It was another wild wild week in the Mountain West! Every week, especially in conference play, the top never fails to add some zingers. What is our bracketology outlook less than two months from the NCAA Tournament?! Let’s examine!
At Large Candidates:
Utah State:
NET: 25
KenPom: 34
Lunardi: No.9 seed
Bracket Matrix (out of 84 brackets; Jan. 22): 84
Average Bracket Matrix Seed: 8.23
Skinny: You can breathe just a little bit more, Utah State fans. You’re still in the dance. But the margin for error is now razor thin. It’s not quite time
to hit the panic button. But USU can’t slip up. The Aggies are still 4-2 in Quad 1-2 games. But their two most recent losses exposed the team’s bench — or lack thereof — which was viewed as a strength at the start of the season. Their defense also left plenty to be desired. Utah State still has four Quad 1-2 games over their next five, beginning with Colorado State Saturday followed by San Diego State on Jan. 31.
Still More Work To Do:
New Mexico:
NET: 42
KenPom: 44
Lunardi: No. 11 seed
Bracket Matrix: 58
Average Bracket Matrix Seed: 10.83
Skinny: The Lobos may have been at the wrong end of an 83-79 thriller against San Diego State. But they still climbed four spots in KenPom while moving out of Lunardi’s First Four Out territory. That’s obviously not an end all, be all, but they’ve gotten more recognition as the season’s went on. But they will have their most consequential stretch coming up, with four Quad 2 plus one Quad 1 game over their next six. They host Nveada this weekend followed by a trip to Phoenix to face Grand Canyon, where it’s never easy to play, next week.
San Diego State:
NET: 50
KenPom: 45
Lunardi: ————
Average Bracket Matrix Seed: 12
Skinny: San Diego State is another team on the rise. Though their one-point loss to Grand Canyon (that was a bogus final whistle) snapped a six-game win streak. The Aztecs are 4-3 in Quad 1-2 games and have climbed 10 spots in NET over the last 10 days. I still think they have more work to do to earn the benefit of the doubt, but they’re in a better spot than where they were at the start of MW play. They will square off with UNLV this weekend (Quad 2) before a Quad 3 home game next week against the Rams.
