NCAA basketball betting: Mountain West tournament wide open with many dangerous teams

We're less than a week away from Selection Sunday and just over a week away from the start of the NCAA tournament. This week will be hectic in the college basketball world with conference tournaments going on across the country. Murray State, Loyola Chicago and Longwood have claimed automatic bids already. This week, 29 more automatic bids will be earned and one of those automatic bids will be from the Mountain West conference.

The Mountain West has been an under-the-radar impressive conference this season. Four teams are clearly in the tournament picture from an at-large bid perspective. However, nobody wants to leave their fate in the hands of the selection committee. Which team is a good bet to win the conference tournament and avoid the sweat of Selection Sunday?

Mountain West tournament seeding and structure

The Mountain West conference tournament gets underway on Wednesday and it'll wrap up on Saturday with the championship game. Every game of the tournament will be played at UNLV's Thomas and Mack Center, neutralizing home-court advantage for all teams except the Rebels. All 11 teams in the conference will participate in the tournament. The seeds and betting odds are as follows:

1. Boise State (15-3 in conference, +300 odds at BetMGM)

2. Colorado State (14-4, +325)

3. San Diego State (13-4, +300)

4. Wyoming (13-5, +650)

5. UNLV (10-8, +700)

6. Fresno State (8-9, 12-to-1)

7. Utah State (8-10, 12-to-1)

8. Nevada (6-12, 66-to-1)

9. New Mexico (5-12, 80-to-1)

10. Air Force (4-13, 250-to-1)

11. San Jose State (1-17, 250-to-1)

Here's the tournament bracket:

The top five seeds get a bye to the second round with the Nos. 6-11 seeds facing off in the opening round of the tournament.

Who are the favorites?

It's hard to pick a favorite in the Mountain West, and the betting odds reflect that with no team having better than +300 odds to cut down the nets at the end of the tournament. KenPom's rankings reflect a balanced and competitive conference. There are three teams in the top 33 of the rankings, six teams in the top 62 and seven teams in the top 85. There are three teams in the top 22 of KenPom's defensive efficiency metric. While it might be a tough tournament to bet, it makes it a thrilling tournament to watch.

Boise State: Boise State finished the regular season with the best record in the conference, and it's the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Broncos are led by a balanced offensive attack with four players averaging double-digit points per game. However, it's their defense that leads the way. They've held teams to 60 points or less in 18 games this season. Boise State ranks 27th in KenPom's adjusted efficiency (second best in MWC) and 30th in NET, the third-best mark in the conference. Boise State is +300 to win the conference tournament, making it a co-favorite.

San Diego State: San Diego State entered the season as the preseason pick to win the conference, and it has had a solid season. The Aztecs have the best defense in a conference known for its defensive prowess. In fact, San Diego State ranks second in the country in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. Only Texas Tech has a better defense. The concern for the Aztecs is their relatively toothless offense. If California transfer Matt Bradley isn't scoring, they are in trouble. San Diego State is +300 to win its second straight Mountain West conference tournament.

Who else will challenge?

Outside of the two co-favorites, there are a few teams that can challenge for the title.

Colorado State: While the Mountain West is known for its defensive style of basketball, Colorado State bucks that trend. The Rams have the best offense in the conference, and their offense ranks 17th in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. David Roddy is the best player in the conference, a physical power forward who shoots over 46% from three. The Rams are +325 to win the tournament.

Wyoming: Earlier in the season, the Cowboys were nearly unbeatable and cracked the AP Top 25. However, they finished the season losing four of their final seven games. They find themselves firmly on the tournament bubble and will need a run in this tournament to help their case. The duo of Graham Ike and Hunter Maldonado might be the best 1-2 punch in the conference. We've seen what this team is capable of when on top of its game. Can it flip the switch in the tournament? Wyoming is +650 to win the tournament.

Outside of those four, I'm most intrigued by Utah State. It has won this tournament twice in the last three seasons. It is one of the unluckiest teams in the country, according to KenPom, and it ranks top 70 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Utah State also has one of the conference's top players in Justin Bean. This is a team that beat Oklahoma earlier in the season and knocked off San Diego State in conference play. Utah State is 12-to-1 to win the tournament if you're looking for a long shot.

Mountain West tournament history

Below are the last 10 winners of the Mountain West conference tournament:

• 2021 San Diego State

• 2020 Utah State

• 2019 Utah State

• 2018 San Diego State

• 2017 Nevada

• 2016 Fresno State

• 2015 Wyoming

• 2014 New Mexico

• 2013 New Mexico

• 2012 New Mexico