The Mountain West will say goodbye to its sole NCAA Tournament team following March Madness. 

Utah State is the only Mountain West entry to the NCAA Tournament this year after winning the conference tournament. Five teams (Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV and Wyoming) were chosen for the NIT.

The last time the conference had just one bid to the NCAA Tournament was in 2017 (Nevada). Before this season, the Mountain West had sent four or more teams to the tournament for the last four years.

The Mountain West had four teams in the NCAA Tournament last season and, in 2024, a league-record six. 

It’s the fifth season in a row the Mountain West has sent five or more teams to the postseason, but next year will look different with five teams leaving the Mountain West to join the Pac-12 Conference: Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Boise State and Utah State. 

Despite the absence of elite mid-majors like Utah State and San Diego State, newcomer Hawaii could bring fresh competition. After a 24-8 regular season that included a Big West Conference championship, the Rainbow Warriors earned a No. 13 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament and will play No. 4 Arkansas on Thursday.

Joining Hawaii will be UTEP (Conference USA) and UC Davis (Big West), with neither in the postseason. Grand Canyon joined the Mountain West before the 2025-2026 year and ended the season with a 20-12 (13-17 Mountain West) record and quarterfinal loss to Nevada in the conference tournament. 

Below is a look at how conference realignment may impact the Mountain West in basketball based on NET rankings. The 2025-26 basketball season is the eighth season using the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, which replaced the RPI before the 2018-19 season as the main sorting tool for evaluating teams, according to NCAA.com. 

The current Mountain West has eight teams (Utah State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Boise State, Nevada, Grand Canyon, Colorado State, Wyoming) ranked among the top 100 of NET rankings as of March 15. Of the four returning members in the top 100, the Lobos hold the highest NET Ranking at 46. 

Average end-of-year NET ranking over the past four years (through Sunday) 

Teams leaving Mountain West following 2025-2026 season: 

	2023	2024	2025	2026	Average
Colorado St.	110	36	42	87	68.75
Fresno St.	146	233	279	153	202.75
San Diego St.	14	20	58	47	34.75
Utah State	18	38	43	26	31.25

Teams joining Mountain West following 2025-2026 season: 

	2023	2024	2025	2026	Average
Hawaii	127	172	224	101	156
UTEP	192	184	159	268	200.75
UC Davis	147	168	240	178	183.25

Current Mountain West teams through 2025-2026 season:

	2023	2024	2025	2026	Average
Air Force	149	269	324	350	273
*Grand Canyon	104	50	97	71	80.5
Nevada	37	34	79	70	55
New Mexico	54	22	41	46	40.75
San Jose State	95	243	177	244	189.75
UNLV	91	76	101	111	94.75
Wyoming	172	155	198	99	156

*Joined the Mountain West conference before 2025-2026 season 

Utah State in the NCAA Tournament 

This will be the Aggies’ fourth straight and 26th overall NCAA Tournament appearance and sixth since joining the Mountain West in 2013 (previously in the Western Athletic Conference). The Aggies fell to UCLA in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament to finish with a 26-8 record in Jerrod Calhoun’s first year as head coach. 

Utah State (28-6) is coming off a Mountain West championship with a 73-62 win over San Diego State (22-11). The Aggies had numerous conference honors, including Calhoun being named the Steve Fisher Coach of the Year and junior guard Mason Falslev being named Player of the Year. 

This will be the first time the Aztecs are not in the NCAA Tournament since 2019, after being considered a bubble team that was one of the first four out behind Oklahoma and Auburn. 

San Diego State has had recent success in March Madness, including a run to the national title game in 2023, where it lost 76-59 to UConn, and Sweet 16 appearances in 2024 and 2025. 

Mountain West out of rotation? 

The Mountain West is not listed as a host site through 2028, but there is no cause for alarm. 

In the conference’s history since 1999, it is typical for conferences to host every four years or so, according to Mountain West Senior Associate Commissioner Javan Hedlund. 

The Mountain West most recently hosted in 2023 and 2025, making it no surprise it didn’t host in 2026. The conference received the 2025 bid after not hosting regionals in 2021, when the tournament was moved to Indianapolis in the midst of COVID-19. 

The Mountain West has previously hosted in 1999, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2019, in addition to 2023 and 2025. It also hosted the 2012 women’s NCAA Final Four at the Pepsi Center in Denver. 

“The fact that we hosted in ’23 and ’25 is a quick turnaround for hosting,” Hedlund said. “We will see what the rotation is in the future.”