Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a very safe and sound holiday with their families! With the start of 2026, which Mountain West men’s basketball programs are trending upward … and which have the arrow pointing down?!
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Stock Up: Nevada
Nevada has quietly won six-straight, including a pair of 15- and 13-point wins over Boise State and Colorado State, respectively. And they have done without two of their best players in Corey Camper Jr. and Joel Armotrading, who are out due to injury. Admittedly, I was quite concerned about their shooting — or lack thereof — heading into the season. Those concerns still exist; Nevada doesn’t take many 3s — with a 28.2 3PAr over their six-game win streak — but it’s canning 42.1 percent of its attempts over that span.
Stock Down: Fresno State
Fresno State was a great story to begin non-conference play, matching last year’s win total (6) in a matter of just eight games. However, they have lost five-straight, including going 0-4 in December, with losses to Arkansas, Cal State Northridge, UNLV and Utah State. Two of those (Arkansas, USU) are top-40 programs, so it’s not all bad. But they have two Quad 4 losses on the year — including one at home on Nov. 30 to Cal State Bakersfield — and and are shooting just 28.8 percent from deep over its five-game skid.
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Stock Up: New Mexico
New Mexico did slam into a wall on New Year’s Eve against Boise State, losing 62-53. But they were winners of seven straight beforehand, including a 5-0 stretch in December that featured a Quad 1 win over VCU and a demonstrative Quad 2 win over Santa Clara. The Lobos’ defense has been a top-20 unit since the start of December, surrendering just 67.0 points on 27.0 percent shooting from 3-point range over that span (excluding NM Highlands).
Stock Down: Colorado State
I’m still bullish on Colorado State’s long-term outlook. But they began MW play as bad as anyone could’ve expected, losing by 42 to Boise and 13 (at home) to Nevada. Their depth has vanished, their defense has been porous and their 3-point shooting has been beyond dreadful — at least over those two games. It doesn’t get any easier with Grand Canyon and New Mexico on its upcoming slate.
