Marquette had taken a one point lead with 6 1/2 minutes to play (58-57). Then Nelly Joseph and Donovan Dent took over. First Dent got the ball inside to Joseph for a layup to regain the lead. Then, Donovan hit two baskets to push the lead to 5. Then, Marquette tried to stop Dent and he found Joseph open for another layup. Then, Dent got another assist when he passed the ball to Tru Washington for a deep two-point shot (his foot was just on the line) from the corner.

The Lobos would go on a 10-0 run over 3 minutes to take control of the game. Marquette would just not recover from the run. If they tried to stop Dent from driving, he would find the open pass. If they took away the pass, he would simply score himself.

I have to apologize to the Mountain West champions. After watching San Diego State and Utah State get destroyed, I simply assumed that this would be another tough tournament for the Mountain West – they have a history of quick exits.

They proved me wrong. First, the conference tournament champion Colorado State beat Memphis in a game that they controlled. Then, the regular season champion New Mexico totally outplayed and outhustled Marquette, a team coached by Shaka Smart who is known for teams that hustle.

If I had said that one conference would advance 2 teams to the weekend and one would only get 1 between the Mountain West and ACC, who would have guessed after the UNC / San Diego State game that the answer would be the Mountain West.

Beware the Mountain West champions – they have both moved on to the weekend.