Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos)
LAS VEGAS — Craig Smith and Niko Medved need no reminders of what the Mountain West Conference can be.
Both former Colorado State basketball assistants turned MW head coaches recall the apex of the league, when a handful of conference teams playing in the NCAA tournament was the norm, not the exception. They remember when schools with rich tradition created nationwide buzz for what the MW was and what it could become.
And they see it happening again.
"Selfishly, you will never find a coach that has more pride in the Mountain West than I do," Smith said Thursday night after his Utah State Aggies beat New Mexico in the quarterfinals of the MW tournament.