Now at the midpoint of conference play, no team in the MWC is feeling safe and few, if any, feel as if they have nothing for which to play.
The race to March and all its madness is exactly as the coaches expect it to be by now.
BYU, New Mexico and UNLV might have a slight advantage in talent but no one is counting out San Diego State and all are mindful of the kind of run Utah put together last year.
TCU, Wyoming and Air Force in the bottom tier group but have enough respect that teams aren't overlooking them either, coaches say.
"A lot of teams are playing hard," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "It's going to be an outstanding race."
BYU arguably has the inside track in the standings but plays five of its remaining eight games on the road leaving open opportunities for upsets.
Furthermore, teams such as San Diego State and New Mexico have lifted their game.
"It's business as usual," San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said. "We try not to worry about anybody but ourselves, but having been the lone ranger for a long time, this is a league that is steadily getting better."
New Mexico has won six in a row after starting league play 0-2. Lobos coach Steve Alford said the difference in his team has been recovering from a grueling preseason schedule.
"Our month of December was brutal," he said. "To come through 14-1, it would have been nice to have a bye week. But the guys have really responded after back to back losses."
Scoring tandem
Junior Darington Hobson started the season by reaching double figures in eight straight games. He has cooled off some, averaging only nine points in his last four games. However, Alford isn't concerned, pointing out that as Hobson's point production has dipped his teammates' have increased.
"What has happened is our balance has come forward," he said. "Now things are opening up for Phillip McDonald and he is getting 16-18 points. Our balance makes it hard to match up with and Darington is learning as he goes."
Journey to Laramie
How forward Djibril Thiam , a junior forward from Senegal, ended up at Wyoming might have all the makings of a Hollywood movie. However, his recruitment wasn't anything out of the ordinary or dramatic for coach Heath Schroyer who recruited Thiam while Schroyer was coaching at Fresno State.
Thiam ended up at Baylor, then transferred to Wyoming.
"Laramie is a lot colder than Senegal or Texas, but he has been great coming into his own," Schroyer said. "He has adapted well."
Briefly
BYU and New Mexico are just two of six teams to hit the 20-win mark going into this week. The others are Syracuse (21-1), Kansas (20-1), Murray State (20-3), Kentucky (20-1). ... MWC teams are 5-1 against ranked non-conference opponents.
