2011 Mountain West Conference Tournament Preview

No conference outside the “Power 6” in college basketball has received more attention this season than the Mountain West. With two squads who have remained in the top ten for two consecutive months; the front-runner for National Player of the Year; and a surprising suspension of an important player for unique reasons, various events have put the conference in the forefront of the national college basketball conversation on many occasions. Just how will a banner year in the Mountain West Conference end? All nine squads head to the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, to find out.

Both Brigham Young and San Diego State reside in the top 10 of both major polls. Both squads are in a position to play their way into a favorable seed and set up a nice path to make some noise come the NCAA Tournament next week. UNLV, which hosts this tournament on a yearly basis, is also destined for the Big Dance after closing the year on a positive streak. The Rebels generally play well on their home floor. The rest of the participants are playing for a chance to secure the Mountain West Conference’s automatic berth by winning the tournament. With the overall strength of the league this calendar year, one could argue that at least five squads have a chance to win the conference tourney.

While BYU, SDSU, and UNLV have seeding to play for, Colorado State and New Mexico are two teams who know they must win the tournament to have the chance to Dance. The Rams and Lobos have scored key wins against the upper echelon of the conference this season and have proven their mettle during the long and winding conference season. On the other hand, both squads have dropped games to lesser opponents and allowed their chances at an at-large berth go out the window. The time is now for Colorado State and New Mexico to put together a sting of wins and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

All eyes will be upon the top two seeds, BYU and San Diego State. The Cougars walloped the Aztecs by double-digits during both regular season meetings, the Aztecs only two losses on the season. You know Aztec head coach Steve Fisher and his crew would like nothing more than to get another chance at Cougars. On the other hand, BYU is again the top seed in Las Vegas. Ironically, this isn’t a position which has worked out well for the Cougars in the past. BYU has been the top seed in three of the past four tournaments and has failed to win the tournament in all of those years. With the Cougars primed to leave for the West Coast Conference next season, they have other chances beyond this one to exorcise the demons of Las Vegas.

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ALL GAMES PLAYED AT THOMAS AND MACK CENTER IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

ALL TIP-OFFS ARE PACIFIC TIME

Opening Round

(9)   TCU vs. (8) Wyoming

Wednesday, March 10 - 2:00 pm

TV: MTN

It would be easy to look at a play-in game pitting two cellar-dwelling teams, with the winner destined to play top-seeded BYU, as simply a gloss over contest. Fans of Mountain West basketball have seen great improvement from the Wyoming Cowboys over the past month and a half. Head coach Heath Schroyer was fired in early February opening the door for interim coach Fred Langley to take the reins in Laramie. The Cowboys have responded with much better energy and play. Texas Christian has been marred by player suspensions and genuinely bad play. The Frogs managed only one conference win all season. That win? An eighteen point thrashing of Wyoming in January.

Quarterfinals

Winner of TCU/Wyoming vs. (1) Brigham Young

Thursday, March 11 - 12:00 pm

TV: MTN

Oh what a week it has been for the BYU Cougars. It was a roller-coaster of emotion which most teams rarely experience: Just a week ago, the then ninth-ranked Cougars defeated fourth-ranked San Diego State by double digits for the second time in the year and put themselves on the front page of every newspaper in America. With teams around them losing, the Cougars rose to a number three national ranking. A first seed in the NCAA Tournament was not only possible but probable. If this was the mountain, BYU was about to fall to the valley. Starting center Brandon Davies was dismissed from the team for violations of the school’s honor code. Two days later the Cougars were thoroughly dominated at home by unranked New Mexico. It seemed that BYU’s season had collapsed in a mere four days’ time. Things came together in the second half of BYU’s rout of Wyoming on Saturday night. The real question becomes, just what Cougar squad will show up in Las Vegas? Have they turned a corner or should we expect yet another drop in productivity?

(5)   New Mexico vs. (4) Colorado State

Thursday, March 11 - 2:30pm / 30 minutes after previous game

TV: MTN/CBS College Sports

The seeding could not have worked out any better for an important early tournament matchup between two squads who are desperately seeking entrance into the NCAA Tournament. While the Rams have the better overall resume, it is the Lobos who have demonstrated the ability to win games against the elite teams in the league. New Mexico swept league-leading BYU. Thursday’s quarterfinal will send one team packing while the other will get yet another chance to play its way into the Tournament. With two First Team All-Conference selections on the court in New Mexico’s Dairese Gary and Colorado State’s Andy Ogide, this matchup won’t lack for star power. The two squads split the season series, winning on their respective home floors. Fans in Albuquerque have to be happy with the draw. A win against the Rams will more than likely give them a third meeting with BYU, a team the Lobos match up extremely well with.

(7)   Utah vs. (2) San Diego State

Thursday, March 11 - 6:00pm

TV: MTN

Last season at this time, the San Diego State Aztecs were desperately playing their way into the NCAA Tournament by winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Then, the Aztecs were the league’s four-seed and needed a great tourney run to secure their place in March. Fast forward a year and San Diego State has improved its position significantly. The Aztecs are in the midst of their best season ever. The NCAA Tournament is assured. With that being said, don’t think that San Diego State has little to play for. The Aztecs can help their seeding immensely with every tournament victory. A quarterfinal matchup with a reeling Utah team is their first roadblock. The Utes have underachieved all season long and head coach Jim Boylen’s seat becomes hotter with each disappointing loss.

(6)   Air Force vs. (3) UNLV

Thursday, March 11 - 8:30pm

TV: MTN/CBS College Sports

Tourney host UNLV has received an incredible amount of flak from conference colleagues regarding the supposed unfair advantage the Rebels receive by hosting the conference tournament on their home floor every year. The truth is, the record is mixed. Despite winning back-to-back tournament championships in 2007 and 2008, the Rebels lost in the semifinal and final the past two seasons. The Rebels face upset-minded Air Force in this year’s quarterfinal. The Falcons have played hard against each of the upper level teams in the MWC and could very well be a sleeper in the tournament. The Rebels will have much to play for, as a win over Air Force would almost assuredly give them a chance at a rematch with two-seed San Diego State. The Rebels lost to the Aztecs in Las Vegas a little under a month ago in a game UNLV had for the taking.

Semifinals

Winner of Quarterfinal #1 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal #2

Friday, March 11 - 6:00pm

TV: CBS College Sports 

Many are looking forward to a potential New Mexico-BYU rematch. The Lobos embarrassed the Cougars a week ago and the sting is still present for BYU supporters. Don’t sleep on Colorado State, either. With an at-large spot still within reason not probability, the Rams could be a dangerous team on this side of the bracket. The Rams lost two hard fought games to BYU this season. BYU is an unknown commodity and the Semifinal will be the Cougars first true test of mettle against a solid opponent.

Winner of Quarterfinal #3 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal #4

Friday, March 11 - 8:30pm

TV: CBS College Sports

With a rematch between San Diego State and UNLV looking more than likely, the second semifinal is destined to be a terrific matchup. The Aztecs won both meetings during the regular season and saw the Rebels shoot a paltry 2-for-33 beyond the arc. Even with the horrendous shooting, San Diego State won both contests in close fashion. With a partisan crowd beyond them, the Rebels might be ready to pull the upset. UNLV matches up well with the Aztecs in the backcourt. The boys from Vegas simply need to hit shots, as cliché as that might seem – it’s simply true.

Championship

Semifinal Winners

Saturday, March 12 - 4pm

TV: Versus

Three of the past four MWC Tournaments held in Las Vegas have seen the lower seeded squad win in the title game. With BYU and San Diego State favored to meet again in the title game, those numbers may not change. The Aztecs lost both games to the Cougars by double digits and are ready to recompense. Without the size of Davies inside, the Cougars become much more a jump-shooting team. This has its advantages with a player like Jimmer Fredette, the nation’s leading scorer, and a player with the individual ability to win this tournament on an individual level. On the other hand, the San Diego State front-court is among the best in the nation and will take it to the Cougars inside. However the early rounds turn out, there is no question the Mountain West Conference Tournament’s championship game is destined to pit two teams playing at a high level.

By: Zach Bloxham
DFN Sports Staff Writer