Want more San Diego State basketball? You got it. The Mountain West conference has announced that its men’s teams will play a 20-game slate starting next season.
Expanding the schedule from 18 to 20 games aligns with the MW men’s basketball goal, the conference said in a statement, “to maximize NCAA tournament bids at the highest seeds possible.”
In addition, officials said, the 20-game schedule ensures that each MW school plays every conference opponent twice, once at home and once on the road.
One immediate difference: The change will prompt an earlier start to the conference season, pushing league dates into December.
San Diego State, for instance, began conference play Jan. 3. They also only met Wyoming and Air Force once this season.
NCAA bids have been on the rise for the MW, and with the Aztecs setting the pace, as many as six are expected this year,
In 2023, San Diego State led the conference to its best performance ever at the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first MW team to make it to the Elite Eight, Final Four and the championship game.
Four MW teams played in the last tournament, Boise State, Utah State and Nevada (in the First Four), but only SDSU advanced. Four also played in the 2022 tournament – SDSU, Boise State, Colorado State and Wyoming (in the First Four) – but all failed to move past the opening round.
