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Full preview for Mountain West Championship game between Utah State vs. San Diego State

The Mountain West Conference will award their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament to the winner of Utah State vs. San Diego State on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know.

San Diego State Aztecs guard Matt Bradley, forward Nathan Mensah (bottom left), guard Tyler Broughton (left) and guard Triston Broughton pose for a photograph following the victory over the Wyoming Cowboys and earning the Mountain West Conference regular season championship at Viejas Arena.  Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The championship for the Mountain West Conference Tournament sees the No. 3 Utah State Aggies vs. the No. 1 San Diego State Aztecs in the final game on Saturday, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. ET. The game will air on CBS, and the winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, though both teams are safely in the field of 68 already.

No. 3 Utah State 26-7 (13-5 MWC), 18 NET, 18 KenPom

Despite being down at halftime to the Boise State Broncos on Friday night, the Aggies pulled away for a comfortable 72-62 victory. Junior guard Steven Ashworth (16.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.7 apg) leads a team that shoots a blistering 39.2% from three-point range as a team (5th in NCAA). USU relies on plenty of perimeter ball movement, and always has multiple players capable of shooting from anywhere.

No. 1 San Diego State 26-6 (15-3 MWC), 15 NET, 15 KenPom

The Show is back, and Brian Dutcher’s sixth team off I-8 might be his best chance to make a deep tournament run since his 30-2 team in 2020 was unable to play for the national championship due to Covid-19.

As per usual, its defense that’s the key to the Aztecs success, as they rank No. 10 in adjusted efficiency nationally. With a pair of senior starting guards in Matt Bradley (12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.2 apg) and Darrion Trammell (9.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.4 apg), the Aztecs look to swarm the perimeter (12th in three-point shooting defense) and use their depth via an 8-to-9 man rotation.

How to watch the Mountain West Tournament Championship Game

When: Saturday, March 1 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
TV: 6 p.m.
Livestream: CBS Sports, CBS Sports app

Odds for Mountain West Tournament Championship Game from DraftKings Sportsbook:

Point spread: San Diego State -1.5
Point total: 139
Moneyline: SDSU -125, USU +105

Pre-tournament odds to win at DraftKings Sportsbook

San Diego State: +150
Utah State: +380