Here’s Boise State’s possible path in Mountain West Tournament as No. 3 seed
The Boise State men’s basketball team will enter the Mountain West Tournament as a top-three seed for the third year in a row.
The Broncos (22-9, 13-5 Mountain West) are the No. 3 seed in this year’s tournament, which kicks off Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. They tied Nevada for second place in the conference but lost the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed.
Boise State gets a first-round bye because it’s a top-five seed, which means the Broncos’ first game will be Thursday at 9:30 p.m. Mountain time (CBSSN) against the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 6 New Mexico and No. 11 Air Force in the quarterfinals.
Boise State won the tournament as a No. 1 seed in 2021-22. The Broncos earned a No. 2 seed last season and were knocked out by Utah State in the semifinals.
Martin powers Boise State to OT win, keeps Broncos’ Mountain West title hopes alive
Boise State swept the Lobos (22-9, 10-8 MW) and Falcons (9-21, 2-16 MW) this season. The Broncos went into The Pit in Albuquerque and beat the Lobos 86-78 on Jan. 31. They beat New Mexico 89-79 at home on March 2.
New Mexico, which will be trying to play its way into the NCAA Tournament, is led by a trio of talented guards and the likely Mountain West Freshman of the Year. Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. are two of the most experienced guards in the conference. Mashburn, a senior, averages a team-high 15.1 points a game. House, a graduate student, averages 15 points a night, ranks No. 2 on the team with 91 assists and leads the conference with 61 steals.
Sophomore Donovan Dent is one of the top-scoring point guards in the league. His quickness makes him a nightmare to defend, especially when he drives to the basket. He scored 31 points in the Lobos’ first loss to Boise State this season. Dent averages 14.9 points and leads the team with 166 assists.
New Mexico forward JT Toppin was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week nine times this season. The 6-foot-9, 210-pound native of Dallas, Texas, ranks No. 2 in the conference with 8.7 rebounds a game and averages 12.5 points a game.
Boise State cruised in both meetings against Air Force this season. The Broncos beat the Falcons 94-56 at ExtraMile Arena and 79-48 at Cadet Field House.
No. 22 Utah State (26-5, 14-4 MW) claimed its first regular-season Mountain West title this year and enters the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed. Nevada is No. 2, and No. 4 UNLV plays No. 5 San Diego State on Thursday.
Nevada likely would be waiting in the semifinals if the Broncos advance, although the Wolf Pack (26-6, 13-5) could have a tough quarterfinal matchup with Colorado State (22-9, 10-8). Boise State split games with both Nevada and the Rams this season.
The semifinals are on Friday and the Mountain West Tournament championship game is at 4 p.m. Mountain time Saturday on CBS.
Here's your first look at the men's championship bracket pic.twitter.com/3N9cbvyoZn— Mountain West (@MountainWest) March 10, 2024
Bronco women smash Utah State in tourney opener
Abby Muse’s triple-double — just the third in program history — led the Boise State women’s basketball team to an 85-49 win over Utah State on Sunday night in a first-round game.
The Broncos (20-12), seeded No. 6, never trailed and were up 40-19 at halftime. Muse had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against the 11th-seeded Aggies (5-25). Trista Hull had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Boise State will face No. 3 seed Wyoming at 8:30 p.m. Mountain time Monday in the tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas.
Mountain West men’s tournament
(All times Mountain)
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday
No. 8 Wyoming vs. No. 9 Fresno State, Noon, Mountain West Network
No. 7 Colorado State vs. No. 10 San Jose State, 2:30 p.m., Mountain West Network
No. 6 New Mexico vs. No. 11 Air Force, 5 p.m., Mountain West Network
QUARTERFINALS
Thursday
No. 1 Utah State vs. Wyoming/Fresno State, 1 p.m., CBS Sports Network
No. 4 UNLV vs. No. 5 San Diego State, 3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
No. 2 Nevada vs. CSU/SJSU, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network
No. 3 Boise State vs. UNM/AF, 9:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Mountain West women’s tournament
FIRST ROUND
Sunday
No. 9 Fresno State 62, No. 8 Air Force 44
No. 7 San Diego State 72, No. 10 San Jose State 51
No. 6 Boise State 85, No. 11 Utah State 49
QUARTERFINALS
Monday
No. 1 UNLV vs. No. 9 Fresno State, 1 p.m., Mountain West Network
No. 4 Nevada vs. No. 5 Colorado State, 3:30 p.m., Mountain West Network
No. 2 New Mexico vs. No. 7 San Diego State, 6 p.m., Mountain West Network
No. 3 Wyoming vs. No. 6 Boise State, 8:30 p.m., Mountain West Network
