As the Boise State men’s basketball team’s regular season comes to an end, the Mountain West basketball tournament is headed into full force.
The Mountain West conference has gained the reputation of being one of the most balanced conferences in all of the NCAA; having a total of five teams with less than 10 losses, which not only means it should be entertaining, but also very competitive between
the teams.
The tournament kicked off on Mar. 12 as the No. 8 seed, Wyoming, defeated the No.9 seed, Nevada. Nevada will play New Mexico on Mar. 13.
The Broncos come into the tournament as the No.5 seed after finishing the year off at 21-9.
After a close win at Taco Bell Arena Saturday against San Diego State (SDSU), Boise State will have to face the Aztecs once again in a rematch on Mar. 13.
This game should prove to be one of the closest games of the tournament as both teams are evenly matched.
A win over the Aztecs from the Broncos may put them into the NCAA Basketball Tournament for some March Madness
action.
Boise State sophomore forward Anthony Drmic and sophomore guard Derrick Marks were selected as Second-Team All-Mountain West.
New Mexico is at the top of the totem poll as they sit comfortably at the No.1 seed and will be facing Wyoming on Mar. 13.
The Lobos have to be considered as one of the favorites to win the whole tournament after compiling a 26-5 record while going 13-3 in the Mountain West.
New Mexico was riding a six-game winning streak within the Mountain West until they lost by one point to Air Force. Taking that into consideration, New Mexico has the most momentum headed into
tournament.
The Lobos were also awarded with Mountain West Coach of the Year, Steve Alford and Mountain West Player of the Year, Kendall Williams. Williams was also selected to the First-Team
All-Mountain West.
Another team that looks to do some damage in the Mountain West tournament is UNLV. The Rebels are also carrying some heavy momentum as they were on a dominant five-game winning streak until they lost to Fresno State in their
last game.
UNLV is led by Anthony Bennett, First-Team All-Mountain West, Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, Mountain West Freshman of the Year and projected top-5 pick in this year’s upcoming draft.
Prediction: New Mexico wins the Mountain West Tournament.
With home-court advantage on their side, UNLV moves through their bracket to advance to the finals after a close-win over Air Force in the first round of the tournament. On the other side will be the New Mexico Lobos, lead by
Williams.
New Mexico wins in a close-win over the Boise State Broncos in the
semi-finals.
Steeper Pick: Boise State Broncos
If Marks can come up big, scoring throughout the tournament, along with the consistent play of Drmic, the Broncos have a legitimate shot of making a run at winning the Mountain West Basketball Tournament with a dangerous offense.
The Mountain West Conference being so competitive, it has the chance to do something rather extraordinary, advancing five out of its nine teams to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
