CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 16. Up next: The Mountain West Tournament.
It’s the year of Pitino, and that includes Richard, the New Mexico coach who led his team to the Mountain West title with a 17-3 record. They were followed by Colorado State, who comes into the tournament on a seven-game win streak, and three other teams with 14+ wins.
New Mexico won the tournament last year, surprising everyone as the sixth seed on the way to the championship. They beat 5 seed San Diego State, proof that no team is safe, no matter the seed. We’ve had three different winners in the last three years; let’s see if that streak continues.
There are a bit of NCAA tournament implications in this one, with several teams on the bubble. This is truly a toss-up, and if you picked any of the top five to win this, no one would bat an eye.
2025 Mountain West Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Donovan Dent, New Mexico
Freshman of the Year: Magoon Gwath, San Diego State
Transfer of the Year: Nick Boyd, San Diego State
Coach of the Year: Richard Pitino, New Mexico
First Team:
- G: Donovan Dent, New Mexico (20.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.5 SPG)
- G: Nique Clifford, Colorado State (18.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.2 SPG)
- G: Ian Martinez, Utah State (16.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG)
- F: Tyson Degenhart, Boise State (17.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG)
- F: Nelly Junior-Joseph, New Mexico (13.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.2 BPG)
Second Team:
- G: Nick Boyd, San Diego State (13.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.0 SPG)
- G: Mason Falslev, Utah State (14.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.3 SPG)
- G: Kobe Sanders, Nevada (15.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.1 SPG)
- F: Nick Davidson, Nevada (15.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.1 BPG)
- F: Josh Uduje, San Jose State (16.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.0 SPG)
2025 Mountain West Tournament Simulation
First Round – Wed., Mar. 12
8. San Jose State (14-18, 7-13) vs. 9. Wyoming (12-19, 5-15) – 11 a.m. PT on Mountain West Network
This should be a tight game throughout and features two great scorers in Obi Agbim and Josh Uduje. San Jose State won both the regular season matchups, but it’s hard to beat a team as even as this three times in a row. No conference tournament run for the great Tim Miles.
Ariel’s pick: 9. Wyoming
7. Nevada (16-15, 8-12) vs. 10. Fresno State (6-25, 2-18) – 1:30 p.m. PT on Mountain West Network
Fresno State beat two teams in conference play, Wyoming (third-worst team) and Air Force (worst team). They lost to Nevada by 25 the last time they played and expect a number close to that this time around.
Ariel’s pick: 7. Nevada
6. UNLV (17-14, 11-9) vs. 11. Air Force (4-27, 1-19) – 4 p.m. PT on Mountain West Network
This Air Force team is genuinely horrible. They won a single game in conference tournament play, and that was against Fresno State. They ended the season with four straight 20+ point losses. UNLV is a good team, and this game should be over by the tip. If Air Force keeps this close, it says a lot more about UNLV than Air Force.
Ariel’s pick: 6. UNLV
Quarterfinals – Thu., Mar. 13
1. New Mexico (25-6, 17-3) vs. 9. Wyoming – 12 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network
Wyoming will keep this close, but unfortunately, they don’t have anyone who can match up with Nelly Junior-Joseph. The duo of him and Donovan Dent will fly past Wyoming and send them to the semifinals.
Ariel’s pick: 1. New Mexico
4. San Diego State (21-8, 14-6) vs. 5. Boise State (22-9, 14-6) – 2:30 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network
This game will be incredible. Two bubble teams looking to get into the tournament, but only one can win it. The big question is whether freshman of the year and defensive player of the year Magoon Gwath will suit up. Gwath has been out since February 22nd and is considered day-to-day. If he plays, San Diego State wins. If he doesn’t, Boise State does.
Ariel’s pick: 5. Boise State
2. Colorado State (22-9, 16-4) vs. 7. Nevada – 6 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network
Nevada was definitely one of the biggest disappointments in this league, finishing with an 8-12 record after being picked to finish third in the conference. Colorado State, meanwhile, is the hottest team in this conference, winning seven straight.
We’ll go with the hot hand here, but don’t be surprised if Nevada pulls off the upset in this one.
Ariel’s pick: 2. Colorado State
3. Utah State (25-6, 15-5) vs. 6. UNLV – 8:30 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network
These two teams played twice in January, and the point differential between the two games was Utah State +2. Remember, this tournament is in Las Vegas, so UNLV will have a bit of a home-court boost. Utah State will control the pace, though, and UNLV most likely won’t be able to keep up.
Ariel’s pick: 3. Utah State
Semifinals – Fri., Mar. 14
1. New Mexico vs. 5. Boise State – 6:30 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network
Tyson Degenhart scored 32 points last time these two teams played, and Boise State pulled off the win. Donovan Dent shot 4-13 from the field, and Boise State had 20 assists on 25 made shots. Can they do it again? They can, but it’ll be hard to replicate that performance, and you can’t count on a poor shooting performance from one of the most dynamic guards in the country.
If Boise State can get to the line like they did in that game, where they shot 32 free throws, they can win this. You’d expect the refs to let them play a little more in a game like this, which gives the advantage to the Lobos.
Ariel’s pick: 1. New Mexico
2. Colorado State vs. 3. Utah State – 9 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network
Midnight eastern tip-off in Vegas! According to Haslam Metrics, the projected final score of this game would be 75-75, that’s how close this one is. When these two teams played in the penultimate game of the regular season, Colorado State won 93-66. Easily one of the most shocking final scores all season in this conference, as Colorado State made 14 threes and shot 66%.
This game will be a lot closer. Both coaches are great, which means this game will come down to the best players stepping up and making big plays. Nique Clifford and Ian Martinez can both do that, but the overall experience of this Utah State team gives them the slight edge. Hopefully, Colorado State had done enough at this point to make the NCAA Tournament because they are very capable of winning a game or two.
Ariel’s pick: 3. Utah State
Finals – Sat., Mar. 15
1. New Mexico vs. 3. Utah State – 3 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network
In a conference that was full of parity, the top two teams all season long meet in the final. This game might be the first to 100. Both teams have dynamic offenses that can fly up and down the court, making for an electric environment.
While Donovan Dent and Nelly Junior Joseph got the love for their performance this year, deservedly so, it was the depth of this New Mexico team that won those games against Utah State. Mustapha Azil scored 16 in the first game, and Tru Washington had 25 in the second. New Mexico’s ability to have those other options, something Utah State doesn’t really have outside of Martinez and Falslev, will be the difference maker.
With rumors of Pitino moving up in the job world, this will be a nice present on the way out. New Mexico will become the first team to repeat as champions since Utah State did it in 2019 and 2020.
Ariel’s pick: 1. New Mexico