No. 1 Utah Utes (20-9 overall, 13-3 MWC)
A shaky start to the season, and not the fact that the Utes failed to go unblemished through the conference regular season, is why Utah needs to win the MWC tournament for a chance at a better run through the NCAA tournament. Utah started MWC play 9-0 but then dropped three of its next seven, including its closest competitors (SDSU and TCU) and UNLV on the road. Morgan Warburton leads the MWC in scoring at 18.7 points per contest.
No. 2 San Diego State Aztecs (22-6 overall, 13-3 MWC)
Out of conference, the Aztecs’ biggest win of the season came against then-No. 4 Texas, 60-55 in their own Surf and Slam tournament. Quenese Davis leads the conference in assists per game and is second in the conference in steals behind teammate Jené Morris. They average 5.81 steals between them, which is a big reason why the Aztecs lead the conference in that category and have a 4.46 turnover margin.
No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs (20-9 overall, 12-4 MWC)
The Horned Frogs didn’t just pick up their 20th win in the regular season finale against Utah, they might have picked up some momentum as well. Not only does TCU shoot the 3 better than any team in the conference, at a .373 clip, the Frogs also defend downtown better than any team, holding their opponents to a .262 3-point shooting percentage.
No. 4 New Mexico Lobos (20-9 overall, 9-7 MWC)
The Lobos might have fallen off the MWC map a bit, but for a team that has won five of the last six MWC tournaments, it seems March and Las Vegas belong to the Lobos. While the Lobos’ No. 2-ranked offense is a big reason for their threatening perch as a No. 4 seed, their No. 1-ranked defense is even better. Together, those stats give New Mexico a 10.3 scoring margin this season, which is also top in the conference.
No. 5 BYU Cougars (18-10 overall, 8-8 MWC)
Well, the good news is that BYU’s 96-47 loss to Connecticut was almost as bad as San Diego State’s 99-55 loss. So the Cougars know they can at least hang with the same superior opponent the same way as the top of the conference can. The Cougars’ only win against the top four in the conference was a road win against TCU, 62-46. BYU is a combined 7-1 against the bottom of the MWC, meaning getting out of the first round is likely.
No. 6 Wyoming Cowboys (16-13 overall, 8-8 MWC)
The Cowgirls started conference play 0-4, but managed to stop the bleeding somewhat when they beat San Diego State and New Mexico at home. They are second in the conference in blocked shots and are led by Hillary Carlson’s 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. The Cowgirls managed to go 4-3 on the road in conference play after dropping four straight to start MWC play.
No. 7 UNLV Rebels (12-17 overall, 5-11 MWC)
Weirdly, the Rebels won just one more game (three) in the Thomas & Mack Center than they did on the road in conference play. Their home résumé should still give the other eight teams in the conference cause for concern, as Utah and New Mexico were two of those wins. The Rebels allowed a conference-worst 67.1 points per game, but will rely on Shamela Hampton and her 14.1 points per game to try to win their first conference tournament since the MWC was founded.
No. 8 Colorado State Rams (9-20 overall, 4-12 MWC)
The Rams improved their conference record by four games this season, but realistically only needed two teams to improve that record. The Rams beat Air Force and UNLV at home and away for their first four conference wins in two seasons. For a chance to beat No. 1 seed Utah this season, the Rams will have to get past Wyoming and then the winner of New Mexico and Air Force.
No. 9 Air Force Falcons (4-25 overall, 0-16 MWC)
Like the men, the Falcon women couldn’t pick up a win in conference play. In fact, the Falcons haven’t won since beating Navy on Jan. 3. Other wins this season include victories over no-name non-Division-I teams such as North Carolina Central, Barry and Chadron State. Raimee Beck leads the Falcons with a 13.2 points per game scoring average.
Compiled by Tony Pizza