It will be a fitting tournament finale in the Mountain West Conference, as the two teams who finished at the top of the conference standings following a grueling regular-season schedule, will meet up tonight in Las Vegas. After sharing the regular-season championship, either New Mexico or San Diego St. will be able to declare itself as the lone Mountain West Tournament champion.
The Aztecs enter this game having won six straight following a surprising run of three straight losses in February. After needing a Jamaal Franklin buzzer-beater to sneak by Boise St. in the opening round of the Mountain West Tournament Championship, SDSU was impressive in a semifinal victory over Colorado St. Franklin led the way with a team-high 19 points, while Chase Tapley added 17.
New Mexico delivered an impressive performance in its victory over UNLV. After trailing by three points heading into halftime, the Lobos completely dominated the final 20 minutes and earned the 72-67 win. Drew Gordon dominated the paint, scoring 19 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for the double-double. Tony Snell scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished our six assists in 31 minutes.
Game Time/Date: 6:00 p.m (CST)/ Saturday, March 10, 2012
Location: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: NBC Sports Network
For more on the 2012 Mountain West Tournament, stick with SB Nation Denver and Mountain West Connection. Head over to SB Nation NCAA Basketball for more on March Madness.