Bracketology 2024: Gonzaga, Michigan State and Nevada among week's biggest winners

Nevada Wolf Pack

The Mountain West is looking to get six bids for the NCAA Tournament, which would be an impressive accomplishment for a conference outside the power-6. Resume-wise, the “weak link” of the group is Nevada, which has a NET ranking close to 50 and a Quad 3 defeat at Wyoming.

The best way to make up for that is by getting some signature victories, which Nevada was able to do in a big way. On the road at Utah State, the Pack got a dominant 77-63 victory, led by 25 points and 10 rebounds from Nick Davidson, along with 18 points and four assists from Kenan Blackshear. 

On Friday, Nevada got another ranked victory, beating San Diego State, 70-66. Blackshear had another big game with 22 points, while Jarod Lucas chipped in with 15 points. These two Quad 1 wins bump their record to 5-2 versus the top quadrant, which is important since they’re currently 0-2 against Quad 2 opponents.

The Wolf Pack has another good opponent to face on Tuesday, taking on New Mexico at home. A win over them and avoiding a loss at UNLV will continue the positive momentum for the program and the league’s quest to get all six bids.