No. 1 Nevada vs. No. 8 San Jose State
The Wolf Pack’s only flaw this WAC season came against Idaho in early February, but Nevada has been near perfect and travels to Las Vegas with a five-game conference win streak under its belt. Deonte Burton and Malik Story are the WAC’s most lethal combination, but Olek Czyz and Dario Hunt aren’t to be overlooked. In addition, the Wolf Pack look to have the home crowd on their side, not to mention San Jose State’s only consistent threat has been junior James Kinney. Last year’s Spartans pulled an upset of Idaho in the second round but did it with Adrian Oliver, one of the nation’s leading scorers.
Edge: Nevada
No. 2 New Mexico State vs. No. 7 Fresno State
Though the Bulldogs have picked up just three conference wins this season, they have challenged the WAC’s best on multiple occasions. Fresno State knocked out Idaho at home, took Nevada to triple overtime and led New Mexico State by as many as 16 before falling in overtime during the teams’ regular-season finale. Senior forward Wendell McKines, the conference’s leading scorer and rebounder, is the primary reason the Aggies will be the No. 2 seed and most likely to compete with Nevada in the championship.
Edge: New Mexico State
No. 3 Idaho vs. No. 6 Hawaii
With Zane Johnson and Vander Joaquim, the Warriors challenge anybody in the conference but for whatever reason they’ve lost the last five by a combined 77 points. During their skid, the Warriors suffered an 82-63 home loss to Idaho, in which the Vandals all but swept the hosts off their feet. Idaho has beaten every team in the conference at least once and is heating up at the right time. With five starters who each have the ability to put up double-digits, the Vandals are multidimensional to say the least.
Edge: Idaho
No. 4 Utah State vs. No. 5 La. Tech
It is hard to remember the last time anyone would have said a team besides Utah State would win the conference tournament and roll into March Madness, but injury and the loss of significant seniors hampered the Aggies all season. Nevertheless, they have enough experience in the WAC tournament and talent to pull off a few upsets and find their way to the Big Dance again — not to mention they defeated La Tech twice this season. The Bulldogs are hot though, and have been the streakiest team in the WAC this season. Before falling to Nevada in the season finale, La. Tech won five straight. Experience and coaching trumps momentum, though, at this point in the season.
Edge: Utah State