Degenhart helps Boise State cruise past Wyoming, stay in Mountain West title hunt
Boise State basketball coach Leon Rice stood in front of a gaggle of media members Thursday in Boise and said junior Tyson Degenhart deserves to be in the running for Mountain West Player of the Year.
Degenhart looked like one of the best in the conference Saturday in Laramie, Wyoming. The two-time All-Mountain West pick led all scorers with 22 points, and shot 8-for-10 from the floor and 3-for-4 from 3-point range, to lead Boise State past Wyoming 92-72.
Degenhart, who was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2022, scored more than 20 points in a game for the ninth time this season. The first-team all-conference pick from a year ago leads the Broncos (19-8, 10-4) with 16.6 points a game. He’s averaging 18.1 points a game in conference play, which trails only San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee and Utah State’s Great Osobor.
The Broncos built a double-digit lead in the first half, but Wyoming (13-14, 6-8 MW) cut it to two points late in the half. Degenhart helped spark a 19-6 run that put the Broncos ahead for good and sent them into halftime with a 51-36 lead. He reeled off a quick seven points during the run, and Degenhart’s third 3-pointer of the game gave Boise State a 87-62 lead with less than four minutes left in regulation.
Degenhart got some help Saturday from a defense that racked up nine steals and a team that was dominant on the glass. Boise State outrebounded Wyoming 43-19, scored 19 second-chance points and had 48 points in the paint.
“I’m really proud of the guys and proud of how we rebounded because we wore them down on the glass,” Rice told KBOI radio after the game.
O’Mar Stanley finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Max Rice added 16 points and point guard Roddie Anderson III finished with 12. Sam Griffin led the Cowboys with 16 points, while Mason Walters finished with 15.
The big picture
The Broncos’ win at Wyoming won’t do much for them on paper. The Cowboys are No. 161 in the NET rankings. Winning in such impressive fashion late in the season could mean something to the NCAA Tournament selection committee, though.
Rice admitted Thursday that it’s not enough to beat the teams you’re supposed to beat this time of year. You have to blow them out. A 20-point win on a conference rival’s home court certainly counts as that.
Boise State couldn’t afford a slip Saturday, and the Broncos can’t afford one Tuesday at Air Force (7 p.m., Mountain West Network). The Falcons are coming off a major upset at New Mexico, where they won 78-77 to do damage to the Lobos’ tournament hopes.
Boise State needs another road win to carry momentum into the final three games of the season: New Mexico and Nevada at home, and a road game at San Diego State.
The Broncos and Utah State once again have identical 10-4 conference records, which means winning the league title and clinching the top seed in the Mountain West Tournament is still a very real possibility for Boise State.
This story was originally published February 24, 2024 at 8:27 PM.
