The Mountain West’s regular season is quickly winding down, which means it’s time to start looking at conference championships, postseason awards, and the NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State muddied the waters in the race to crown the regular-season champion and No. 1 seed in the conference tournament on Wednesday when the Aztecs knocked off Utah State, 89-72, at Viejas Arena.
That left the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4 MWC) and Aggies (23-5, 13-4) tied for the top spot in the Mountain West after splitting their season series. Utah State won, 71-66, in Logan, Utah. San Diego State snapped its two-game skid on Wednesday, while the Aggies have now dropped back-to-back games and host Grand Canyon on Saturday. San Diego State travels to The Pit to face New Mexico on Saturday.
The Lobos (21-7, 12-5) are sitting at No. 3 in the league. They’re followed by Nevada (19-9, 11-6) at No. 4 and Grand Canyon (18-10, 11-6), which is at No. 5 in its first year in the conference. The Wolf Pack is on the road at UNLV on Saturday.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
Mountain West Basketball Championship Betting Odds
Utah State is still the college basketball betting odds favorite to win the Mountain West’s regular-season championship on BetMGM despite its loss on Wednesday.
The Aggies have the top odds to win the league at -210. San Diego State is No. 2 at +250, followed by New Mexico (+600) and Grand Canyon (+8,000).
When Is The Mountain West Tournament?
The Mountain West Tournament will be held March 11-14 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Four different teams have won the tournament in the past four seasons, including Colorado State, which took the crown last season. Boise State won it in 2021-22, San Diego State took the title in 2022-23, and New Mexico won it in 2023-24.
How To Watch Mountain West Tournament
The Mountain West Tournament championship game is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on March 14 and will be televised on CBS.
The opening round will be streamed on Mountain West Network on March 11. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be televised on CBS Sports Network on March 12 and 13.
How Many Mountain West Teams Make The NCAA Tournament?
The Mountain West sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament last season after sending five to the Big Dance in 2024-25. A conference-record six teams made the cut in 2023-24.
A lot will be determined by which team wins the conference tournament, earning an automatic bid, but the league might struggle to match last year’s number of tournament teams.
Utah State is probably the Mountain West’s safest bet right now. The Aggies are No. 25 in the NET rankings, but they have some tough games coming up. After hosting Grand Canyon, they travel to UNLV before wrapping up the regular season at home against New Mexico.
San Diego State’s resume got a boost from its dominant win over Utah State on Wednesday, but the Aztecs and New Mexico are both firmly on the bubble. The Aztecs are No. 43 in the NET rankings, and the Lobos are No. 45.
Boise State comes in at No. 60, but it’s hard to imagine the Broncos (17-11, 9-8) making the NCAA Tournament without winning the Mountain West Tournament. The same goes for Nevada, Grand Canyon, and even Colorado State (18-10, 9-8), which is on a six-game winning streak and has a chance to earn a resume-boosting win at New Mexico on March 4.
Who Will Win Mountain West Player Of The Year?
Utah State junior Mason Falslev has to be the favorite to win Mountain West Player of the Year as the league heads into the final week of the regular season.
Falslev is one of the top scorers in the conference, clocking in at No. 7 in the league with 16 points a game. He also does a little bit of everything for the Aggies. The 6-foot-4 native of Benson, Utah, leads the team with 5.5 rebounds a game and 56 steals. He has started all 28 games this season, averages a team-high 31.6 minutes a game, and is shooting 52 percent from the floor and 42% from 3-point range.
Falslev, a veteran of 96 starts, also ranks No. 3 at Utah State with 79 assists. He’s virtually a lock if the Aggies win the regular-season title. In reality, his biggest competition may come from his teammate, Vanderbilt transfer MJ Collins Jr., who ranks No. 3 in the conference with 17.9 points a game.
Either way, it would be the second time in the past three seasons that Utah State was home to the Mountain West’s Player of the Year. Great Osobor claimed the award in 2023-24 before transferring to Washington.
San Diego State guard Miles Byrd also deserves consideration, especially if the Aztecs win the regular-season championship. He passed on the NBA Draft last year for one more shot at Mountain West gold, and he may be the most complete player in the conference, despite averaging just 10.7 points a game. The 6-foot-6 native of Stockton, California, leads the team with 52 steals and 32 blocked shots and ranks No. 2 on the squad with 122 rebounds and 75 assists. He’s shooting 40% from the floor and 80% from the free-throw line.
