The Boise State Broncos (12-4), the Mountain West’s top shooting team, will go head-to-head against the Nevada Wolf Pack (10-6) at Lawlor Events Center. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 13 and can be seen on CI.
The Wolf Pack enter this game hoping for similar success after dismantling Air Force 86-63 on Saturday. Tyron Criswell was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points on 8-for-16 shooting. The Broncos, meanwhile, are coming off an 81-70 win against Fresno State on Saturday. James Webb III was the team’s top scorer, accounting for 25 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Webb III has been hot over the last five games for the Broncos, averaging 23.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.8 three-pointers.
While the Wolf Pack have a good Straight Up (SU) record (10-6), they’ve been poor Against The Spread (ATS) with a 5-9 record. Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 2-6 ATS. The rebounding edge goes to the Wolf Pack in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 41.5 boards per game. Turning to the defensive side, opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Wolf Pack, ranking fifth in the country in blocks per game with 6.6.
As for their opponent, the Broncos have 12-4 SU and 7-6-1 ATS records. Taking care of the basketball is something the Broncos do very well, averaging just 11.4 turnovers per game.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Broncos victory, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. The Broncos lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Boise State held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Nevada never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Nevada, ATS Winner – Nevada
Notes
Nevada is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nevada’s last 5 games.
Nevada is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Nevada is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boise State.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nevada’s last 5 games when playing at home against Boise State.
Boise State sits at a perfect 3-0 SU record against the Mountain West Conference, while Nevada has split its meetings against the conference (2-2).
The Boise State Broncos have a defensive rating of 97.9 (ranked 99th), while the Nevada Wolf Pack have an offensive rating of 107.4 (ranked 136th).
The Nevada Wolf Pack average 73.5 possessions per game and 1.074 points per possession, while the Boise State Broncos earn fewer possessions (69.3) but more points per possession (1.139).
Nevada has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.3%. Boise State is a winning 9-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Nevada Wolf Pack average 17.0 three point attempts per game, and the Boise State Broncos attempt 25.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, Nevada is an even 2-2, while Boise State has a stellar record of 11-3.
Nevada, the fifth-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 6.6 per game. Boise State ranks lower at 324th with 1.9.
Nevada ranks 50th in offensive rebounding. Boise State ranks 200th in defensive rebounding.
On average, Nevada makes 7.9 steals per game. Boise State has a winning 2-1 record when it gives up at least 7 steals.
