Fresno State's chances of avoiding the dreaded play-in game of the Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament dramatically improved with a 56-41 victory against Air Force on Saturday.

Fresno State (10-18, 4-11) climbed out of last place and into a tie with Wyoming (18-11, 4-11) for second-to-last in the nine-team conference. And because the Bulldogs currently own the tiebreaker edge over the Cowboys (having defeated a team higher in the conference standings), Fresno State would enter the tournament as the No. 7 seed if the standings hold up.

Getting out of the play-in game means Fresno State would have to win three games as opposed to four to capture the conference title and earn an NCAA Tournament bid. Plus, the Bulldogs likely would avoid a second-round matchup with conference powerhouse and 14th-ranked New Mexico.

"You want to go up and play the second day of the (Mountain West) Tournament," Bulldogs coach Rodney Terry said. "The second day of the tournament is really the atmosphere of an NCAA (Tournament) game. Our guys understood that urgency tonight."

Fresno State also provided signs Saturday that the Bulldogs might be dangerous come tournament time, much because of their harassing defense during Senior Night at the Save Mart Center.

Fresno State held Air Force (16-11, 7-7) to 27.9% shooting. Bulldogs defenders often stayed in front of dribblers and constantly denied entry passes down low. It didn't hurt that when the Falcons did get open looks, some close to the basket, they clanked. And Air Force had just two fast-break points.

Fresno State's 19 offensive rebounds, 14 in the first half, helped the Bulldogs score 13 points on second-chance possessions.

Fresno State guard Garrett Johnson shot 9 of 11 and finished with 21 points, doing some of his most effective work while driving inside with the left hand.

Freshman Robert Upshaw provided the most entertaining highlight of the night. With the shot clock running down midway through the second half, the 7-footer out of Memorial High backed his defender down into the paint then spun baseline toward the basket to flush down a thunderous two-handed dunk that ignited the announced crowd of 7,788.

Upshaw finished with five points, five rebounds and had one steal in eight minutes.

"Rob has gotten better all year long," Terry said. "Again, it hasn't been his physical ability right now as much as it's been his mental aspect, his mental approach to the game. The mental part will bring his game to a whole other level once he figures out what it takes to be successful both on and off the court."

Though several scenarios can happen, Fresno State can hold on to the No. 7 seed with a win at UNLV (22-7, 9-5) and a Wyoming loss to Colorado State (22-7, 9-5) next week; plus, Nevada (12-15, 3-10) must lose one of its final two games (plays New Mexico and at Colorado State).

UP NEXT: FRESNO STATE AT UNLV

Saturday: 3 p.m. in Las Vegas

Records: Bulldogs 10-18, 4-11 MWC; Rebels 22-7, 9-5

Of note: Fresno State won the first-round game 64-55 on Feb. 6 at the Save Mart Center.