The Mountain West men's basketball tournament kicks off in Las Vegas with three first-round matchups, as teams compete for an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Five teams currently lead the pack with realistic championship hopes: No. 1 New Mexico, No. 2 Colorado State, No. 3 Utah State, No. 4 San Diego State, and No. 5 Boise State. San Diego State and Boise State are projected among the last four teams in March Madness, according to Jerry Palm's latest bracket.

All 11 Mountain West teams will compete at the Thomas & Mack Center, with action beginning Wednesday, March 12.

First Round Matchups (Wednesday):

No. 8 San Jose State vs. No. 9 Wyoming (11 a.m.)

• SJSU swept regular season matchups
• Winner faces No. 1 New Mexico

No. 7 Nevada vs. No. 10 Fresno State (1:30 p.m.)

• Nevada swept regular season series
• Winner faces No. 2 Colorado State

No. 6 UNLV vs. No. 11 Air Force (4 p.m.)

• UNLV won both regular season games by combined 44 points
• Winner faces No. 3 Utah State

Key Tournament Storylines:

New Mexico enters as defending champions and top seed after a remarkable 17-3 conference record. Junior guard Donovan Dent leads the charge, averaging 20.4 points and 6.5 assists per game.

Coach Richard Pitino earned Mountain West Coach of the Year honors after rebuilding his team following major roster changes.

The quarterfinals begin Thursday, featuring:

• New Mexico vs. SJSU/Wyoming winner (noon)
• San Diego State vs. Boise State (2:30 p.m.)
• Colorado State vs. Nevada/Fresno State winner (6 p.m.)
• Utah State vs. UNLV/Air Force winner (8:30 p.m.)

Semifinals take place Friday evening, with the championship game scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. on CBS.

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