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It has been well documented this season that the Mountain West is the strongest mid-major conference. It continues to perform well in the Other Top 25, with five teams in the top 10 of this week’s poll.
San Diego State is the highest ranked of the teams and comes in tied for No. 2 this week. The Aztecs are 21-5 on the season and sit alone atop the league standings at 12-2. They rank 17th in KenPom and are top-50 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. SDSU has won eight of its last nine games, including four straight. It has four games left in the regular season: at home against Colorado State and Wyoming and on the road at Boise State and New Mexico.
Boise State followed at No. 5. The Broncos boast a 21-6 overall record and 11-3 mark in the conference, which is good for sole possession of second place. They are 28th in KenPom and rank 10th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Boise has won six of its last seven games with the only loss coming at San Diego State. It has a chance to avenge two of its conference losses with home games against New Mexico and SDSU coming up. It will also visit San Jose State and Utah State.
Nevada came next in the ranking at No. 7. The Wolf Pack are 20-7 overall and 10-4 in the conference. They rank 38th in KenPom and are top-50 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. Coming off a loss to Utah State, Nevada doesn’t have any regular-season games remaining against the other top teams in the conference. It will host San Jose State and UNLV and travel to Fresno State and Wyoming.
Utah State claimed the next spot in the Other Top 25. The Aggies sit at 21-7 overall and 10-5 in the Mountain West. They stand at 37th in KenPom, including 14th in adjusted offensive efficiency. After dropping both of their games two weeks ago, they swept their two games last week. USU has just three games remaining: road contests at Wyoming and UNLV before wrapping up at home against Boise State.
New Mexico rounds out these Mountain West teams and tied for No. 9. The Lobos, who were the last unbeaten in Division I, hold a 20-7 overall record and a 7-7 mark in the conference. They rank 47th in KenPom, including 22nd in adjusted offensive efficiency. They ended a four-game skid with a 96-68 win at San Jose State on Friday. New Mexico has a tough week with the top two teams in the conference: at Boise State Wednesday and at home against San Diego State Saturday. They’ll wrap up the regular season against Fresno State and at Colorado State.
The Other Top 25: Feb. 20, 2023
| Rank | Team (First-Place Votes) | Points | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team (First-Place Votes) | Points | Record | Previous |
| 1 | Houston (2) | 50 | 25-2 | 1 |
| T-2 | Saint Mary's | 47 | 24-5 | 2 |
| T-2 | San Diego State | 47 | 21-5 | 3 |
| 4 | Gonzaga | 44 | 23-5 | 4 |
| 5 | Boise State | 41 | 21-6 | T-5 |
| 6 | Florida Atlantic | 40 | 24-3 | T-5 |
| 7 | Nevada | 38 | 20-7 | 7 |
| 8 | Utah State | 37 | 21-7 | T-13 |
| T-9 | New Mexico | 30 | 20-7 | 15 |
| T-9 | Charleston | 30 | 26-3 | 8 |
| 11 | Oral Roberts | 29 | 25-4 | 9 |
| T-12 | North Texas | 26 | 23-5 | 11 |
| T-12 | Kent State | 26 | 22-5 | T-13 |
| T-12 | Memphis | 26 | 20-7 | 10 |
| 15 | Dayton | 17 | 18-9 | 17 |
| 16 | UAB | 16 | 20-8 | 12 |
| T-17 | Drake | 15 | 23-6 | 19 |
| T-17 | Tulane | 15 | 17-7 | NR |
| 19 | VCU | 14 | 20-7 | 18 |
| T-20 | Liberty | 13 | 22-7 | 16 |
| T-20 | Hofstra | 13 | 22-8 | T-23 |
| 22 | Iona | 10 | 20-7 | 22 |
| 23 | Toledo | 6 | 21-6 | NR |
| 24 | Yale | 5 | 18-7 | 25 |
| 25 | Saint Louis | 4 | 18-9 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes:
Utah Valley 3; Southern Miss 3; UC Irvine 2; Marshall 2; Furman 1
Dropped from Ranking:
Southern Miss; Loyola Marymount; UC Santa Barbara
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