Mid-Major basketball: MTSU, Nevada, and New Mexico State win the weekend

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 08: Head coach Eric Musselman of the Nevada Wolf Pack argues a call with a referee in a game against the TCU Horned Frogs during the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Staples Center on December 8, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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Nevada defeats Boise State

Nevada 18-3 (7-0) was considered the favorite coming into the Mountain West season, but questions remained as to who was going to challenge them. That team looked to be Boise State 16-4 (6-2), who has arguably the best overall player in the league in Chandler Hutchinson.

He showed it once again in this game with 27 points to lead the Broncos. Alex Hobbs and Christian Sengfelder had 12 points each, but Boise State only made 3/21 from deep while committing 15 turnovers.

The Wolf Pack got a big boost before the game with the return of Cody Martin, who played 21 minutes and used all five of his fouls. His brother Caleb was the star for the team, leading all scorers with 28 points — along with Jordan Caroline dropping 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Nevada now has a two-game lead on the rest of the league, and, of all teams in this article, is the only one squarely in the tournament as an at large. As long as they avoid rpi bombs on the schedule like Air Force or San Jose State, they should be fine regardless of the conference tournament.

Next: Why Saint Mary's Jock Landale has already won the WCC POY

Games like Duke vs. Virginia and Kansas vs. West Virginia will get the majority of the attention, and for good reason. But for those who will be filling out a sheet in March, pay attention to games like these, because it will be them that ends up busting brackets.

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