1. San Diego State

head coach: Steve Fisher

2013-14 Record: 29-4 (16-2 MW)

key losses: Xavier Thames, Josh Davis

Not only is former Fab Five coach Steve Fisher the unquestioned best head man in the conference, he’s a top-15 coach in the nation. Fisher returns most of the squad that reached the Sweet Sixteen last season minus the MWC Player of the Year, Xavier Thames. While making up for Thames’ 17-point average won’t be easy, Fisher has a long history of replacing great scorers in the program, from Kawhi Leonard to Jamaal Franklin. First in line to be the Aztecs’ new go-to guy is shooting guard Winston Shepard, who averaged 11 points as a sophomore last season.

2. UNLV

Head coach: Dave Rice

2013-14 Record: 20-13 (10-8 MW)

key losses: Khem Birch, Bryce Dejean-Jones, Roscoe Smith 

No program in the conference lost more production than the Rebels. UNLV’s five leading scorers are all gone and have been replaced by a highly-touted recruiting class. The class, ranked in the top-five across the nation by many, is led by five-star recruit Rashad Vaughn. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard was ranked No. 19 in the nation by ESPN coming out of high school, and turned down offers from Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. Joining Vaughn is 6-foot-8 forward Dwayne Morgan, the No. 39 ranked player by ESPN. Both players could be one-and-done after this season.

3. Colorado State

Head coach: Larry Eustachy

2013-14 Record: 16-16 (7-11 MW)

key losses: Jon Octeus

An astounding eight newcomers will join the Rams, most of whom are in the form of now-eligible transfers. Half of them are Division-I transfers from schools such as Southern Illinois, North Carolina Central, Grambling State and Arkansas-Little Rock. The crop of transfers join an explosive scoring pair of forward J.J. Avila and guard Daniel Bejarano, who both averaged 16 points last season. The big question facing Eustachy is how fast will this new-look team gel? It could take months before the squad figures out their roles, but they have one of the deepest rosters in the league.

4. Boise State

Head coach: Leon Rice

2013-14 Record: 21-13 (9-9 MW)

Key losses: Ryan Watkins, Jeff Elorriaga

Coming off of a NCAA Tournament berth in 2013, big things were expected from the Broncos last season. However, the team floundered after a 10-3 start. Boise State will be led by two key players from its NCAA tourney run in Derrick Marks and Anthony Drmic. The guard-forward combo is one of the best one-two punches in the conference. The now-seniors averaged a little over 30 points combined last season. The Broncos season could pin on who steps up as the third option with freshman Chandler Hutchinson being a frontrunner. The top-100 recruit could bolster the frontcourt that already features Drmic — an early MWC Player of the Year favorite.

5. Wyoming

Head coach: Larry Shyatt

2013-14 Record: 18-14 (9-9 MW)

key losses: Nathan Sobey, Jerron Granberry

There is no more complete player in the conference than forward Larry Nance Jr. The do-it-all senior was averaging 15 points, 8 rebounds and two blocks a game last season before tearing his ACL in February. Without Nance, the Cowboys went on to lose six of their next seven games. Nance is a strong MWC Player of the Year contender and will be joined by guards Josh Adams and Riley Grabau, who both averaged double digits in scoring last season.

6. New Mexico

Head coach: Craig Neal

2013-14 Record: 27-6 (15-3 MW)

key losses: Cameron Bairstow, Kendall Williams, Alex Kirk

The conference champions of the past three seasons are rebuilding, depending on who you ask. But, after losing their top three scorers from last season, head coach Craig Neal will prove this season whether he’s the real deal or if he just inherited a great team built by now-UCLA head coach Steve Alford last season. The Lobos are without a clear-cut, go-to player, but forward Deshawn Delaney could fill that role. The senior guard was a breakout player last season as his minutes increased. Newcomer Jordan Goodman is another dark horse. The 6-foot-9 forward was one of the most prized junior college transfers, turning down offers from Georgetown and Oklahoma State, among others

7. Fresno State

Head coach: Rodney Terry

2013-14 Record: 17-16 (8-8 MW)

key losses: Tyler Johnson, Allen Huddleston

The Bulldogs enter the season as the overwhelming sleeper pick. A season ago, Fresno State made noise in the College Basketball Invitational, defeating UTEP, Princeton and Old Dominion before falling in the championship best-of-three series against Siena. Fresno State will feature an explosive backcourt this season led by Oklahoma State transfer Cezar Guerrero, who averaged 13 points a game last year. Joining him in the perimeter is Texas transfer Julien Lewis. The former top-100 recruit averaged double digits as a freshman two years ago with the Longhorns before sitting out all of last season due to transfer rules.

8. Nevada

Head coach: David Carter

2013-14 Record: 15-17 (10-8 MW)

key losses: Deonte Burton, Jerry Evans Jr., Cole Huff

After being tabbed to finish ninth last season, the Wolf Pack shocked the conference by placing third. While pundits dubbed Nevada’s season a fluke, pointing to six of the team’s 10 league wins coming by four points or less or overtime, the Wolf Pack overachieved last season. Duplicating that success will be difficult this year without its top three contributors from a year ago. While most questions are centering on which player will pick up the offensive slack, Nevada’s bigger issue may be on the defensive end. The Wolf Pack allowed a league-leading 73.9 points a game last season.

9. Utah State

Head coach: Stew Morrill

2013-14 Record: 18-14 (7-11 MW)

key losses: Jarred Shaw, Spencer Butterfield, Preston Medlin

No roster had more turnover than the Aggies, who lost four seniors (who averaged nearly a combined 50 points) due to graduation, along with four players transferring. The Aggies return just four players, with its top-returning scorer being sophomore Jalen Moore, who averaged 5.6 points per game last season. Utah State has all but hit the reset button and started from scratch this season. A player to look out for is guard David Collette, a redshirt freshman who is fresh off a two-year mission for the Mormon church. Collette showed no rust in an exhibition game against Texas A&M-International last week, recording 23 points. 

10. Air Force

Head coach: Dave Pilipovich

2013-14 Record: 12-18 (6-12 MW)

key losses: Tre Coggins

Once in a blue moon, a military school will develop a breakout star amid a plethora of two-star recruits. That was the case with guard Tre Coggins, who burst onto the scene by averaging 16 points a game last year. However, the junior-to-be opted to transfer to Cal State Fullerton instead of signing up for a five-year military commitment, which is mandated by the academy. Now, the Falcons’ leading returning scorer is senior guard Max Yon, who averaged 13 points a game last season. As the case with most military schools, it’s hard to compete long-term with a significantly less-talented roster.

11. San Jose State

Head coach: Dave Wojcik

2013-14 Record: 7-24 (1-17 MW)

key losses: Chris Cunningham

Head coach Dave Wojcik’s debut season was a disaster for the Spartans, whose lone conference victory came against the Wolf Pack. If recruiting players to a struggling school wasn’t hard enough, San Jose State received a postseason ban — that includes the MWC Tournament — for finishing below the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate threshold. Furthermore, the program will have to replace four hours of weekly practice with four additional hours of academic activities and will be limited to five days of basketball-related activities per week instead of six. The Spartans are destined for another last-place finish.

Eric Uribe can be reached at euribe@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @Uribe_Eric.