Mountain West Tournament 2012 Bracket: Seeds, Odds, Matchups and More

If there were no conference tournaments, we'd already know that the Mountain West would be well represented in the NCAA Tournament. 

Presently, both ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi and Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com project the Mountain West to send four teams to the Big Dance. Nothing will be final, however, until the Mountain West tournament is all over and done with. 

It's going to be a fun tournament to watch, as the Mountain West is much deeper than it gets credit for. If you are looking to watch, here's a rundown of everything you need to know

First Round—March 8, 2012 (all information courtesy of the conference's official website)

Game 1: No. 1 San Diego State vs. No. 8 Boise State, 3:00 p.m. EST (Mountain West Sports Network)

Game 2: No. 4 Colorado State vs. No. 5 TCU, 5:30 p.m. EST (Mountain West Sports Network, CBS Sports Network)

Game 3: No. 2 New Mexico vs. No. 7 Air Force, 9:00 p.m. EST (Mountain West Sports Network)

Game 4: No. 3 UNLV vs. No. 6 Wyoming, 11: 30 p.m. EST (Mountain West Sports Network, CBS Sports Network)

Semifinals—March 9, 2012

Semifinal 1: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 9:00 p.m. EST (CBS Sports Network)

Semifinal 2: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 11:30 p.m. EST (CBS Sports Network)

Finals—March 10, 2012

Championship Game: Winner Semifinal 1 vs. Winner Semifinal 2, 7:00 p.m. EST (NBC Sports Network)

Odds (according to Bovada)

No. 1 San Diego State: 6/1

The Aztecs lead this field, but they proved with losses against Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico and Air Force that they are hardly invincible.

No. 2 New Mexico: 5/4

The Lobos are an unselfish team that rebounds well, and they proved their worth with big wins over San Diego State and UNLV late in the season. 

No. 3 UNLV: 8/5

The Rebels opened a lot of eyes with an early-season win over North Carolina and they played well for much of the season, but they stumbled down the stretch. 

No. 4 Colorado State: 9/1

The Rams are a pretty efficient offensive team, but their lackluster conference record does not inspire confidence heading into this tournament.

No. 5 TCU: 25/1

The Horned Frogs scored some huge wins over UNLV and New Mexico late in the season, but they'll need a lot of things to go right in order to win the tournament.

No. 6 Wyoming: 12/1

The Cowboys didn't measure up against the top teams in the conference this season, and they just lost to their first-round opponent. Expect them to make a quick exit against UNLV.

No. 7 Air Force: 100/1

The Falcons lost all but three conference games and routinely lost by double digits. There's a reason they're a long shot.

No. 8 Boise State 35/1

The Broncos only managed to beat the lesser teams in the Mountain West this season. They're overmatched against San Diego State.

Prediction for Final

I'll take UNLV over San Diego State in the final. The Rebels looked flat here and there, but I consider them to be dragon slayers.