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Handicapping the Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas •

No. 1 Boise State (24-7) vs. No. 9 Air Force (14-16)

Tipoff • 1 p.m. MDT

Line • Boise State -10

Keys • Teams with two of the conference's best offenses meet in the opening game of the quarterfinal round. The Broncos have won 13 of their last 14 and feature MWC Player of the Year Derrick Marks, who will be a difficult matchup for the Falcons. Air Force won its play-in round game over New Mexico (68-61) without much production from senior Max Yon, who was only 3 for 8 from the field. All the pressure's on Boise, which could be knocked off the NCAA tournament bubble with a loss to the Falcons.

Pick • Boise State, 72-65

No. 2 San Diego State (24-7) vs. No. 7 UNLV (18-14)

Tipoff • 7 p.m. MDT

Line • San Diego State -5

Keys • The Aztecs won two close games with the Rebels during the season. They must now win in UNLV's home building for a second time just to reach the conference semifinals. San Diego State often has trouble scoring, and UNLV is athletic enough to make it difficult. The Rebels tuned up for this intriguing showdown with a 67-46 play-in win over Nevada. Christian Wood was sensational with 28 points on 9-for-13 shooting. The Aztecs must contain him.

Pick • San Diego State, 69-67

No. 3 Colorado State (26-5) vs. No. 6 Fresno State (15-16)

Line • Colorado State -8

Tipoff • 9:30 p.m. MDT

Keys • Colorado State comes off a 75-70 win at Utah State in its regular-season finale. The Rams shot only 3 for 21 from the 3-point line. J.J. Avila scored 29 points, but Aggie freshman center David Collete was in game-long foul trouble, limiting Utah State's inside presence. Avila will probably have a tougher time against Fresno, but the Rams are rolling toward an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, and the Bulldogs don't look like the team that slows them down.

Pick • Colorado State, 82-65

No. 4 Wyoming (22-9) vs. No. 5 Utah State (18-12)

Line • Wyoming -1.5

Tipoff • 3:30 p.m. MDT

Keys • Utah State blew out Wyoming in Logan. The Cowboys crushed the Aggies in Laramie. The team that made its shots won those games, and the team that makes its shots will likely win this one. Utah State must limit Wyoming senior Larry Nance Jr., a first-team All-MWC pick who can score in a variety of ways. The Aggies need Collette to stay out of foul trouble. He's been called for 27 fouls in the last six games, fouling out three times. The Aggies could also use a lift from freshman Julion Pearre, who has scored two points on 1-for-11 shooting in the last two games.

Pick • Wyoming, 61-60

— Steve Luhm