Sizzling Boise State back on NCAA Tournament bubble

The Mountain West Conference could receive anywhere between one and four bids to the NCAA Tournament.

As of Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Utah State (20-3, 11-2) as the only MWC men’s basketball team safely in his NCAA Tournament field of 68 projection.

The Aggies (20-3, 11-2) have won five straight games entering Tuesday’s home matchup with Fresno State (11-12, 5-7). Utah State is a hefty 20.5-point favorite over the Bulldogs.

Lunardi awarded Utah State a No. 7 seed with a first-round matchup against No. 10 USC.

New Mexico (18-6, 9-4) and San Diego State (17-6, 11-2) were both among Lunardi’s last four teams in the field alongside Texas and Miami. Lunardi’s first four out were Ohio State, Missouri, California and Virginia Tech, followed by Oklahoma State, VCU, Seton Hall and Tulsa.

The Lobos, who travel to Grand Canyon (15-8, 8-4) on Wednesday, dropped a pair of home games last week to Utah State and Boise State (15-9, 7-6).

San Diego State has won four of its last five games heading into a home matchup with Nevada (17-7, 9-4) on Saturday.

In a previous update after the New Mexico win, Boise State entered Lunardi’s next four out. The Broncos hold a 6-1 record over their last seven games and are off until a Friday home game against UNLV (11-12, 6-6). Boise State travels to Utah State on Feb. 18.

The Broncos are up to No. 53 in KenPom and No. 54 in the NCAA NET Rankings. Boise State has a 3-6 record in NET Rankings Quad 1 games with a neutral-site win over No. 28 Saint Mary’s and road victories over No. 45 New Mexico and No. 73 Butler.

Utah State and the Broncos are the only MWC teams with three Quad 1 wins.

The Aggies, ranked No. 25 in the NET, have made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

New Mexico, the reigning MWC regular-season champion, is going for its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

San Diego State hasn’t missed an NCAA Tournament since the 2018-19 season.

The Big Ten and SEC both received 10 bids in Lunardi’s latest projection, followed by the ACC (nine), Big 12 (seven), Big East (three), MWC (three) and West Coast Conference (three).

The MWC has received at least two NCAA Tournament bids every year since 2017.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.