Former UCLA point guard Dylan Andrews was one of several Boise State players who had career nights last Saturday in one of the Broncos’ most impressive wins of the season.
Andrews, who joined the Broncos this season, posted a career-high 33 points in Boise State’s 91-90 win at The Pit in New Mexico. Georgetown transfer Drew Fielder’s career-high five 3-pointers were part of a season-high 15 by the Broncos. Sophomore Pearson Carmichael, making his second start of the season, finished with 16 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
It’s the Broncos’ second win over the Lobos this season. Boise State also knocked off New Mexico, 62-53, in Idaho last December.
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Those two wins are second only to the Broncos’ 68-67 victory over St. Mary’s in terms of their most resume-boosting wins of the season as Boise State tries to make it back to the NCAA Tournament after missing the cut last year. The Gaels rank No. 28 in college basketball’s NET rankings. The Lobos come in at No. 44.
Boise State (15-9, 7-6 MWC) has a chance to even its series with UNLV at ExtraMile Arena on Friday. The Rebels beat the Broncos, 89-85, in overtime in Las Vegas on Jan. 13.
After dropping five of its first six Mountain West games this year, Boise State has won six of its past seven. The teams’ top two transfers, Andrews and Fielder, coming into their own is a big part of the reason why.
Andrews, who played in 100 games for UCLA before joining the Broncos, put up 25 points in a 91-87 overtime win over Nevada and 21 against Colorado State. He’s No. 2 on the team with 12.3 points a game, and he ranks No. 7 in the Mountain West with 81 assists. Fielder, who played in 63 games for Georgetown the past two seasons, leads the Broncos with 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds a night.
UNLV (12-12, 7-6 MWC) was on a four-game losing streak until the Rebels won their past two, including an 80-78 upset of Grand Canyon. Illinois transfer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn led the way with 24 points in an 82-75 win over San Jose State on Tuesday. Kimani Hamilton added 23 points and 10 rebounds, and freshman Tyrin Jones came off the bench to finish with 13 points.
UNLV at Boise State Odds
Boise State is a 10.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 156.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -500 for Boise State and +375 for UNLV.
UNLV at Boise State on TV
The Mountain West game featuring UNLV and Boise State will be televised on FS1.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
UNLV at Boise State Prediction
I predict Boise State wins, 78-74, but I don’t think the Broncos will cover the spread.
Gibbs-Lawhorn is the top scorer in the Mountain West, averaging 18.7 points a game. He has scored more than 20 points in four straight games and in six of the Rebels’ past seven. He’s averaging 23.3 points a night in the past seven games.
He and Hamilton complement each other well, and Jones gives UNLV a talented, young post player to get excited about. But Boise State is on a hot streak in large part because of its impressive depth, and that’s going to help the Broncos win this one, too.
Andrews and Fielder are joined by two vets, Andrew Meadow and Javan Buchanan. Carmichael, Dominic Parolin, Spencer Ahrens, and RJ Keene give them plenty of pop off the bench, too.
