NET Rankings update: San Diego State outside of top 50
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On the eve of Selection Sunday, the bubble continues to shift as teams work to secure their spots in the NCAA tournament.
The NET Rankings, used as the primary sorting tool by the NCAA selection committee, lists Utah State as the top team in the Mountain West Conference. Five Mountain West teams are ranked between No. 38 and No. 52 nationally, according to the NET.
The Mountain West Conference tournament will come to a close on Saturday night when five-seed Boise State battles two-seed Colorado State for the conference’s automatic bid. The Broncos and Rams are both among the last few teams battling for a spot in the NCAA tournament and Saturday’s loser may find themselves on the outside looking in come Sunday afternoon’s bracket release. It’s important to note that the winner of Saturday’s game would not have to play in a first four game in Dayton, Ohio, as the recipient of the automatic bid.
San Diego State saw their time in the conference tournament end after one game on Thursday afternoon, falling to Boise State in the quarterfinal round. The Aztecs, ranked No. 52 in the NET Rankings, have a strong non-conference resume from early in the season that continues to keep them on the inside of the bubble as of Saturday afternoon. Houston and Creighton, two teams that San Diego State beat in Las Vegas early in the season, have reached their respective conference tournament championship games.
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi lists San Diego State second among the last four teams in the tournament as of Saturday afternoon. Lunardi noted that the loser of the Boise State and Colorado State game will be moved as his first team out. He currently projects San Diego State as an 11-seed and a first four participant in Dayton. The Aztecs would be playing Vanderbilt with the winner moving on to Louisville to play six-seed Louisville.
New Mexico and Utah State sit comfortably in the tournament as of Saturday. The Lobos and Aggies both fell in last night’s semifinal round of the Mountain West Conference tournament. The Lobos sit at No. 42 in the updated NET Rankings while Boise State is one spot behind at No. 43.
Colorado State continues to soar over the past couple weeks. The Rams earned the two-seed in the conference tournament and have moved up to No. 50 in the NET Rankings. They’ll have an opportunity to seal their bid on Saturday, taking on a Boise State team that they defeated seven days ago.
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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.