Tourney Talk

Amid talk of the inequity inherent in holding the MWC Tournament on UNLV's home floor, BYU fans can take solace in the knowledge that their team has actually fared better than any other "road team" at the Thomas and Mack Center come tournament time.

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Below are the win totals and records for the 9 MWC teams in the five previous tourneys held at the Thomas and Mack (note: UNLV was ineligible for tournament play in 2001, and TCU has only played one tournament in Las Vegas) :

UNLV: 10 wins (10-2)

BYU: 8 (8-4)

CSU: 4 (4-4)

Wyoming: 4 (4-5)

Utah: 3 (3-5)

SDSU: 3 (3-4)

UNM: 2 (2-5)

TCU: 1 (1-1)

AFA: 0 (0-5)

As you will note, UNLV and BYU are the only teams with winning MWC tournament records at the T&M. UNLV has reached the tourney finals every year it has been eligible at the Thomas and Mack.

For the record, BYU was only 1-3 in three tournaments held at the Pepsi Center in Denver--so all neutral floors are not created equal. In neutral floor MWC Tournament games at the T&M (games played against teams other than UNLV), BYU is 8-2.

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BYU is the second-most decorated team in MWC Tournament history. Here are the "All-Tournament Team" citations in eight previous tourneys:

UNLV: 12

BYU: 7

Wyoming: 6

Utah: 5

SDSU: 5

UNM: 4

CSU: 2

AFA: 0

TCU: 0

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UNLV is the only MWC team to be seeded no worse than 4th in any of its MWC Tournament appearances

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BYU is playing as the #1 seed for a second consecutive season. Last year was BYU's first year as a #1 seed, and the Cougars went 2-1. BYU's best success at the MWC Tournament has come as a #2 seed, going 5-2 and winning the tourney title in 2001.

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#1 seeds are 6-1 in MWC Tournament Quarterfinals, 4-3 in Semifinals, and 2-2 in Championship games.

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UNLV has appeared in 5 title games in 7 tourney appearances, but is only 2-3 in those games (2-2 at the Thomas and Mack Center).

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BYU has never lost to Wyoming at the MWC Tournament, going 3-0. BYU never played Wyoming in the WAC Tournament.

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BYU and Utah are tied for second-most wins in MWC Tournament history, behind UNLV. The Rebels lead with 14 victories (14-5 record), while BYU and Utah are tied with 9 wins (both 9-7).

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BYU has a 5-3 record in MWC Quarterfinals, is 3-2 in the Semifinals, and 1-2 in Championship games.

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