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With the end of the year nearing, the Mountain West is hoping to put the finishing touches on the non-conference slates before heading to league play. It has been an up-and-down month for the MWC. Nevada, San Jose State, Colorado State and Wyoming have been better than expected, while San Diego State, Fresno State and New Mexico have stumbled in the first few weeks.
Missed opportunities
Below is a list of all 21 Mountain West games against top 100 KenPom teams through December 6, where the conference has amassed a dismal 4-17 record.
| Team | Opponent (KenPom Rank) | Result |
| Nevada | @ Saint Mary's (11) | L, 81-63 |
| San Jose State | @ Saint Mary's (11) | L, 81-64 |
| San Diego State | @ Gonzaga (14) | L, 69-48 |
| Utah State | Purdue* (16) | L, 85-64 |
| Colorado State | Wichita State (19) | L, 82-67 |
| Boise State | @ Oregon (21) | L, 68-63 |
| New Mexico | Virginia Tech* (33) | L, 92-72 |
| Utah State | Texas Tech* (37) | L, 75-51 |
| New Mexico | Dayton* (39) | L, 64-57 |
| UNLV | TCU (45) | L, 63-59 |
| Boise State | SMU (48) | W, 71-62 |
| Colorado State | @ Colorado (53) | W, 72-58 |
| San Diego State | California* (54) | W, 77-65 |
| Wyoming | @ California (54) | L, 71-61 |
| Utah State | BYU* (59) | L, 77-63 |
| Colorado State | @ Stanford (67) | L, 56-49 |
| New Mexico | @ Illinois State (80) | L, 79-74 |
| Wyoming | Northern Iowa (84) | W, 81-73 |
| UNLV | @ Arizona State (88) | L, 97-73 |
| Air Force | Akron* (92) | L, 84-75 |
| Fresno State | @ CSU Bakersfield (100) | L, 71-63 |
What's even more concerning about the list: the MWC teams are getting leveled by better teams. Against top 20 KenPom opponents, the average score is 79.6-61.2. Boise State (@ Oregon) and New Mexico (neutral vs. Virginia Tech) are the only MWC squads that have shown any sort of fight when playing against top 40 KenPom teams this season. For a conference that is desperately trying to break the recent rhetoric and send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament, these missed opportunities will prove costly on Selection Sunday.
Resume glance
Quick resumes are listed below, with KenPom/RPI rankings next to the school names.
| Team | Quality Wins | Bad Losses | Notable Remaining Non-Conference Games |
| Air Force | None | None | Colorado (53/151) |
| Boise State | SMU (48/101) | None | None |
| Colorado State | @ Colorado (53/151) | None | Kansas State (35/105) |
| Fresno State | None | Prairie View A&M (322/217) | @ Marquette (30/108), @ Oregon (21/54) |
| New Mexico | None | None | @ Arizona (26/48) |
| Nevada | None | None | @ Washington (89/188) |
| San Diego State | California* (54/93) | @ Loyola IL (141/194) | Arizona State (88/133) |
| San Jose State | None | Portland (154/156), Denver (204/186) | None |
| UNLV | None | South Alabama (185/83) | Duke* (2/44), Oregon* (21/54), Kansas (5/15) |
| Utah State | None | Indiana State (136/178) | None |
| Wyoming | Northern Iowa (84/63) | @ Pacific (186/175) | None |
San Diego State's loss against Loyola Illinois was a major hit for the conference this weekend. SDSU has suffered notable losses in non-conference play the past few seasons. The Aztecs will have a chance to prove its worth this week - a road matchup against Grand Canyon and home matchup with Arizona State are must-win games.
As for Nevada, the Wolf Pack could have used a road win over Saint Mary's (though it won't be detrimental) and the CBI championship game against Iona. UNR is still in great shape, avoiding any sorts of blemishes on its non-conference resume. Musselman and company will face Washington and Markelle Fultz in Seattle this week, which is an opportunity to pick up a flashy win over a talented team.
State of the conference
Where does this year's conference strength stack up among previous Mountain West seasons? Glad you asked.
| Year | Conference Rank | Top 50 Teams | Top 100 Teams | NCAA Tournament Teams |
| 2017 | 9th | None | San Diego State (52), Nevada (77), New Mexico (94) | ? |
| 2016 | 9th | San Diego State (47) | Boise State (90) | 1 |
| 2015 | 10th | San Diego State (31), Boise State (47) | Colorado State (72) | 3 |
| 2014 | 10th | San Diego State (23), New Mexico (33) | Boise State (73), UNLV (79) | 2 |
| 2013 | 4th | Colorado State (22), New Mexico (23), San Diego State (31), UNLV (38) | Boise State (54), Air Force (99), Wyoming (100) | 5 |
| 2012 | 8th | New Mexico (20), UNLV (37) | San Diego State (66), Colorado State (88), Wyoming (91) | 4 |
| 2011 | 6th | San Diego State (8), BYU (11), UNLV (28), New Mexico (48) | Colorado State (77) | 3 |
| 2010 | 8th | BYU (10), San Diego State (41), UNLV (42), New Mexico (43) | None | 4 |
| 2009 | 7th | BYU (21), Utah (28), San Diego State (36), New Mexico (42) | UNLV (73) | 2 |
| 2008 | 9th | New Mexico (32), BYU (35), UNLV (48) | Utah (61), San Diego State (93) | 2 |
| 2007 | 8th | Air Force (19), UNLV (39), BYU (45) | San Diego State (79) | 2 |
| 2006 | 8th | Air Force (40) | San Diego State (52), UNLV (89), BYU (92) | 2 |
| 2005 | 8th | Utah (20), New Mexico (31), Air Force (45) | UNLV (90) | 2 |
| 2004 | 6th | BYU (34), Air Force (36), Utah (43) | UNLV (77) | 3 |
| 2003 | 8th | BYU (25), Utah (44) | UNLV (71), San Diego State (92), Wyoming (97) | 3 |
| 2002 | 8th | Utah (45) | BYU (63), Wyoming (67), San Diego State (74), UNLV (81), New Mexico (92) | 3 |
If the season ended today (good thing it doesn't), this would be the first time in Mountain West history that the conference would fail to place a team in the top 50 of KenPom rankings. Despite the lack of a dominant team, the conference as a whole fairs pretty well among the last 15 years of the Mountain West. The MW is almost always 8th-10th in terms on conference ranking, which it appears on pace to repeat yet against this season.
We will see if the conference can finish 2016 with a bang, but it is evident that missed opportunities against strong teams in non-conference play will be the thorn in MW's side moving forward. It should be interesting to see San Diego State and Nevada fight it out for the regular season title, but don't be surprised if we see a sleeper sneak up on the favorites.