San Diego State edges New Mexico in Mountain West semifinals, setting up title bid and NCAA hopes

Aztecs survive late test against Lobos as March stakes intensify

San Diego State moved within one win of the Mountain West tournament championship and the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth after a 64-62 win over New Mexico in Las Vegas. The result put the Aztecs into the conference title game on Saturday, March 14, at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The victory came in a postseason meeting between teams that had already traded close, high-profile results this season. San Diego State beat New Mexico 83-79 in their January meeting in San Diego. New Mexico answered with an 81-76 win on Feb. 28 in Albuquerque. Friday’s neutral-site contest again came down to a single possession.

What the result means for the NCAA picture

In the Mountain West, the most direct path to the NCAA Tournament is winning the conference tournament, which carries an automatic bid. For programs operating near the at-large cut line, reaching the title game can improve their résumé, but it does not guarantee selection. With the Aztecs advancing to the final, their postseason outlook now hinges on whether they can secure the automatic berth on Saturday.

• San Diego State advanced to the Mountain West championship game with the 64-62 semifinal win.
• The Mountain West tournament champion receives an automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
• At-large selections are determined by the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee, separate from conference automatic bids.

A tight series across the season

The semifinal capped a sequence of narrow margins between the programs. San Diego State’s January win was decided by a late basket in the final seconds. New Mexico’s Feb. 28 win came in a game where the Lobos reached 81 points, while Friday’s semifinal shifted into a lower-scoring, defense-forward finish typical of late-season tournament play.

Final: San Diego State 64, New Mexico 62.

What comes next

San Diego State’s next game is the Mountain West championship on Saturday, March 14, in Las Vegas. The outcome will determine the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament qualifier. For New Mexico, the loss ends its Mountain West tournament run and leaves its postseason fate dependent on the broader NCAA selection process.

As the calendar turns to Selection Sunday, Friday’s result underscored how quickly postseason trajectories can pivot in March: one possession decided the semifinal, and one remaining game will decide the conference’s guaranteed ticket to the NCAA Tournament.