How will the NCAA Selection Committee treat MWC teams?

It is now Sunday Morning on Selection Sunday and that should be enough to get you out of bed and getting everything done your wife asks you to do so that you can sit down at 6:00 ET and watch the selection show on CBS. Teams in the west other than the Pac-10, who is going to get 2 bids even though they don't deserve it, have traditionally been snubbed by the NCAA Committee. This year is different. We have three teams that are a lock, one that would set the nation on fire if they weren't included in the field of 65, but it is possible.

New Mexico Lobos - They won the MWC regular season title by finishing on a 14 game winning streak. In non-conference they had one loss to Oral Roberts, which was somewhat a letdown. They had wins over Cal, Texas A&M, Creighton, Texas Tech and Dayton. They lost their first two conference games but finished on that 14 game winning streak. New Mexico was in the running to maybe get a 2 seed if they won the MWC Tournament, but lost to SDSU in the semifinal. Here is their resume of great wins and bad losses:

Record: 29-4 (14-2)

Great wins: California, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Dayton, BYU (2x), SDSU, UNLV.

Bad Losses: Oral Roberts.

If this team was out east, the committee would adore them, but because they are out west and always on TV channels that nobody gets, the committee probably doesn't know much about them and New Mexico will probably get a 3 or a 4 seed.

BYU Cougars - BYU played a cupcake non-conference schedule featuring Fresno St. and Eastern Washington, although when you go 15-1 in non-conference you have to be pretty good (their only loss came to Utah State who won the WAC). The only bright spot for BYU's non-conference schedule was against UTEP who was ranked this past week but just recently gave the C-USA title to Houston. In conference they went 13-3 with their only losses coming from getting swept by New Mexico and losing to UNLV in Las Vegas. Here is their resume of great wins and bad losses:

Record: 29-5 (13-3)

Great Wins: UTEP, SDSU(2x), UNLV

Bad Losses: none

They were looking at trying to stay in the west region, where the regionals just happen to be in Salt Lake City, but it looks as if they aren't going to make it because of their quick exit in the MWC Tourney as UNLV beat them again in a close one. The thing that stands out to me is that they have no bad losses, although they don't have many great wins. BYU could get a 4 seed if they went out east, but i think they would be content with a 5 or 6 seed if they stayed out west.

San Diego St. Aztecs - This team built up its non-conference schedule but didn't really win the marquee games. They lost to St. Mary's, Arizona State, and Pacific. Pacific looks horrible on their resume. In conference their record doesn't really reflect how well they played. They had another bad loss against Wyoming but every other conference loss was against the top 3 MWC Teams. Here is their resume of Great wins and Bad Losses:

Record: 25-8 (11-5)

Great Wins: New Mexico (2x), UNLV (2x)

Bad Losses: Pacific, Wyoming

Like I said, their non-conference schedule didn't actually help them in the long run. This team had its ups and downs, but in the end their young talent pulled it out and didn't leave it up to the NCAA Committee on whether or not they would be in. They won the MWC Tournament, beating New Mexico and UNLV along the way. The question for them is where they will be seeded. With the way SDSU has played in the MWC Tournament, they could get a 10 seed at the highest 12 seed at the lowest. The farther away they play, the better their seed will be. So expect SDSU to either play in the South as a 12 seed, Midwest as an 11, or East as a 10.

UNLV Rebels - UNLV did very good in their non-conference play until they lost to USC in the final game of the Diamond Head Classic. They went 12-2 with their 2 losses coming to an on-fire USC team and a Kansas State team that at the time no one knew was as good as we now know them to be. They beat Louisville at home and beat everyone else on the nonn-conference schedule. In conference they split the Season Series with New Mexico, BYU and San Diego St, but they were swept by Utah in the regular season, who didn't finish with a winning record. Here is their resum of Great wins and Bad Losses:

Record 25-8 (11-5)

Great Wins: New Mexico, San Diego St., BYU (2x), Louisville

Bad Losses: Utah (2x), USC

What stands out to me is that Louisville win. UNLV really could have had their non-conference resume look bad if they didn't get that win, and they jumped out to a 19 point lead at the start of the second half. UNLV avenged the loss to Utah by beating them and giving them no chance in the MWC Tournament. If the Committee sees that, they should understand that they now understand what it takes to beat a team like Utah. They beat BYU in a thriller in the second round before falling to SDSU in a very sloppy game by both sides. UNLV can get from a 7 to a 9 seed. Look for them to get a 7 seed in the East, 8 seed in the South, or a 9 seed in the Midwest.

The biggest question that is posed, is if more than one team from the MWC will make it to the Sweet 16, but that's another story. If you think that any of these predictions of where the seeding should be are wrong, please put them in the comments. The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee has not looked kindly upon western teams in recent years but this year  you can't overlook the four great teams the Mountain West Conference has prepared for College Basketball Postseason Play.