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Nevada’s Championships Odds Do Not Change After San Diego State Loss
A look at the Mountain West teams and national title odds
Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire
Watch out for Utah State.
The Nevada Wolf Pack are coming off of a tough loss to San Diego State this past week losing 65-57 making it the third-straight loss to the Aztecs. The defeat drops the Wolf Pack record to a still gaudy 24-2, but due to the strength of schedule its seeding will dip and could drop them from a protected seed.
Nevada fans looking for something promising should look no further than to the odds to win March Madness as those are still holding steady.
According to Sascha P from Sportsbettingdime, the Wolf Pack are the only Mountain West team getting any serious recognition from oddsmakers when it comes to the national championship odds. Nevada’s current odds are 18/1. As for the rest of the league, some sites have UNLV and Boise State at 250/1, Fresno State at 300/1, and Utah State at 500/1.
The odds demonstrate that sportsbooks and bettors pay more attention to name brands than the quality of play. If it were the other way around, second-place Utah State would have much shorter odds.
The Aggies are 21-6 overall, 11-3 in conference play, and are 40th in KenPom’s efficiency rankings, well behind Nevada which is 20th in that same category, but far ahead of the third-best Mountain West team, Fresno (68th). Utah State is the only Mountain West team apart from the Wolf Pack that has a legitimate claim to an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Aggies also have a shot to clinch a share of the Mountain West crown if they win out. Utah State takes on Nevada in Logan, Utah, on March 2. A win by the Aggies over Nevada would split the season series and if both teams finish with three league losses then Utah State would be co-champs on the league.
Winning the league would be an amazing feat for first-year head coach Craig Smith who took over a team that lost its best player in Koby McEwen who transferred to Marquette.
Nevada’s only two losses have come on the road so it would not be a shock if the Aggies were to get the upset win. KenPom has this as a close one with the Wolf Pack just a one-point favorite.
Utah State also has an easier schedule the rest of the way compared to Nevada since the Wolf Pack still have to face Fresno State and San Diego State but those two are at home.
As the Aztec and Lobos victories over Nevada have told us anything don’t be overly shocked if the Wolf Pack fall on the road to a good Aggies teams.
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