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Nebraska Cornhuskers (19-14) vs Boise State (26-10)

 

Date: Saturday Apr. 5th, 2025

Time: 12:30 pm CST
Arena: T-Mobile Arena

Broadcast:  

(Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson and Kristina Pink)

Boise State Info

Boise State Broncos (2013 - Pres)
Head Coach: Leon Rice (15th year)
Location: Boise, Idaho
Conference: Mountain West
Nickname: Broncos

Mascot:  Buster Bronco

Line: Boise State by 2.5
Typical Rotation Depth: 9+

KenPom rank: 47

Nota bene:  

  • This is the first ever matchup between Nebraska and Boise State
  • Like Nebraska, Boise St. has never won a NCAA tournament game
  • F Tyson Degenhart holds the career record for points at Boise St
  • PG Alvaro Cardenas has set the Boise St record for assists in a season
  • Boise St center O'Mar Stanley has faced Nebraska when he was a member of St John's in 2022-23

 

Player to watch: Tyson Degenhart 

It's a matter of when they hang Degenhart's jersey in the rafters in Boise.  The school's all-time leading scorer leads the team in scoring and rebounding. A 3 level scorer, Degenhart is proficient enough from 3 (34.3%) where you can't ever give him space. Only San Diego St was able to keep him from scoring in double-digits this season.

 

Player to watch: Alvaro Cardenas

The talented Spanish PG transferred from Tim Miles' San Jose St squad to finish his college career in Boise. Cardenas leads the team in assist and steals and is one of 3 Broncos who averages double digits in scoring.  His 247 assists and counting shattered the previous Boise St assist record.  Is having an off-year for him from deep, shooting 32.1% from deep on the year

 

Player to watch: Andrew Meadows

The last of the big 3 in terms of minutes and scoring as Meadows clocks in at 12.6 ppg.  Leading the team in 3pt makes at 55 though like most others, his shooting is below average and he clocks in at 34.4% on the year.  He's the guy with the goggles and long hair so you can't miss him.

 

Boise State roster

Player # Class Pos Height Weight Summary
Tyson Degenhart 2 SR F 6-7 232 18.1 Pts 6.1 Reb 1.6 Ast
Andrew Meadow 13 SO F 6-7 218 12.6 Pts 4.3 Reb 0.6 Ast
Alvaro Cardenas 11 SR G 6-1 180 11.7 Pts 3.2 Reb 6.9 Ast
Javan Buchanan 22 JR F 6-7 230 9.6 Pts 3.7 Reb 0.6 Ast
O'mar Stanley 1 SR F 6-8 240 6.8 Pts 4.7 Reb 0.6 Ast
Pearson Carmichael 6 FR F 6-7 208 6.6 Pts 2.6 Reb 0.9 Ast
Julian Bowie 0 FR G 6-3 200 3.9 Pts 1.6 Reb 0.9 Ast
Emmanuel Ugbo 10 SO F 6-8 235 3.2 Pts 2.3 Reb 0.2 Ast
Dylan Anderson 44 SO F       7-0 240 3.5 Pts 1.7 Reb 0.8 Ast
Chris Lockett 7 FR G 6-4 205 3.1 Pts 1.4 Reb 0.9 Ast
RJ Keene 5 JR G 6-6 202 2.1 Pts 4.5 Reb 1.6 Ast
Brennan Ramirez 20 JR G 6-2 185 0.0 Pts 0.6 Reb 0.0 Ast

 

Other players

 

When Degenhart isn't the small ball center, the position is a timeshare between Emmanuel Ugbo and O'mar Stanley. Staley is a bit more aggressive on the offensive end but is more foul prone. Both are rebounder/rim protector types. 7 Ft Arizona transfer Dylan Anderson has completely fallen out of the rotation. Former NAIA All-American Javan Buchanan is primarily an inside scorer mostly playing at the 4. Freshman wing Pearson Carmichael has worked his way into the starting lineup where he is an unaccomplished 3pt threat. Wing RJ Keene is very much a glue guy, rarely shooting but effective on the boards and elsewhere.

UNL Game Notes

 

Roster/infirmary report

24    Guard    Rollie Worster     6-5    210 lbs    Senior - Out Foot

 

 

Possible starters for Nebraska

3    Guard    Brice Williams     6-7    214 lbs    Senior

4    Forward    Juwan Gary     6-6    226 lbs    Senior

23    Forward    Andrew Morgan     6-10    242 lbs    Senior 

1    Guard    Sam Hoiberg     6-0    185 lbs    Junior

9    Forward    Berke Büyüktuncel     6-10    244 lbs   

 

Bench

2    Guard    Ahron Ulis     6-3    190 lbs    Senior

0    Guard    Connor Essegian     6-4    190 lbs    Junior

34    Center    Braxton Meah     7-1    264 lbs    Senior 

31    Guard    Cale Jacobsen     6-4    195 lbs    Sophomore

12    Guard    Gavin Griffiths     6-7    193 lbs    Sophomore

5    Forward    Braden Frager     6-7    220 lbs    Freshman
8    Guard    Jeffrey Grace III     6-3    200 lbs    Junior
20    Forward    Justin Bolis     6-8    225 lbs    Sophomore
25    Guard    Nick Janowski     6-4    208 lbs    Freshman

35    Forward    Henry Burt     6-7    222 lbs    Sophomore

 

Out for year
51    Forward    Rienk Mast     6-10    260 lbs    Senior

 

The Skinny: 

Unlike Nebraska's first two opponents in the Crown, the Broncos were a serious contender for the NCAA tournament and they have their full roster.  Boise St arguably should have made their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament though was bypassed by North Carolina. The Broncos have a deep and healthy roster and at any point can dig deep into their bench.  Another way to look at that is beyond their 3 top players, Boise St never found the proper rotation.

 

For Boise St, their defense has been slightly pedestrian relative to the top 30 rankings over the last 3 years.  The Broncos still dominate in preventing offensive rebounds, a cornerstone of the Leon Rice era.  Offensively, Boise St takes a lot of 3s but ranks just 284th in 3pt%. Their rebounding shines on this end as well as they end up with a lot of those misses. The Broncs are fairly deadly inside and Degenhart, Stanley, and Meadow get to the line a ton.  Degenhart is also adept at passing out of the post where he likely will be double-teamed by the Huskers.

 

In some regards, this poor 3pt shooting team is a good matchup for Nebraska.  In others, this patient St Mary's-esque can eventually just wear down Nebraska.  Boise St is the slight favorite today for good reason but Nebraska seems to be locked in on defense.  Expect a good game from both sides.

 

Prediction: Nebraska 76 - Boise St 70 


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