NCAA tournament projections: San Diego State moves closer to bubble
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Following a run of nine wins in 11 games, San Diego State was handed a setback on Tuesday night. The Aztecs led at halftime in Las Vegas but allowed UNLV to shoot 65 percent in the second half, losing 74-67.
The Aztecs had given themselves some wiggle room with their recent stretch of victories but have now moved closer to the bubble with less than two weeks to play until Selection Sunday. San Diego State will close out the regular season against Nevada on Saturday night before heading to Las Vegas for the Mountain West Conference tournament beginning on Thursday.
CBS Sports released their updated NCAA tournament bracket projections on Wednesday. The current projections include four teams from the Mountain West following last season’s bracket that saw six teams from the conference make it in.
San Diego State has moved down to an 11-seed according to CBS Sports and would currently play in the first four in Dayton, Ohio. The Aztecs would be matched up with fellow 11-seed Oklahoma with the winner going on to play six-seed Memphis in Milwaukee.
Boise State is also projected as an 11-seed and a first four participant in the recent update. The Broncos would take on 11-seed Ohio State with the winner moving on to play six-seed Mississippi State in Providence. A riser in recent weeks, Boise State will host Colorado State on Friday night to finish the regular season. The Broncos have locked a bye into the quarterfinals in next week’s Mountain West Conference tournament.
Solidly locked into the tournament, Utah State is projected as a nine-seed in the South Region. The Aggies would take on eight-seed Illinois in Lexington, Kentucky, with the winner likely headed to play top-seed Auburn. New Mexico is also projected as a nine-seed in the tournament. The Lobos would head to Raleigh, North Carolina to play eight-seed St. Mary’s in the West Region of the bracket. Top-seed Florida is on the other side of the quadrant, projected to play Omaha.
Colorado State remains on the outside looking in as of Thursday. The Rams have a massive opportunity at Boise State on Friday and certainly have the look of a team that could steal a bid by winning the conference tournament.
Houston, San Diego State’s signature win of the season, is playing their best basketball at the right time of the year and continues to help elevate the Aztecs' profile. The Cougars are projected as a one-seed in the Midwest Region by CBS Sports and would take on 16-seed Bryant to open the tournament.
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-770033d1c5c4820fdbde4ecf2452e810.jpg "Bodie De Silva")
Bodie DeSilva has been covering sports in San Diego for more than a decade. He previously covered San Diego State athletics for Scout/Fox Sports.