BY MIKE PRATER
@KTIK.COM

SATURDAY’S GAME: Boise State (16-3, 6-1 Mountain West) travels to face Nevada (17-3, 6-0) at 8 p.m. MT Saturday at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno (670 AM, 93.1 FM, ESPNU). 

PREVIOUS GAME: The Broncos defeated Utah State 71-67 on Wednesday, Jan. 17, in Taco Bell Arena. Boise State’s bench scored 30 points and senior guard Chandler Hutchison added 16 as the Broncos raised their record in Taco Bell Arena this season to 11-0 (school record is 16-1).

NEXT THREE GAMES:

• At Nevada, Reno, 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20 (670 AM, 93.1 FM, ESPNU)
• Vs. San Jose State, Taco Bell Arena, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24 (670 AM, AT&T Sports Network)
• At Air Force, 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 (670 AM, 93.1 FM, ESPNU)

SCOUTING REPORT: Saturday’s first-place showdown in Reno features the top two scorers in the Mountain West – Hutchison for Boise State (19.6 ppg, No. 1 in MW) and Nevada junior forward Caleb Martin (19.3, No. 2). Both teams are top five in the MW in scoring offense (Nevada is No. 2 at 82 ppg, BSU is No. 5 at 78.7 ppg) and scoring defense (BSU is No. 2 at 66.9, Nevada is No. 3 at 68.8). … Nevada junior forward Cody Martin (Achilles) is doubtful for the game – he’s third on the team in scoring (13.3), second in rebounds (6.4), first in steals (1.6) and third in assists (3.8). If Cody Martin isn’t able to go, and he’s one of the Wolf Pack’s top defenders, Nevada will play the game with only seven scholarship players. … Nevada leads the series 42-27, but Boise State has won four of the past six meetings, despite being swept last season.

HUTCHISON UPDATE: The senior guard and NBA prospect is averaging 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds a game. He also leads the Broncos in assists with 58. He is the only Division I player averaging 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE: 5,764 (the highest average since consistent Boise State records were maintained starting with the 2001-02 season is 6,810 in the 2013-14 season).

BOISE STATE RPI: 31
NEVADA RPI: 17

BRACKETOLOGY:

• ESPN/Joe Linardi lists Boise State as a No. 11 seed, playing No. 6 Gonzaga in a Midwest Region game in Dallas … Nevada is a No. 8 seed, projected to play No. 9 Butler in a Midwest Region game in Detroit.
• CBS Sports/Jerry Palm lists Boise State as one of the “first four out” of the NCAA Tournament. Palm projects Nevada as a No. 10 seed, playing a Midwest Region game against No. 7 Louisville.

OPINIONATOR: Nevada is legit – 10 of its 17 wins have come against opponents with winning records, and the Wolf Pack have won four of their first six Mountain West games by double digits. But the team is down to seven scholarship players, and it could be forced to play this game without key contributor Cody Martin (Achilles). This might be the most important regular season game on the Broncos’ schedule, and it’s a game they can win. A win would be massive because it not only would boost Boise State’s all-important RPI, it would buy the program street cred with the NCAA selection committee. The Mountain West will send one, maybe two, teams to the NCAAs. If the Broncos don’t win the MW Tournament, a win Saturday night would be critical to the resume. Boise State’s next two games are against San Jose and Air Force, the two worst teams in the league, and Nevada plays at Taco Bell Arena on Feb. 14. The immediate future looks extremely promising, and a win Saturday night would be the biggest of the season.

Mike Prater, editor of The Opinionator, co-hosts Idaho Sports Talk with Caves & Prater weekdays from 3-6 p.m. on KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket and can be heard on Bronco GameNight after BSU football games on KBOI 670 AM and KTIK 93.1 FM. He can be reached at [email protected], and found @CavesandPrater (Facebook) and @MikeFPrater (Twitter).

MOUNTAIN WEST STANDINGS

Standings through Thursday, Jan. 18 games
Chandler Hutchison photo courtesy of Boise State Photo Services