Boise St. secured their first win in the Mountain West conference this past Wednesday. Will the Broncos double it up against a UNLV team making their league debut?
TV schedule: Saturday, Dec. 30, 11:00 p.m. ET. Check Local Listings
Arena: Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
On Wednesday evening, most of the teams in the Mountain West opened up league play. Boise State 11-2 (1-0) was one of them, winning their first conference game against Colorado State, 93-71. Conference Player of the Year candidate Chandler Hutchinson led all scorers with 24 points on 9/15 shooting.
The Broncos out-rebounded the Rams, 34-24, and received a ton of help, with Alex Hobbs and Marcus Dickinson each dropping 16 points off the bench. Head coach Leon Rice has to be really happy that his team can score 93, with second-leading scorer Justinian Jessup scoring just five points on 1/9 shooting.
Boise St. will now be going to Vegas, to try their luck against a vastly improved UNLV 11-2 (0-0) team that has already equaled their win total from the previous year. Under second-year coach Marvin Menzies, the roster has gone through a complete overhaul, with a starting frontcourt that would make most PAC-12 coaches jealous.
Marvin Bagley of Duke and DeAndre Ayton of Arizona may be the nationally known centers of college basketball, but freshman Brandon McCoy has been just as good, averaging 18.9 ppg and is second in the Mountain West in rebounding at 10.9 rpg.
The top rebounder in the conference stands right beside him in Junior College transfer Shakur Juiston, who averages 11.0 rpg to go along with 15.2 ppg. The starting perimeter for the Rebels has been just as good, with Jovan Mooring and Jordan Johnson combining for 28 ppg and 10 apg.
In the one game between these two teams last season in Vegas, Boise St. handled UNLV 77-59. In that game, Hutchinson had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead all players. This time around, it’ll be up to Juiston to make sure the star Bronco doesn’t go off.
Next: Mountain West power rankings before league play
This is an important game for both teams, with the Broncos and the Rebels both serious at-large contenders. A loss won’t be too damaging, but a win will be a great start for two teams looking to keep pace with front-runners Nevada for conference supremacy. The Broncos don’t have a true answer for McCoy, which should allow UNLV to prevail is a tight contest throughout.
Prediction: UNLV 84 – Boise State 77