A conference whose members play at an average elevation of over 4,000 feet is experiencing a whole new kind of high.
The Mountain West Conference, the often-overlooked league that includes the handful of Div. I big-names located between Pac-10 turf and Big 12 country, is about to break out in a big way.
As March Madness approaches, the league that counts the Horned Frogs, the Aztecs, and the Lobos as members (maybe the only rival to the unparalleled lunacy that is the NESCAC mascot corps) is getting a second look by bracketologists everywhere. At least five MWC teams have a solid shot at a bid to the NCAA tournament, with Brigham Young University, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Texas Christian all making a strong case for a postseason berth.
In recent bracket projections released by ESPN, all five received bids, with BYU and Utah as No. 5 seeds, New Mexico at No. 6, Wyoming at No. 9 and TCU at No. 11. While the outcomes of conference tournaments around the country will likely shake up these rankings, the conference's five projected bids (equal to the Big Ten and Pac-10, and one ahead of the Big 12's four) provide a refreshing challenge to a top-10 that has become all too predictable.
At 20-3 overall and 10-2 in conference play, BYU stands atop the league. Two recent home losses have taken some of the already-thin Salt Lake City air out of the Cougars' tires, but senior Ambrosia Anderson's 18.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game have kept them on top.
While their out-of-conference schedule is lacking in nationally-ranked talent, early-season wins over the Pac-10's UCLA and the Big East's Seton Hall, and a Dec. 21 67-65 loss to North Carolina State put BYU on the map. Since cracking in at the No. 23 spot in mid-January, the Cougars have steadily worked their way up the top 25. The usually neutral crowds and unfamiliar arenas of NCAA tourney play may give BYU a comparative advantage, as the Cougars are 11-0 on the road this season.
At 18-7, New Mexico has been the most permanent Mountain West team in the national polls, coming in at No. 25 in Week 3 and shuffling throughout the high teens ever since. The Lobos earned some national press with a Nov. 18 win over then-No. 12 Texas, which they followed a week later with 62-44 spanking of then-No. 10 Minnesota. New Mexico has the toughest non-conference schedule of any of the Mountain West teams, and while losses to Oklahoma and Arizona State don't help their record, they give the Lobos some experience against the high-caliber teams they're likely to see in March.
A third tourney hopeful is No. 25 Utah. Losses to TCU, BYU, and New Mexico put the Utes at second place in the conference, but they are currently riding a six-game win streak and are looking for their crucial 20th win tonight against conference rival UNLV at home.
Conference scoring leader Kim Smith (19.5 ppg) shoots 53.9 percent from the floor and is nearly unstoppable from mid-range, as BYU discovered in a 70-52 loss to the Utes last month in which Smith dropped 21 points and pulled down 11 boards.
Wyoming is fourth in the conference at 17-6 overall, and boasts the nation's ninth-best scoring defense and fifth fewest turnovers per game. But the statistical dominance ends here, as much of the Cowgirls' strength comes from team play that is absent in the stat book and hard to pinpoint. Only two players average in double-digit scoring and the Cowgirls manage only 60.7 ppg on 38.0 percent shooting, both second-worst in the conference behind hapless 3-20 San Diego State. Still, Wyoming is tough, deep, and well-coached and could easily deliver a 10-7 or 11-6 upset in the first round.
TCU rounds out the five Mountain West hopefuls. Tied for third in the conference with New Mexico, the Lady Horned Frogs have beaten three of the other four, dropping only a 67-64 match to BYU. They have been far less successful against national powerhouses, however, getting blown out by Duke, Mississippi State, North Carolina and Georgia.
A scrappy, decidedly cowboy-esque brand of defense distinguishes the Mountain West. It is better-represented than any other conference in national defensive rankings, with BYU (seventh, 53.4 ppg), Wyoming (ninth, 53.8 ppg) and Utah (11th, 54.1 ppg) all ranking among the top team defenses in points allowed. The Cougars also lead the nation in opponent field goal percentage (33.8 percent).
In the end, however, the Mountain West teams will likely be hampered by their lack of high-powered offenses and the top-heavy distribution of competition throughout the league.
The highest-scoring team in the conference is Utah, but even the Utes' 67.8 ppg is anemic compared to the 73.2 average of the ACC or 69.4 average of the SEC. Even if the Mountain West teams can take the edge off of opponents' offenses, they simply may not be capable of the 65-plus point production usually required for tournament wins.
Additionally, the lack of depth within the league may send the Mountain West teams home early in March. San Diego State, Colorado State, and the Air Force Academy - with a combined 5-33 league record - simply cannot provide the kind of competition that ACC, SEC and Big 10 schools face on a weekly basis, and the Mountain West teams may find themselves one-and-done against the cutthroat competition of the NCAA tourney.
