Richard Pitino on the Mountain West: "We Have to Take Over the West."

Richard Pitino is thrilled with New Mexico's 18-4 start, but he's also thrilled with what has been a breakthrough season for the Mountain West.

With the Pac-12 in its final year, Pitino knows that the door is open for another conference to emerge.

"We have to take over the West," Pitino said of the Mountain West on this week's edition of the College Hoops Today Podcast. "We need to plant a flag and take over the West Coast."

As of Tuesday, six teams from the Mountain West --- New Mexico, San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State, and Nevada --- were ranked in the Top 56 of the NET.

New Mexico was ranked 22nd in this week's edition of the ROTHSTEIN 45, and the Lobos are +360 to win the Mountain West's regular-season title, per FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds.

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Jon Rothstein is not a FanDuel employee. The reporting of Rothstein is not subject to FanDuel's verification and does not represent the views or input of FanDuel. Betting based on Rothstein's reporting will not guarantee a successful outcome. Always do your own due diligence and use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

Rothstein has been a college basketball insider for CBS Sports since 2010 and a contributor to the CBS Broadcast Network since 2016. He joined FanDuel in 2022 as a Content Creator. Rothstein is also the host of the College Hoops Today Podcast via Compass Media Networks.