ShareThisIn its previous nine men's basketball seasons, the Mountain West Conference has sent three teams to the NCAA Tournament three times, two teams five times and one team once.
Could this be the year the conference gets four bids to the grand ball, which would be seen as a remarkable accomplishment in its 10th anniversary season?
As the MWC tournament begins this week in Las Vegas, that's the big question facing a senior-dominated league that claims to be having its best year ever.
"Well, I think that (four bids) is not a pipe dream, by any means," said BYU coach Dave Rose. "I think that a lot depends on the other conference tournaments, and how those things work out. I do believe that there are five teams in this league that are being considered as teams (that could be) invited to the NCAA Tournament, and that is probably the first time in the 10-year history that five teams have been talked about."
Those five are obviously league tri-champions BYU, Utah and New Mexico, two-time conference tournament champion UNLV and San Diego State. All five teams have 21 wins or more, and all five have RPIs of 58 or better.
The MWC has sent two teams to the field of 65 each of the past four seasons. It sent three each year from 2002-2004, and just one in 2001, BYU.
"I would think three (teams) is a lock," Utah coach Jim Boylen said. "I would think four's a possibility. And five, no way."
Utah (21-9) and BYU (24-6) are considered locks, and will be playing this week for better seeding in the NCAAs and not much else.
The other three might need to win at least one conference tournament game, although there's some sentiment that New Mexico should already be in because it tied for a regular-season championship in a league that's ranked as one of the top seven in the country this year.
"What you do through a two-and-a-half-month period within your own league -- especially in a league like ours where you have balanced scheduling (should be considered heavily)," said New Mexico coach Steve Alford. "You go through that and you win your league, and your league is going to be ranked sixth or seventh nationally, yeah, I think you are most deserving of that (NCAA bid)."
Seemingly, then, the Lobos would have more to lose than any team in the league this week. And there's a prevailing notion that the San Diego State-UNLV loser of Thursday's quarterfinal matchup is out of the big dance, the winner more than likely in.
"The winner of our game against Vegas will move up in the talk of, 'Can they get in?'" acknowledged SDSU coach Steve Fisher. "We've gotten some talk because we have beaten Vegas twice. We are the only team to beat Vegas in Vegas. ... So that helps. I do think that the league has enhanced itself, based on what we've done outside the league, who've we've played and who we've beaten. And that's good. That's good for all of us."
Most notably, UNLV beat Big East champion Louisville at Louisville and Utah beat SEC champion LSU by 30 points at the Huntsman Center.
Tuesday, a day after Gonzaga crushed St. Mary's in the West Coast Conference championship game, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi replaced the Gaels in his mock bracket with the Aztecs, giving the MWC five teams in his projections for the first time.
Of course, those projections are going to change more this week as conference tourneys continue around the country, but it shows that five teams are certainly on the radar.
"I think this is a year that the committee has got to look (at giving the MWC four or five bids)," Alford said. "You have a few of the BCS conferences that are really down this year. And the MWC is up. ... I think our league has taken a huge bump in the right direction, and we should be rewarded for that."
UNLV coach Lon Kruger said his team is in a position where it needs a strong showing in a tournament that is often referred to as the "UNLV Invitational" because it is held on the Rebels' home floor.
"If we were to stop right here today, the three champions are deserving, and San Diego State has played great, finishing strong. Of course, the conference tournament can change that a bit. Hopefully, from our perspective, that would be the case," he said.
MWC teams in NCAA Tournament
2008 " BYU, UNLV
2007 " BYU, UNLV
2006 " Air Force, San Diego State
2005 " Utah, New Mexico
2004 " BYU, Utah, Air Force
2003 " BYU, Utah, Colorado State
2002 " Utah, Wyoming, San Diego State
2001 " BYU
2000 " Utah, UNLV
E-mail Jay Drew at drew(at)sltrib.com
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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