Utah State at Boise State men’s basketball: How to watch, prediction and odds
The depth of the Mountain West this season is in some ways a blessing, as the conference is projected to receive multiple at-large bids to NCAA Tournament.
But in other ways, that depth can be a stumbling block, particularly if you happen to be a team chasing a regular-season championship.
With five games remaining on its regular-season schedule, the Boise State men’s basketball team owns a half-game lead over Wyoming for first place in the league standings. The Broncos can hardly afford a slip-up when they host Utah State at 4 p.m. Saturday at ExtraMile Arena. The Aggies have lost three straight games and have fallen into a tie for seventh in the conference standings.
But appearances can be deceiving.
“It’s the craziest year,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “Show me an easy game. ... There is no game, and I’m not just talking about us, I’m talking about any team, there’s no game where somebody can just stroll out and go: ‘Well, we’re 30 points better than you and it’s all gonna go as planned tonight.’ ... It’s the best (the league) has ever been from top to bottom, I have to think.”
Case in point: Boise State needed a last-second 3-pointer from Marcus Shaver Jr. to get past Utah State in Logan last month. And the Aggies would love to spoil the Broncos’ championship hopes with a victory Saturday.
“They’re versatile. They’ve got five guards, basically, some of them just happen to be 6-11,” Rice said of Utah State. “They’ve got a super-high-IQ team and a super-skilled team and a really tough team. They’ve had moments of looking like they’re unstoppable.”
More evidence of the Mountain West’s depth this season is the fact that it has six teams ranked in the top 65 of the NET. Only four other conferences can claim the same: the Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC.
EMMANUEL AKOT UPDATE: Rice said before Friday’s practice that the redshirt senior point guard remains “day-to-day.” He has missed four straight games.
UTAH STATE AT BOISE STATE
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: ExtraMile Arena ((12,380), Boise
TV: CBS Sports Network (Chris Lewis, Dan Dickau). That’s DirecTV channel 221, DISH channel 158 and Sparklight channel 139.
Radio: 670 AM (Bob Behler, Abe Jackson)
Records: Boise State 20-6, 11-2 MW; Utah State 15-12, 6-8 MW
Series: Utah State 34-19
Last meeting: Boise State defeated Utah State 62-59 on Jan. 20 in Logan, Utah.
Vegas line: Boise State by 4.5
KenPom rating: Boise State 33, Utah State 52
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 67% chance of beating Utah State. His score prediction is a 68-63 Boise State victory.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index: Boise State has a 74.7% chance of winning with a predicted point differential of 6.6.
Women’s basketball: Broncos on road one last time
The Boise State women’s basketball team plays its final Mountain West regular-season road game Saturday at New Mexico. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at The Pit in Albuquerque.
The Lobos (21-7, 12-3) are currently second in the Mountain West standings and defeated Boise State 72-68 on Dec. 31 in Boise.
Saturday’s game will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network, or listen on the radio on 670 AM.
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 4:00 PM.
