In 2024, the Mountain West Conference sent six teams to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, which was a record for the conference. Throughout the season, several Mountain West teams floated in and out of the AP top 25 rankings, and many fans were elated to see a mid-major conference ascend the collegiate basketball ranks and potentially compete with the Power 5 conferences. Yet, this season, men’s college basketball analysts have rarely mentioned this conference. So, what happened to the mighty Mountain West?
The Mighty Mountain West
Recent Success
As mentioned earlier, last season was a major success for Mountain West teams. The teams selected for the tournament were not merely stragglers who squeaked out an automatic bid. They came in as a No. 5 seed, a No. 8 seed, three No. 10 seeds, and a No. 11 seed. San Diego State even made a run to the Sweet 16. Moreover, the year before, the Aztecs advanced all the way to the championship game! In each of the last three years, the Mountain West has sent at least four teams to March Madness, so the conference is no stranger to success as of late.
2024-2025 Update
Despite the impressive representation last year, the teams in the Mountain West have struggled to schedule out-of-conference games against tougher opponents that could boost their tournament resumes. Some signature wins of this season include New Mexico topping UCLA and USC, San Diego State outlasting Creighton and Houston, and Boise State downing Clemson and Saint Mary’s. Even with some losses to Power 5 teams, the Mountain West fared well against this tougher competition. Yet, with only a few opportunities against the best teams, and now deep into conference play, analysts find it difficult to accurately judge how good these Mountain West teams truly are.
What Gives?
After all the recent success, and seemingly solid performances this season, why has the Mountain West Conference dropped off the college basketball radar? One major reason for this decline is the transfer portal. With the increasing ease and appeal of the portal, the top talent from a season ago left for bigger stages and brighter lights.
For example, 2023-2024 Player of the Year Great Osobor followed his head coach and transferred to Washington. Last year’s conference freshman of the year, JT Toppin, transferred to Texas Tech, where he is having a fantastic season. The league’s reigning defensive player of the year, Lamont Butler, now plays for Kentucky. On top of the high-profile transfers, five players from the conference’s first and second teams graduated. With all this proven talent gone, a regression was potentially in the cards for the Mountain West.
Although, the transfer portal both takes and gives, maybe these teams retooled their rosters, and fans did not even notice. After tasting some success as of late, the Mountain West could be as strong as ever and nobody realizes it. With attention focused on the loaded SEC this season, the Mountain West could fly under the radar and surprise some people in March.
Looking Ahead to March
Although the Mountain West will not earn six March Madness bids again this year, I would expect a few teams to represent the conference. San Diego State seems likeliest given their quality wins early in the year. Utah State and New Mexico both sit at 22-4 overall, which makes them appealing candidates on Selection Sunday. On top of that, the automatic bid for the conference tournament champion is always up for grabs. No matter which teams from the Mountain West make the tournament, do not be surprised if they perform well despite the lack of national attention this season.
Main Image: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
