Knudson: David vs. David?

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By Mark Knudson, The Mtn. Insider
February 23, 2012

On more than one occasion this season, we’ve seen David take down Goliath. So what happens when David has to go into a key battle against…David?

The 2011-12 Mountain West men’s basketball season has been a wild ride. David – make that Davids – have taken down Goliath on a regular basis. It all started with UNLV playing the David role and taking down perennial Goliath North Carolina in November. That lifted the Rebels to Goliath status themselves, where they’ve remained ever since. But that was just the start. The Nike was on the other foot when the Rebels got beat by TCU. And San Diego State lost to Colorado State. And then UNLV lost to Wyoming.

Not to be outdone, Air Force sling-shoted San Diego State. And after the Conference’s top Goliath, New Mexico, woke up and beat the other two, CSU got the craziness kick started again by beating the Lobos.

Got all that?

Make no mistake - this Conference has three Goliaths, led by New Mexico. The Lobos have become who we thought they were before the season started – the best team west of Lawrence, Kansas and a probable four or five seed in the NCAA Tournament. UNLV is close behind, and a strong bet to win the Mountain West tournament being played on their home court. They too, could be a high seed in the NCAA tourney. And what of San Diego State? The Aztecs have worn down some and their lack of depth will probably doom them to a third place finish in the regular season, but they too are a good bet for a nice national seed come March.

We already know that these three will be participating in March Madness. The only question is will a MW David survive to join them? After all, the MW conference RPI remains at #5 – ahead of the Atlantic Coast Conference and well ahead of the struggling Pac 12. The ACC will probably land six teams in the Big Dance, and the Pac 12 three. Doesn’t it then stand to reason that four teams from the MW could get an invite?

If things break the right way, the league’s bid for a fourth team in March Madness could come down to a David vs. David match-up on the final day.

The question centers on CSU, a David to be sure but a team that holds its March travel plans squarely in its own hands. Should the Rams find a way to complete a two-game regular season sweep and defeat the Aztecs in San Diego, and then also knock off Goliath No. 3 when UNLV comes to Fort Collins on Leap Day, they would have that very strong NCAA resume to go along with their sparkling RPI. But there will still be unfinished business in the form of a little matter of a season ending trip down I-25 to meet another of the giant killers – Air Force. The Rams realistically need to reach 20 wins and go at least 8-6 in conference play to stand a chance of getting an invite. That means they have to win out. It’s a tall task, especially considering that CSU is the only team in the Conference without a road win in Conference play. It’s kind of unlikely to happen.

But what if it did? Wouldn’t it be fun if there was a NCAA Tournament bid riding on a David vs. David game on March 3 in Colorado Springs?

An appropriate ending to a season for the ages.