MWC Preview: Best Bets 2026-27 Recap
Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) and Cannabis Capper (@CannabisCapper) break down the 2026-27 Mountain West basketball preview, walking through the new-look league after realignment. Cannabis Capper is all in on UNLV winning it, while Ryan McIntyre rides an old, experienced Grand Canyon team.
A Mountain West Basketball Preview Without The Big Dogs
Last season ended with Utah State beating San Diego State 73-62, and neither program is in the league anymore. Boise State and Colorado State are gone too, so Cannabis Capper spends the open mourning the old rivalries. Then Ryan McIntyre walks through who is actually left. Hawaii arrives from the Big West after 24 wins and an NCAA tournament trip. J.C. Davis also comes over, with 19 wins and an 11-9 Big West mark. UTEP joins from Conference USA. Meanwhile Grand Canyon already proved it belongs, going 13-7 in league play in year one. And Air Force is coming off an 0-20 conference season and a 3-29 record overall. Capper likes the additions anyway, because Hawaii needed the jump and the Lopes now get to be a big dog in a mid-major league.
Alford’s Farewell And The Coaching Ladder
Joe Crispin is the only new head coach, and he inherits the toughest job in the league at Air Force. He played at Penn State and has head coaching experience at Rowan. Then there are the savvy vets. Steve Alford is the godfather of the new Mountain West, entering his eighth season at Nevada and his last. Ganot is somehow in year 12 at Hawaii, and Jim Les has 16 years at J.C. Davis. Mac also labels Eric Olson a coach on the rise after UC San Diego and a strong first year at New Mexico. Sundance Wicks gets the most love, because his Wyoming teams play hard and get more out of less. Capper adds that he is higher on Pastner than most, pointing to his Conference USA and ACC Coach of the Year trophies.
So who is on the hot seat? Both guys land on Joe Golding at UTEP. He did great work at Abilene, but year six in El Paso has been underwhelming. Now the Miners move up to a new conference, and Capper is not sure Golding is built for it. He also sees UTEP as a possible sleeping giant in West Texas, which makes a slow start even more dangerous. Mac floats Tim Miles at San Jose State as well. But both agree that job is a financial problem more than a coaching one, since Miles has won at multiple stops. That is a hard gig, and nobody on the show is pinning it on him.
Stock Up On The Running Rebs, Stock Down On Hawaii
Capper’s stock up team is UNLV, and the whole case is roster construction. Pastner went after players returning from injuries and players looking to rebuild careers after flaming out elsewhere. Terrence Ford Jr. arrives from Arkansas State to run the point after missing last season at Tulsa. Cam Miles also comes in from Florida State as a speedy combo guard. Then Sebastian Mack, a Pac-12 all-freshman pick a few years ago, joins after struggling at Missouri. Up front, Tyron Jones is back for a second season. He can pound the paint, and if the free throws improve he could push for All-Mountain West. AJ Storr is on the roster too, though Capper jokes he is in his 87th year of college and may not even play.
Mac goes with Wyoming for his stock up, and Capper admits the Cowboys were his number two. Year three of Wicks brings a good amount of returning production and a real defensive identity. Mac thinks that identity wins in this new league, so he is buying the Cowboys early. On the other side, Capper’s stock down is Hawaii, and it pains him because he is a big Rainbow Warriors fan. Almost the entire roster aged out or transferred after the tournament run. Tanner Coffey is back at point guard after tearing his ACL right before last year’s opener. Chance Trujillo also helps the backcourt after a solid run at Dixie State. But Capper needs to see the rest of this group before he buys in.
Mac fades the other Big West newcomer, J.C. Davis. The Aggies usually finish in the top four or five of the Big West, and they bring back a decent amount of production. But Mac sees the Mountain West as a significant step up, and he thinks the more physical style will be a problem. So he has Jim Les and company finishing toward the basement. Capper calls it fair, then pushes back later when the standings come around. That disagreement is one of the few real splits on the board, because the two of them agree on almost everything at the top of the league.
Grand Canyon Or UNLV To Win The League
Capper is all in on UNLV to win the regular season. Pastner is in year two, he knows the road environments now, and the roster checks most of Capper’s boxes. Mac likes the Rebs, but not that much. He takes Grand Canyon, one of the oldest teams in college basketball, loaded with seniors after a 13-7 debut in the tougher old version of the league. Capper also has the Lopes second. Mac goes to the Pit for his two spot instead, with Tennant and Hall back, good size from the portal and a home crowd he says rivals Grand Canyon’s. Then both guys put Nevada third, sending Alford out with a top-three finish. So the top four match, with Capper holding New Mexico fourth and Mac holding UNLV fourth.
Wyoming sits fifth on both cards, which would be a real step up for Wicks in year three. Then the boards split. Capper has J.C. Davis sixth because the backcourt returns, while Mac takes UTEP sixth as a mystery team with a completely new roster. Capper puts Hawaii seventh and San Jose State eighth, and he is intrigued by a 6’3″ French combo guard who played in France’s Pro B league last year. Mac also has the Rainbow Warriors and San Jose State in that tier. After that, Capper slots UTEP ninth and Mac slots Davis ninth. And Air Force is tenth for both. Capper gives the Falcons one league win, probably Hawaii because of the travel and the elevation. Mac thinks two or even three is possible, with UTEP and J.C. Davis as the next targets.
Awards, Vegas And Alford’s Last Run
Capper’s Coach of the Year is Pastner, who would collect his third such award from a third different conference. Mac takes Bryce Drew instead, because Grand Canyon has not won the league yet and meeting expectations would earn Drew his first. He also mentions Wicks if Wyoming pops into the top three. Capper agrees, ranking Drew and Wicks second and third behind Pastner. For Player of the Year, Capper rides Makai Williams of Grand Canyon as the best player on one of the best teams. Mac had Williams circled too, but he goes with Jaden Henley, a double-double guy with size. Either way, Mac expects the award to come out of Grand Canyon, since he has the Lopes winning the league.
The conference tournament is in Las Vegas, and this is where the guys agree loudest. Both take Nevada, because the retiring coach getting one last run is an angle they have watched hit before. Mac even hopes the Wolf Pack do not win the regular season, figuring a three or four seed sets Alford up better than the pressure of the top line. Grand Canyon should bring a great crowd to Vegas. UNLV, meanwhile, never seems to draw one, even playing in its own city. So the best bet on the board is Alford cutting down the nets on his way out, and the guys are not hedging it.
One Bid Or Two For The New Mountain West
Capper would love to see two bids, but he expects a ten-team league to get just one. Mac sees a narrow path to two. The top two teams would need to dominate, take care of the non-conference slate and keep feeding on the weaker teams in league play. UNLV has the nastiest schedule, with Stanford, Kansas, San Francisco, San Diego State, Washington State and SMU. Grand Canyon is also challenging itself against Florida, Memphis, Oklahoma State and Saint Louis. That matters, because Quad 1 and Quad 2 chances inside the league just got a lot thinner. But the league has never gotten the benefit of the doubt. Capper points out that Utah State, Boise State or Colorado State seemed to sit on the bubble every year and still get left out. Next up for the guys is the WCC, another league that conference realignment did no favors.
2026-27 College Basketball Conference Previews
Podcast Chapters
00:00 Download the SGPN App Today!
01:05 Welcome to the New Look Mountain West
02:46 Who Is in the League
06:21 Coaches: Alford, Wicks & Drew
12:24 Hot Seat: Golding & Miles
14:01 Stock Up, Stock Down: UNLV, Wyoming, Hawaii
20:37 Who Is Winning the Regular Season
28:28 Coach of the Year, Player of the Year & Tournament
30:33 One Bid League or Two Bid League
32:25 Sign-Off & Socials
