This week signals the mayhem before madness.
As the No. 5 seed, UNM women’s basketball will play No. 8 Colorado State in the Mountain West Conference tournament on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
Although UNM (17-11 overall, 9-7 MWC) tied for fifth place with Wyoming during the regular season, the Lobos earned the No. 5 seed in the tournament because of a season sweep over Wyoming.
The Lobos split the season series against the Rams. Colorado State won 67-64 in Fort Collins, Colo., while UNM got revenge the second time around, winning 65-60 at The Pit on Feb. 24. If the Lobos are triumphant, they will face the winner from No. 4 Utah/No. 9 Air Force game on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
“They are a team that can really get hot,” Lobo coach Don Flanagan said about the Rams. “They’ve played competitive all year. It’s a challenge to play them each time, just because they have so many shooters. And their post player has become one of the best in the league. But the third time you play somebody, they’re not going to have a lot of secrets.”
And the secret isn’t out on how Flanagan feels about the way the women’s bracket is set up.
Two years ago the MWC women’s coaches had their own bracketology epiphany — if it can be called that — and voted to change the format of the tournament.
Before, the women’s bracket was identical to the men’s, with the highest-seeded teams facing the lowest-seeded teams (Example: No. 1 would face the winner of the No. 8/No. 9 matchup).
Now, the current format benefits the top finishers in the conference, in this case TCU and BYU. Those two teams are idle for two games in the tournament, automatically placing the Horned Frogs and Cougars in the semifinals on Friday.
Third-seeded San Diego State earned a first-round bye and is already sitting in the quarterfinals.
“You know, the way the tournament’s set up, I prefer the old way and I have made that known,” Flanagan said. “We can’t do anything about it. Eventually, everybody’s going to have to play four games versus two for the two top teams. Now, they feel like it’s a better situation for the top two teams, especially going in (Ratings Percentage Index)-wise and going into the NCAA tournament. I don’t know, and I don’t think it has proven to be better, but it’s what we have to live with.”
And living with it is exactly what guard Amy Beggin is doing.
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Beggin, who has battled some injuries and adversity this season, said the Lobos can make a run in the MWC tournament.
“I really believe that we are capable of winning the tournament,” Beggin said. “I mean, we have proven that we can beat everybody in the conference and, so, if we can put a string of complete 40 minute games, I think we have a really good chance to win the tournament.”