San Diego State 20-10 (MW 14-6) vs. COLORADO STATE (21-11, 11–9 MW)
Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM PT
Location: Thomas & Mack Center – LasVegas, Nevada
TV/Streaming: CBS Sports Network
Betting Odds & Over/Under: SDSU -5.5
Opening day of the Mountain West Conference Tournament delivered exactly what March in Las Vegas promises: tense finishes, breakout performances, and a few bruising battles that now shape Thursday’s quarterfinal matchups.
As the dust settled inside the Thomas & Mack Center, our attention quickly shifted to the quarterfinal round—highlighted between No. 2 seed San Diego State and No. 7 seed Colorado State.
#7 Colorado State Gets By #10 Fresno State
The Rams pulled a gritty 67–63 victory over Fresno State, a game that swung on defense, hustle plays, and a breakout night from sophomore guard Jase Butler. Butler scored 20 points and drilled six three-pointers, including a late shot that pushed Colorado State ahead for good.
“That play where Jojo dove on the floor and Jev got the three-pointer, that really got the momentum going for us,” Butler said after the win. “I think from there we just never looked back.”
The game was tight most of the night as the Rams struggled to find rhythm against a physical Fresno State squad. Colorado State trailed midway through the second half before a defensive surge flipped the game. A steal by Jevin Muniz led to a fast-break layup and moments later Muniz buried a three to cap a 7–0 run that shifted the momentum entirely.
“Zero hesitation with everything he did,” Rams coach Ali Farokhmanesh said of Butler’s performance. “It’s awesome to see how much confidence he has now. He works his tail off. He’s one of the hardest playing guys not only on our team but in this whole league.”
Colorado State’s depth proved too much in the end, as the Rams rotated ten players. CSU grabbed 13 offensive boards, wearing down the Bulldogs late and setting up Thursday’s quarterfinal clash with San Diego State.
#8 UNLV Breaks the Streak vs #9 Wyoming
Earlier in the day, eighth-seeded UNLV Runnin’ Rebels survived one of the tournament’s most dramatic finishes, escaping with a 73–70 win over Wyoming. Guard Kimani Hamilton scored 23 points, including the go-ahead three-point play with 19 seconds left, while Tyrin Jones delivered the defining moment with a last-second block that preserved the victory.
The Rebels appeared in control early, but Wyoming flipped the game after the break by dominating the offensive glass and turning the contest into a possession battle. The Cowboys grabbed a crazy 21 offensive rebounds and repeatedly extended possessions, eventually taking a late lead.
“The season came down to one possession,” said Hamilton, the moment essentially captured as UNLV made the final defensive stand. Jones rotated across the lane to block Damarion Dennis at the rim with seconds remaining, sealing the win before Hamilton calmly knocked down two free throws to close it out.
The victory sends UNLV into a quarterfinal meeting with top-seeded Utah State with whom they’ve already had success against, beating the Aggies twice this season. The victory also gives UNLV a streak ending victory. Over the last decade according to head coach Josh Pastner, the Rebels have not beaten a MW team to advance to the semifinals other than Air Force.
#5 Nevada Puts #12 Air Force Out of Their Misery
Nothing to talk about here. Air Force finishes the season without any wins in conference. Just glad the Falcons can call this season a wrap and maybe go enjoy the strip if Air Force allows them to.
Down Goes #6 Boise in Shocker vs #11 San Jose State
In the other completed opening-round matchup, Boise State saw their season end in disappointment against #11 seeded San Jose State after failing to match the Spartans’ athleticism and hot shooting night.
“Really frustrating. We really wanted to win… and to lose like that, it really hurts,” Boise State senior forward Andrew Meadow said in the post game. “I think they were more physical than us. The last two games we out-rebounded teams by about 40 combined and we didn’t have that edge tonight, and it killed us.”
Boise State had entered the game playing some of its best basketball late in the season but struggled to slow San Jose State once the Spartans found rhythm offensively. “We knew we had to take away their threes and beat them on the glass,” Meadow continued.
“We just didn’t get that done tonight.” Despite the painful finish, he remained optimistic about the program’s direction. “I think the future is really bright. We have a good core, and we’re going to take this offseason and get a lot better.”
No official word on wether the program will retain head coach Leon Rice for the future after such a devastating loss. The early sentiment is that his contract is far too buyout heavy to get rid of and the continuity is something the Broncos want to keep in order, according to Bronco Nation News.
On the flip side for San Jose State, head coach Tim Miles made his tournament magic hit once again. The Spartans came into the game as the next to last team in the conference having won just 3 games all season in the Mountain West.
They will next face a hungry New Mexico Lobos team that will be looking to take advantage of the upset and work over the Spartans. Does Miles’, Colby Garland (20 points) and the others have what it takes to defeat a young Lobos squad? We’ll be watching to find out.
Aztecs vs Colorado State in a Rubber Match
With the opening round complete, the spotlight now turns to San Diego State and Colorado State in Thursday night’s quarterfinal. The Rams arrive with momentum after Butler’s breakout performance and a resilient team effort, while the Aztecs enter rested and looking to reassert themselves after an up-and-down finish to the regular season.
The matchup carries added intrigue given Butler’s recent surge. The sophomore has scored in double figures in six straight games and recently dropped 25 points against San Diego State, suggesting the Aztecs will need to prioritize slowing his perimeter shooting and attacking drives. Colorado State’s depth and rebounding edge also present potential challenges.
For San Diego State, the path forward vs the Rams stacking wins is that they must match the urgency of the tournament’s wild opening day. In March, momentum can shift quickly—and after Wednesday’s battles at the Thomas & Mack Center, the quarterfinal stage is set for another intense chapter.
Early reports have SDSU true freshman starting guard Elzie Harrington rumored to be out this game and possibly the rest of the post season with an ongoing leg injury. Having missed the last few games of the season, the hope was the rest would get him right in time for a March Madness run.
Wether by injury or rumored concern over his future transfer portal ambitions, the loss of Harrington takes another blow at SDSU’s depth and represents a trend this season for Dutcher’s team.
With mention already this week of Reese Dixon-Waters walking in a protective boot, the knee issues of Miles Byrd, and the ongoing progress of forward Magoon Gwath’s hip, it is even more crucial for SDSU to bring effective energy at the right times.
The dilemma is whether to bring BJ Davis off the bench as has been his most effective role with the team. Providing that bench spark along with Taj DeGourville and Pharaoh Compton is one of the most effective 2nd units in the nation.
The early take would be to have steady handed senior Sean Newman Jr. to start, steady the team early and then mix in BJ’s effectiveness overall.
Either way let’s face it, the last time these two met the Rams absolutely punked the Aztecs in Fort Collins.
These March tournament games are all about getting stops, rebounds, and hitting your shots. After a slow start the Rams grinded out a win by doing just that. The Aztecs will have to dig deep and possibly do the same thing over on the Rams who are now settled in.
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