‘We’re here to compete for a title.’ Boise State to begin Mountain West defense vs. UNLV
If you’ve heard Leon Rice talk about the Mountain West this season, you know he says it’s as tough from top to bottom as it’s ever been.
The Boise State men’s basketball coach expects the conference tournament to take that toughness up a notch.
The second-seeded Broncos (23-8) open the Mountain West Tournament against No. 7 UNLV (19-12) at 7 p.m. Mountain time Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas — on the Rebels’ home floor.
“It gets the blood pounding. You play all season for these kinds of things,” Rice said. “... I think it’s been a much anticipated tournament because of the parity in this league. It’s going to be interesting to watch. Every single game is where you maybe toss a coin.”
If the first two games were any indicator, Rice is right.
No. 8 Colorado State edged No. 9 Fresno State 67-65 on a floater in the paint by Isaiah Stevens with 2 seconds remaining. Then EJ Harkless erupted for 35 points to lead UNLV to a 78-70 overtime victory against No. 10 Air Force.
“What a player. He had 35 today, that’s half their points,” Rice said. “He kind of had that look today of a guy that wasn’t gonna let it end. And that’s what it takes this time of year, is a talented player who can get that look, and he certainly delivered today.”
Harkless, the Mountain West’s second-leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, was held relatively in check in two meetings with the Broncos this season. He had 12 points in an 84-66 loss to Boise State on Jan. 11 in Las Vegas and finished with 14 points in a 73-69 loss Feb. 19 in Boise.
Thursday’s game will be another chance for the Broncos to make sure their NCAA Tournament resume doesn’t lag. The contest will officially count as a road game for the Broncos, according to a Boise State spokesperson. With UNLV checking in at No. 90 in the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings, that means it will be a Quad 2 contest.
“We’re here to compete for a title, so that stuff doesn’t matter,” Rice said. “Maybe it does matter after the fact, but for us, we’re playing a great team and it’s been that way all year long in league. We’re gonna have to play a great game, just like any other league game. If we didn’t play great, we didn’t get the results we wanted. When we played great, we did. It’s pretty simple that way.”
Boise State is the defending Mountain West Tournament champion, having won three games last year by a combined 10 points, showing the conference’s depth in 2021-22 as well.
BOISE STATE AT UNLV
When: 7 p.m. Mountain time Thursday
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: KBOI 670 AM (Bob Behler, Abe Jackson)
Records: Boise State 23-8, UNLV 19-12
Series: Boise State leads the all-time series 17-10
Vegas line: Boise State by 3.5
KenPom rating: Boise State 29, UNLV 88
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 70% chance of beating UNLV. His score prediction is a 72-66 BSU victory.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index: Boise State has a 67.5% chance of winning with a predicted point differential of 4.7.
This story was originally published March 8, 2023 at 6:45 PM.
