Boise State seems on track for an NCAA Tournament berth. What are the experts saying?
The Mountain West Tournament begins one month from Wednesday, and the Boise State men’s basketball team will be looking to advance further than it ever has.
The Broncos also will be trying to wrap up their first March Madness appearance since 2015.
As it stands right now, most major bracketologists have the Broncos playing in the NCAA Tournament. But they can’t let off the gas in a tough conference that currently has six programs ranked among the top 60 in the NET: Wyoming (30), Boise State (34), Colorado State (40), Utah State (41), San Diego State (54) and Fresno State (56).
The Mountain West is one of just five conferences (Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC) to have six or more teams ranked in the top 60 of the NET, meaning the league should send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament. And in fact, many bracket projections have four conference members in the field now.
Boise State has not made the NCAA Tournament since the 2014-15 season, and the Broncos have never advanced to the Mountain West Tournament championship game. They joined the league in 2011-12.
Last year, the Broncos were 18-4 and appeared on track to make the tournament before faltering down the stretch. Boise State lost its final three regular-season games and its Mountain West Tournament opener, and had to settle for an NIT bid.
This season, Boise State owns a half-game lead over Wyoming in the Mountain West standings, and three of four major bracketologists predict the Broncos will win the league tournament and claim the automatic bid. Even if that doesn’t happen, coach Leon Rice’s team — which is receiving votes in both The Associated Press and Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings — is compiling a strong case for an at-large bid.
If the postseason began today, here’s where experts think the Broncos would land:
Joe Lunardi, ESPN
Seed: No. 8 (automatic qualifier)
Opponent: No. 9 Iowa State
Region: West (San Francisco)
First-round location: Portland
Total MW bids: Four
Jerry Palm, CBS Sports
Seed: No. 10
Opponent: No. 7 Saint Mary’s
Region: East (Philadelphia)
First-round location: Indianapolis
Total MW bids: Four
Brian Bennett, The Athletic
Seed: No. 8 (automatic qualifier)
Opponent: No. 9 Iowa
Region: Midwest (Chicago)
First-round location: Greenville, S.C.
Total MW bids: Four
Bill Bender, Sporting News
Seed: No. 8 (automatic qualifier)
Total MW bids: Three
