Boise State played on big stage in NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t too big for this freshman

Boise State knows how to make a splash on a national stage.

The Statue of Liberty play that clinched a win over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl is one of the legendary moments in college football history.

The men’s basketball team had a chance to make a similar splash with a run in the NCAA Tournament this year. A win over Memphis in the first round would have set up a game against No. 1 Gonzaga — a program led by Mark Few, who is a longtime friend and mentor of Boise State coach Leon Rice.

An upset of Gonzaga may have rivaled the Fiesta Bowl win as the biggest moment in Boise State history. It won’t happen after the Broncos came up short against Memphis.

But there’s good news, Boise State fans.

As big as the stage was for the Broncos on Thursday, it wasn’t too big for freshman Tyson Degenhart.

Degenhart didn’t look like a freshman, while playing on the biggest stage of his career. He looked loose and confident in pregame warm-ups, laughing and joking with teammates.

The 6-foot-7, 232-pound forward flashed three fingers and a grin at the crowd in Portland’s Moda Center after his first 3-pointer of the game. He knocked down another one a few minutes later, scoring six of his eight points before halftime.

Degenhart opened the second half in the post, defending the rim alongside Boise State redshirt senior Mladen Armus. The freshman didn’t shy away from clashes with Memphis’ bigger, stronger players in the post, and he showed his toughness by taking a late charge, which gave the Broncos the ball back after they cut Memphis’ lead to seven points with 1:54 to play.

Degenhart was on the floor for more than 29 minutes Thursday, and he didn’t look overwhelmed even though he was sharing the court with a potential top-10 NBA Draft pick in Memphis’ Jalen Duren.

“Their bigs are definitely physical down there, and Duren is definitely going to be a lottery pick,” Degenhart said after the game. “It was fun to compete with them. I just wish we would have gotten the job done.”

He did have his pocket picked by Memphis point guard Alex Lomax, ending Boise State’s chance to cut the Tigers’ lead to three in the closing minutes of the game.

But Degenhart wasn’t guilty of the most egregious freshman moment Thursday. That was Duren, who gave the Broncos an extra possession in the final minutes after he was called out of bounds while trying to save the ball after a Boise State player air-balled a shot.

Degenhart hasn’t looked like a freshman very often this year. He played in all 35 of the Broncos’ games and started 29. He scored at least 11 points in seven straight contests early in the season and cracked double digits 17 times, including a season-high 23 points against San Jose State.

His 9.8 points a game rank No. 4 on the team, and he was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week nine times — more than the rest of the league’s freshmen combined. He also became Boise State’s first Mountain West Freshman of the Year in program history.

Degenhart did all that barely a year removed from leading Mt. Spokane High School to an undefeated season. That speaks volumes about what he can do with a year or two of college basketball under his belt.

“He’s been freshman of the year, and it wasn’t even close,” Rice said after the game. “He could have been an all-league player when you break it down. He had that kind of year.”

Degenhart was named honorable mention All-Mountain West by conference coaches and media members.

Boise State’s season didn’t end with its first NCAA Tournament win in program history, but the Broncos are going to look back on this run with pride for a long time.

A program-record 27 wins and the first outright regular season and Mountain West tournament championships in program history make this a team that won’t soon be forgotten. Neither will all the clutch shots hit by Marcus Shaver Jr. and heroic performances by Abu Kigab. Both began their college careers elsewhere, but earned a place in the hearts of Boise State fans this year.

But if there’s a silver lining to Boise State’s early exit in the NCAA Tournament, it’s knowing the future is bright with Degenhart on the court.

This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 4:43 PM.

Ron Counts

Idaho Statesman

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Ron Counts is the Boise State football beat writer for the Idaho Statesman. He’s a Virginia native and covered James Madison University and the University of Virginia before joining the Statesman in 2019. Follow him on Twitter: @Ron_BroncoBeat Support my work with a digital subscription