Mountain West Network Coverage: Palms Partnership and Women's Tournament Bracket

The Mountain West Conference announced a multiyear hotel partnership with Palms Casino Resort as it prepares to move its corporate headquarters to Las Vegas in July 2026; the news arrives as the 2026 Credit Union 1 MW Women’s Basketball Championship bracket and schedule are set for March 7–12. The announcement notes that the mountain west network will carry live streams through the semifinal round of the women’s tournament.

Palms Official Hotel Partner

The agreement names Palms Casino Resort an Official Hotel Partner through 2028 and positions the property as a central local partner as the Conference relocates its headquarters to Las Vegas in July 2026. Palms is slated to host the Conference’s Fan Fest during Championship Week and provide accommodations for teams, conference administrators, and fans attending events in the city that has hosted Mountain West basketball championships for 24 years.

The partnership launches during the 2026 Mountain West Men’s and Women’s Basketball Conference Championships, scheduled for March 7–14 in Las Vegas, and will expand in the 2026–27 academic year when Palms assumes a refreshed title as the conference’s Exclusive Hotel Partner. Under that expanded role, Palms will serve as the Presenting Partner for 14 Mountain West Championships, including both men’s and women’s basketball and all 13 Olympic sport championships, with integrated in-event activations and additional hosting duties for media days.

Women’s Championship bracket and schedule

The Credit Union 1 MW Women’s Basketball Championship is a four-day tournament beginning Saturday, March 7, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. San Diego State clinched the outright regular-season title and the No. 1 seed with a road victory at Boise State on Feb. 25, winning 66-64. The No. 2 seed is UNLV, No. 3 is Colorado State, and No. 4 is New Mexico.

Seeds 5–12 are: No. 5 Boise State, No. 6 Grand Canyon, No. 7 Fresno State, No. 8 Wyoming, No. 9 Air Force, No. 10 Nevada, No. 11 Utah State and No. 12 San José State. The regular season closed with six Mountain West teams posting double-digit conference wins, tying for the second-most in league history, a factor cited in framing expectations for a competitive tournament.

First-round matchups on Saturday, March 7 (times converted to Eastern Time) begin with No. 8 Wyoming vs. No. 9 Air Force at 3: 00 p. m. ET. Game two is No. 5 Boise State vs. No. 12 San José State at 5: 30 p. m. ET, followed by No. 7 Fresno State vs. No. 10 Nevada at 8: 00 p. m. ET. The remaining first-round game, No. 6 Grand Canyon vs. No. 11 Utah State, was listed without a specific kickoff time in the available schedule.

Quarterfinals on the next day include a 5: 30 p. m. ET matchup (2: 30 p. m. PT), an 8: 00 p. m. ET game (5: 00 p. m. PT) and a 10: 30 p. m. ET game (7: 30 p. m. PT), with No. 1 San Diego State, No. 4 New Mexico, No. 2 UNLV and No. 3 Colorado State occupying the seeded slots that will play those winners. Semifinals are set for Tuesday, March 10 at 8: 00 p. m. ET and 10: 30 p. m. ET, with the championship game scheduled for Wednesday, March 12 beginning at 9: 30 p. m. ET.

Mountain West Network Streaming Details

Every game through the semifinal round will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network; the mountain west network reference here reflects the conference’s planned streaming distribution for tournament games through the semis. The championship game is scheduled for national broadcast under the tournament’s broader media plans.

CSU’s seeding and tournament implications

Colorado State earned the No. 3 seed after finishing tied for second in conference play, with a tiebreaker setting the Rams’ seeding. That placement sets Colorado State to face the winner of the designated first-round pairing in the quarterfinals and frames the team as one of several contenders in a season that produced multiple double-digit conference winners.

Palms’ expanded role in 2026–27 and the Conference’s move to Las Vegas together point to deeper local engagement during Championship Week and across upcoming events. If Palms proceeds as the Exclusive Hotel Partner and Presenting Partner for the listed championships, the resort will take on larger visibility at events and in hospitality for teams and guests during the conference’s new Las Vegas era.