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Mountain West earns respect following Colorado State and New Mexico’s wins on Friday

Both considered an underdog by seed, Colorado State and New Mexico put some respect on the Mountain West’s name with wins over Memphis and Marquette on Friday. Following a disappointing showing from the conference the past two seasons (outside of San Diego State) and start to this year’s tournament with San Diego State and Utah State following, the conference had a major bounce back on Friday.

In Colorado State and Memphis’s matchup in Seattle, it was a back and forth first 20 minutes that ended with Memphis on top 36-31 at the half after an 11-3 run to finish the half. It was a second half to remember for the Rams though, exploding out of the locker room and taking a 50-48 lead just over six minutes into the half.

Led by Kyan Evans, the offense was rolling, especially in the second half. When Evans, who finished with 23 points on six made threes, knocked in two triples just 69 seconds apart with under ten minutes to go, Colorado State could start to feel it. The latter three from Evans made it a ten-point advantage for the Rams who would hold on for a 78-70 win over fifth-seeded Memphis.

Nique Clifford, the Rams star forward, struggled from the floor, but still had a large impact on the game, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Colorado State will meet Maryland on Sunday for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16.

Across the country, New Mexico met Marquette in Cleveland, looking to pull a slight upset in the 7-10 game in the South Region. In what was one of the better games of the entire first round, not much separated these two teams throughout the first half. CJ Noland matched New Mexico’s largest lead with a late first half three-pointer to make the lead 35-27, but before the halftime buzzer David Joplin and Kam Jones scored back-to-back buckets to bring the Golden Eagles within three.

Things stayed close to start the second half, with Marquette taking its first lead of the second half at 47-46 with a Chase Ross layup. Back and forth the teams went for the next seven minutes, until a 10-0 New Mexico run sparked by four points and three assists from Donovan Dent put New Mexico ahead 67-58.

The nation’s most underrated point guard took over when his team needed him most, as Dent recorded 21 points and six assists, making up for his eight turnovers, most of which came in the first half.

The Lobos got the job done this time around after a disappointing first round exit last season, knocking off Marquette 75-66 and advancing to play Michigan State in the round of 32.

Other Things to Note:

• NCAA Tournament second round action tips off Saturday at 12:10 ET with games on CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV