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Christensen: Give David a Rest

By Todd Christensen, The Mtn. Insider
March 14, 2012

Ever since UNLV defeated then No. 1 ranked North Carolina back in December, fans have long since lost the idea that the MW is the David to everyone else's Goliath.  Not only was that a seminal win, but it was a precursor to the league being the Best in the West, and that by a considerable margin.  The fact that half of the teams in the Conference made the NCAA Tournament speaks volumes to the quality of play.  Certainly mistakes are made in the selection process, most notably this year Drexel, but when 25-win teams are left out in the cold it tells you that you had to be a very good basketball team to get in.

In football, more than half of the Conference went to bowl games.  This is significant as well as the number of times the trophy for best bowl record by a conference has matriculated to Colorado Springs.  But with 36 bowl games and only 120 Division I schools, it doesn’t take Euclid to see that more than half of the teams are making the postseason and that mediocrity is being rewarded.   With well over 300 Division I basketball teams, being in the NCAA tourney is a bigger accomplishment.  And the Mountain West collectively is to be lauded as even those that did not make the tournament had some moments with a number of upsets.

The 2011 NCAA Tournament was a banner year for the Conference with both San Diego State and BYU making the Sweet 16 and coming within a whisker of going the distance; SDSU gave eventual champion UConn arguably their best game.  Whether SDSU, Colorado State, UNLV or New Mexico can replicate those heroics in 2012 remains to be seen.  But even if they do not, it’s clear that the Mountain West is established as a big-time basketball conference.

See all of Todd Christensen's blog entries HERE.