San Diego State is favored to win the Mountain West Conference Tournament
The Mountain West Conference is one of the most underrated in all of college basketball, as there are quite a few teams that have the potential to make runs in March Madness this year. The San Diego State Aztecs, Boise State Broncos, Utah State Aggies and Nevada Wolf Pack have been the best teams in the conference throughout the course of the season, but there are three other teams that have the talent to spoil the party for those four. This just looks like it can unexpectedly be one of the better conference tournaments we’ll see in the next week, so we’re looking forward to seeing how it unfolds. Continue reading for some of our predictions on how this tournament will play out from a betting perspective.
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Mountain West Conference Bracket
How to Watch the Mountain West Conference Tournament
When: March 8-11
Where: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
Format: Seeding based on record in conference; top-five seeds get byes into the quarterfinals
Watch: Stadium, MWN, CBS Sports Network; Championship Game on CBS/Paramount+ on Mar. 11 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Mountain West Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
1. San Diego State Aztecs (+150)
2. Boise State Broncos (+340)
3. Utah State Aggies (+380)
4. Nevada Wolf Pack (+600)
5. San Jose State Spartans (+1200)
6. New Mexico Lobos (+1400)
7. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (+4000)
8. Colorado State Rams (+6000)
9. Fresno State Bulldogs (+20000)
10. Air Force Falcons (+25000)
11. Wyoming Cowboys (+50000)
Favorite To Win Mountain West Conference Tournament
San Diego State is the favorite to win the Mountain West, with the team looking to win this thing for the third time in six years. The Aztecs have consistently been excellent since Brian Dutcher took over for Steve Fisher as the head coach of this program, and San Diego State isn’t looking to slow down now. The Aztecs were 15-3 in conference play during the regular season, and they’re 35th overall in our VSiN Power Ratings. That’s higher than any other team in the Mountain West, and that shouldn’t surprise anybody. When it comes to on-court talent, the Aztecs are more like a blue blood than a mid-major team.
Mountain West Conference Tournament Darkhorse
It feels a little funny to call Nevada a darkhorse, but the Wolf Pack are the fourth seed in this tournament and have a legitimate shot at winning. This team is just incredibly balanced and plays good basketball. All three of Jarod Lucas, Kenan Blackshear and Will Baker are capable of winning games for the Wolf Pack, and that is one of the reasons we like Nevada to potentially pull off a shocker and win this tournament. Playing at the Thomas & Mack Center should be a huge advantage for the Wolf Pack, who should have a huge home-court advantage throughout this tournament. And while SDSU and Boise State have stronger statistical profiles than Nevada, the Wolf Pack don’t exactly have a bad one. Head coach Steve Alford’s team is 62nd in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency and 38th in adjusted defensive efficiency. This is a rock-solid basketball team and the value on the Wolf Pack to win is a little hard to pass up. Nevada already has wins over San Diego State and Boise State this season, so the talent gap isn’t too large when the Wolf Pack face those teams.
Players to Watch in Mountain West Conference Tournament
While Colorado State isn’t near the top of the Mountain West standings, guard Isaiah Stevens has been one of the best players in the conference this year. He’s averaging 17.9 points and 6.8 assists per game this season, and his offensive juice is going to make the Rams a tough draw for whoever gets them in this tournament. The same goes for Jamal Mashburn Jr. and New Mexico. Mashburn is the leading scorer in the Mountain West this season, averaging 19.5 points per game. He can score at all three levels and his ability to pull up off the dribble makes the Lobos difficult to guard, even when it’s late in the shot clock.
For top-seeded San Diego State, the players to keep an eye on are Matt Bradley and Nathan Mensah. Bradley is a smooth lefty scorer that can hit jumpers and also draw fouls. Meanwhile, Mensah is a force on the defensive end, where he’s averaging 1.5 blocks per game this season.
Two other players you should know going into this tournament are Boise State’s Marcus Shaver Jr. and Tyson Degenhart. Shaver isn’t the most efficient guard in the world, but he’s a confident player that is willing to take some tough shots. That’s a necessary evil for a team that is 13th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. Degenhart is a big wing with the ability to hit the three-ball and also rebound the basketball. His shot-making could be a big factor later in this tournament.
Betting Pick to Win The Mountain West Conference Tournament
Head coach Ryan Odom (you might remember his UMBC Retrievers being the first No. 16 to beat a No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament) has his team playing some beautiful offensive basketball this year, as Utah State is currently 12th in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency. The Aggies are also ranked 23rd overall in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin, so it’s not like the team is that miserable on the defensive end. This is just a wildly balanced group, with five players averaging at least double digits in points per game. And guard Steven Ashworth’s ability to get cooking from deep gives Utah State a high ceiling in a tournament setting.
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