[1] Defending national and conference champions UNLV defeated seventh-seeded Fresno State in the final, 98–74, capturing their seventh PCAA/Big West championship.
UNLV subsequently received an automatic bid to the 1991 NCAA tournament, where they would advance to the Final Four.
Fellow Big West member New Mexico State received an at-large bid.
In turn, only the top eight teams, based on regular season conference records, qualified for the tournament field.
All eight teams were entered in the initial round, paired and seeded based on record.