How does Boise State’s overtime loss to Colorado State affect NCAA Tournament hopes?
The Boise State men’s basketball team may have fallen out of first place in the Mountain West after an overtime loss to Colorado State on Sunday, but bracketology experts still like the Broncos — a lot.
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports even moved Boise State from a No. 10 to No. 9 seed in his NCAA Tournament predictions despite the loss. The only notable change between last week’s bracket prognostications and this week’s is that the Broncos are no longer tagged as the Mountain West’s automatic qualifier. That distinction now goes to first-place Wyoming.
So why exactly are the Broncos still a lock for the NCAA Tournament?
“The Broncos have a 5-1 record against Quad 1 teams, and that will resonate with the selection committee if they don’t win MWC,” wrote Bill Bender of The Sporting News.
Coach Leon Rice’s team — which is still receiving votes in both The Associated Press and Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings — has compiled a strong case for an at-large bid.
Boise State’s best wins are against Wyoming (No. 25 NET), Washington State (No. 46), San Diego State (No. 48), Utah State (No. 58) and Fresno State (No. 64). The Broncos’ losses to Wyoming and Colorado State could be considered “good” losses, and a victory over Ole Miss gives them two wins against teams from Power 5 conferences.
The only “bad” loss the Broncos have suffered this season was the CSU Bakersfield (No. 285) defeat at home on Nov. 26. They also lost on the road to UC Irvine (No. 127). The overtime loss to Saint Louis has become less painful, as the Billikens have moved up to No. 61 in the NET.
If the postseason began today, here’s where experts think the Broncos would land:
Joe Lunardi, ESPN
Seed: No. 8
Opponent: No. 9 TCU
Region: South (San Antonio)
First-round location: San Diego
Total MW bids: Three (Boise State, Wyoming, Colorado State)
Jerry Palm, CBS Sports
Seed: No. 9
Opponent: No. 8 USC
Region: West (San Francisco)
First-round location: Portland
Total MW bids: Four (Boise State, Wyoming, Colorado State, San Diego State)
Brian Bennett, The Athletic
Seed: No. 8
Opponent: No. 9 TCU
Region: South (San Antonio)
First-round location: San Diego
Total MW bids: Four (Boise State, Wyoming, Colorado State, San Diego State)
Bill Bender, Sporting News
Seed: No. 8
Total MW bids: Three (Boise State, Wyoming, Colorado State)
