Busting Brackets
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Mountain West Basketball Tournament: Nevada, Utah State favored

RENO, NV - JANUARY 09: Jordan Caroline #24 of the Nevada Wolf Pack and teammate Cody Martin #11 of the Nevada Wolf Pack smile after beating the San Jose State Spartans 92-53 at Lawlor Events Center on January 9, 2019 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)
RENO, NV - JANUARY 09: Jordan Caroline #24 of the Nevada Wolf Pack and teammate Cody Martin #11 of the Nevada Wolf Pack smile after beating the San Jose State Spartans 92-53 at Lawlor Events Center on January 9, 2019 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)
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RENO, NEVADA – MARCH 09: Head coach Brian Dutcher of the San Diego State Aztecs talks to players during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the San Diego State Aztecs at Lawlor Events Center on March 09, 2019 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)
RENO, NEVADA – MARCH 09: Head coach Brian Dutcher of the San Diego State Aztecs talks to players during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the San Diego State Aztecs at Lawlor Events Center on March 09, 2019 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)

Conference tournament week is an exciting time of the year, and Mountain West basketball provides a competitive tournament for college basketball fans.

Fresh off of a surprise run to the Sweet 16 during last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Nevada Wolf Pack entered the season with high expectations. They returned most of their key contributors, added several impact transfers, and welcomed one of the highest-rated recruits in program history. This all culminated in a preseason top-10 ranking. Their seventh-place spot in the AP Top-25 was their highest preseason ranking in Wold Pack history.

Flash forward five months after a few down moments but mostly ups, and Nevada finds itself 14th in the AP poll and with a pretty good seed in the tournament pretty much locked up. The Wolf Pack didn’t run the table in the regular season or in Mountain West Conference play, which was on the table after a 14-0 start. They also aren’t in line for a one seed after dropping games to New Mexico and San Diego State.

All said, though, Nevada has had a killer season. But, they aren’t only contender lurking in the MWC. Utah State actually finished with the same conference record as Nevada, losing out to the Wolf Pack on the tiebreaker. The Aggies just defeated Nevada in Logan, which despite marred for post-game controversies, proved that Utah State is a threat to win the MVC Tournament.

Fresno State was thought of as the top challenger to the throne for the early part of the season, and San Diego State knocked off the Wolf Pack at home.