Upsets Galore in Wild Day of Mountain West Men's Basketball

Three conference title contenders suffer losses in chaotic Saturday action

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

It was a day of surprises in the Mountain West Conference as three teams in the hunt for the men's basketball title all suffered defeats. Nevada rallied late to beat conference leader Utah State 80-77, while San Diego State fell 83-74 at Colorado State and Grand Canyon suffered a stunning 70-65 home loss to Wyoming.

Why it matters

The Mountain West race has tightened up with these unexpected results, as Utah State's lead over New Mexico and San Diego State has been cut to just one game. The upsets shake up the conference standings and set the stage for an exciting finish to the season.

The details

Nevada overcame a late Utah State lead, outscoring the Aggies 20-9 in the final seven minutes to pull out the win. Utah State struggled at the free throw line, going just 12-for-19. San Diego State's aggressive defense was exploited by Colorado State's hot shooting, as the Rams hit 13 three-pointers. And Grand Canyon, which had been surging, was upset at home by Wyoming despite 29 points from Makaih Williams.

  • On Saturday, February 22, 2026

The players

Steve Alford

Head coach of the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Jerrod Calhoun

Head coach of the Utah State Aggies.

Brian Dutcher

Head coach of the San Diego State Aztecs.

Makaih Williams

Player for the Grand Canyon Lopes who scored 29 points in their loss.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I just thought we did a great job. We were great on the glass, we were physical all night, we got to the free throw line, we made foul shots. We did what we've done a lot this year: we won the last eight minutes. We did a really good job in the last eight minutes, both offensively and defensively.”

— Steve Alford, Head coach of the Nevada Wolf Pack

“That one stings. But, you know, being 3-1 against them in two years is a pretty big, big accomplishment. Swept them last year, split this year. Certainly wanted to sweep them this year.”

— Jerrod Calhoun, Head coach of the Utah State Aggies

“We were a little too careless with our press. We gave them some open looks early. The press was effective at our place. Rarely do we press on the road as much as we tried, but their offense is so dynamic. If you let them time up everything, they scored on us. … They're a very good offensive team.”

— Brian Dutcher, Head coach of the San Diego State Aztecs

The takeaway

The Mountain West Conference race has tightened up with these unexpected results, setting the stage for an exciting finish to the season as the top teams battle for the regular season title and seeding in the conference tournament.