Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Divisional Round
Boise State Broncos (15-4) vs. New Mexico Lobos (17-2)
The 2022-23 NCAA men’s basketball season continues Friday, January 20, with the Boise State Broncos taking on the New Mexico Lobos in the Mountain West Conference showdown at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Broncos and Lobos lock horns for the first time this season, and the tip-off is set for 11:00 PM ET. New Mexico opens as a small 2.5-point home fave, while the totals are listed at 143.5 points. The Broncos search for their fifth consecutive victory over the Lobos, so let’s take a closer look.
The Boise State Broncos (15-4; 12-5-1 ATS; 5-1 conf.) are rolling on a five-game winning streak following Tuesday’s 77-62 home victory over the Nevada Wolf Pack. For the fifth straight contest, the Broncos held their opponents below a 70-point mark, and the Wolf Pack scored just 26 second-half points against Boise State.
The Broncos shot 52.7% from the field (8-for-16 from deep) against Nevada. They forced the Wolf Pack into 15 turnovers while posting a 9/8 assist-to-turnover ratio. Senior guard Max Rice led the Broncos with a season-high 29 points, and sophomore forward Tyson Degenhart added 15 points and six rebounds. This duo is racking up 26.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this season, while senior guard Marcus Shaver is posting 13.6 points, 6.4 boards, a nd 4.4 assists a night.
It was most definitely @maxrice12's night ??#BleedBlue | #WhatsNext pic.twitter.com/RpfX07Dx5M
— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) January 19, 2023
Boise State is No. 19 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 24 in the KenPom rankings. The Broncos boast the tenth-best defensive rating in the country, allowing just 90.7 points per 100 possessions. They are 34th in the country in opposing 2-point percentage (44.6%), 27th in opposing 3-point percentage (29.4%), and fifth in defensive rebound percentage (78.1%). On the other side of the ball, the Broncos tally 108.5 points per 100 possessions (88th) on 50.2% shooting from inside the arc (216th) and 37.6% from beyond the arc (41st).