Affiliate Disclosure This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may earn a commission.

Utah State and New Mexico Driving Mountain West Success

> Stephen Vilardo's weekly column on the 2024-25 MW men's basketball season


  By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports

January 15, 2025



Mountain West Conference logoThe Mountain West is establishing itself as one of the nation’s deepest men’s basketball conferences.

The league boasts five teams in the top 65 of the NET Rankings.

Two of the country’s hottest teams—the Aggies and the Lobos—continue to lead the charge.


Utah State’s Win Percentage Leads the Nation
Utah State, now 16-1 overall, owns the nation’s best win percentage at .941 while compiling a 7-1 record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games.

It hasn’t been all smooth sledding for the Aggies, though, as USU trailed Boise State by as many as 12 on Saturday before clawing their way back.

How fast has Utah State started under their new coach this season?

Aggies’ Ian Martinez hit a late 3-pointer to defeat the Broncos | Utah State Athletics

Jerrod Calhoun is one of just three Division I head coaches in the past decade to begin their tenure at a new school 16-1 or better, along with Danny Sprinkle at USU last season and Tommy Loyd at Arizona in 2021-22.

That’s pretty impressive considering the talent the Aggies lost in the offseason. And they are getting it done away from Logan as well, going 7-0 in road/neutral site games.

They can make it eight straight at UNLV on Wednesday.

But Utah State is not the only team tearing up the Mountain West.


Donovan Dent’s Top 10 Assists Total Fuels New Mexico
New Mexico has nearly kept pace with Utah State, opening 6-0 conference play for the first time since joining the MW, including Saturday’s 14-point beat down at Viejas Arena against an Aztec team receiving AP votes.

However, UNM’s streak ended on Tuesday with a one-point loss to San Jose State.

Nelly Junior Joseph averages 13 pts and 10 rebounds per game | Ian Maule/AP

A big reason for UNM’s success this season has been the play of Donovan Dent, who ranks in the Top 10 nationally in assists and is the only player in the nation averaging at least 19 points and 6.5 assists per outing.

Dent’s teammate, Nelly Junior Joseph, is eighth in the nation with eight double-doubles this season. Through Tuesday’s games, he is tied with Boise State’s Alvaro Cardenas with 6.8 assists per game, the seventh-best mark in the nation.


Other Conference Notes

San Diego State’s Magoon Gwath Turning Heads

Defense is a strong suit for San Diego State, which has one of the best rim protectors in the nation this season in Magoon Gwath.

Gwath’s 2.86 blocked shots per game are the fourth-most nationally. His 1.46 blocked shots per foul committed is the 10th-best mark nationally.

Colorado State Dominating on the Boards

The Rams are collecting 76.4% of their defensive rebound opportunities this season, ranking Colorado State among the top 30 nationally.

Instrumental in their success in limiting putbacks has been the play of Nique Clifford, whose 8.6 defensive rebounds per game are the third most in the nation.

Player of the week: Donovan Dent, New Mexico

Dent averaged 19 points and 5.5 assists per game in wins over Wyoming and San Diego State.

Top Freshman of the Week: Abou Magassa, Wyoming

Magassa scored 10 points on a perfect 5-5 from the field against New Mexico, adding five boards and a blocked shot.