The Mountain West Race Is Heating Up

The 2023-24 college basketball campaign is heating up as we enter the homestretch of conference play. Soon enough, the illustrious NCAA Tournament will be here. Prior to that, we still have to crown regular-season winners.

Flying somewhat under the radar, the Mountain West Conference has been an incredibly competitive grouping.

Via the college basketball odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, let's see how the market looks for the Mountain West's regular season winner.

All college basketball odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. If any unlisted team wins conference, all bets will be voided.

Mountain West Basketball Betting Odds

Utah State Aggies (+145)

In head coach Danny Sprinkle's first year at the helm, the Utah State Aggies have continued to dominate on the hardwood. In 2022-23, USU played to a 26-9 record. Fast-forward to now, and the Aggies are at 20-4, which includes an 8-3 record in conference.

Currently sitting atop the Mountain West, Utah State has seven regular season contests remaining in 2024. In that batch, they'll take on San Diego State and New Mexico once more each. Seemingly, how the Aggies fare in those two games could ultimately seal their fate in the race for the regular season title.

Right now, USU is scoring the basketball at a clip of 81.0 points per game (PPG). That lands them within the top 35 nationally at the moment. Utah State has four players averaging double digits in the scoring department. Of that group, junior forward Great Osobor leads the way with 18.3 PPG and 9.3 rebounds per game (RPG).

To reiterate, the Mountain West is no slouch in 2024. Additionally, the Aggies have not won a regular season crown since 2018-19. Still, it feels like this current group in Logan, Utah has both the talent and discipline to contend late into the campaign. Either way, we should expect the Mountain West to again supply multiple teams at the big dance in March.

San Diego State Aztecs (+210)

As the previous year's national runner-up, the San Diego State Aztecs also did well to win the most recent regular season title within the Mountain West. SDSU is one of the strongest programs out West and has cashed this specific market in nine different campaigns (including three of the past four) -- that is the most of any MWC school.

Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher is in his seventh year at post. Through that span, San Diego State has won more than 20 games in every season. Right now, the program on "The Mesa" is tied for second in conference. At 8-4 in MWC play (19-6 overall), SDSU is still well within striking distance.

In 2024, the Aztecs are powering their current campaign behind stingy defense. Opposing teams have scored just 66.8 PPG when pitted against San Diego State. From there, SDSU boasts 11 different players on the roster taller than 6-foot-4. One of those contributors is forward Jaedon LeDee -- the senior has produced 20.3 PPG and 8.5 RPG through 24 starts.

San Diego State has two pivotal contests upcoming. This Friday, the Aztecs will host UNM before traveling to Utah State. As noted, these next couple games have a chance to spell out the conference regular season winner: be sure not to miss the looming contest versus the Lobos.

New Mexico Lobos (+380)

On that same subject, the New Mexico Lobos have only improved since Richard Pitino -- son of the legendary Rick Pitino -- took over as head coach. Three seasons later, New Mexico has earned 20 or more wins in back-to-back campaigns for the first time since 2014.

UNM has been one of the top offensive sides in the Mountain West -- and Division I basketball as a whole. To this point, the Lobos have generated 84.1 PPG, which lands them 16th in the nation. numberFire is also keen on New Mexico (13.82 nERD), with numberFire's power rankings slotting the Lobos as the top team in the Mountain West and 17th in the country.

Right now, the Lobos are listed at +380 odds to win the Mountain West at FanDuel Sportsbook. As alluded to, New Mexico has a major clash at the Aztecs this Friday evening. For this instance, perhaps UNM will channel energy from their recent victory in Reno versus the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Notably, New Mexico works with a prevalent home-court advantage when playing in Albuquerque. The Lobos have gone 11-2 at "The Pit" this campaign, and they will likely need to win the remaining three home contests in order to take the conference. UNM also has three games left on the road, and considering those opponents (SDSU, USU and the Boise State Broncos), they won't be afforded many slip-ups.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.