Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s & women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.
The countdown to Selection Sunday continues, and the number of bubble teams still in action is slowly dwindling. Outside of Texas and the A-10, most of the action came from out west — and the Mountain West in particular is making a push for more bids.
Bubble fixture Boise State took down No. 1 seed New Mexico in the conference tournament semifinals, adding another key victory to the Broncos’ resume. On the other half of the bracket, Colorado State wrecked Utah State for the second time in two weeks. That sets up a final between two teams that might need the automatic bid. Boise State would have a stronger at-large case with a loss, which means all other bubblers should be Broncos fans on Saturday night.
The Mountain West is not the only bid stealer candidate, although no 2025 version of NC State has emerged from the power conferences. In the top five leagues, the highest seeds all won their games on Friday in the ACC, Big East and SEC, and the winners of minor upsets in the Big Ten and Big 12 — coming via Wisconsin and Arizona — are already headed towards high NCAA Tournament…
