CATCH: Mountain West has four teams in

March 15, 2010 by Sage Sammons 

For a sporting enthusiast, the next two weeks are bliss because of the mass amount of college basketball and elite competition

So how big was last weekend for the Mountain West Conference, as four teams got into the NCAA tournament?

It is like working an eight-to-five for minimum wage, only to find out you have a rich great uncle who has decided to leave his entire fortune to you.

It’s pretty exciting.

For 10 years, the Mountain West Conference has tried to show the national audience that they are a force to be reckoned with. Recently, they have been able to do that.

No longer are they considered a “mid-major” conference and realistically, the only thing that separates them from being a major is a better TV deal.

Recruits like Kwahi Leonard and Darington Hobson are choosing schools like San Diego State and New Mexico in the Mountain West over bigger conferences. It hits close to home for the Rebels, as players such as Tre’Von Willis, Chase Stanback and Derrick Jasper are transferring into the conference from bigger schools.

That only means that there is no big power like in mid-major conferences and that the competition will be steep.

That steep competition puts fans in the seats. Look at the semi finals of the MWC tournament, as it was sold out.

This year, the MWC is cashing in on all the attention it is getting. BYU, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV will all take part in the NCAA tournament. In a league where there are nine teams, four will make it and all with pretty solid resumes.

So where can the conference go from here?

They all need to win, and they all have a great opportunity with first round match-ups in the tournament.

New Mexico: The Lobos received the highest seed of any Mountain West team in the tournament: a 3-seed in the East region after their 29-4 campaign.

They will play the Montana Grizzlies in the first round in San Jose, Calif. After winning the MWC regular season, the Lobos had a tough time in the tournament, escaping Air Force, but then falling to eventual MWC tourney champions, San Diego State.

MWC player of the year Darington Hobson earned all tournament team. The Grizzlies finished the season 22-9 and fought back in a tough Big Sky tournament championship to earn their bid. They were down by as many as 22 points to Weber State, when Anthony Johnson went off and scored 42 points to propel the Griz into the dance.

The Lobos will survive the Griz and look to play the winner of the Marquette-Washington game. Both games serve as a great match-up for the Lobos. They should be in to the Sweet 16 easily.

BYU: The Cougars received a 7-seed in the West region, facing off against the Florida Gators in Oklahoma City.

BYU had a great year, finishing 29-5, but they lost in the MWC semi-finals to UNLV.

The Gators were one of the last teams in, and rightly so. They are 2-5 against the top 25, only beating Michigan State and Tennessee. They finished the regular season 21-12 and lost in the Southeastern Conference semifinals to Mississippi State.

The Cougars match-up well against the Gators, as Jimmer Fredette should torch them. That means they will have a second round showdown with Kansas State. If they can squeeze out a win there, they will be playing close to home in Salt Lake City for their Sweet 16 game.

UNLV: The Rebels cruised to the MWC finals but fell to San Diego State. Despite that loss, the Rebels still earned an 8-seed in the Midwest and will face the Northern Iowa Panthers in the first round in Oklahoma City.

The Panthers have been a very hot team as of late, winning their last eight of 10, including the Missouri Valley Conference championship. On the year, they are 28-4 and finished No. 25 in the coaches poll.

They match-up very strong against the Rebels. The Panthers have a seven-foot center that averages 12 points a game, but that isn’t their only power. They have very good guards that could give the Rebel guards issues.

The one player matchup that will be good is Matt Shaw against their seven-footer; If he can get into space and hit three-pointers, the Rebels will be fine.

In the second round, the Rebels will have a match-up with No. 1 overall Kansas. This could be a rematch of what happened two years ago, but hopefully with a different outcome.

San Diego State: After winning the MWC tournament, the NCAA committee said to the Aztecs, congratulations now you get to play as an 11-seed against Tennessee in Providence, R.I.

After a 25-8 campaign, the Aztecs were completely shunned by the committee. They are an extremely talented group of athletes, that do not need any more fuel to their fire, but now they have it.

Tennessee finished the year 25-8 and got blown out by Kentucky in the SEC tournament. Scotty Hobson and Wayne Chism lead the offence for the Volunteers. The Aztecs have great athletes of their own in Billy White, Kawhi Leonard and DJ Gay. Leonard even earned MWC tournament MVP for his production in the tourney.

The game against Tennessee may be difficult, but if White can shut down Chism, the Aztecs will move on because of their athleticism at other positions. They will most likely play Georgetown in the second round, which will be a much tougher matchup.

Some say that this year is a down year in college basketball and that’s why teams from lower conferences are getting a chance. The MWC needs to take advantage of that chance, and they will do that if they all can get some wins in the tournament. Two teams should move to the Sweet 16 and New Mexico has a great chance of making the Elite 8. This only solidfies that the MWC if is one of the best conferences and should be considered as such.