College basketball conference tournaments are already in full swing. On Wednesday afternoon, the Mountain West Conference will join the fun as it kicks off its tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Several teams posted solid records in the Mountain West basketball standings this year. However, the vast majority of schools are in need of a strong showing this week to solidify a spot in March Madness. Of course, the only way to remove all doubt is to win the Mountain West Tournament bracket outright and secure an automatic bid.
The following contains the Mountain West Tournament bracket and schedule, as well as a preview of what we can expect to see.
Mountain West Basketball Standings
| Team | Conf. Record | Overall Record | Seed |
| San Diego State | 15-3 | 24-6 | 1 |
| Boise State | 13-5 | 23-8 | 2 |
| Utah State | 13-5 | 24-7 | 3 |
| Nevada | 12-6 | 22-9 | 4 |
| San Jose State | 10-8 | 19-12 | 5 |
| New Mexico | 8-10 | 21-10 | 6 |
| UNLV | 7-11 | 18-12 | 7 |
| Colorado State | 6-12 | 14-17 | 8 |
| Fresno State | 6-12 | 11-19 | 9 |
| Air Force | 5-13 | 14-17 | 10 |
| Wyoming | 4-14 | 9-21 | 11 |
Mountain West Tournament Schedule
Dates: March 8-11
TV Schedule: MWN/Stadium (First Round); CBSSN (Quarterfinals and Semifinals) CBS (Championship Game)
Venue: Thomas & Mack Center — Las Vegas, NV
Byes: Top 5 receive single bye
Defending Champion: Boise State
Mountain West Tournament Bracket
First Round
- (8) Colorado State 67, (9) Fresno State 65
- (7) UNLV 78, (10) Air Force 70 (OT)
- (6) New Mexico 87, (11) Wyoming 76
Quarterfinals
- (1) San Diego State 64, (8) Colorado State 61
- (5) San Jose State 81, (4) Nevada 77 (OT)
- (2) Boise State 87, (7) UNLV 76 (OT)
- (3) Utah State 91, (6) New Mexico 76
Semifinals
- (1) San Diego State 64, (5) San Jose State 49
- (3) Utah State 72, (2) Boise State 62
Mountain West Tournament Championship
- (1) San Diego State 62, (3) Utah State 57
San Diego State earns automatic bid to NCAA Tournament
Mountain West Conference Tournament Breakdown
Entering the 2023 Mountain West Tournament, top-seeded San Diego State is widely considered the favorite to cut down the nets in Las Vegas. The Aztecs have only lost six games all season with five of those defeats coming against Quad I opponents. SDSU has also been very successful in the conference tournament recently, reaching the final in each of the last five years and winning the title in both 2018 and ’21.
While the betting odds may favor San Diego State, one can be certain that defending tournament champion Boise State will have something to say about it. The Broncos enter this year’s Mountain West Tournament bracket as the 2-seed and are currently projected to be in the NCAA field of 68. Meanwhile, the NCAA Tournament hopes of both 3-seed Utah State and 4-seed Nevada could be entirely contingent on a strong showing in Las Vegas.
Another team to keep a close eye on is New Mexico. The Lobos got off to a tremendous start this season but several bad losses late in conference play dropped them to sixth in the final Mountain West basketball standings and severely damaged their March Madness aspirations. 7-seed UNLV is another team that started out hot before cooling off considerably in MWC play. An automatic bid is likely the only path into the NCAA Tournament for either school.
Team Stats | 2023 Mountain West Basketball Tournament
(1) San Diego State Aztecs
Net Ranking: 16 (No. 1 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 15 (No. 1 in MWC)
(2) Boise State Broncos
Net Ranking: 27 (No. 3 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 29 (No. 3 in MWC)
(3) Utah State Aggies
Net Ranking: 21 (No. 2 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 23 (No. 2 in MWC)
(4) Nevada Wolf Pack
Net Ranking: 36 (No. 4 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 39 (No. 4 in MWC)
(5) San Jose State Spartans
Net Ranking: 96 (No. 7 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 94 (No. 7 in MWC)
(6) New Mexico Lobos
Net Ranking: 50 (No. 5 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 49 (No. 5 in MWC)
(7) UNLV Rebels
Net Ranking: 90 (No. 6 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 88 (No. 6 in MWC)
(8) Colorado State Rams
Net Ranking: 110 (No. 8 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 108 (No. 8 in MWC)
(9) Fresno State Bulldogs
Net Ranking: 147 (No. 9 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 135 (No. 9 in MWC)
(10) Air Force Falcons
Net Ranking: 150 (No. 10 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 146 (No. 10 in MWC)
(11) Wyoming Cowboys
Net Ranking: 171 (No. 11 in MWC)
KenPom Overall Efficiency Ranking: 154 (No. 11 in MWC)
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