By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
Entering today’s conference tournament action, only three teams from the West remain in the hunt for a title: Arizona, Boise State, and Colorado State.
No. 8 seed Oregon lost to No. 1 Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, and No. 4 UCLA fell to No. 5 Wisconsin.
No. 4 BYU struggled to keep pace with No. 1 Houston in the Big 12, but No. 3 Arizona prevailed over No. 2 Texas Tech.
In the Mountain West, No. 5 Boise State defeated No. 1 New Mexico, and No. 2 Colorado State beat No. 3 Utah State.
[[See all tournament results for teams in the West here.]]
Consequently, Boise State and Colorado State will play for the MW Championship this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in Las Vegas.
Arizona will face Houston for the Big 12 Championship at 3:00 p.m. in Kansas City.
Regardless of what happens in the final, the Wildcats are securely in the NCAA field. The same cannot be said of the Broncos and Rams, as both are on the bubble.
BSU has probably done enough to get their ticket punched, but CSU might need to win this one to secure a spot.
Either way, the Rams and Broncos will want to take it out of the committee’s hands.
No. 2 Colorado State vs. No. 5 Boise State
Saturday, 3:00 p.m., CBS
Thomas & Mack Center
Las Vegas, NV
The Rams swept their two meetings this season, taking the contest in Fort Collins by three points and winning the regular-season finale in Boise last weekend by 10.
Colorado State comes in red hot, having won nine in a row. The difference for the Rams down the stretch has been their production on the defensive side of the ball.
The Broncos have played good defense all season long. Through 33 games, Boise State has allowed 60 or fewer points 11 times, the most in the Mountain West.
CSU has held nine opponents to 60 points or fewer this season.
Expect this one to be a rock fight.
The Broncos are looking for their second Mountain West Tournament title, having captured the crown in 2022. The Rams are also looking for their second MW Championship after winning it in 2003.
No. 3 Arizona vs. No. 1 Houston
Saturday, 3:00 p.m., ESPN
T-Mobile Center
Kansas City, MO
Arizona looks to claim its third conference tournament title since 2022 and its first in the Big 12.
Houston made the final in its first Big 12 season last year, losing to Iowa State. The Wildcats look to one-up the Cougars and win it on their first try.
The only other meeting between Houston and Arizona this season was a defensive battle in Tucson, with the visitors winning 62-58.
Arizona was limited to just 37.5% from the floor in that matchup.
The Wildcats had a five-point lead at the half, but the Cougars clamped down on UA after halftime, holding the Cats to just one three-pointer in the final stanza.
Arizona must shoot better from the floor this time, as Houston always plays suffocating defense. The Cougs were +10 in the paint in the last one, scoring 13 points off 11 UA turnovers.
writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).
