Happy new year! Welcome to the first Mountaintop View of 2019. Mountain West football has officially come to an end but we have conference play starting in basketball this week. Make sure to keep up on whats going on around the conference.

5 keys for UNLV heading into conference play

UNLV is heading into conference play with a 6-6 record, the Mountain West has proven that it is Nevada at the top and a lot of unknown after that. Mike Grimala of the Las Vegas Sun has provided the 5 things UNLV must do in order to be successful in conference play. From the proper development of their young guards to finding a working lineup, check out what UNLV needs to work on going forward.

Week 9 AP poll

The last AP poll before conference play starts up for all conferences saw very little movement at the top of the rankings. Teams ranked 1-12 all stayed the same as last week but Kentucky has jumped up to 13. Nevada is still ranked 6 and should be favored in every game until the NCAA tournament.

Why Alexander Mattison is headed for the NFL

Alexander Mattison is headed for the NFL. Mattison elected to forego his final season at Boise St. to enter the draft. Mattison, who never missed a game during his time in Boise, says injury risk is a big reason he chose to enter the draft now. Mattison explains that the shot to the head he took in the MW championship game was a sign he should enter the draft now and not risk getting injured during another season in college. With the season over the Boise St. running back will have all of his focus on getting ready for the draft.

What we learned about CSU in nonconference play

Colorado State dropped their final nonconference game against New Mexico State 88-68 bringing their record to 5-8. It has been a rocky start to the season in Fort Collins but it has taught us a lot about this team. Kevin Lytle of the Coloradoan discusses how CSU’s inexperience has affected the team so far as well as what has gone wrong on defense and what needs to be done to fix the rebounding struggles.

Caleb Martin wins player of the week

On the horizon:

• Later today: a look back at the conference in 2018, the Year in Review
• Later Today: Another edition of The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Bowl Edition (Week 3)
• Later Today: The Recruiting Road So Far: Air Force
• Coming Wednesday: A piece on Utah State’s Rapid Rise in basketball
• Coming Wednesday: the Boise State Season Recap
• Coming Thursday: Aggie Analysis: A Look Back at 2018