MOUNTAIN WEST NCAA/NIT PREVIEW
Get ready to fill out those brackets. With Championship Week in the rearview mirror, it’s time for the Big Dance, and for others, the NIT. The Mountain West will be well represented in the NCAA Tournament, as Nevada was somewhat of a surprise selection for the conference. The Wolf Pack will join Boise State, Utah State, and league champ San Diego State, to give the MWC 4 teams for the second consecutive year. Additionally, while they fell short of the ultimate goal, New Mexico was selected to play in the NIT, and will get at least one more game in The Pit. Here is a brief look at each team’s opening round matchup, and their potential to advance through their respective bracket.
SAN DIEGO STATE
#5 seed in South Region
1st round matchup vs. #12 seed Charleston
Thursday, 3:10 EST, 12:10 PT; Orlando, FL; truTV
Regular season and tournament champion San Diego State earned the highest seed of the 4 teams dancing, and will face one of the most talked about mid-majors in the country – Charleston. The Cougars have a gaudy record (31-3), but have played one of the weakest schedules in the entire nation. Still, this will not be a cakewalk for the Aztecs, who better be ready for the up-tempo style of Charleston; they average over 80 points per game. SDSU is also traveling cross-country, while the Cougars have a short trip. Ultimately, the athletes of San Diego State will apply defensive pressure that Charleston has not seen this season and the Aztecs should have enough to get through. Round 2 presents a very winnable game, against either Virginia or Furman. If it’s the Cavaliers, it might be first to 50 is the winner, as they play a similar style of defense-first basketball, and they are very good at it. Number 1 overall seed Alabama likely awaits in the Sweet 16, in what would be a massive challenge for Brian Dutcher and his crew. But that would be a good problem to have after all.
UTAH STATE
#10 seed in South Region
1st round matchup vs. #7 Missouri
Thursday, 1:40 EST, 10:40 AM PT; Sacramento, CA; TNT
With a few weeks left in the regular season, Utah State was on the outside looking in, but they earned an invitation to the Big Dance with their play down the stretch, culminating with a run to the MWCT Championship Game, where they fell 62-57 to SDSU. The result was a comfortable placing as a 10 seed, and a date with Missouri. The Tigers are 24-9 overall, went 11-7 in a good, not great SEC, and lost to Alabama in the conference semifinals. Much like the Aggies, Missouri likes to play fast, run the floor, and put points on the board. This should be one of the highest scoring first round games. One edge for Utah State is the logistics; Missouri is traveling west, the game is Thursday, and it’s a 10:40 AM local start. If the Aggies can advance, they would have their hands full in round 2 against Arizona.
BOISE STATE
#10 seed in West Region
1st round matchup vs. #7 Northwestern
Thursday, 7:45 EST, 4:45 PT; Sacramento, CA; truTV
Also on the 10 seed line is Boise State. The Broncos are only 2-3 in their last 5 games, but one of those two likely cemented their place in the field, as it came against top dog San Diego State. BSU is not especially deep, and maybe was a bit worn down towards the end of the regular season. The week off here will do them well. Much like Utah State, they will get a slight benefit from their opponent needing to travel west. That opponent is Northwestern, a surprise this season from the Big Ten. The Wildcats were picked last in the preseason poll, but put together a 21-11, 12-8 campaign, to qualify for just their 2nd NCAA Tournament ever. They have a pair of veteran guards that can score the ball, but they are built around their defense, surrendering only 62 ppg. Get by this one, and a mega challenge awaits on Saturday, 2nd seeded UCLA.
NEVADA
#11 seed in West Region
Play-in game opponent Arizona State
Wednesday, 9:10 EST, 6:10 PT; Dayton, OH; truTV
The team that most bracketologists got wrong was Nevada. Many had them on the outside looking in after dropping their last 3 games, and none of those 3 were against fellow tournament teams. But every year there seems to be one surprise team, and the Wolf Pack and the Mountain West will gladly accept the invite. Coach Steve Alford will take his squad to Dayton for a First Four game on Wednesday night to face a couple of familiar foes. Arizona State is led by a pair of Nevada transfers, Desmond Cambridge Jr., and Warren Washington. It will be interesting to see if they can keep themselves from getting too wrapped up in trying to defeat their former coach and teammates. While the Wolf Pack have not been dancing in a while, star guard Jarod Lucas was a part of Oregon State’s magical run to the Elite 8 two short seasons ago, and will try to help the Pack get back on track. A win here would earn a first round date with a very strong TCU team on Friday night.
NIT
NEW MEXICO
#2 seed, opponent Utah Valley
Wednesday, 10:00 EST, 8:00 MT; Albuquerque, NM; ESPN+
Postseason basketball is back in Albuquerque, as the Lobos were selected to participate in the NIT. It might not be what some wanted, but it still ends a nine year postseason drought. If you had told most fans before the season started that an NIT bid was coming, they probably would have signed up for it. Those expectations changed though when UNM stormed out to a 14-0 start and was the last remaining unbeaten in the nation. So while it is understandable that there is a bit of disappointment, there should still be excitement around the program for the steps it has taken to get back to relevance in the college basketball world.
The Lobos were given a 2 seed in their region, and a first round date with Utah Valley. The Wolverines are coached by former NBA veteran Mark Madsen, and won the WAC regular season title. They hang their hat more on the defensive end of the floor. While the WAC slots in well below the Mountain West in terms of overall talent, the Wolverines will not be in awe of the moment. Madsen put a challenging schedule together, as they have played road games at Utah State, Wake Forest, Boise State, BYU, and Oregon. They lost by double-figures to both MWC opponents, but did pick up wins over the Cougars and Ducks. They will come ready to play.
UNM boss Richard Pitino has been down this road before, as he has an NIT championship on the resume from his time at Minnesota. While there is no doubt his troops would rather be playing Thursday or Friday, a good showing in the NIT can lay the foundation for the future. Last season’s final featured Xavier and Texas A&M; those teams are seeded 3rd and 7th in this year’s Big Dance. If the Lobos are engaged, it’s not a stretch to see them make the final four of this 32 team field. Those games used to take place in Madison Square Garden, but are now in Vegas. At the very least, a win over the Wolverines would give New Mexico a 2nd extra home game at The Pit, a nice reward for the passionate fans who have supported the rebirth of Lobo basketball.