The UNLV Runnin' Rebels Climb The Mountain West Power Rankings After Big Week

It was a strong week for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team, who came away with two big wins over the Boise State Broncos and the San Jose State Spartans. Their win over the Spartans was their first road game in Mountain West Conference play. The Rebs are now sitting at 4 - 2 in the Mountain West and 9 - 8 overall.

With their strong week, they finally have an upward trajectory in the Mountain West power rankings. Matt Hanifan of Yahoo! Sports has the Rebels climbing up their power rankings to No. 6. This is what they had to say about the Rebels, their most recent opponents in the Spartans, and their next opponents, the Utah State Aggies.

Yahoo! Sports On Their No. 6 Ranked UNLV Rebels

"UNLV picked up a pair of wins over Boise State (OT thriller!) and San Jose State, elevating to 4-2 in MW play. However, their four wins have come against Fresno State, Air Force and SJSU. They will be tested this week against Utah State and San Diego State."

Yahoo! Sports On Their No. 11 Ranked San Jose State Spartans

"A shorthanded San Jose State picked up their first MW win of the season against Air Force this week, snapping a six-game losing streak. Without Garland, Washington and Moundi, freshman guard Ben Roseborough and sophomore guard Pasha Goodarzi lead the way with 19 and 18 points, respectively."

Yahoo! Sports On Their No. 2 Ranked Utah State Aggies

"Down goes Utah State! Nevada gave the Aggies a run for their money earlier in the week before USU escaped with a nine-point win. However, their eight-game win streak and 10-game MW win streak was snapped Saturday inside Global Credit Union Arena, one of the toughest places to play in college basketball. Mason Falslev was masterful, however, scoring 25 points on 8-of-21 shooting, with the 6-foot-3 guard tying a career high in rebounds (12)."

No. 6 seems a fair spot to rank the Rebels, who currently sit in the upper half of the conference both in the rankings and the standings. While they have been inconsistent, they have also shown great improvement and impressive flashes of potential and upside.

They have a huge test in front of them next on the road against the Utah State Aggies. If they can pull off that win, it would do wonders for the outlook on the remainder of the Rebels' season and their potential ability to win the Mountain West Tournament.

More UNLV Rebels On SI News