Nevada at Boise State men’s basketball: How to watch, prediction and odds
Note: San Diego State defeated Wyoming 73-66 on Monday night, helping Boise State clinch at least a share of its first Mountain West regular-season title since 2014-15.
A season’s worth of hard work could be rewarded Monday night, and the Boise State men’s basketball team doesn’t even have to lift a finger.
The Broncos can clinch the Mountain West regular-season championship if San Diego State beats second-place Wyoming in Laramie.
“It’s outside our control. It’s outside noise,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said of the game. “Why would I care?”
Rice said the team’s focus remains on its 7 p.m. matchup against struggling Nevada — 3-8 in its past 11 games — on Tuesday at ExtraMile Arena (FS2). If the Broncos beat the Wolf Pack, they win a regular-season title outright, regardless of what happened between Wyoming and San Diego State the night before.
And Rice didn’t even want to entertain the possibility of securing the team’s first regular-season championship since 2014-15 on their home court. The first-place Broncos are serious about their commitment to staying in the moment.
“We can’t get caught up in that,” Rice said. “We control what we can control and do our jobs, and that’s what tomorrow is about.”
Tuesday’s game will also be the final home game for fifth-year senior Abu Kigab, who is out of eligibility after this season.
“I’m going to live in the moment and … enjoy it for what it is,” Kigab said. “… It would mean a lot (to clinch the title) for sure, but we’ve gotta remember how we got there. We just stick to that process and keep grinding and grinding and it’ll take care of itself.”
The five other players who are listed as seniors on the Boise State roster — Marcus Shaver Jr., Emmanuel Akot, Naje Smith, Lukas Milner and Mladen Armus — all have the option of returning next season after the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
No decision has been announced as to which players, if any, plan to return next season.
“We’ll all sit down when the dust settles and figure it all out,” Rice said. “As long as you live in truth and just talk things through, we’ll all be fine with it and figure it all out.”
Broncos sweep weekly awards
Boise State’s Kigab and Tyson Degenhart were named Mountain West Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively, the league office announced Monday.
It is the first award of Kigab’s career and the ninth of the season for Degenhart.
Kigab, a fifth-year senior, averaged 22 points in wins over San Diego State and UNLV that kept the Broncos in first place in the conference standings. Kigab went 13-for-20 (65%) from the field overall, including 5-for-7 (71.4%) from 3-point range. He also averaged 4.5 rebounds, and added three assists and two steals.
Degenhart had 10 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal against UNLV. Against San Diego State, Degenhart contributed six points and seven rebounds.
NEVADA AT BOISE STATE
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: ExtraMile Arena (12,380), Boise
TV: Fox Sports 2. That’s DirecTV channel 618, DISH Network channel 149 and Sparklight channel 148.
Radio: KBOI 670 AM (Bob Behler, Abe Jackson)
Records: Boise State 23-6, 14-2 MW; Nevada 12-15, 6-10 MW
Series: Nevada 51-29
Last meeting: Boise State defeated Nevada 85-70 on Jan. 12 in Reno.
Vegas line: Boise State by 10.5
KenPom rating: Boise State 25; Nevada 121
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 an 86% chance of beating Nevada. His score prediction is a 75-63 BSU victory.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index: Boise State has a 91% chance of winning with a predicted point differential of 14.9.
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 3:17 PM.
