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Mountain West Basketball: Bracket Projections
Experts predict a higher than average number of MWC teams selected in March.
Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire
Welcome to March, here’s an update on the conference’s NCAA Tournament bracket projections, looking good for four Mountain West teams.
It is officially March and NCAA Tournament resumes are looking as strong as they have all season.With Selection Sunday on March 13th almost a week away and 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.
Now a little over two weeks away from one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Please teams in contention, no late season blemishes to ruin a possible four-bid Mountain West. Because this late no team in the conference is safe this season from a late season blunder and resulting stain on a resume.
Since our last update Boise State 24-6 (15-2) clinched their first outright Mountain West Conference regular season title ever in their 73-67 win over Nevada at home on Tuesday. Now fighting for seeding are other tournament hopefuls are Colorado State 23-4 (13-4), Wyoming 23-6 (12-4) and San Diego State 19-7 (11-4).
The Cowboys appear to have fallen out of favor with AP Top-25 Poll voters at the moment. But Boise State (56 votes), Colorado State (19) and San Diego State (5) both received votes in the latest rankings.
With one week left to go in the college basketball regular season. There are now 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
22-San Diego State
27-Boise State
31-Colorado State
52-Wyoming
56-Utah State
60-Fresno State
82-UNLV
118-Nevada
156-New Mexico
250-Air Force
286-San Jose State
Mountain West Conference NET Rankings
26-San Diego State
28-Colorado State
29-Boise State
44-Wyoming
67-Fresno State
68-Utah State
92-UNLV
126-Nevada
162-New Mexico
246-Air Force
292-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 2nd, 2021
Total Teams: 4
No. 6 Seed-Colorado State
No. 8 Seed-Boise State
No. 8 Seed-Wyoming
No. 10 Seed-San Diego State
CBS Bracketologist Jerry Palm predicts the highest Mountain West seed overall with Colorado State as a No. 6 seed. Like others he includes Boise State as a No. 8 seed and also gives Wyoming their highest seed as a No. 8 selection.
Palm has always been a big believer in the conference this season and his latest batch of predictions has fans around the league fully investing in a four-bid Mountain West this month.
ESPN–Published March. 1st, 2021
Total Teams: 4
No. 8 Seed- Boise State (Automatic Qualifier)
No. 8 Seed-Colorado State
No. 9 Seed-Wyoming
No. 12 Seed-San Diego State (Last Four In)
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 in the middle of the month.
ESPN is one of two sites in this article to have San Diego State as a last four in option. That may be more closely linked to the bad run of form from the Aztecs at the end of January going into the beginning of February.
Heat Check CBB–Published March 1st, 2021
Total Teams: 4
No. 7 Seed-Boise State
No. 7 Seed-Colorado State
No. 9 Seed-San Diego State
No. 10 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 gives way to to an impressive set of predictions for the Mountain West. With two No. 7 seeds in newly crowned regular season champs Boise State joined by Colorado State.
Also the the lone update this week to have he San Diego State Aztecs as a single-digit seed while also being the only site to peg Wyoming as a double-digit seed.
Sports Illustrated–Published March 1st, 2021
Total Teams: 4
No. 8 Seed-Boise State
No. 10 Seed-Colorado State
No. 11 Seed-Wyoming (First Four Bye)
No. 12 Seed-San Diego State (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.
With a bit of worry surrounding the Aztecs still hanging around as a No. 12 seed and last four in designation. Although Brian Dutcher’s have secured some quality wins of late and have the opportunity to secure two more against Fresno State and Nevada in the coming days.
Bracket Matrix Composite-Updated on March 1st
Total Teams: 4
No. 7 Seed-Colorado State (Avg. 7.37)
No. 8 Seed-Boise State (Avg. 7.77)
No. 9 Seed-Wyoming (Avg. 9.04)
No. 10 Seed-San Diego State (Avg. 10.02)
Bracket Matrix does a great job of giving out a composite seed from nearly eighty different voices and bracketologists around the country. Their current math pegs a four-bid Mountain West, with a uniquely predicted Colorado State Rams program as the highest seed. Also including two more single-digit seeded teams in Boise State and Wyoming.
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.
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.