Mountain West men’s basketball betting odds: Utah State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Boise State in 4-team battle

Posted by author January 16, 2025 Basketball

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When it comes to the race for the Mountain West Conference men’s basketball title, four teams clearly stand above the rest.

No. 22 Utah State (16-2, 6-1), New Mexico (14-4, 6-1), Boise State (13-5, 5-2) and San Diego State (11-4, 4-2) all appear to have NCAA Tournament rosters and boast multiple wins over postseason-bound teams.

In the latest odds from BetMGM, Utah State is the favorite to win the MWC regular-season title at +110, followed by New Mexico (+225), San Diego State (+425) and Boise State (+700). Colorado State (10-7, 4-2) is a distant fifth at +3000 with UNLV (10-7, 4-2) also a long shot at +5000.

The Aggies suffered their first MWC loss of the season Wednesday night at UNLV, allowing the final seven points in a 65-62 defeat. After the game, head coach Jerrod Calhoun said the Aggies were dealing with a team-wide illness.

“It’s been disastrous for 72 hours, something I’ve never seen before,” Calhoun said. “We had three guys not here, (Karson) Templin didn’t practice and was on an IV, it was just a disaster. But, the reality of it is, nobody cares in a month and a half; you have to fight through it and find a way to win. We had coaches and managers practicing. We just didn’t have it over the last 72 hours. It is what it is.”

Calhoun also credited UNLV for making plays down the stretch and winning the rebounding battle, 37-34. The Rebels had 14 offensive rebounds.

“Rebounding has been our Achilles’ heel the last four or five games, and they dominated us on the glass,” Calhoun said. “We’ll take a day off and get back to the drawing board. There’s really no separation in the league. Anybody can be beaten, home or away.”

Utah State remains in the driver’s seat to win the conference with wins banked over San Diego State (road) and Boise State (home).

The Lobos also defeated San Diego State and can pick up another big win Friday night against the Broncos. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. Mountain time at The Pit.

The Aztecs have played the toughest MWC schedule of the four contenders to date and should be favored in their next nine games. San Diego State has upcoming home games against Boise State (Feb. 15) and New Mexico (Feb. 25) with a road trip to Utah State (Feb. 22).

The Broncos are 0-2 against the MWC’s top contenders with close losses to San Diego State and Utah State.