Mountain West men's basketball tournament kicks off Wednesday in Las Vegas, featuring three first-round matchups at the Thomas & Mack Center. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to March Madness.

The tournament's top contenders include:

• No. 1 New Mexico (17-3 conference)
• No. 2 Colorado State (22-9, 16-4)
• No. 3 Utah State (25-6, 15-5)
• No. 4 San Diego State (21-8, 14-6)
• No. 5 Boise State (22-9, 14-6)

First Round Matchups (Wednesday):

No. 8 San Jose State vs. No. 9 Wyoming (11 a.m.)

• SJSU swept regular season meetings
• Winner faces No. 1 New Mexico

No. 7 Nevada vs. No. 10 Fresno State (1:30 p.m.)

• Nevada swept regular season
• Winner faces No. 2 Colorado State

No. 6 UNLV vs. No. 11 Air Force (4 p.m.)

• UNLV won both regular season games
• Winner faces No. 3 Utah State

Key Tournament Stories:

New Mexico looks to defend their title with Mountain West Player of the Year candidate Donovan Dent leading the charge (20.4 PPG, 6.5 assists).

Richard Pitino earned Mountain West Coach of the Year after leading the Lobos to the regular season title despite losing three top scorers from last year.

San Diego State and Boise State currently project as "last four in" teams for March Madness, making their quarterfinal matchup crucial.

Colorado State enters as the hottest team with seven straight wins, led by Nique Clifford's all-around play (18.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 4.4 APG).

Tournament Schedule:

• Quarterfinals: Thursday
• Semifinals: Friday (6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.)
• Championship: Saturday (3 p.m. on CBS)

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