The Boise State men’s basketball team will open the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament against George Washington.
Tipoff between the Broncos (24-10) and Revolutionaries (21-12) is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Mountain time Monday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The 16-team College Basketball Crown will run all week and wrap up Sunday. The winning team receives an NIL prize of $300,000, with the runner-up taking home $100,000. The semifinal losers get $50,000 apiece.
Picked to win the Mountain West Conference in the preseason coaches poll, Boise State finished the regular season in a tie for fourth place. The Broncos reached the MWC Tournament title game but were blown out by Colorado State.
Boise State was among the first four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament. The Broncos had reached the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons.
Boise State, which played its last game on March 15, will be well-rested for the Crown. Head coach Leon Rice compared the ramp-up for the Crown to the college football bowl season.
“The football team finishes, gets some time off and then they reassemble,” Rice said. “And when we reassembled, great spirits, great energy and we’re having a lot of fun being out here.”
Boise State will have all of its main players for the Crown, including first-team all-MWC forward Tyson Degenhart (17.9 points, 6.1 rebounds) and second-team point guard Alvaro Cardenas (11.7 points, 7.0 assists). Degenhart, the Broncos’ all-time leading scorer, enters the Crown with 1,971 career points.
All five starters are also playing for the Revolutionaries, who finished in a tie for seventh in the Atlantic 10 standings. Junior forward Rafael Castro is George Washington’s go-to player at 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Darren Buchanan Jr., a sophomore forward who averages 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds, is in the transfer portal but will participate in the Crown.
Who: Boise State and George Washington meet in opening round of College Basketball Crown
When: 3:30 p.m. Mountain time | Monday, March 31
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada
Live stream: Watch Boise State vs. George Washington live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
TV channel: FS1
Betting odds: Boise State -8.5
ESPN BPI prediction: Boise State has an 80 percent chance to win
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