MWC Championship Facts
• The MWC Championship will be played in Las Vegas, Nev., for the first time ever. The event has been played in Fort Collins, Colo., three times, Provo, Utah, twice and San Diego once.
• Utah and Colorado State are the only team to repeat as conference tournament champions. The Utes won the tournament title in 2001 and 2002, while the Rams took the crown home in 2003 and 2004.
• BYU is the only No. 4 seed to advance to the championship match (2002), while Utah is the only No. 3 seed to win the tournament title (2002). The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met in the finals in five of the last six years , with the No. 2 seed winning four of those matches.
• The MWC tournament has produced three different champions in six years.
First Round/Quarterfinal MWC Championship Matches:
Nov. 22 (Tuesday)
#8 TCU vs. #9 Air Force
The all-time series is tied 2-2. This will be the first MWC Championship match for the Horned Frogs, while Air Force is 0-6 all-time in MWC Tournament play. As a member of Conference USA, TCU was 1-3 in the conference tournament, while tallying an 0-2 record in postseason tournaments as a member of the WAC.
Nov. 24 (Thursday)
#3 Utah vs. #6 Wyoming, 11 a.m. (CSTV)
Utah leads the all-time series 34-23, and swept both regular-season meetings. The Utes and Cowgirls will meet for the third time in the MWC Tournament. Utah holds a 2-0 advantage over Wyoming in tournament play. Utah is 12-4 all-time in conference tournament play, while Wyoming is 0-6. Utah has reached the championship match four straight years, winning the title in 2001 and 2002.
#2 Colorado State vs. #7 New Mexico, 1:30 p.m. (CSTV)
Colorado State holds a 32-21 advantage in the all-time series and has won 19 of its last 20 matches over the Lobos overall. The Rams and Lobos meet in the first round of the MWC tournament for the third straight year. CSU defeated UNM, 3-1, in the 2003 tournament and 3-0 in last year's championship. Two-time defending tournament champion Colorado State, a No. 2 seed for the second consecutive season, is 13-3 all-time in MWC tournaments, while New Mexico is 1-6.
#1 BYU vs. Winner of #8 TCU/#9 Air Force, 4 p.m. (CSTV)
BYU leads the all-time series vs. TCU, 6-0 and hold a 16-1 all-time record vs. Air Force. The Cougars are 10-5 all-time in the MWC Tournament play, including a 3-0 win over the Falcons in their only tournament meeting (2003). BYU is the No. 1 seed for the first time since 1999, and is looking to advance to the finals for the first time since 2000.
#4 UNLV vs. #5 San Diego State, 7 p.m. (CSTV)
San Diego State has the lead in the all-time series, 14-7, but the Rebels swept both meetings over the Aztecs this season. UNLV and SDSU meet for the third time in MWC Tournament play and the second time in three tournaments. The Rebels are 2-6 all-time in the MWC Championship, while San Diego State has an all-time mark of 3-6.
How The Seeds Fare In Championship Play
For the fourth time in six MWC Championships, the No. 2 seed took home the tournament crown in 2004, as Colorado State became the second team to repeat as the MWC Tournament champion since the inception of the league in 1999. The Rams join BYU (2000) and Utah (2001) as the teams to win the tournament title as No. 2 seeds. CSU also won the title as a second seed in 1999. The No. 1 seed took home the tournament crown in 2003 (Colorado State), while the No. 3 seed has won once (2002-No. 3 Utah). Each of the top four seeds have made it to the finals, while the No. 5 seed has two semifinal appearances. The bottom three seeds have never advanced to the semifinals.
NCAA Selections November 27
Following next week's championship, Mountain West Conference teams will await the at-large announcements to the 2005 NCAA Tournament. The winner of the MWC Tournament will receive the conference's automatic bid. The selections will be shown live Sunday, Nov. 27 between 2:30 and 3 p.m. Eastern time on ESPNews
