Bracketology 2024: Analyzing resumes of the 6 current Mountain West at-large contenders
By Joey Loose
San Diego State
The Aztecs remain hungry even after last season’s unbelievable journey to the national championship game, getting head coach Brian Dutcher the first 5 NCAA Tournament wins of his career. Several faces are different but the results are mostly the same, as the Aztecs sit in fine shape in a tougher MWC, with the best NET at 19 and a resume that includes numerous nice wins.
A 25-point win over Saint Mary’s in November was awesome, but the Aztecs really thrived in a double-digit road win over Gonzaga right after Christmas. Their third and most recent Quad 1 win came at home over Utah State, though the Aztecs haven’t made any headway away from home against the other contenders, dropping those four games. However, the Aztecs haven’t dropped a single game below Quad 1 and do have additional wins over Washington and Nevada.
This is the team with the extensive postseason experience. San Diego State is the only MWC team without a bad loss on their resume and have seen all six of their losses come in true road environments. They’ll look to put some of those struggles behind them, as they host Colorado State and New Mexico this week with revenge on their mind. In fact, their next three games are currently Quad 1 opportunities, meaning the Aztecs have a chance to almost lock in their bid even before February ends.