn Weems, G, Nevada 

Rebounding: Elijah Price, F, Nevada  

Coach Steve Alford was so impressed by Price's three games against the Wolf Pack as a freshman at Fresno State that he pursued the 6-9 forward as a transfer after the season. Price averaged 11.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in the three meetings. He closed his first season with four double-doubles in his last five games. On the season, Price averaged 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds, which was third in the Mountain West. He will need to improve his offensive efficiency since he converted just 40.1 percent from the field and 10.1 percent from long range. The easy joke is that Price will prove to be the Mr. Glass (the name of Samuel L. Jackson's character in Unbreakable was Elijah Price) in the Mountain West. 

Also considered: Rashaan Mbemba, F, Colorado State; Sadraque NgaNga, F San Jose State; Karson Templin, F, Utah State 

Assists: Sean Newman Jr., G, San Diego State  

Newman was third in the country in assists last season with Louisiana Tech. He doled out 7.9 dimes to go along with 9.9 points for the Bulldogs. The 6-1 guard should have plenty of passing options with the return of Reese Dixon-Waters, scoring guard Miles Byrd and center Magoon Gwath. Newman accumulated 20 assists in a December win over Rust College and had at least five dimes in 47 of his 59 games with the Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech was 6-1 in games in which Newman had 10 assists last season, but just 14-11 in games in he was held to single-digit assists. The guard should help the Aztecs to their ninth straight 20-win season (all under Coach Brian Dutcher) and possibly back to the NCAA tournament for the sixth straight season. 

Also considered: Drake Allen, G, Utah State; Dylan Andrews, G, Boise State; Myles Che, G, UNLV; Zaon Collins, G, Fresno State; Colby Garland, G, San Jose State; Chris Howell, G, New Mexico; Tyler Rolison, G, Nevada; Leland Walker, G, Wyoming 

Center: Magoon Gwath, C, San Diego State  

The 7-0 Gwath was cruising to both Freshman and Defense Player of the Year awards in the Mountain West when his season was interrupted by a knee injury in mid-February. He missed seven games, but still accumulated the numbers to win both awards. The Aztec center provided 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. He blocked 68 shots on the season to establish the San Diego State freshman record and seventh most blocks in school history. Gwath flashed some offensive potential with two games of 24 or more points. He also converted 37.8 percent of his 3-pointers. Look for some National Defensive Player of the Year attention in Gwath's sophomore season. 

Also considered: Joel Armotrading, C, Nevada; Wesley Celichowski, C, Air Force; Efe Demeril, C, Grand Canyon; Emmanuel Stephen, C, UNLV 

Freshman: Jake Hall, G, New Mexico  

Coach Eric Olen brought Hall and fellow freshman Uriah Tenette along with him from UC-San Diego. Hall was a prolific scorer in San Diego high school and finished second all-time in the city's scoring records. As a senior, the 6-4 guard averaged 28.5 points to go along with 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He converted 40.3 percent of his 3-pointers and had seven 40-point games. All five of the Lobo starters from last year left, including guard Donovan Dent who transferred to UCLA after scoring 20.4 points per game. As long as Hall cracks the rotation, he should be ready to let the ball fly and possibly lead the Lobos in scoring. 

Also considered: Dennis Evans, C, Grand Canyon; Braylon Johnson, F, Grand Canyon; Tyrin Jones, F, UNLV; Thokbor Majak, C, San Diego State; Kallai Patton, G, New Mexico; Peyton White, F, Nevada  

Transfers 

Tayshawn Comer, G, Nevada 

Comer joins the Wolf Pack after a breakout season with Evansville in which he averaged 16.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He had spent the previous two seasons as a starter with Eastern Kentucky but had not scored more than 8.0 points per game in his two campaigns. The 6-1 guard scored at least 20 points in 11 games, including four of his last five with the Aces. He relentlessly attacked the basket and attempted at least 10 free throws six times. Evansville did not have much guard depth, so Comer played 40 minutes in 14 games. While his minutes may fall a bit with Nevada, he should have more opportunities for open shots to improve his 38.6 percent conversion rate from the field and 30.4 percent from 3-point territory. 

JaVaughn Hannah, G, San Jose State 

After three seasons with Western Michigan, Hannah decided to go west and spend his final season of eligibility with the Spartans. As a sophomore, the 6-4 Hannah won MAC Sixth Man of the Year and started 24 of 30 games last season as a junior. He provided 12.0 points and 4.1 rebounds. Hannah had a streak of six straight double-digit scoring performances in February, including a season-high 19 points in a loss to Central Michigan. During that span, he had his lone double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Ohio. Look for Hannah to use his experience to forge a significant role in the San Jose State backcourt next to fellow transfer Colby Garland. 

Brian Moore Jr., G, Grand Canyon 

Like Comer, Moore is coming off an excellent season and will be transferring for the second time in as many years. The 6-2 Moore led Norfolk State with 18.2 points on 54.5 percent from the field and 39.0 percent on 3-pointers. He led the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament and was named the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year. Moore scored 30 or more points three times, including a career-high 33 points in a December win over High Point. Grand Canyon lost its top four scorers, so Moore should be able to come in and produce right away. 

Yaphet Moundi, F, San Jose State 

Moundi's statistics in his lone season at Iona are somewhat deceiving. The 6-8 forward spent the first half of the season coming off the bench, but still managed to snag at least eight boards in seven of those games. He exploded onto the scene with 25 points and 20 rebounds in a win over Fairfield. It was the first of the French native's five double-doubles in the last six weeks of the season. The Gaels advanced to the MAAC Tournament championship game and Moundi averaged 17.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in the run (despite being held to four points in the championship game before fouling out against Mt. St. Mary's). Moundi should lead the Spartans in rebounding and being among the Mountain West leaders. 

Also considered: Myles Che, G, UNLV; Garry Clark, F, Utah State; Colby Garland, G, San Jose State; Jake Heidbreder, G, Fresno State; Augustinas Kiudulas, F, Colorado State; Josh Pascarelli, G, Colorado State; Milos Vicentic, F, New Mexico 

Sleepers 

Nana Owusu-Anane, F, Grand Canyon 

On the first day of practice of what would have been Owusu-Anane's senior season at Brown, the 6-8 forward tore his labrum. He missed the 2024-25 season and decided to transfer to Grand Canyon. As a junior, he averaged 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds to go along with more than a steal and block per game. He put up 19 points and 15 rebounds in an upset win over Princeton in the Ivy League Tournament. He had 11 double-doubles on the season. Assuming his shoulder is healed, the Owusu-Anane is a nice sleeper for All-Mountain West honors. 

Reese Dixon-Waters, G, San Diego State 

Like Owusu-Anene, Dixon-Waters might not be on the radar for many people after missing the entire 2024-25 season with a stress fracture in his right foot. The 6-6 guard made an impression with San Diego State in his first season after transferring from USC. He averaged 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds while starting 23 times in 37 games. Dixon-Waters had 11 points and 12 rebounds in a win over UC-Irvine and topped out at 22 points in an upset win over Gonzaga in 2024-25. The Aztec backcourt will be fairly crowded with Byrd and Newman Jr., but there should be plenty of production from Dixon-Waters as well.  

Caleb Walker, F, Air Force 

The player movement era has not been kind to Air Force. The team has not had a winning season since 2012-13 and has won a combined 13 games in the past two campaigns. The players' stats still count, so we shouldn't overlook them. Walker is a 6-9 junior who spent the majority of 2024-25 coming off the bench. He was limited to 16.4 minutes, but still provided 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. While these are modest numbers, extrapolated to starting minutes he might be someone to watch. Walker scored in double digits in nine games with a season high of 17 points in a November loss to Belmont. He could be a player to draft at the end of your draft in hopes of getting some surprise double-doubles. 

Top 10 Mountain West Players

1. Mason Falslev, G, Utah State
2. Miles Byrd, G, San Diego State  
3. Andrew Meadow, F, Boise State  
4. Jaden Henley, F, Grand Canyon  
5. Dylan Andrews, F, Boise State  
6. Magoon Gwath, C, San Diego State  
7. Vaughn Weems, G, Nevada  
8. Sean Newman Jr., G, San Diego State  
9. Elijah Price, F, Nevada  
10. Nana Owusu-Anane, F, Grand Canyon  

*Note: These rankings are at the discretion of the article author, and may not necessarily correspond with RotoWire's official 2025-26 college basketball player rankings.

Projected Mountain West Standings 

1. San Diego State  
2. Grand Canyon  
3. Utah State  
4. Boise State  
5. New Mexico  
6. Colorado State  
7. Nevada  
8. UNLV  
9. Fresno State  
10. Wyoming  
11. Fresno State  
12. Air Force

Last season the Mountain West was top-heavy, with five teams winning at least 14 games in conference and five teams losing at least 12 games. In its final season in its current incarnation, the conference should be a bit more balanced. The Aztecs have the most returning talent and a coach with a solid history in Brian Dutcher. They will not run away with the conference, but seem like a solid bet to be the best team.  

Grand Canyon, in its first season after winning the WAC in its previous three, may be San Diego State's best competition. Coach Bryce Drew's team has won 80 games over those seasons and has an interesting mix of returning and new players. 

As mentioned above, Utah State and Boise State have intriguing players returning. Before they head off to the Pac-12, either school could get on a hot streak and win the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Coach Josh Pastner had early success with both Memphis and Georgia Tech (at least 20-win seasons in first year with both schools) , so keep an eye on UNLV as well. 

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