Fansided

Bracketology: Bubble teams will be sweating these 5 conference tournaments

By Mike Phillips

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 27: Drew Timme #2 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs defends against Joe Quintana #2 of the Loyola Marymount Lions in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center on February 27, 2021 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 27: Drew Timme #2 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs defends against Joe Quintana #2 of the Loyola Marymount Lions in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center on February 27, 2021 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Leagues that could produce a bid thief – Mountain West

Favorite: San Diego State

One league that has flown under the radar all season long is the Mountain West, which has four quality basketball teams at the top and a fifth that is capable of springing some upsets along the way. There is one tournament lock in the bunch with San Diego State, which is currently tied atop the conference standings with Colorado State.

The Aztecs are ranked No. 19 in the polls this week, have a win over UCLA on their resume, and haven’t lost a bad game yet so they are a lock. The intrigue comes from the fact that the league’s other three top teams are all firmly in the bubble mix.

Colorado State, Boise State and Utah State are the next three teams in line to get an at-large out of the Mountain West. Add in the fact that Nevada is a quality basketball team without the resume to get to the dance and the conference tournament should be absolutely nuts next week.

If the Aztecs can win the conference tournament the league will likely be a two-bid affair with the potential of a third depending on how things play out in Las Vegas. A winner other than San Diego State would put the Aztecs in the at-large pool, turning a two-bid league into a potential three-bid league, which would be bad news for the bubblers.

Home/Bracketology