The Mountain West Conference Tournament tips off on Thursday, and the fourth-seeded Colorado State Rams will face the No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs in an opening round game featuring a pair of desperate schools looking to keep their seasons alive.
Colorado State wrapped up its tumultuous campaign with consecutive wins over UNLV and Air Force, and will be looking to build on that momentum against a TCU team that finished 7-7 in league play. The two schools split their yearly series 1-1, with the Rams needing double overtime to hold up their end of the bargain at home back in January.
Leading scorer Wes Eikmeier (16.0 per game), who averaged 23.5 points over the team's two meetings, is the unquestioned key to the game for the Rams. If they can get him going early and into a groove from the perimeter, it should open up chances for forwards Greg Smith and Pierce Hornung to do damage on the inside and take control of the glass.
Knowing how intense the prior two meetings have been, this game has all the makings of a shootout. Make sure to stay with SB Nation for continuous coverage of the Mountain West Tournament.
Date: Thursday, March 8, 2012
Location: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV
Game Time: 3:30 p.m. MT
TV Schedule: MTN HD/CBS Sports Network HD
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.