BY MIKE PRATER
@KTIK.COM
TUESDAY’S GAME: Boise State lost at San Diego State 72-64 in Viejas Arena, ending the Broncos’ hopes for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs held Boise State leading scorer Chandler Hutchison to 18 points after he scored 44 in their first game this season. tain West’s top two teams in the final week as they try to improve their seed for the conference tournament. SDSU hosts first-place and No. 21 Nevada on Saturday night. Boise State, which has lost three of its past five games, struggled with 17 turnovers and 26 personal fouls.
SATURDAY’S GAME: Boise State (22-7, 12-5 MW) vs. Wyoming (18-11, 9-7) at 5 p.m. MT at Taco Bell Arena (670 AM, AT&T Sports Net). … The regular season finale for both teams. … Boise State lost at Wyoming 79-78 (OT) on Jan. 6 in Laramie. … The Cowboys, who host Air Force on Wednesday, have lost four of their past seven games.
IF THE MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT STARTED TODAY: Boise State is locked in as the No. 2 seed, and would play a quarterfinal game against UNLV or Colorado State at 7 p.m. MT Thursday, March 8 (CBSSN) … The tournament starts Wednesday at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas … Nevada is the No. 1 seed. … The championship game is 4 p.m. Saturday, March 10 (CBS)
HUTCHISON UPDATE: The senior guard and NBA Draft prospect is averaging a Mountain West-best 19.8 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. He also leads the Broncos in assists with 99. Saturday is Senior Day at Taco Bell Arena.
AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE: 6,510 (the highest average since consistent Boise State records were maintained starting with the 2001-02 season is 6,810 during the 2013-14 season). Boise State can top that mark this season by attracting 11,320 fans in Saturday’s regular season finale against Wyoming.
BOISE STATE RPI: 48
WYOMING: 84
BRACKETOLOGY:
- ESPN/Joe Linardi lists Boise State as one of the “Next Four Out” of the NCAA Tournament.
- CBS Sports/Jerry Palm lists Boise State as one of the “First Four Out.”
OPINIONATOR: Boise State has won at least five straight games twice this season. If it happens again, the Broncos are going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 – where they could bust through a 30-year ceiling and win their first NCAA game. Boise State is the best team in the Mountain West, minus 3-point shooting issues against Nevada, and now it’s time to prove it. The final two regular season games hardly matter, other than confidence and fine-tuning. The final three games in the Mountain West Tournament are what matters. No. 1 seed Nevada has injury and depth issues, which will hurt in a three-games-in-three-nights tournament situation. Potential No. 3 Fresno State just lost starting point guard Jaron Hopkins (foot) for the season. Boise State is 5-2 against the next four teams in the standings: New Mexico, San Diego State, Wyoming and UNLV. Boise State will take advantage and win the MW Tournament. The bigger question is: Can the Broncos avoid a play-in game in Dayton?
MOUNTAIN WEST STANDINGS
| TEAM | LEAGUE | OVERALL | RPI |
| Nevada | 14-2 | 25-5 | 15 |
| Boise State | 12-5 | 22-7 | 48 |
| Fresno State | 11-6 | 21-9 | 94 |
| New Mexico | 10-6 | 15-14 | 151 |
| San Diego State | 10-7 | 18-10 | 98 |
| Wyoming | 9-7 | 18-11 | 84 |
| UNLV | 8-8 | 19-10 | 128 |
| Utah State | 7-9 | 14-15 | 152 |
| Air Force | 5-11 | 11-17 | 239 |
| Colorado State | 4-13 | 11-19 | 216 |
| San Jose State | 0-16 | 3-24 | 304 |
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 through games of Feb. 27
Photo of Boise State coach Leon Rice courtesy of Boise State Photo Services
