The best men’s basketball season in the 25-year history of the Mountain West Conference will be capped in Las Vegas on Saturday night, as the No. 6 New Mexico Lobos face the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs from the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.
Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. ET, and the game will air on CBS.
New Mexico: 25-9 (10-8 MWC), 23 NET, 25 KenPom
Richard Pitino’s Lobos are 40 minutes away from becoming the first team in league history to win four games in four days to take home the conference tournament championship. A dominating 74-61 win on Friday over the Colorado State Rams in the semifinals was led by senior guard Jaelen House’s 19 points and eight assists.
UNM is sixth in the nation in pace, always looking to force turnovers that lead to easy baskets. With backcourt stars such as Donovan Dent and Jamal Mashburn Jr., they can also score in the half court when needed as well, and have plenty of threats when the game bogs down.
While the Lobos were certainly the bubble team of the league entering Vegas, their run to the final means it’s likely we see a total of six MWC teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State: 24-9 (11-4 MWC), 20 NET, 18 KenPom
Despite trailing No. 1 seed Utah State by 14 early and by three at halftime, the signature grit and physicality of the Aztecs under Brian Dutcher came through yet again. SDSU cruised to an 86-70 win in front of a raucous crowd on Friday night.
Super-senior and holdover from last year’s Final Four team Jaedon LeDee was brilliant, with 22 points on 7-13 from the field. The Show enters with the eighth-best rating via KenPom adjusted defense, and while they aren’t lights-out shooters themselves (31.6% from three-point range as a team), they also can stop the other guy (opponents are just 30.5% from downtown).
How to watch the Mountain West Tournament Championship Game
When: Saturday, March 16, 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, Nevada)
TV: CBS
Livestream: Paramount+
Odds for Mountain West Tournament Championship Game from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: SDSU -2.5
Moneyline: SDSU -148, TEAM +124
Total: 143.5
The Pick: SDSU -2.5
We were in the gym last night for the New Mexico-Colorado State game, and it felt like the Super Bowl to the Lobos who came out firing to an early 11-0 lead. But they spent a ton of emotion to get a win that likely locks them into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.
No team has ever had to play in the first round of the MWC Tournament and gone on to win it, which means no team has ever won four games in Las Vegas in 70 hours to cut down the nets either. And I wouldn’t expect it to start here.
It’d be one thing against another opponent, but this is an SDSU side that is veteran and tested in both this event and going to last year’s national championship game. Expect them to take home yet another trophy under Brian Dutcher from the Thomas and Mack Center on Saturday.