The Mountain West basketball season is officially over after the conclusion of the conference tournament in Las Vegas. The tournament had some early surprises, but the final teams standing were ones that have a rich tradition of basketball success and have represented the Mountain West well in March Madness. Now, let’s take a quick look at the conference tournament in this edition of “the Good, the Bad, the Ugly.”
The Good
The Aggies Go the Distance
It was pretty clear from the beginning of the season that the Aggies were the best team in the Mountain West. They may have had a few minor hiccups along the way, but the Aggies were far and away the most consistent program this season. That trend continued in the conference tournament where Utah State capitalized on the excellent play of MJ Collins Jr. and Mason Falslev to earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, where they will be a dangerous team that nobody wants to face.
The Bad
An Odd Season For the Aztecs
Making it to the championship game is nothing to frown upon, but this season felt very underwhelming for San Diego State. The off-season was filled with historic wins with the returns of Miles Byrd and Magoon Gwath being celebrated by the national media. While solid, neither of these players seemed to live up to expectations this season. There were times where this squad looked lost, especially late in the season. It would be shocking if this team didn’t bounce back and have a big year next season.
Where Do They Go From Here?
The Mountain West will not have a returning champion in football or either basketball. Outside of New Mexico, none of the returning Mountain West schools are regularly competing for conference championships in any sport. It will be interesting to see how the conference is portrayed by the national media next season with its flagship football program (Boise State) gone and its top two basketball programs (San Diego State and Utah State) gone.
Grand Canyon Loses Opening Game
The Lopes were a formidable team this season, especially once conference play started. However, in the conference tournament, it was clear that this team isn’t quite ready to regularly compete with the top of the Mountain West. The size and the physicality of the Wolf Pack seemed to wear down the Lopes and led to their early departure from the conference tournament.
The Ugly
A Season Ends Just Like It Finishes
Boise State entered the season with high expectations. Many experts and fans felt like this was the most talented roster Boise State has ever had. Then game one happened. Boise State lost their season-opening game to Division II Hawaii Pacific. The Broncos looked like a team with no urgency and poor effort. By the end of the season, it looked like the Broncos were one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament and had the ability to upset anyone. However, poor play on the defensive side of the ball and some questionable personnel decisions led to the Broncos being ousted in the first round of the tournament to a San Jose State team that only won eight regular games. Leon Rice and the Boise State basketball program need to make some significant changes this off-season.
How did your team fare in the conference tournament? Did the Mountain West get the representation it deserves in March Madness? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.