After just the first day of Mountain West Conference Tournament action, two traditional powers are already facing completely different fates. New Mexico failed to close out Air Force and headed home to Albuquerque, while hometown heroes UNLV took care of rival Nevada, forcing the Wolfpack to part ways with head coach David Carter.
Typically, Air Force struggles in postseason play, especially when going up against some of the conference’s bigger name programs. Wednesday’s performance was a welcome change of pace for supporters of the Colorado Springs service academy.
For the Rebels, Christian Wood’s 28 points and seven rebounds highlighted their lopsided win over Nevada.
Hear from @UNLVAthletics’ Christian Wood after the Runnin’ Rebels downed @NevadaHoops, 67-46 in #MWMadness Rd 1 http://t.co/6yB4XGvZmA
— MW Men’s Basketball (@MW_MHoops) March 12, 2015
Air Force moves on to face top-seeded Boise State and Derrick Marks, while UNLV meets another conference rival in San Diego State.
The Rebels and Aztecs have been a fixture match up at the Thomas & Mack center, providing consistent entertainment and a window into each’s chances in the NCAA Tournament. This year’s meeting doesn’t have that same flair, with the Rebels likely on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday, but if Wood continues his dominance for Dave Rice’s club, it’s not entirely far fetched to think they might have a chance to pull the upset.
Other MWC action will include Colorado State taking on Fresno State and Wyoming knocking heads with Utah State, a game the Cowboys are certainly capable of winning to further their chances at making a late season run towards an at-large birth.
