University of New Mexico Lobos 26-5 (13-3), No. 1 in the Mountain West
The Lobos are the 2013 Mountain West Conference regular-season champions. They had an outstanding season, losing just three conference games in addition to going undefeated at home in conference play. All eyes will be on junior point guard Kendall Williams, who finished the season averaging 14 points and five assists per game, in addition to being named the MWC Player of the Year. The Lobos will face the winner of Nevada/Wyoming in their opening round on Wednesday.
Colorado State Rams 24-7 (11-5), No. 2 in the Mountain West
Colorado State may have been one of the league’s most surprising teams. Senior center Colton Iverson made the first team All-Mountain West and was also named the MWC Newcomer of the Year. After leading the conference in scoring, Colorado State will not be an easy out for any team in this tournament. The Rams will face No. 7 Fresno State—whom they beat twice this season—in their opening round game.
UNLV Rebels 23-8 (10-6), No. 3 in the Mountain West
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is loaded with talent in both its front and backcourt. Senior point guard Anthony Marshall led the Rebels and the MWC with 5.9 assists per game, while freshman forward Anthony Bennett had a breakout year, averaging 15.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game en route to being named the MWC Freshman of the Year. The Rebels will face No. 6 Air Force Academy in its first round game.
San Diego State Aztecs 21-9 (9-7), No. 4 in the Mountain West
Despite finishing fourth in the MWC, it wouldn’t be such a dangerous pick to select SDSU to make it back to the tournament finals again. The Aztecs have plenty of previous success in this tournament, winning two MWC tournament championships during the last four seasons. Although junior guard Jamaal Franklin didn’t repeat as the MWC Player of the Year, he’s still a very dangerous player teams will look out for after being named to the first team All-Mountain West for a seond consecutive year. As the fourth seed, SDSU will face Boise State in its opening round game.
Boise State Broncos 21-9 (9-7), tied for No. 4 in the Mountain West
The Broncos certainly improved this season and the college basketball world has taken notice. As of now, Boise State is one of college basketball’s few teams on the bubble to make it to the Big Dance. The team has one of the league’s most dynamic backcourts, with sophomores Anthony Drmic and Derrick Marks, who combine for 33.6 points per game and have both been named second-team All-Mountain West.
Air Force Falcons 17-12 (8-8), No. 6 in the Mountain West
The Falcons are out of NCAA Tournament contention unless they somehow win the MWC Tournament. They had an average season of 8-8 in MWC play, but defeated New Mexico, UNLV and SDSU. Senior guard Michael Lyons has been carrying the Falcons after leading the MWC in scoring this season. After splitting the season series with UNLV, Air Force will need to get by UNLV one more time in the first round to stay alive.
Fresno State Bulldogs 11-18 (5-11), No. 7 in the Mountain West
This was the Bulldogs’ first regular season in the MWC and it’s been rough. The Bulldogs were led by junior guard Tyler Johnson, who was named to the honorable mention All-Mountain West team. Fresno State has the tough task of facing No. 2 seed Colorado State in its opening round game.
University of Wyoming Cowboys 18-12 (4-12), No. 8 in the Mountain West
The Cowboys opened their season strong before conference play. Teams initially thought the Cowboys were for real until they collapsed, going 4-12 in MWC play. They were led by senior guard Luke Martinez before his indefinite suspension at the start of conference play. Teams will look out for senior forward Leonard Washington after being named to the MWC All-Defensive Team and making third-team All-Mountain West. The Cowboys defeated the Nevada Wolf Pack 85-81 in the opening round of the tournament. Wyoming will face New Mexico today.
Nevada Wolf Pack 12-18 (3-13), No. 9 in the Mountain West
The Wolf Pack had the hardest time adjusting to the MWC this season. After a winning season playing in the Western Athletic Conference, they struggled going 3-13 in conference play. The Wolf Pack fell to Wyoming last night. As a result, their tournament is now over.
