Boise State Broncos vs. UNLV Runnin' Rebels Prediction & Game Preview - 2/26/2022

Time: 10 p.m. ET

Venue: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

Where to watch: CBSSN

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Boise State: 22-6 (13-2 Mountain West)

UNLV: 17-11 (9-6 Mountain West)

Well, the Boise State Broncos did what needed to be done this week. In a game in which we expected the under to be a huge cache, Boise State knocked off the San Diego State Aztecs by one point at home on Tuesday.

And now as it stands barring a crazy collapse, Boise State will win the regular season conference championship in a Mountain West that has been about as competitive as I think anybody has ever seen in a long time. Sure you have the top three teams all at 22 wins apiece, but then you look at the next three each with 17 wins and four and five are separated by a game in the standings.

When the Mountain West Conference tournament descends upon Las Vegas in a couple of weeks, it's fair to say that Boise State will be the favorites going into this tournament. But right now the Broncos have a lot left on their plate, coming in with a 3 game winning streak and facing the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels on Saturday.

The last time these two teams faced each other was back on February 11th, and UNLV actually took the lead into halftime and looked about as formidable a foe to the top ranked Broncos. But Boise State much like they have all season long, rallied in the second half to defeat the rebels and get a very impressive win in the process.

This time is going to be a little bit different considering Boise State is coming in on a strong winning streak, but they might not be as strong as we think they are. Abu Kigab led the way with 21 points in Tuesday's victory over San Diego State, taking over the scoring duties while Marcus shaver was held to just 12 points on 14 attempts.

We've talked about it here before about Boise State and the same process I keep coming back to keeps being relived. Boise State is not going to win games so long as it either squanders leads in the second half, or squanders comfortable leads at gains only to narrowly lose. We knew San Diego State was going to be a tough test based on their defense alone and that proved to be true in the second half, but Boise State hung on barely despite shooting 34% from the floor.

I would be very cautious at picking Boise State in this game considering how well the opponent has played and just how inconsistent they are in certain 20 minute halves. And it's on the road, and you have to take that into consideration.

Here's the thing. I remember walking the strip during the days of Jerry Tarkanian and thinking to myself that UNLV was in a class of its own. You have to remember before hockey and football even came to this city, we were just spoiled rotten with UNLV basketball.

Even when Tarkanian had to forcefully pick up his bags and leave, the era of Lon Kruger at least assured that the direction of the program was going upward. That clearly did not happen in the years following with Dave Rice and Marvin Menzies and TJ Oetzelberger which apparently was a thing, but this time around with Kevin Kruger now in the fold, UNLV is trending in the right direction for the first time in I would say over a decade.

And no I don't think UNLV is going to make the NCAA tournament. That would require a run of all runs during the conference tournament, but if there has ever been a time for UNLV to benefit off the homecourt advantage and assure students, alumni and fans all pack that arena for a potential chance at getting to the conference championship game, now would be the time.

UNLV has won three in a row since that loss to Boise State back on February 11th. And all three wins have been about as impressive as there has been in this program in a long time. Going on the road to beat Fresno State, dismantling Colorado State at home, and defeating UNR on the road to sweep the season series against the instate rivals for the first time in who knows how long, it gives UNLV fans and supporters hope that better days are on the horizon with this team.

And leading that charge once again has been Bryce Hamilton, who might just be in the running for conference player of the year, and perhaps the favorite if he keeps this up. Hamilton scored 27 points on Tuesday to lead UNLV in scoring for the 11th straight game. Sprinkled in all of these games that he's gone off there are four 30-point games, a 45 point game, and every game resulting in double digits.

He's averaging 21.8 points per game and continues to look like the best player on the floor every night. And when you're playing in the Mountain West Conference, sometimes it takes only one player to lead the charge. If Hamilton keeps this up, UNLV is going to be very difficult to beat during the conference tournament.

I don't normally go with my heart in this situation, I tend to go with my head. But my heart is outweighing my head at this point and I want so badly to see UNLV make a run here. And if that requires pulling off one of their more impressive wins of the season against a top team in the conference, at home, I am here for it. Who knows if UNLV is going to be playing in a postseason tournament in some capacity, but a couple more wins here or there should ensure that the opportunity is there for UNLV. So damn it my alma mater better not let me down. UNLV by 6

Boise State is 20-15 ATS on the road the past three seasons.

UNLV is 1-5 ATS as a home dog of 6 points or less.

UNLV is 5-1 ATS off an upset win as a road dog.

PG: Marcus Shaver Jr.

SG: Max Rice

SF: Abu Kigab

PF: Tyson Degenhart

C: Mladen Armus

PG: Jordan McCabe

SG: Mike Nunga

SF: Keshon Gilbert

PF: Bryce Hamilton

C: Royce Hamm Jr.

Points: Abu Kigab -- 14.1

Rebounds: Mladen Armus -- 8.0

Assists: Emmanuel Akot -- 2.9

Points: Bryce Hamilton -- 21.8

Rebounds:  Royce Hamm Jr. -- 9.5

Assists: Jordan McCabe -- 4.9