Boise State’s next ‘cornerstone guy’? Mountain West recognizes Broncos’ blossoming freshman
It didn’t take long for Tyson Degenhart to make a name for himself in the Mountain West.
With just four collegiate starts under his belt, Degenhart was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week on Monday after helping the Boise State men’s basketball team to a pair of wins last week.
“That’s a great one. I love that,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “To have one of the better freshmen in the league, that always makes you feel good, because that’s a guy that can be a cornerstone guy in this program. When we recruited him, that’s what we told him, and it’s coming to fruition.
“I think he’s just scratching the surface right now of how good he can be when you consider how little experience he’s had in Division I basketball. It’s amazing what he’s doing.”
In wins over Cal State Northridge and Prairie View A&M, Degenhart averaged 18.5 points, 6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.
The 6-foot-7 forward from Spokane, Washington, scored a career-best 21 points against CSUN to become the first Mountain West freshman to score 20 or more points in a game this season. He also became the 12th freshman in school history to score 20 points in a game, joining the likes of Justinian Jessup, Anthony Drmic and Derrick Marks.
“I had my best-case scenarios in my head of like, ‘Well, I think he can do this,’ ” Rice said. “But until you see guys under the lights, you really don’t know. I mean, you think you know. But you have some guys that surprise you in the gamer qualities that they have, and I think he definitely has that. He’s got the moxie and the winning attitude and makes everybody around him better. That’s probably his best attribute.”
Against Prairie View A&M, Degenhart registered his fourth straight double-figure scoring game, totaling 16 points, six rebounds and a career-high three steals. Degenhart shot a combined 7-for-10 from 3-point range in the wins and 56.5% from the floor.
Since being inserted into the starting lineup, he is averaging 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 34 minutes per game. He has appeared in all 10 games this season, averaging 7.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game.
Riding a three-game winning streak, Degenhart and Boise State host Santa Clara at 7 p.m. Tuesday in ExtraMile Arena. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
See BSU play for $5
Boise State football coach Andy Avalos, his wife, Summer, and daughters Paityn and Paige are sponsoring the inaugural Avalos Family Christmas Drive, an initiative to bring shoes and warm coats to Treasure Valley youth in need.
The first opportunity to donate to the cause will be Tuesday in advance of the men’s basketball game against Santa Clara. Fans who contribute items to the drive will receive a game ticket for $5. Collection begins at 6 p.m. at each entrance to the arena.
SANTA CLARA AT BOISE STATE
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: ExtraMile Arena, Boise
TV: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Pete Gillen). That’s DirecTV channel 221, DISH Network channel 158 and Sparklight channel 139.
Radio: 670 AM (Bob Behler, Abe Jackson)
Records: Boise State 6-4, Santa Clara 7-4
Series: Santa Clara leads the all-time series 4-0. The last meeting was a 69-38 Santa Clara win on Dec. 1, 1989.
Vegas line: Boise State by 7.5
KenPom rating: Boise State 63, Santa Clara 92
KenPom & ESPN predictions
Ken Pomeroy, who created the popular college basketball statistical website KenPom.com, ranks every Division I team using an adjusted efficiency margin, which Pomeroy defines as the difference between a team’s offensive and defensive efficiency.
According to Pomeroy’s detailed statistical analysis, Boise State has a 69% chance of beating Santa Clara. His score prediction is a 72-67 BSU victory.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index: Boise State has a 71.8% chance of winning with a predicted point differential of 6.1.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 2:56 PM.
