The curtain is set to be raised on the 18-game conference schedule. UNLV hosts Fresno State at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center, the setting for the likely make-or-break league tournament in March. From the mountains to the desert to the beach, the Mountain West is always a treacherous road, even in a down year. Here's the predicted order of finish:
1. UNLV — Sophomore guard Patrick McCaw leads the team in scoring (14.4 points per game), assists (55) and steals (39) while shooting 40.6 percent from 3-point range. But the Rebels' potential is most intriguing because of two of the league's elite freshmen — 7-foot Stephen Zimmerman Jr.