2026 was a great year for Aggie basketball with both the Men's and Women's teams having successful seasons. While the championship in Vegas didn't lead to March Madness glory, both teams finished with positive records and momentum heading into the 2027 season. This upcoming season will present big challenges paired with overwhelming excitement as the Aggies head into their first season as members of the Mountain West Conference. While leaving our UC and CSU friends in the Big West will be an adjustment, the Mountain West provides new opportunities for the Aggies on a bigger national stage. Hopefully the Ags can still play some non-conference games against Big West members. I wanted to open this thread for general discussion about this next season, conference conversations and general rumblings about the future of Aggie basketball.
For quick reference, here is a list of some general info on our new conference competitors in the MW:
United States Air Force Academy
- Enrollment: ~4,100
- Fun Fact: Every student is a cadet receives a full scholarship with mandatory military service.
- Joined Mountain West: 1999 (founding member)
- Basketball Arena: Clune Arena (Capacity: 5,858)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
- Enrollment: ~19,000
- Fun Fact: The only Division I basketball school located outside the continental United States.
- Joined Mountain West: 2012 (football-only), becoming a full member in 2026
- Basketball Arena: Stan Sheriff Center (Capacity: 10,300)
University of Nevada, Reno
- Enrollment: ~21,000
- Fun Fact: First university founded in the state of Nevada.
- Joined Mountain West: 2012
- Basketball Arena: Lawlor Events Center (Capacity: 12,000)
University of New Mexico
- Enrollment: ~21,000
- Fun Fact: “The Pit” is considered one of the loudest environments in college basketball.
- Joined Mountain West: 1999 (founding member)
- Basketball Arena: University Arena “The Pit” (Capacity: 15,411)
San José State University
- Enrollment: ~36,000
- Fun Fact: Founded in 1857, it is the oldest public university on the West Coast.
- Joined Mountain West: 2013
- Basketball Arena: Provident Credit Union Event Center (Capacity: ~5,000)
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Enrollment: ~31,000
- Fun Fact: Won the 1990 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship under coach Jerry Tarkanian.
- Joined Mountain West: 1999 (founding member)
- Basketball Arena: Thomas & Mack Center (Capacity: ~18,000)
University of Texas at El Paso
- Enrollment: ~24,000
- Fun Fact: Won the 1966 NCAA Championship with the first all-Black starting lineup to win the title.
- Joining Mountain West: 2026
- Basketball Arena: Don Haskins Center (Capacity: 12,222)
University of Wyoming
- Enrollment: ~12,000
- Fun Fact: Located at over 7,000 feet elevation, making it he highest Division 1 campuses.
- Joined Mountain West: 1999 (founding member)
- Basketball Arena: Arena-Auditorium (Capacity: ~11,600)
Grand Canyon University
- Enrollment: ~25,000 on campus (100,000+ including online)
- Fun Fact: Known for one of the energetic student sections called the “Havocs.”
- Joined Mountain West: 2025
- Basketball Arena: Global Credit Union Arena (Capacity: 7,500)
University of California, Davis
- Enrollment: ~39,000
- Fun Fact: The UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, located on the Bodega Bay coast, is the oldest marine lab on the U.S. West Coast still in operation.
- Joining the Mountain West: 2026
- Basketball Arena: University Credit Union Center (Capacity: 6,003)
We already know that the Mountain West’s 10 team basketball schedule will involve the same home and away round robin that the Big West has been using. That’s a good thing for the sake of fairness. I do not like the way larger conferences can’t possibly do that with 14 to 18 schools, so there is an automatic imbalance in their schedules.
For what it’s worth, here are the nine teams that UC Davis will be playing next season with their MWC (unless otherwise noted) 2025-26 records, including any league tournament games in brackets [ ]:
Air Force (3-28, 0-20) [MWC 0-1]
Grand Canyon (20-11, 13-7) [MWC 0-1]
Hawai`i (Big West, 22-8, 14-6) [BW 1-?]
Nevada (20-11, 12-8) [MWC 2-1]
Nevada Las Vegas (16-15, 12-8) [MWC 1-1]
New Mexico (22-6, 13-7) [MWC 1-1]
San Jose State (8-23, 3-17) [MWC 1-1 ]
Texas El Paso (Conference USA, 11-20, 7-13) [None]
Wyoming (18-13, 9-11) [MWC 0-1]
Leaving the Mountain West are Boise State, Utah State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State. They are joining Oregon State, Washington State and Texas State in the Pac-State-12 conference.
Given the above, where do you think the Aggies might finish next season? My guess is no lower than 7th because there seems to be three pretty bad teams in the Mountain West, but no higher than 4th because there are three pretty good teams (assuming they don’t change much).