Mountain West 2015 Basketball Championship format announced

It's definitely shaping up to be an interesting season of basketball in the Mountain West. San Diego State will be returning as the favorite to win the conference after reloading with the 16^th best recruiting class in the nation according to ESPN. UNLV also plans on competing next season with a big name recruiting class of their own.

After taking a step back last season and missing the NCAA Tournament, the Runnin' Rebels currently have the No. 6 recruiting class in the nation and with the addition of San Francisco point guard Cody Doolin, UNLV is primed for a bounce back year. It's obviously a positive for the Rebels to compete for the MW Championship on their home court, but as we've seen in recent years, that doesn't guarantee anything.

New Mexico lost both Cameron Bairstow and Alex Kirk to the NBA Draft, but after a good first season for coach Craig Neal that unfortunately ended with another early NCAA Tournament exit, the Lobos appear to have a solid back court with the addition of 3-star recruit Anthony Mathis. With the success they've has had in the past, I fully expect UNM to once again compete for the Mountain West Championship.

While these three programs will be the favorite going into next season, we've seen plenty parity in the past and the Mountain West Championship provides an opportunity for on the bubble teams to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. San Jose State will unfortunately not be participating due to ineligibility.

The 19 game tournament will tip off on Monday, March 9^th, with three women's first round contests featuring seeds No. 6 through 11. The women's quarterfinals will be held on Tuesday, March 10^th, followed by the men's first found and women's semifinals on Wednesday, March 11^th. The men's quarterfinals will take place on Thursday, March 12^th.

The women's championship game and the men's semifinals are set for Friday, March 13^th, wrapping up with the men's championship game on Saturday, March 14^th. Broadcast information for the 2015 Mountain West Championships have yet to be announced.

2015 Mountain West Women's and Men's Basketball Championships:

MONDAY, MARCH 9

Women's First Round

Game #1 2 p.m. PT #8 Women's Seed vs. #9 Women's Seed

Game #2 4:30 p.m. PT #7 Women's Seed vs. #10 Women's Seed

Game #3 7 p.m. PT #6 Women's Seed vs. #11 Women's Seed

TUESDAY, MARCH 10

Women's Quarterfinals

Game #4 Noon PT #1 Women's Seed vs. Game #1 Winner

Game #5 2:30 p.m. PT #4 Women's Seed vs. #5 Women's Seed

Game #6 6 p.m. PT #2 Women's Seed vs. Game #2 Winner

Game #7 8:30 p.m. PT #3 Women's Seed vs. Game #3 Winner

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

Men's First Round

Game #8 Noon PT #8 Men's Seed vs. #9 Men's Seed

Game #9 2:30 p.m. PT #7 Men's Seed vs. #10 Men's Seed

Women's Semifinals

Game #10 6 p.m. PT Game #4 Winner vs. Game #5 Winner

Game #11 8:30 p.m. PT Game #6 Winner vs. Game #7 Winner

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

Men's Quarterfinals

Game #12 Noon PT #1 Men's Seed vs. Game #8 Winner

Game #13 2:30 p.m. PT #4 Men's Seed vs. #5 Men's Seed

Game #14 6 p.m. PT #2 Men's Seed vs. Game #9 Winner

Game #15 8:30 p.m. PT #3 Men's Seed vs. #6 Men's Seed

FRIDAY, MARCH 13

Women's Championship Game

Game #16 1 p.m. PT Women's Championship Game

Men's Semifinals

Game #17 6 p.m. PT Game #12 Winner vs. Game #13 Winner

Game #18 8:30 p.m. PT Game #14 Winner vs. Game #15 Winner

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

Men's Championship Game

Game #19 3 p.m. PT Men's Championship Game