The New Mexico men’s basketball team won its first regular-season title since 2013 this year. Now, the Lobos will try to capture their second-straight Mountain West basketball tournament championship.
The Mountain West Tournament kicks off today at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The championship game is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, Saturday on CBS. The quarterfinal round on Thursday and semifinals on Friday will be televised on CBS Sports Network. First-round games will be on Mountain West Network.
New Mexico beat San Diego State in the championship game last season, clinching its first Mountain West tournament title since 2014. The Lobos (25-6, 17-3 MWC) enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed this year after winning their final three regular-season games.
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Colorado State (22-9, 16-4) earned the No. 2 seed after ending the regular season with seven straight wins, including a 93-66 victory over Utah State and an 83-73 win at Boise State in the finale.
The Rams are led by Mountain West Player of the Year Nique Clifford, who ranks No. 2 in the conference with 18.4 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. Clifford finished the regular season with 10 double-doubles. The 6-foot-6 fifth-year senior has started all 31 of Colorado State’s games, and he leads the team with 135 assists.
Utah State (25-6, 15-5) enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed after looking like it was going to run away with the conference title midway through the season. San Diego State (21-8, 14-6) is No. 4, followed by Boise State (22-9, 14-6) at No. 5.
The rest of the field: No. 6 UNLV, No. 7 Nevada, No. 8 San Jose State, No. 9 Wyoming, No. 10 Fresno State, No. 11 Air Force.
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Mountain West Basketball Tournament Odds
| Team | BetMGM Odds |
| New Mexico | +260 |
| Colorado State | +325 |
| Utah State | +400 |
| Boise State | +450 |
| San Diego State | +550 |
| UNLV | +2200 |
| Nevada | +2200 |
| San Jose State | +20000 |
| Wyoming | +20000 |
| Fresno State | +30000 |
| Air Force | +50000 |
New Mexico is the college basketball betting odds favorite to win the tournament, according to BetMGM as of March 12
Mountain West Basketball Tournament Prediction
Colorado State is the hottest team in the Mountain West right now, but a healthy, rested New Mexico is a nightmare matchup for any team in the conference.
Clifford deserves every bit of recognition he’s getting. He is the most NBA-ready prospect in the conference, he’s done it all for the Rams and he doesn’t lose many one-on-one matchups.
New Mexico has a pretty special player of its own in point guard Donovan Dent, who leads the Mountain West with 20.4 points a game. He’s also No. 2 in the conference with 202 assists.
The Lobos also have the conference’s top rebounder in Nelly Junior Joseph, who is the only player in the Mountain West currently averaging a double-double, with 13.8 points and 11.1 rebounds a game.
Joseph will be joined in the post by a healthy Mustapha Amzil, who missed three games late in the season with a foot injury but played more than 28:00 in the Lobos’ regular-season finale. Amzil is averaging 11.5 points and 5.4 rebounds a night. New Mexico leads the Mountain West with 39.5 rebounds a game.
If you’re looking for a sleeper in the Mountain West basketball tournament, Boise State is my safest bet. The Broncos didn’t live up to expectations this year after they were picked to win the conference in the preseason. But they have a lot of experience in their starting five and were on a roll before losing to Colorado State in the regular-season finale.
Boise State went on a five-game winning streak late in the season, including an 86-78 victory over New Mexico on Feb. 19 and an 82-65 win over Utah State on Feb. 26.
