Utah State roars back on busy day of Mountain West men’s basketball

All 12 Mountain West men’s basketball teams were in action during the first Saturday of 2026.

Four MWC teams — Nevada, San Diego State, UNLV and Utah State — have yet to drop a game in conference play.

Utah State (12-1, 3-0) has been the most consistent performer of the bunch, including a 96-78 home victory over San Jose State (5-9, 0-3) on Saturday. The Aggies trailed 59-52 with 16:43 remaining but stormed back to secure a runaway win.

“That defense, the last 15 minutes of the game, carried us,” Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “But that’s the sign of a really good team. Win in a lot of different ways: offense, defense, three kids off your bench step up. … We got great effort from our bench.”

The Aggies won the bench points battle 45-13.

Nevada (11-3, 3-0) also needed a second-half comeback to take down Fresno State (6-8, 0-3) on the road, 66-65. A Tyler Rolison reverse layup with 10 seconds remaining was the difference for the Wolf Pack.

“I’m just really proud of our guys. They have worked very, very hard,” Nevada head coach Steve Alford said. “This wasn’t the prettiest, but I give Fresno a lot of credit. I thought Fresno played really well. I thought they did a lot of good things to us, both offensively and defensively. We had to make some adjustments, and our guys did a good job with that.”

Just like Utah State, Nevada leaned on its bench during the comeback. The Wolf Pack bench had 27 points to Fresno State’s one.

San Diego State (9-4, 3-0) blew a 24-point first-half lead but recovered to defeat visiting Boise State (9-5, 1-2) in triple overtime, 110-107.

“Boise State versus San Diego State is an instant classic,” Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher said. “I’ve been through enough of them in 20-some years, and (Boise State head coach Leon Rice) has been there for 16. You should never expect anything less than tonight’s game. Both programs are super competitive and super tough-minded.”

UNLV (7-6, 2-0) also kept its perfect MWC record intact with a dominant 67-39 home win over Air Force (3-11, 0-3). The Rebels are 4-1 over their last five games following a tough start to the season.

New Mexico (11-3, 2-1) bounced back from a road loss to Boise State with a 78-58 home victory over Wyoming (10-4, 1-2).

Colorado State (10-4, 1-2) earned a 70-60 road win over Grand Canyon (8-5, 1-1).