Remember last year, when the Mountain West was a high-RPI conference, basking in 5 bids to the NCAA Tournament? Good times out west. Barring a run from someone in the middle of the pack, the Mountain West appears to be a two-bid conference as the tournament begins in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
The top-2 teams played a 51-48 "thriller" in San Diego two nights ago, with regular season champ San Diego State pulling out the win after falling behind by double digits early against New Mexico. San Diego State finished 16-2 in conference and sit 23rd in KenPom while New Mexico finished 15-3 and sits 31st in KenPom. Only 2 other schools crack the top 100 in KenPom, Boise State & UNLV, 87th and 89th respectively.
UNLV and Nevada both finished 10-8 in conference but neither is currently sniffing the bracket. UNLV is probably talented enough to win in a home court setting and seems like the likely bid thief should one come from here. Boise, Wyoming & Fresno State all finished at 9-9 in conference.
I think the winner will still likely be one of the top 2 with UNLV as a wild card. Bubble teams will keep an eye on this league and hope that New Mexico or SDSU win.
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