Two Mountain West basketball teams trying to salvage their seasons will meet Friday when Boise State hosts Colorado State.
Colorado State (11-6, 2-4 MWC) is trying to fight its way back into the Mountain West title picture after dropping four of its past six conference games, including a 79-69 loss to Fresno State on Tuesday.
Injuries have depleted the Rams’ frontcourt.
Leading scorer Kyle Jorgensen went down with a knee injury in late December, and fellow injured big man Rashaan Mbemba has only played in four games. A trio of transfers are carrying the team as Brandon Rechsteiner (Virginia Tech), Josh Pascarelli (Marist), and Carey Booth (Illinois) are all averaging more than 12 points a game. Booth, a 6-foot-10 junior, is also averaging 7.1 rebounds a night.
Boise State (9-8, 1-5 MWC) is trying to save its season after the Broncos were picked to finish third in the conference in the preseason. The Broncos have lost four straight games and five of their last six contests, including an 89-85 setback at UNLV on Tuesday.
The Broncos are led by 6-foot-11 Georgetown transfer Drew Fielder, who is averaging 13.3 points and five rebounds a night. Returning starters Andrew Meadow and Javan Buchanan are adding 12.8 and 11.9 points a night, respectively.
Colorado State at Boise State Odds
Boise State is a 5.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is at 138.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -250 for Boise State and +200 for Colorado State.
Colorado State at Boise State on TV
The Mountain West game featuring Boise State and Colorado State will be televised on FS1.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
Colorado State at Boise State Prediction
I predict Boise State wins 81-76.
Colorado State has really struggled around the basket without Jorgensen and Mbemba at full health. The Rams were outscored in the paint by Fresno State, and they rank No. 10 in the 12-team Mountain West with 33.7 rebounds a game.
That bodes well for Boise State, which ranks No. 4 in the league with 37.3 rebounds a night.
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The Broncos should also get a bump from playing at home, where they’re 6-3 this season. Fielder has a chance to have a big night, but he’s going to need some help from a talented shooter like Pearson Carmichael, and point guard Dylan Andrews has to cut down on the turnovers.
Colorado State is one of the best shooting teams in the conference. It leads the Mountain West with a 3-point percentage above 40%, but turnovers have been an issue. The Rams rank near the bottom of the league with a -1.94 turnover margin.
