College basketball is just getting started, and all eyes in the Mountain West are on the Cougars.
“We’re excited and determined to defend our back-to-back-to-back championships,” coach Dave Rose said at the Cougar Tipoff last Wednesday.

The BYU men’s basketball team is the overwhelming favorite to win the MWC Championship this year, which would be their fourth in a row, largely because of their four returning starters from last year’s 25-8 squad.

Leading the way will be Jimmer Fredette, the MWC Preseason Player of the Year, and Jonathan Tavernari, who spent the offseason with the Brazil National Team. The other big names will be team captains Jackson Emery and Lamont Morgan Jr.

In addition to their experienced group, the Cougars are loaded with young talent, including Charles Abouo, Noah Hartsock, Tyler Haws and Brandon Davies.

Also equally exciting is BYU’s bright future. Kyle Collinsworth, one of the top recruits in the state, has verbally committed to BYU, as well as Anson Winder, an athletic shooting guard from Las Vegas.

The season officially starts on Nov. 13 against Bradley in the Marriott Center. Some big non-conference games include:

•   Weber State, Nov. 27. The Wildcats were the Big Sky champions last year with a 21-10 record, and they’re the favorites to win it again, with most of their players returning.

•   Utah State, Dec. 2. This will be a tough road game for the Cougars against the defending WAC champions. The Aggies finished 30-5 last year and were undefeated at home. BYU beat them 68-63 in the Energy Solutions Arena.

•   Arizona State, Dec. 8. ASU handed BYU its first loss last season after a last-second shot was waved off. This year the game will be in Provo, and the Cougars will be hungry for revenge. The Sun Devils finished 25-10 last year.

Arizona, Dec. 28. Another tough road game for BYU against the team that eliminated Utah from the NCAA Tournament last year.  The Wildcats finished 21-14 last season.

All in all, this should be a very entertaining basketball team to watch.