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2008 Mountain West Basketball Tournament Predictions
The 2008 Mountain West Conference Tournament will take place at UNLV’s Thomas and Mark Center from March12th-15th. The 9 teams in the conference have a much more unusual bracket because of the low number of teams. While many other conferences only award the top 4 teams with byes in the first round, all but the bottom two get the first day off in the MWC Conference. While Wyoming only finished a game out of the top 8, but should have no problem against Colorado St in the first round as the Rams finished the regular season 0-16. BYU will come in as the top seed after finishing 14-2. UNLV and New Mexico will round out the top 3 as both teams finished well above .500 in league play.When you start talking about teams from the MWC making the tournament, you can pretty much count on BYU and UNLV making the tournament. Both have RPIs in the top 30 and have over 20 wins on the season. There is a good chance that the conference could even see three teams headed to the big dance, as New Mexico also has over 20 wins and an RPI near 50. New Mexico greatly improved their chances with an impressive 14-point win against UNLV. They are also a solid 9-3 in their final 12 games, which the committee will look highly on. The conference could also see a third team going if a team like San Diego St gets hot and wins the automatic bid by winning the tournament. While we don’t expect a winner outside of the top 3 teams, lets take a look at who we think will win the tournament and who will help themselves the most in their chances of getting an at-large bid on selection Sunday.
Winner: BYU Cougars
The Cougars are one of the hottest teams in the conference as they have won 13 of their last 14 games, with the only loss coming at San Diego St. by 4-points. They had a pretty solid non- conference schedule, as they were able to beat Louisville at their place, and also were able to play both North Carolina and Michigan St. close early in the season. They come in with an overall record of 25-6 and right around the top 25 in both the coaches and AP polls. The Cougars could really help where they end up being seeded in the NCAA Tournament, as they are probably around a 7 or 8 seed. Both those seeds have the tough task of playing either the #1 or #2 seed in the 2nd round, so with the MWC title they could easily move into a 5 or 6 seed.
Big Mover: New Mexico Lobos
The Lobos are really the only team that is currently on the bubble and needs a good showing in the tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament. They too have been playing very good basketball heading into tournament play. Their only loss in their last 9 games came by way of a 1-point to top seeded BYU. What is really hurting this team is their weak strength of schedule, as they finished up regular season play with the 150th toughest schedule. The Lobos 24-7 record helps them as they have won almost every game they should of, but they will likely need at least one if not two wins to secure an invite to the big dance.
For all your conference tournament and NCAA Tournament betting needs go to Sportsbook.com. It’s fast and easy to get going and will have you ready to get going on this year’s action. Be sure to check out some of our featured articles on the top teams in the NCAA and their odds to win it all found at Sportsbook.com. Also, continue to check back for more NCAA Tournament help.
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