BYU's Quest for 30 Wins: Will The Cougars Get There?

After dismantling Colorado State on Saturday, BYU sits atop the Mountain West Conference at 18-1 (3-0 MWC), with no signs of slowing down.

With the rest of the MWC beating itself up, it seems like BYU should cruise to its fourth straight MWC regular season title. That leaves one very intriguing regular-season question left to be answered: Will BYU finish with at least 30 wins?

To reach the mark before the MWC Tournament, the Cougars can afford to lose only once more in their last 13 games. After passing what should be their toughest test at home against UNLV, BYU's most daunting remaining obstacles will come away from the Marriott Center.

Here's my list of BYU's toughest remaining tests:

3. Feb. 20 at Wyoming

The Arena-Auditorium has been home to the MWC's biggest shock and near-shock of the season thus far.

The Pokes rallied from 14 down with 4:50 left to stun San Diego State on Jan. 9, and gave New Mexico everything it could handle on Saturday, coming up just short.

Afam Muojeke, who scored 30 against the Aztecs, could give the Cougars fits with his size and athleticism. If he does, it could give Wyoming the edge it needs to pull off another monumental upset.

2. Jan. 27 at New Mexico

Just because they renovated The Pit doesn't mean it has lost its edge. UNLV would beg to differ, but few others would.

It will be interesting to see if memories from last year's debacle in Albuquerque still rattle around in BYU's collective head. The residue from that loss, remember, resulted in UNLV shocking the Cougars in Provo just four days later.

Even though the Lobos have been exposed a bit after their red-hot start, Roman Martinez knows how to stick himself into BYU's craw.

1. Feb. 6 at UNLV

Who else but the Rebels could fill this spot?

Pop Quiz: Who led BYU in scoring the last time the Cougars beat the Rebels at the Thomas and Mack?

Give up? Jimmy Balderson. He scored 23 points in BYU's 82-72 overtime win back on Feb. 5, 2005.

Will this be the year BYU gets the Rebel monkey off its back? A trip to Las Vegas earlier this season could be the key.

Even though it was in a different arena and under different circumstances, BYU's two-game stretch in the Las Vegas Classic back in December was a big mental boost to the team. Jimmer Fredette went so far as to say that the first-place finish convinced him and his teammates that they can win even more in Sin City this season.

It's safe to say, though, that no one the Cougars faced in that tournament will be as talented as the Rebels' Tre'Von Willis, who should easily make the MWC's first team at season's end. He has scored 20+ points in each of his last four games, including 24 against BYU two weeks ago.