With one game remaining in conference, the San Jose State men’s basketball team will look ahead to play the Mountain West Championship in Las Vegas next week.
The Spartans have a record of 18-12 and are 9-8 in conference play. This Saturday, they are heading to U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado to go up against Air Force in the final game of the regular season.
Air Force hasn’t looked too strong this season with a record of 14-16 and 5-12 in conference.
The Spartans are in fifth place in the conference and could keep that position if they beat the Air Force on Saturday.
New Mexico, who beat SJSU twice this season, is just below them at sixth place with the record of 8-9 in Mountain West play. The Lobos are facing off against Colorado State Saturday.
If SJSU loses its final game and New Mexico wins against Colorado State, the Spartans will drop to the sixth seed in the tournament because the Lobos have the season tie breaker.
This also means the Spartans will have to play right away in the first round instead of getting a bye and playing on the second day of the tournament.
The top five seeds get an extra day break and don’t have to play in the first round as they have already qualified for the quarterfinals, according to the Mountain West Tournament bracket.
If SJSU retains the fifth seed, it could face either the University of Nevada, Reno or Utah State University, depending on which team finishes in the fourth seed this weekend.
The Spartans split the season series against Utah State but defeated the Aggies 69-64 on Feb. 11.
If the Spartans have to face Nevada instead, the Wolf Pack might present a tougher matchup. SJSU lost by almost 30 points in the first game and 15 points in the second.
With this many circumstances that could happen over the weekend, it's unpredictable which team the Spartans will be facing, but they will have to face one of the Mountain West juggernauts as they move through the Mountain West Tournament.
According to the first edition of ESPN’s Bracketology predictor, San Diego State, Boise State and Nevada are the three Mountain West teams that are slated to make the tournament.
With this tournament also possibly being Coach Miles' last hoorah as reports have indicated that other power five schools are looking to hire him, the Spartans have a lot to play for, even if they don’t make the NCAA Tournament.
SJSU has the opportunity to bring home its first ever Mountain West Championship.
As senior guard Omari Moore is nearing the end of his experience at SJSU, he can put a staple on his career with a Mountain West Tournament Championship.
Moore averages 17 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 42.3% from the field. He has been the team’s best player on the floor this year.
Sophomore guard Alvaro Cardenas is another player that can help the team’s chances to advance. He is only a sophomore, but has helped the Spartans get to this point as the team’s lead ball handler.
Cardenas averages 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
Both players have played in all 30 games this season while averaging 30-plus minutes a game.
After a historic regular season, SJSU can put a stamp on its season with a deep conference tournament run in Sin City.
If the Spartans obtain the fifth seed, they are scheduled to play at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. If they drop to the sixth seed, SJSU is scheduled to play its first game on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
All games at the Mountain West Championship are scheduled to be played at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
