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Mountain West Basketball: Final Bracket Projections
Four bids, the Mountain West deserves this.
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We’re here folks, the final bracketology update for the season before Selection Sunday.
At the onset of the 2022 Mountain West basketball tournament in Las Vegas teams are primed and ready. With Selection Sunday this weekend on March 13th and almost a week away are the First Four matchups of the NCAA Tournament on the 15th and 16th in Dayton. Fans around the Mountain West have stayed honed in this conference’s multi-bid hopes all season, and now they are about to get rewarded.
Colorado State has cracked the top-25 this week for the first time since January 3rd. After losing to UNLV for the second time this season in mid-February. The No. 23 ranked Rams finished the regular season out with a three game winning streak and securing their second win over regular season champions Boise State. to have fallen out of favor with AP Top-25 Poll voters at the moment. While Boise State (49 votes) and San Diego State (26) both received votes in the latest rankings.
Games Last Week
Monday February 28th
SDSU 73, Wyoming 66
Fresno State 71, New Mexico 68
Tuesday March 1st
Boise State 73, Nevada 67
Air Force 58, San Jose State 54
Wednesday March 2nd
UNLV 64, Wyoming 57
Thursday March 3rd
San Diego State 65, Fresno State 64-2OT
Friday March 4th
Utah State 75 San Jose State 52
Saturday March 5th
Wyoming 68, Fresno State 64-OT
Colorado State 71, Boise State 68
San Diego State 79, Nevada 78
New Mexico 76, UNLV 67
In the final regular season KenPom and NET rankings of the year, here is where the Mountain West stands.
There are only three ranked in KenPom’s top-50 but a season high seven teams seven teams total in the top-100. While in the NCAA’s latest NET rankings there are four programs in the top-50 and seven in the top-100 as well.
All of this has led to some very exciting representation among the industry’s most trusted bracketologists’ projections this past week.
Mountain West Conference KenPom Rankings
23-San Diego State
26-Boise State
34-Colorado State
53-Utah State
56-Wyoming
62-Fresno State
85-UNLV
116-Nevada
151-New Mexico
253-Air Force
292-San Jose State
Mountain West Conference NET Rankings
28-Colorado State
29-San Diego State
30-Boise State
48-Wyoming
63-Utah State
69-Fresno State
92-UNLV
124-Nevada
154-New Mexico
253-Air Force
298-San Jose State
The big dance bid glory days for the Mountain West will always be the 2012-2013 season. That year the conference had five teams go dancing, since then the highest total teams sent was three, two seasons later.
CBS Sports–Published March 8th, 2021
Total Teams: 4
No. 6 Seed-Colorado State
No. 8 Seed-Boise State
No. 9 Seed-Wyoming
No. 9 Seed-San Diego State
CBS Bracketologist Jerry Palm predicts a four-bid all single seeded Mountain West at the moment. With Colorado State predicted to receive the highest seed at No. 6 with several quality wins in conference play in the past few weeks. Palm is also one of the few writers included to not shove Wyoming out into double digit Last Four In designation this past week. In short, i’m hoping for this on Sunday.
ESPN–Published March. 8th, 2021
Total Teams: 4
No. 7 Seed- Boise State (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 7 Seed-Colorado State
No. 9 Seed-San Diego State
No. 12 Seed-Wyoming
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi features an automatic qualified designation which, he has given to the Mountain West Conference regular season Champion Boise State. That still has to be proven in Las Vegas starting tomorrow against either Nevada or New Mexico.
San Diego State rose three spots in this updated prediction. Going from a No. 12 Last Four in selection with a very solid last week to the regular season. While Wyoming dropped from a No. 9 seed to a No. 12 and last four in designation after dropping 2 out of three games last week.
Heat Check CBB–Published March 8th, 2021
Total Teams: 4
No. 6 Seed-Colorado State
No. 7 Seed-Boise State
No. 8 Seed-San Diego State
No. 11 Seed-Wyoming
The guys over at Heat Check CBB continue to put out great content and tools like their Tournament Index Ratings. This week Lukas Harkins like others gave the highest seed possible to Colorado State (No. 6) while also keeping Wyoming as a predicted at-large bid but as a No. 11 seed.
Sports Illustrated–Published March 1st, 2021
Total Teams: 4
No. 7 Seed-Boise State
No. 6 Seed-Colorado State
No. 9 Seed-San Diego State
No. 12 Seed-Wyoming (Last Four In)
Kevin Sweeney’s recent bracketology update pegs a grand total of four teams projected to make the NCAA Tournament by the Sports Illustrated staff writer.
Essentially Kevin swapped the San Diego State double digit seeding and Last Four In designations with Wyoming this past week after the Aztecs regained their late season form with several quality wins this past week as the Cowboys dropped some games.
Bracket Matrix Composite-Updated on March 8th
Total Teams: 4
No. 7 Seed-Colorado State (Avg. 6.77)
No. 8 Seed-Boise State (Avg. 7.84)
No. 9 Seed-San Diego State (Avg. 8.73)
No. 12 Seed-Wyoming (Avg. 11.08)
Bracket Matrix does a great job of giving out a composite seed from nearly eighty different voices and bracketologists around the country. Like others on this update, the Wyoming love has faded just a bit this past week with some losses on the Cowboy’s schedule.
A four-bid Mountain West Conference
A “record” breaking big dance for the Mountain West is coming to fruition before our eyes. With three teams, that is still the ceiling to meet and possibly beat this season. But week after week teams in this conference looks more favorable to secure their spots in the big dance every week.
With most bracketologists predicting four teams in and most pegging them all to receive single seeds, I’m very hopeful.
Here’s to FOUR tickets punched, finger crossed.
Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.