---

Ready for the Mountain West tournament to kick off? We sure are.

---

After a rather tough start to the year, the San Diego State Aztecs have virtually erased all doubt of their credentials by going a remarkable 16-2 in conference play. Steve Fisher has led his squad to another top seed in the Mountain West Tournament, and the Aztecs seem primed to earn the auto-bid into the NCAA Tournament.

What makes SDSU so impressive, though, is that they’ve done this with an extremely young and inexperienced core. SDSU’s leading scorer, Jeremy Hemsley, is a freshman, as is the high-flying Zylan Cheatham, who has shown incredible athleticism in his rookie year. And let’s not forget highly-touted sophomores Trey Kell and Malik Pope.

The Aztecs are going to be dominant in conference play for years to come.

Yet despite their team accolades, it’s Marvelle Harris, senior guard for the Fresno State Bulldogs, who received the Mountain West Player of the Year honors, and for good reason. Averaging 20.9 points per game, Harris has led his Bulldogs team to the two seed in the Mountain West tournament after notching a 13-5 conference record.

For Fresno State to surpass fellow conference foes such as UNLV, New Mexico, and Boise State is an impressive accomplishment. A tournament victory over SDSU won’t be easy, but if there’s a team that can accomplish such a feat, it’s Fresno State.

Here’s how the Mountain West seeding has shaped up.

Mountain West Tournament Seeds

1. San Diego State
2. Fresno State
3. Boise State
4. New Mexico
5. Nevada
6. Colorado State
7. UNLV
8. Wyoming
9. Utah State
10. Air Force
11. San Jose State

Last Five Mountain West Tournament Winners

2015: Wyoming
2014: New Mexico
2013: New Mexico
2012: New Mexico
2011: San Diego State

Tournament Schedule

First Round (March 9)

Game 1: No. 8 Wyoming vs. No. 9 Utah State, 12:00 p.m.

Game 2: No. 7 UNLV vs. No. 10 Air Force, 2:30 p.m.

Game 3: No. 6 Colorado State vs. No. 11 San Jose State, 5:00 p.m.

Quarterfinals (March 10)

Game 4: No. 1 San Diego State vs. Game 1 Winner, 1:00 p.m.

Game 5: No. 4 New Mexico vs. No. 5 Nevada, 3:30 p.m.

Game 6: No. 2 Fresno State vs. Game 2 Winner, 7:00 p.m.

Game 7: No. 3 Boise State vs. Game 3 Winner, 9:30 p.m.

Semifinals (March 11)

Championship (March 12)

MORE: AP Top 25 College Basketball Rankings: Week 18 Takeaways