NCAA Tournament projections: How many bids will Mountain West receive?

It was a busy Tuesday night of men’s basketball in the Mountain West Conference.

On the back of a heroic performance from star point guard Donovan Dent, New Mexico (24-6, 16-3) clinched its first MWC regular-season title in 12 years with a 71-67 road victory over Nevada (16-14, 8-11). Dent, the MWC Player of the Year frontrunner, had 33 points and seven assists.

Colorado State (21-9, 15-4) remained in second place in the MWC standings by routing San Jose State (13-18, 6-13), 83-56. It was the Rams’ sixth straight victory.

Boise State (22-8, 14-5) moved into a tie with Utah State (24-6, 14-5) for third place with an 80-57 road win over Air Force (4-26, 1-18). Playing without center Magoon Gwath for the third consecutive game, San Diego State (20-8, 13-6) suffered a 74-67 loss at UNLV (17-13, 11-8) to fall to fifth in the standings.

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm released a new NCAA Tournament projection Wednesday morning, and four MWC teams cracked Palm’s field of 68.

Palm listed New Mexico and Utah State as nine seeds while the Aztecs and Broncos were given 11 seeds as two of the last four teams in. Boise State — the last team in — was projected to face Ohio State in the First Four; Palm had San Diego State playing Oklahoma in Dayton.

The MWC received a record six NCAA Tournament bids last season: Boise State, Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State and Utah State.

Palm had Xavier, North Carolina, Nebraska and Wake Forest as the first four teams out. Colorado State remains on the outside looking in, but the Rams can bolster their at-large resume Friday night.

Boise State and Colorado State are set to meet at 8 p.m. Mountain time Friday at ExtraMile Arena to close the regular season. The Broncos have won five straight games — and nine of their last 10 — while the Rams are also red-hot.

The winner of Friday’s game will clinch the No. 2 seed for the MWC Tournament.

“We’re playing for something real,” Broncos head coach Leon Rice said. “Playing for seeding, playing for all these other things.”

Friday is senior night for Boise State, which has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. Point guard Alvaro Cardenas, forward Tyson Degenhart, and forward O’Mar Stanley will all be honored before the game.

Boise State announced Monday that the game is a sellout.

“That warms my heart, because these guys deserve it,” Rice said. “It sends a message to them about how important they’ve been to this program.”

Colorado State won the first meeting between the teams, 75-72, on a late 3-pointer by Jalen Lake.

Boise State is 9-1 since the loss in Fort Collins.

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