2009 WAC Tournament Predictions

The 2009 Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament goes down Tuesday, March 10th through Saturday, March 14th from the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada. Some of the early round games can be seen on ESPNU with the championship game being broadcast on ESPN 2. At 27-4, No. 1 seed Utah State has had a phenomenal season, but the Aggies didn’t do themselves any favors by going just 3-3 down the stretch with a loss to Saint Mary’s in a bracket buster game. This will likely be a conference where only the winner of the tournament will be dancing. In 2008, it took Boise State winning a triple overtime thriller against New Mexico State to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Jimmy Boyd analyzes the favorite and the team with the next best shot at winning in this predictions article. Bet the 2009 WAC Tournament at BetUS.

The Favorite: Utah State Aggies
The Aggies were the No. 1 seed in the 2008 WAC Tournament, but they were eliminated by No. 4 seed and eventual champion Boise State in the semifinals. The Aggies lost to the Broncos down the stretch this season and it has me wondering if they might have Utah State’s number. Still, Utah has all the motivation in the world to win here and has clearly been the best team in this league during the regular season. The only other team that Aggies will likely have to watch out for is the Nevada Wolf Pack, who just beat them 84-71 in Reno back on February 28th. The Aggies are led by strong forward Gary Wilkinson and his 16.9 points per game. Guard Jared Quayle is another instramental piece as one of the best assist men in the WAC.

Another Team That Can Win: Nevada Wolf Pack
The Nevada Wolf Pack finished second in the regular season standings, but they have a nice advantage with this tournament taking place right at home. Nevada was a No. 2 seed in last season’s tourney and went down to New Mexico State in the semis and that sour taste of defeat should motivate the Pack this year. Nevada finished the regular season strong, winning 6 of their last 7, including 3 in a row. Two of those last three wins came against Utah State and Boise State. The Wolf Pack just might be playing the best ball in the league right now and can definitely beat Utah State again if they speed up the tempo against an Aggies team which prefers half court sets. The Pack is led by forward Luke Babbitt and guard Armon Johnson. The duo combined by 31.4 points per game.

2008 MWC Tournament Recap:
Last season’s MWC Tourney Title Game was one for the history books as No. 4 seed Boise State defeated No. 3 seed Utah State 107-102 in a triple overtime thriller. What made Boise State’s run to the title even more impressive was that it knocked off No. 1 seed Utah State in the semis.

Beat the college basketball odds this March with Jimmy Boyd’s NCAA basketball picks. Start hitting more winners with your college basketball betting today.

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