In the month of February, there hasn't been a hotter team in the country than TCU.
After getting off to a slow 12-8 start in head coach Jim Christian's fourth year in Fort Worth, they've beaten ranked UNLV and New Mexico squads and lost in OT to a ranked San Diego State team in the last few weeks.
But at 17-13, they'll probably need to advance at least to the Mountain West Tournament Finals to ensure an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Their first round opponent, Colorado State, is another team on the the bubble. The Rams split the season series with the Horned Frogs, with both teams holding serve on their home courts with narrow wins.
TCU is a deep team with six players averaging at least 8 points a game, but their unquestioned leader is 5'9 senior Hank Thorns, a fearless shooter and excellent play-maker who averages 13.4 points, 4.6 assists and 2.5 rebounds a game.
Like the Horned Frogs, Colorado State gets most of their scoring from the perimeter, with the duo of 6'2 junior guard Dorian Green and 6'3 junior guard Wes Eikmeier averaging nearly 30 points a game while bombing away from long-distance.
The team who finds their shooting touch quicker in Las Vegas should have the edge while the winner will likely face No. 1 seed San Diego State on Friday.
The 4:30 PM game will be broadcast nationally on the CBS Sports Network.