Colorado State Rams vs. Boise State Broncos Prediction & Game Preview - 2/13/2022

Time: 4 p.m. ET

Venue: ExtraMile Arena, Boise, ID

Where to watch: FS1

DraftKings: Boise State -2.5

BetMGM: NL

Caesars: Boise State -2.5

Colorado State: 19-3 (9-3 Mountain West)

Boise State: 19-5 (10-1 Mountain West)

Colorado State: won three straight

Boise State: won 16 of 17

Not a bad way to conclude the week, or start the week if you are feeling that bodacious, then with a matchup of two Mountain West Conference teams who might be the best teams in said conference.

The Boise State Broncos will host the Colorado State Rams on Sunday, and I can't help but think that this game is going to determine who we perceive as the best team in this conference. I say that considering they still have to face each other another time at the end of the season on March 5th, in Fort Collins, but this is a very big game for the home team considering how red hot they are at this moment.

The Broncos had been terrific. They have won 16 of their last 17 and are coming off a six-point victory over the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels on Friday. The upstart UNLV team took a seven-point lead into halftime before Boise rallied in the second half. The Broncos had to withstand another strong offensive output from UNLV guard Bryce Hamilton but got enough balance scoring from four of its starters to offset any potential upset.

Abu Kigab led with 18 points despite going just 4 of 11 from the floor, but Boise State benefitted in the second half by going 23 of 29 from the free-throw line, while UNLV finished just 4 of 7 from the charity stripe. Tyson Degenhart had 15 points to go with seven rebounds, and Marcus Shaver Jr. had 13 points despite going 1 of 7 from 3-point range.

The general consensus with the Broncos is that we have reached the point where no matter if they are down at halftime, or down at any point in the game, they tend to find a way to pull something out of their hat in the final stretches.

And that's why you can see in some books that Boise State opens as a slight favorite in this matchup against Colorado State. But if you were hoping to find any discrepancy against the spread between either of these teams good luck because you're not going to get it.

Boise State has been on the books for 23 games and has covered 12 of them, while Colorado State has been on the books for 21 and has covered just 11. Do the math for both of those and they are hovering around 500 against the spread for this season. The under has also been a major point of emphasis for both with Boise State covering the under 14 of 23 games, and Colorado State with the under at 13 of its 21 games on the books this season.

The Broncos have failed to cover in four of their last five and have been favorites in four of those games. The only one where they weren't was on February 3rd as a one-point underdog at Wyoming, in which the Broncos lost by seven.

But with the underplaying as well as it has, I do believe we can expect a strong defensive effort from both teams in not just this game, but in the season finale in March. Colorado State's defense has been stingy all season and it showed again on Friday night when the Rams defeated Fresno State by 15 points, despite trailing by 3 at halftime.

David Roddy finished with 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting and also had eight assists to go with seven rebounds, and Isaiah Stevens also chipped in with 14 points while missing only three of his nine attempts.

Colorado State has covered in consecutive games after failing to do so the previous three and has been favored in at least the last 10 games. The Rams were laying 5 1/2 points against Fresno State and laid five points in their win against the Nevada Wolfpack on February 8th.

This is likely a preview of the Mountain West Conference championship in about a month and you can't go wrong with either or when selecting this game. But in a conscious effort of good faith, I'm going to take the home team because sometimes all it boils down to is whether you're at home or you're on the road. And given how big of a game this is, I expect the home crowd to turn up for this game and help propel their Broncos to victory. Boise State by 6

Colorado State is 9-16 ATS as an underdog.

Colorado State is 20-9 ATS following a game with five or less offensive rebounds.

Boise State is 31-23 ATS as a favorite.

PG: Kendle Moore

SG: Isaiah Stevens

SF: John Tonje

PF: David Roddy

C: Dischon Thomas

PG: Marcus Shaver Jr.

SG: Emmanuel Akot

SF: Tyson Degenhart

PF: Abu Kigab

C: Mladen Armus

Points: David Roddy -- 19.3

Rebounds: David Roddy -- 7.7

Assists: Isaiah Stevens -- 4.9

Points: Abu Kigab -- 14.1

Rebounds: Mladen Amus -- 8.2

Assists: Emmanuel Akot -- 3.0