When it comes to the Mountain West, the women’s side has been dominated by UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels are the heavy favorites, especially with the tournament taking place in Las Vegas.

While UNLV is likely a lock for the tournament, there are plenty of teams chomping at the bit and ready to make a case for the NCAA Tournament. 

Favorite:

No. 1 UNLV (14-1 conference record, 27-2 overall)

UNLV has controlled the Mountain West as of late, winning both the regular season and conference tournaments the last two years. The Rebels were seeded as double-digits in the NCAA Tournament, but fell short in the first round both years. 

This may be the best team under head coach Lindy La Rocque, who cruised to her third straight regular season title and suffered only two losses all regular season.

This record included big non-conference wins against Arizona and Oklahoma in back-to-back matchups. UNLV is riding a 12-game winning streak heading into the conference tournament, with the latest win coming in a 60-point win against Utah State. 

Currently ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme lists the Rebels as an 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament. UNLV would be the only team to receive an at-large bid from the conference. While winning the Mountain West is not essential to tournament hopes, it would heavily improve seeding.

Contenders:

No. 2 New Mexico (12-6 conference record, 21-10 overall)

UNLV only suffered one loss in the conference season.  It came at the hands ofNew Mexico, who pulled off the 69-66 upset. 

The Lobos did a majority of their damage at home in The Pit, with a 14-4 home record. Their average home attendance of 5,010 dwarfs any of the other Mountain West teams.

But New Mexico didn’t shy away from road matchups, with a 7-4 record in true road games. 

The main thing that stands out for the Lobos is the rebounding capability. New Mexico ranks third in the conference, averaging 37.89 rebounds per game. 

Another area of note is the Lobos’ three-point defense, as opponents only shoot 29.5% percent behind-the-arc. 

New Mexico is looking to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since a seven-year streak from 2002-2008.

No. 3 Wyoming (11-7 conference record, 16-13 overall)

After a shaky 5-6 non-conference start, Wyoming women’s basketball righted the ship during Mountain West play. Despite finishing non-conference below .500, Wyoming was able to pick up a big home win against BYU.

While unable to snag wins against UNLV or New Mexico, the Cowboys picked up key wins against the likes of Nevada, Colorado State, Boise State and San Diego State. 

The strength for Wyoming lies in their defense, allowing a conference-leading 57.44 points per game. Another key has been in the Cowboys’ passing, currently second in the conference with 14.44 assists per game.

Wyoming was the last team to win the Mountain West before UNLV back in 2021, and will look for a repeat this season.

Dark Horses:

No. 4 Nevada (10-8 conference record, 16-15 overall)

Similar to Wyoming, the Nevada Wolf Pack finished non-conference below .500, sitting at 6-7. Nevada really got the ball rolling with a four-game win streak in January, including a 27-point home win against Colorado State. 

The Wolf Pack have continued this streaky behavior down the stretch: losing three, winning three, and then losing three again before closing the season on a two-game win streak. 

One of the wins came in an 83-82 victory on the road against New Mexico. 

Nevada is most dangerous behind the arc, finishing second in the conference making 34.3% of three-pointers. These led to a plethora of offensive rebounds, as the Wolf Pack tied UNLV for first with 11.72 per game. 

Nevada is looking for their first ever bid to the Big Dance.

No.5 Colorado State (10-8 conference record, 19-10 overall)

Contrary to the previous two, the Colorado State Rams started red hot. CSU started the season 8-0, finishing the non-conference slate 9-2. 

Things haven’t gone the way of the Rams in conference play, with seven of their Mountain West losses coming on the road. But Colorado State has been electric at home, finishing 13-2 at Moby Arena. 

This home environment allowed the Rams to pick up wins against New Mexico, Wyoming and Nevada. 

CSU is a team filled with careful, poised veterans. The team only committed 9.28 turnovers a contest, which translated to the best turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio in the Mountain West. 

The Rams are deadly from the stripe, making 79.2% free throws for another conference-best mark. 

Colorado State can also contest on the defensive end, ranking second in the Mountain West in blocked shots with 4.44 swats per game. 

Despite entering the tournament fifth, the Rams’ all-around resume puts them second in the Mountain West with a NET ranking of 102, behind only UNLV. 

CSU is seeking their second NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Ryun Williams, with the first coming back in 2016.

Players to Watch: 

Allyson Fertig (Wyoming): 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 59.7% FG, 76.4% FT

McKenna Hofschild (CSU): 22.6 points, 7.3 assists, 46.4% FG, 39.9% 3PT, 83.5% FT

Kiara Jackson (UNLV): 11.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 44% FG, 40.6% 3PT, 75% FT

Mia Jacobs (Fresno State): 13.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 39.7% FG, 37.2% 3PT, 76.1% FT

Milahnie Perry (Air Force): 16.8 points, 2.7 assists, 40.1% FG, 35.3% 3PT, 76.6% FT

Adryana Quezada (SDSU): 14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 53.3% FG, 39.1% 3PT, 81.6% FT

Cheyenne Stubbs (Utah State): 15.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 38.5% FG, 34.1% 3PT, 74.6% FT

Nyah Wilson (New Mexico): 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 41.2% FG, 35% 3PT, 73.1% FT

Desi-Rae Young (UNLV): 18.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 56.7% FGz

My Pick:

No.1 UNLV over No.2 New Mexico