NCAA Tournament 2011 the Mountain West Update: BYU and SDSU Dance On, UNLV Done

The 2011 NCAA tournament started off well for the Mountain West conference. Both the BYU Cougars and the San Diego State Aztecs went on to victories in their second round match-ups, as UNLV was sent home early by Illinois.

BYU got all they could handle from Wofford, who stuck around late into the game. But Jimmer Fredette and the Cougars were too much for them to handle in the end—and BYU went on to a 74-66 victory behind Jimmer's 32 points.

Next on the horizon for BYU is the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are sure to be their stiffest competition next year as all sports outside of football are moving over to the West Coast Conference. This makes the match-up all the more interesting to giving us a sneak peak into what's sure to become a WCC rivalry.

Another story line the media is creating is the comparison of Jimmer Fredette to Gonzaga alumni Adam Morrison. There is no real comparison here, seeing that Morrison was a few inches taller and played a different position than Jimmer. The only comparison is that they are both white and could shoot the lights out during their college basketball years.

BYU should take care of Gonzaga, who are lead by their senior guard Steven Gray averaging around 14 points and four assists per game.

If the Zags have any chance of taking down the Cougars, they will need a repeat performance from Marquise Carter. Carter scored 24 points in the Zags win over St. Johns, well over his season average of 6.5 points per game coming into the tournament.

Prediction: No. 3 BYU 84, No. 11 Gonzaga 74

SDSU continued their historic season on Thursday cruising to an easy 68-50 win over Northern Colorado.

If SDSU's usual suspects—Kawhi Leonard, D.J. Gay and Malcom Thomas—show up and play, SDSU should advance to the Sweet 16.

If one of the trio has an off game and is not made up for by Billy White or any other member of the supporting cast, there is a chance that Temple could pull off the upset.

Look for Temple to rely on Ramone Moore and Lavoy Allen, who combined for an average of 27 points and 13 rebounds per game in the regular season.

If guard Juan Fernandez can score anywhere near the 23 points he put up in Temple's 66-64 thriller against Penn St., then that gives the Owls an edge they'll need to make the game competitive.

Prediction: No. 2 San Diego State Aztecs 74, No. 7 Temple Owls 61