A quick glance at the Mountain West tournament betting odds at DraftKings Sportsbook lets it be known this is one of the more ultra-competitive conferences in the country. There is no distinguishable top threat amongst the favorites with each separated by less than $100, while the middle tier is extremely competitive as well both from talent and return on investment viewpoints. The Boise State Broncos proved to be the cream of the regular season crop taking down the title by way of winning 15 MWC games. Doing so allowed for it to take a much easier path to the title game. The bottom half of the bracket is brutal! The Colorado State Rams finished in second place with a 14-4 record, while both the San Diego State Aztecs and Wyoming Cowboys wrapped the year with 13 dubs. Though the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels proved to be the only other team to log a double-digit win tally, any of Fresno State or Utah State could be the last team standing when it’s all said and done. That’s how competitive I believe this conference truly is! As such, the Thomas & Mack Center is going to be lit through Saturday night, and these are the favorite, underdog and longshot selections I’m most interested in heading into Wednesday’s first round matchups.

Mountain West Tournament Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

Boise State +280

San Diego State +330

Colorado State +360

Wyoming +600

UNLV +700

Utah State +1100

Fresno State +1300

Nevada +6000

New Mexico +20000

Air Force/San Jose State +50000

Favorite to Bet: Boise State Broncos +280

With CSU and SDST canceling each other out to reach the finals, I’m going with what proved to be the best team in the regular season to cut the nets down as my top selection. Say what you will about Boise State’s inability to cover point spreads from February 3 on (4-6 ATS), Leon Rice’s troops still went on to win seven of those games with triumphs logged against UNLV x2, Utah State, San Diego State, and Nevada. The lone opponent it failed to get the best of was Colorado State, but a third go-round with the Rams won’t go down unless each punches a ticket to the finals. That task was made all the more easy for Marcus Shaver Jr. and his mates by winning the regular season title. Its path to the finals would come against the winner of the Nevada/New Mexico 8/9 matchup and then be followed up by the winner of the 4/5 tilt between Wyoming and UNLV. It swept the Runnin’ Rebs and lost its lone skirmish with Wyoming in Laramie. You can’t help but think they’d welcome a revenge bout against the Pokes with open arms. The Broncos will be favored to win each and every one of their games, and deserve to be the top dog in the eyes of linemakers due to their easier path to cutting down the nets.

Underdog to Bet: San Diego State Aztecs +330

If stuck between a rock and a hard place when trying to decipher between jumping on the Matt Bradley wagon or the David Roddy train, just flip a coin. Each specimen is of the highest quality with the former clocking in with a team-high 17.8 point per game scoring average and over 5.0 rebounds per game, while the latter goes for nearly 20 points and eight rebounds every time he steps onto the hardwood. As much it pains me, I ended up fading CSU and went the way of the defending MWC tourney champion Aztecs instead and it had everything to do with what each brings at the defensive end of the court. The Rams play a porous brand of defensive basketball with it conceding better than 66 points per game (No. 99) by way of getting ripped from beyond the arc (No. 180). SDST owns the No. 2 ranked scoring defense in the land (58.3 PPG) and defends both the paint (No. 4) and perimeter (No. 37) extremely well. It sets itself apart from Colorado State with a defensive dominator like Nathan Mensah who cleans the glass (7.0 RPG) and averages better than two blocked shots per game. CSU had to scratch and claw to pull out a 58-57 win at home versus San Diego State, while the Aztecs curb stomped the Rams by 30 in their home digs. Both teams are fun to watch, but San Diego State is a notch or two better. Should SDST square off against Boise State in the finals, be prepared to see a total surface in the mid-teens; it’ll be the ultimate rock fight!

Longshot to Bet: Fresno State Bulldogs +1300

Personally, I don’t think any of the middle tier teams have a shot in this tournament. The regular season let it be known that there’s a sharp divide between the upper echelon and middle of the road squads. That being said, there’s some upper end talent on this Bulldogs team that could make a run should it get hot and everything fall into place. Orlando Robinson is the best big man you’ve probably never heard about. He calmly goes about his business in averaging 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while also blocking shots (1.3 BPG) and distributing the ball to his teammates (2.8 APG). He’s by far the main attraction at the offensive end of the floor, but Justin Hutson’s squad plays one of the best brands of defensive basketball not only within the conference, but in the entire country (No. 22); only Boise State and San Diego State rank out higher! All that being said, the Bulldogs path to the finals will be a chore with it likely to lock horns with the Aztecs and Rams before running with the Broncos should the chalk hold. I’m personally staying away since I don’t think the 13-1 return is taking the path into account, but it’s March and anything can and will happen!