UNLV Runnin' Rebels Have Less Than 1% Shot To Win The Mountain West Regular Season Title

The UNLV Rebels have had an up-and-down season, starting with their non-conference schedule, and that has carried over into their Mountain West Conference schedule. They are now 8 - 8 on the season, and 3 - 2 in Mountain West play. While they have been more inconsistent than bad, it looks like that inconsistent play will inevitably prevent them from having any chance of winning the Mountain West regular season title.

With the season just about half over and Mountain West teams about a quarter of the way through their schedule, Toby McMahon of Mountain West Connection ranked all the Mountain West teams by their calculated probability of winning the conference regular season title. UNLV came in at No. 7 with a less than 1% chance to win the title. It was the Utah State Aggies who are the heavy favorites to finish first in the conference at 76%. This is what they had to say about the Rebels' chances of winning the regular-season title this season.

Mountain West Connection On Their No. 7 Ranked UNLV Rebels

"#7 UNLV Rebels

Unfortunately for UNLV, out-of-conference victories over Memphis and Stanford carry significantly less weight than in years past. The Rebels have conference wins against Air Force and Fresno State, but road losses to Wyoming and Colorado State have been crippling. The gauntlet starts next week: @Utah State (7%), vs. San Diego State (38%), vs. New Mexico (33%), @Nevada (22%). Even a .500 record in this stretch would require winning games where they’re substantial underdogs. The Rebels are playing for seeding, not the title."

This isn't an opinion; it's a factual calculation, so there is nothing to really agree or disagree with here. However, we can take a look at what UNLV needs to do to get better and where they go from here. With the conference title more than likely out of reach, they have to continue to improve and get better.

This team was always supposed to be a bit of a project, and head coach Josh Pastner has done a good job of getting them to play better as we have gotten deeper into the season. All they can do now is focus on being at their best when the Mountain West Tournament tips off and to try to get that automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Consistency will be the key.

More UNLV Rebels On SI News