A riveting regular season should make for a wild Mountain West Conference men's tournament this coming week in Las Vegas, NV.
The men's side of the Mountain West Conference had one of the strongest seasons in recent memory. Three teams should be a lock come Selection Sunday, with a possible fourth depending on how games play out (in the conference tournament and beyond).
The quality and depth of teams should make for an exciting four days when action begins March 9.
Recent years saw a bit of a drop-off as far as getting teams into the Big Dance. Prior, there were years that the Mountain West consistently offered up the potential to put three or four teams into the NCAA tournament. Years of having five teams, too, happened once upon a time, with the last happening in 2013.
While that likely won't be the case this season, there's a strong possibility four teams could be in the 68-team field when brackets are announced March 13.
Boise State Broncos
The regular-season champion Boise State Broncos lead the pack but barely. Defensive-minded and offensively efficient, the Broncos (24-7, 15-3 MW) won their first outright conference title since their Big Sky days back in 1988.
Head coach Leon Rice was also selected as Coach of the Year.
Since a four-point loss to Saint Louis, the Broncos have gone 21-3 and powered by a deep, experienced core that can trot out nine players on a nightly basis.
Boise State placed four players on the Mountain West media all-conference teams, including Freshman of the Year Tyson Degenhart. Degenhart has brought energy to the team, playing beyond his years. He averaged 10.2 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. Degenhart also has a knack for taking charges (and firing up the crowd).
Abu Kigab and Marcus Shaver Jr. were both selected to the second team. Kigab is the team's leading scorer and also its heart and soul. Kigab averages 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals, while Shaver has shown knack for knocking down huge shots.
The Broncos average 69.2 points per game while holding opponents to 60.8, keeping them 60 points or under 19 times in 2021-22.
Free throws were a huge problem in the early parts of the season but the team has been much better in the last ten games or so and they now shoot 64.4 percent as a team.
Boise State will play the winner of the Nevada/New Mexico game at 3 p.m. (ET) on Thursday (3/10).
Colorado State Rams
The Rams may have finished second in the conference but it was only by one game and they swept Boise State. Colorado State (24-4, 14-4 MW) is ranked 23rd in the most recent AP poll and began the season 11-0.
Averaging 75 points per game, the Rams scored 70 or more only once in their last four games. They, too, have a deep and experienced team, led by Player of the Year David Roddy.
Roddy is an undersized forward but don't tell him that. Or believe it, to be frank. Roddy averages 19.5 points and 7.6 rebounds. Not only does he clean up on the glass but he can shoot, too, hitting 57.5 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three.
Isaiah Stevens averages 14. 8 and 4.9 assists for the Rams.
Colorado State is solid on defensive, allowing 66.4 points per game. And rebounding can be trouble, too, as the Rams were in the bottom part of the conference at 32.3 rebounds per game.
As the second-seed, Colorado State awaits the winner of Utah State and Air Force. The Rams were swept by UNLV in the regular season but wouldn't have to worry about possibly facing the Rebels until the finals.
The Rams tip-off with their quarterfinal game on Thursday March 10 at 9:00 pm (ET).
San Diego State Aztecs
The Aztecs might be the hottest Mountain West team coming out of the regular season. San Diego State (21-7, 13-4 MW) has won four straight and nine of their last ten games.
Thanks to a strong non-conference schedule with wins over Arizona State and Saint Mary's, the Aztecs should be in prime position to make the NCAA tournament no matter how the chips fall in Vegas.
San Diego State can get into a funk on offense, averaging 66.3 points per game. They do have a nice inside/outside presence and a star in Matt Bradley. Bradley shoots 41.3 percent from three-point range and averages 17.8 point per game.
Nathan Mensah doesn't score a ton of buckets (7.4 ppg) but does pull down seven rebounds per game. Mensah also averages 2. 1 blocked shots per game, part of a stingy defense that only gives up 58.3 points.
The Aztecs will open up play on Thursday as well (11:30 pm ET), where they away the winner between Fresno State and San Jose State.
Wyoming Cowboys vs UNLV Runnin' Rebels
The most intriguing matchup on Thursday is the 4/5 matchup between the Wyoming Cowboys and UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
In their lone matchup of the season, UNLV (18-13, 10-8 MW) defeated Wyoming 64-57.
Wyoming (24-7, 13-5 MW) began the season 8-0 and were on top of the conference before slipping down the final three weeks. Still, they have two of the top players in the Mountain West in Graham Ike and Hunter Maldonado.
Ike patrols the inside, averaging 19.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Maldonado runs things, scoring 18.7 ppg while dishing out 5.8 assists. Both were named to the 1st-team Mountain West.
Across the floor, the Runnin' Rebels have a star playmaker of their own in Bryce Hamilton. Hamilton has at times been a one-man wrecking crew averaging 21.8 points per game. Six times he scored over 30, with a 32-point game at Boise State and a 42-point performance in a victory over Colorado State.
The teams are close to evenly matched. Wyoming scores a little more (73.8, to UNLV's 70.3) while both allow just under 66 points per game. Three-point percentage is nearly identical while UNLV holds a slight edge in rebounding.
Tip-off for this game is scheduled for 5:30 pm (ET) on Thursday (3/10)
Nevada Wolf Pack vs New Mexico Lobos
The 8/9 matchup on Wednesday, March 9 (2 p.m. ET) between the Nevada Wolf Pack and New Mexico Lobos starts the Mountain West tournament off right.
The two teams met once in the regular season, a 79-70 Nevada victory and we should see a battle of guards in this game.
Nevada (12-17, 6-12 MW) ended the regular season on a four-game losing streak, though in their last two they lost by a combined seven points to Boise State and San Diego State. The Wolf Pack are powered by the outstanding backcourt duo of Grant Sherfield and Desmond Cambridge Jr.
Sherfield is the leading scorer (18.5 ppg) and is shooting 34.1 percent from three-point range. He also dishes out 6.5 assists per game.
Cambridge is a top 3-point shooter, knocking down 81 this season. He averages 16.3 points per game.
In the first game with the Lobos, the duo combined for 28 points, though they were 2-14 from deep. Sherfield dished out 10 assists while Warren Washington and Will Baker each pulled down 11 rebounds.
Nevada scores 72.4 points while giving up 73.8. The Wolf Pack average 34.8 rebounds.
New Mexico is pretty similar across the board, averaging 74.3 points and giving up 75.2. The Lobos (13-18, 5-12 MW) pull down 34.1 rebounds per game and are coming off a nice victory over UNLV to close the regular season.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. is the team's top scorer (18.3 ppg). Jaelen House scores 16.9 points with 4.4 assists. The two combined for 35 points in the early-season loss to Nevada.
Utah State Aggies vs Air Force Falcons
Utah State (17-14, 8-10 MW) looked to be a threat as spoiler in this conference for a while but stumbled to a 2-5 finish.
Five of their conference losses were by five points or less, so the Aggies can still thrive in that role and potentially steal a bid if they get hot.
The Aggies split the season series with Air Force (11-17, 4-13), losing by two and winning by 27. Utah State averages 73.9 points per game while giving up 67.1. The Aggies love to share the ball, as their 17.9 assists per game rank 8th in the nation.
Six players average at least eight points per game. Their leader is Justin Bean, who averages 17.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Bean is much like Roddy and score from inside and out, shooting 54.9 percent this season.
Brandon Horvath (13.6 ppg) is also a player to watch.
Two of Air Force's conference wins came against the San Jose State Spartans. In between those victories, however, the Falcons lost nine straight. When their offense is clicking, Air Force can be a threat, as evident in a win over UNLV.
AJ Walker (14.6 ppg) and Jake Heidbreder (10.4 ppg) lead this team. The two combined for 30 points in the victory over Utah State but were held to only 14 in the loss.
Air Force averages 59.1 points while allowing 65.4. The team only pulls down 26.5 rebounds per game.
This game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. (ET) tip-off on Wednesday March 9.
Fresno State Bulldogs vs San Jose State Spartans
Closing out day one action (3/9 at 7 p.m. ET) is a 6/11 game between Fresno State (18-12, 8-9) and San Jose State.
The Bulldogs won two games against the Spartans (8-22, 1-17) by an average of 25 points. Much like the Aggies, Fresno State was in discussion to possibly steal a bid for the Mountain West. Though the finished 2-6 to close the regular season, a team-oriented style and star player could power the Bulldogs to a lucky streak in Vegas.
Orlando Robinson is one of the top players in the conference, scoring 19.2 points per game. Robinson is shooting 48.1 percent from the field and pulls down 8.2 rebounds per game. Isaiah Hill is the only other Bulldog to average double figures (10.2 ppg) and shoots 38.9 percent.
Fresno State clamps down on defense, allowing 58.4 points. They score 65.1.
On the flip side of things, San Jose State played with a bad hand and short rotation much of the season. Their only conference victory was over New Mexico and 11 times the Spartans scored less than 60 points in averaging 64.1 points.
Omari Moore does a bit of everything for the Spartans, averaging 13 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. Ibrahima Diallo only played in 12 games this season, missing over two months but has provided a spark as of late. Diallo averages 8.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. He also has 20 blocked shots.
Boise State, Colorado State, and San Diego State all should be locks when it comes to the NCAA tournament, no matter their results here.
Wyoming struggled down the stretch, finishing 4-4, and are currently sitting on the bubble. A loss in the quarterfinals would devastate their chances, so the Cowboys needs a win to help themselves out.
Outside the top four teams, UNLV might have the best chance to steal a bid. Nevada, with the excellent guard duo, could get hot and make a run but that's a pretty big long shot.
As wild as the conference can be, I still see it coming down to Boise State and Colorado State for the title on Saturday. But as this time of year repeatedly tells us, it's always best to expect the unexpected.
photo credit: Flickr
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