The Boise State men’s basketball team is on the road tonight to face UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, which will play host to the Mountain West Tournament March 12-15.
The Broncos, who were picked to win the conference in the preseason, have won their past two games in convincing fashion after dropping back-to-back contests against New Mexico and Colorado State.
A regular-season conference title may be out of reach for Boise State (15-7, 7-4 MWC), especially with New Mexico moving to 10-1 in conference play after beating Utah State on Saturday, but the Broncos still have a shot at earning a top-four seed in the Mountain West Tournament.
Boise State is led by reigning Mountain West Player of the Year Tyson Degenhart, who is tied with Colorado State’s Nique Clifford for No. 3 in the conference this season with 17.7 points a night.
UNLV (11-11, 5-6 MWC) is on a four-game losing streak, but the Rebels have been a thorn in the side of every team they’ve played recently. All four losses have been by six points or less, including a 63-61 setback against Wyoming and a 75-73 loss to New Mexico. After upsetting Utah State the first time they played, the Rebels also fell, 76-71, to the Aggies on Jan. 29.
UNLV is led by point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who is averaging 16 points a night and has posted 104 assists.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
Boise State at UNLV Odds
Boise State is a 2.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM, and the Over/Under is at 140.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -160 for Boise State and at +135 for UNLV.
Boise State at UNLV on TV
The Mountain West game featuring Boise State and UNLV will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Tip-off is scheduled for 11 p.m. ET.
Boise State at UNLV Prediction
I predict UNLV wins, 67-62.
Boise State is on a roll right now. The Broncos cruised past Fresno State, 82-60, on Saturday thanks to 20 points from wing Andrew Meadow and 34 points from the bench, which was led by former NAIA All-American Javan Buchanan and St. John’s transfer O’Mar Stanley, both of whom finished with 10 points.
Boise State also held Nevada to just 56 points on Jan. 29. The Broncos’ problem is they’re just not very good on the road. They’re 2-4 away from ExtraMile Arena this season, and UNLV is 9-3 in front of its home crowd at Thomas & Mack.
Thomas is one of the top-scoring point guards in the Mountain West, and he’s been getting some help as of late from a couple of big men. Six-foot-6 forward Jalen Hill posted 16 points and five rebounds against Utah State on Jan. 29, and 6-foot-7 DePaul transfer Jaden Henley added 16 points and six rebounds.
Boise State cruised to an 81-59 win when it hosted UNLV on Jan. 7, but the Broncos are going to have their hands full in front of a hostile crowd tonight.
