The Mountain West’s hottest two teams over the past month, Colorado State and Boise State, meet tonight in the conference tournament championship game.
No. 2 seed Colorado State and No. 5 Boise State will play for the title at 6 p.m. ET on CBS after both teams picked up potential NCAA Tournament-bid-sealing wins on Friday.
Colorado State (24-9, 16-4 MWC) is coming off an 82-73 win over Utah State – a team that looked like it was going to run away with the Mountain West’s regular-season title a couple of months ago. The Rams led the entire way, went into halftime with a 19-point cushion, and held the conference’s best shooting team to 36.5 percent from the floor.
Colorado State is riding a nine-game winning streak into the championship game. Included in that impressive run was a 93-66 win over Utah State. That’s the most points Utah State gave up in a game this season. The Rams also went on the road and beat Boise State, 83-73, in the regular-season finale.
Boise State (24-9, 14-6 MWC) upset No. 1 seed New Mexico, 72-69, Friday to punch its ticket to the Mountain West title game and keep its hopes of a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament berth alive. It was the second time the Broncos beat the Lobos in the past month. They also knocked off New Mexico on Feb. 19 thanks to a career-high 32 points from Tyson Degenhart, who became Boise State’s all-time leading scorer on Friday with 1,949 career points.
The Broncos have won seven of their past eight games, including an 82-65 win over Utah State on Feb. 26 and a 62-52 win over San Diego State in the Mountain West quarterfinals on Thursday.
Colorado State swept its regular-season series with Boise State this year. The Rams won thanks to a late 3-pointer at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado, and dominated the rematch at ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho.
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Colorado State vs. Boise State Betting Odds
Boise State is a 1.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM, and the Over/Under is at 137.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -110 for both teams.
Colorado State vs. Boise State on TV
The Mountain West Tournament championship game between Colorado State and Boise State will be televised on CBS.
Tip-off from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
Colorado State vs. Boise State prediction
I predict Colorado State wins, 72-70.
It’s March, so the next game is every team’s biggest of the season, but that’s especially true for the Mountain West Tournament championship game. Boise State and Colorado State are both on the bubble of making the NCAA Tournament. Tonight’s winner is likely in. The loser is probably out.
Colorado State was a one-man show for much of the season. Fifth-year senior Nique Clifford carried the team with 18.8 points a game, which ranks No. 2 in the Mountain West, and 9.8 rebounds a night, which also ranks No. 2 in the conference. He also leads the Rams with 145 assists and has 15 double-doubles on his resume this season.
Clifford is the most NBA-ready prospect in the conference, but he wasn’t a one-man band on Friday. Ten different players scored against Utah State, and guards Jalen Lake and Kyan Evans both finished with 14 points.
Boise State’s defense is playing better than it has all season right now, and the Broncos have a talented pair of leaders in Degenhart and point guard Alvaro Cardenas. Degenhart ranks No. 3 in the Mountain West with 17.8 points a game, and Cardenas leads the conference with 229 assists.
They’ll keep tonight’s title game close, but Colorado State is just too hot. Clifford and company are heading to the Big Dance, and there’s a good chance the Broncos’ season ends in heartbreak.
