The Mountain West Conference tournament has arrived as teams head to Las Vegas for one of the final steps before Selection Sunday.
The 2026 Mountain West men’s basketball tournament will be played March 11 - 14 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. All 12 teams in the conference will compete in a single-elimination bracket for the conference championship and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
This season the tournament format looks slightly different. With the addition of Grand Canyon, the conference expanded to 12 teams. That means the top four teams in the standings receive a first-round bye, while the remaining eight teams begin play in the opening round.
Utah State enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed after finishing the regular season with the best conference record.
Below is everything to know about the Mountain West tournament, including the bracket schedule, conference standings and a look back at the history of the event.
The road to the title is set.
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) March 8, 2026
We'll see you in Vegas for the Credit Union 1 MW Men's Basketball Championship đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/YhyDjfBMHK
2026 Mountain West Tournament schedule
All games will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
First round - Wednesday, March 11
No. 8 UNLV vs No. 9 Wyoming
1:00 PM MT
No. 5 Nevada vs No. 12 Air Force
3:30 PM MT
No. 7 Colorado State vs No. 10 Fresno State
7:00 PM MT
No. 6 Boise State vs No. 11 San Jose State
9:30 PM MT
First-round games will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network.
Quarterfinals - Thursday, March 12
No. 1 Utah State vs UNLV/Wyoming winner
1:00 PM MT
No. 4 Grand Canyon vs Nevada/Air Force winner
3:30 PM MT
No. 2 San Diego State vs Colorado State/Fresno State winner
7:00 PM MT
No. 3 New Mexico vs Boise State/San Jose State winner
9:30 PM MT
Quarterfinal games will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Semifinals - Friday, March 13
Semifinal 1
7:30 PM MT
Semifinal 2
10:00 PM MT
Both semifinal games will air on CBS Sports Network.
Championship game - Saturday, March 14
Mountain West Championship
4:00 PM MT
The championship game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.
Mountain West standings
Here is how the conference finished the regular season heading into the tournament.
- Utah State: 25-6 (15-5 MW)
- San Diego State: 20-10 (14-6 MW)
- New Mexico: 22-9 (13-7 MW)
- Grand Canyon: 20-11 (13-7 MW)
- Boise State: 20-11 (12-8 MW)
- Nevada: 20-11 (12-8 MW)
- Colorado State: 20-11 (11-9 MW)
- UNLV: 16-15 (11-9 MW)
- Wyoming: 18-13 (9-11 MW)
- Fresno State: 13-18 (7-13 MW)
- San Jose State: 8-23 (3-17 MW)
- Air Force: 3-28 (0-20 MW)
The top four teams receive a first-round bye and will begin play in the quarterfinals.
A quick look at Mountain West tournament history
The Mountain West Conference tournament has been played annually since 2000. The winner of the tournament receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State has been the most successful program in tournament history with seven championships. The Aztecs have also reached the title game more times than any other program.
Other programs with multiple tournament titles include New Mexico, Utah State and UNLV.
In recent years the tournament has produced several memorable runs. New Mexico captured the title in 2024 after winning four games in four days, while Colorado State won the championship in 2025 with a 69 - 56 victory over Boise State.
The tournament has been held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for most of its history and has become one of the most anticipated events of conference tournament week.
What to expect in Las Vegas
The Mountain West has consistently produced strong teams capable of making noise in the NCAA Tournament.
Utah State enters the bracket as the top seed, but teams like San Diego State, New Mexico and Boise State have the experience to challenge for the title.
With the conference championship and a trip to March Madness on the line, the four-day tournament in Las Vegas should once again deliver plenty of drama.