A season and multiple careers end as Boise State basketball loses to Nebraska
Boise State basketball’s season, and the college careers of three starters, came to a close on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown.
Boise State (26-11) lost 79-69 to Nebraska (20-14) in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. The result means Boise State will walk away with $50,000 in Name, Image and Likeness money to be split among the players.
The loss also spelled the end for the collegiate careers of guard Alvaro Cardenas and forwards Tyson Degenhart and O’Mar Stanley. Degenhart ended the game with a game-high 26 points and Cardenas with a game-high nine assists; Stanley’s final game was less fruitful, scoring 0 points and pulling in three rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
Degenhart ends his college career as Boise State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,037 points. Cardenas, who spent just one year at Boise State after transferring from San Jose State, leaves with the program’s single-season assist record with 256, ranking fifth in Division I this season. His 628 career dimes are also the third most in Mountain West history.
The Broncos got off to a good start in their first-ever meeting against the Cornhuskers. Degenhart and freshman forward Pearson Carmichael combined for three early 3-pointers while the defense forced Nebraska into a 5-for-18 shooting start from the field, resulting in a 19-13 lead for Boise State.
Carmichael and Degenhart were responsible for the bulk of Boise State’s offense from behind the arc. Carmichael shot 3 for 8 from 3-point range and Degenhart was 4 for 9 as the Broncos shot 9 for 27 (33.3%) as a team.
In contrast, the Cornhuskers shot 12 for 19 (63.2%) from 3-point range, helping them remain within touching distance of Boise State even with a near-four-minute first-half field goal drought.
An 18-3 run late in the half gave Nebraska a 39-33 lead heading into halftime. During Nebraska’s run, Cardenas endured an uncharacteristic sloppy spell, turning over the ball six times in the first half. He didn’t have a single turnover in the second half.
The six-point halftime margin would be the closest Boise State would be to Nebraska for the rest of the game. Nebraska stretched its lead to as many as 14 points at 64-50, and despite a couple of small runs from the Broncos, they never looked like they would catch the Cornhuskers.
Nebraska earned an extra $50,000 in NIL from the victory, bringing its total to $100,000. The Cornhuskers will face UCF in Sunday’s championship game, with the winner netting $300,000 total in NIL. The Knights beat Villanova in the other semifinals.
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM.
