Best wins: vs. Utah State, 68-63 (Dec. 6); vs. Boise State, 94-56 (Dec. 10); at Tulsa, 74-68 (Tuesday).

Worst losses: None. (The Cougars' lone defeat came against Arizona State, 76-75.)

Biggest weapon: Senior Lee Cummard, the reigning MWC player of the year, is ranked among the top 10 in the MWC in scoring (17.7), rebounding (6.2), field-goal percentage (.589) and assists (3.45). Cummard turned in a season-high performance with 36 against Long Beach State, plus he had 30 against Weber State and 28 against Cal Poly.

Biggest challenge: The Cougars, the two-time defending regular- season conference champions, must find a way to beat their nemesis, UNLV, at the Thomas & Mack Center. BYU has lost five in a row to the Rebels in Las Vegas, including two straight in the MWC Tournament championship game.

Colorado State

Record: 5-9

Best wins: vs. Montana, 85-55 (Nov. 14); at Hawaii, 74-58 (Saturday).

Worst losses: at Colorado, 75-56 (Dec. 10); at Denver, 66-55 (Dec. 20).

Biggest weapon: Guard Marcus Walker, who finished No. 2 in the conference in scoring a year ago, is again among the league's top scorers, averaging 16 points per game. Walker started his first 42 games at CSU but came off the bench to lift the Rams to the victory over Hawaii.

Biggest challenge: CSU posted a dismal 0-16 record in the MWC last season, and it will be difficult for the Rams to dig their way out of the cellar. This year, they are last in the league in scoring margin, field-goal percentage defense, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and 3-pointers made. The good news? CSU snapped a 24-game road losing streak by beating Hawaii.

New Mexico

Record: 9-5

Best wins: vs. SE Missouri State, 102-59 (Nov. 14); vs. Mississippi, 103-70 (Dec. 13).

Worst loss: vs. UCF, 72-71 (Nov. 22).

Biggest weapon: Senior Tony Dandridge missed all of last season with a broken leg, but he has bounced back in a big way. He's averaging a team-high 13.6 points per game for the Lobos. Dandridge was a third-team all-conference selection two years ago, then suffered the season-ending injury during a pickup game, sidelining him in 2007-08.