The Nevada Wolf Pack is ranked in the top-25 nationally, and even if it doesn’t claim the Mountain West Tournament, it should still earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. The same cannot be said for any of the other teams in the conference, so this postseason tournament is do-or-die for the rest of the programs.
The Boise State Broncos have been the second-best team in the conference and would love to win the Mountain West title in order to punch their March Madness ticket. These two teams seem to be on a crash course for the championship game but there are plenty of other Cinderellas who only need to put together a few days of outstanding ball to really spin the conference on its head.
Mountain West Tournament Schedule
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Thomas & Mack Center from Wednesday, March 7, 2018 through Saturday, March 10 on ESPN. We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game of the Mountain West Tournament.
First Round - Wednesday, March 7th
No. 8 UNLV vs. No. 9 Air Force, 11:00 a.m.
No. 7 Utah State vs. No. 10 Colorado State, 1:30 p.m.
No. 6 Wyoming vs. No. 11 San Jose State, 4:00 p.m.
Quarterfinals - Thursday, March 8
No. 1 Nevada vs. TBD at 12 p.m.
No. 4 Fresno State vs. No. 5 San Diego State at 2:30 p.m.
No. 2 Boise State vs. TBD at 6 p.m.
No. 3 New Mexico vs. TBD at 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals - Friday, March 9th
TBD at 6 p.m.
TBD at 8:30 p.m.
Championship - Saturday, March 10th
TBD at 3 p.m.
Odds Analysis
Nevada went 15-3 in conference play, which was two games better than anyone else in the Mountain West. The Wolf Pack is ranked No. 21 in the nation and will be the unquestioned favorite in the tournament.
Boise State should have the second-best odds. Fresno State and San Diego State each found a nice groove down the stretch, and could be among the darkhorses who are intriguing candidates based on their long odds and lucrative payout if they can somehow find a win to claim the conference tournament crown.
Bubble Watch
While the big conferences tend to have a few teams in the bubble of March Madness going into their conference tournaments, that’s not the case with the Mountain West. Nevada has been impressive enough that it should get in no matter what.
Boise State is the closest the conference has to a bubble team, but even if it makes it to the finals and falls short against the Wolf Pack, there doesn’t seem to be much of a chance for it to garner a berth. The Broncos haven’t had a chance to add quality wins to their resume because the Mountain West is not that strong this year.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
Nevada won’t have the easiest run, as a semifinal game between either San Diego State or Fresno State is on tap, and then there will be a likely showdown with either Boise State or New México for the conference title.
While the other teams are decent and some have shown the ability to knock off the Wolf Pack in the regular season, it’s hard picking against Nevada in this one. The Mountain West is likely going to only send one team to March Madness as Nevada is the choice to win the conference tournament title to go along with its regular season conference victory.
This would be good news for bubble teams everywhere that are aiming to scratch their way into the tournament. If a team like Boise State, New México or San Diego State earns the conference’s automatic bid, it would take away a spot.
NCAA Odds: Nevada 75, Boise State 68 to win the Mountain West Conference Championship
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