Mountain West College Basketball Future Odds: UNLV a Longshot

Jan 2, 2025

UNLV Rebels guard Dedan Thomas Jr. / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

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The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (8-5) have made a promising start to Mountain West play, boasting a 2-0 conference record. However, they face a steep challenge in their pursuit of the Mountain West championship.

Currently sitting in fourth place, UNLV trails frontrunner Utah State (13-1) and second-place teams New Mexico and Boise State (both 11-3 and undefeated in conference play). Colorado State rounds out the top five with an 8-6 record (2-1 within the conference).

San Diego State has a better overall record than the Rebels (8-3) but they are just 1-1 in conference play compared to UNLV’s undefeated record. For that reason, the Aztecs sit in sixth place. Wyoming is 8-6 but 1-2 in the Mountain West, good for seventh in the conference.

Meanwhile, Air Force (3-10) holds eighth place based on conference results, despite owning the worst overall record in the league. They are 0-2 within the conference. Rounding out the bottom three are Nevada (8-6), San Jose State (7-8), and Fresno State (4-10), all of whom are 0-3 in MWC play.

It appears to be a three-team race for the Mountain West title with Utah State the clear favorite. However, New Mexico and Boise State cannot be counted out. And despite San Diego State’s rough start, we’ve seen the Aztecs dominate in the NCAA Tournament before so don’t count them out yet. The Rebels are longshots to win the conference but the return on investment would be monumental if they were able to pull off the feat.

Editor’s Note: All odds are subject to change. These were accurate at the time of publication on Thursday, January 2 at 1:00 PM EST.

Mountain West Conference Future Championship Odds on FanDuel

Team	Odds
Utah State	-105
New Mexico	+360
Boise State	+450
San Diego State	+550
Colorado State	+2900
UNLV	+2900
Nevada	+3100
Wyoming	+25000
San Jose State	+25000
Fresno State	+25000
Wyoming	+25000

UNLV offers a ton of bang for your buck and despite a 6-1 record at home and a four-game winning streak, they don’t stack up talent-wise with the top teams in the conference. The Utah State Aggies seem like the smart pick as their one loss was by two points and they are led by a backcourt duo that is taking the league by storm. Guards Ian Martinez and Mason Falslev are each averaging 17 points per contest. Martinez is knocking down 2.0 threes per game while Falselev is converting 55.1% of his field goals and 46.0% from beyond the arc.

That's 11-straight Aggie points scored by @IanJumaine 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CPRaEnly62
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 1, 2025

The Mountain West will have their hands full with the Aggies’ dynamic duo; for that reason, I’d recommend the favorite.

The Pick: Utah State (-105)

Longshot Pick: San Diego State +550

Mountain West Conference Future Championship Odds on FanDuel

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