The Boise State men’s basketball team is two wins away from securing an NIL prize package of $300,000.
The Broncos (26-10) will take on Nebraska (19-14) at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the semifinals of the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament. The winner advances to Sunday’s title game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The champion of the 16-team Crown tournament receives an NIL payout of $300,000. The runner-up gets $100,000 while the semifinal losers earn $50,000 apiece.
Boise State opened the Crown with an 89-59 rout of George Washington and survived a quarterfinal shootout with Butler, 100-93. The 100 points matched the Broncos’ season-high.
“I think we’re getting a lot better on offense and finding our groove, but we’ve got to be a lot better on defense,” senior point guard Alvaro Cardenas said. “There’s no way that team should’ve put up 93 on us. And that’s not being disrespectful, they’re missing their best player. But I think we did a good job of running in transition when we did get some stops and finding our open shooters.”
Nebraska advanced to the semifinals with victories over Arizona State (86-78) and Georgetown (81-69).
“We’re not satisfied,” Huskers coach Fred Hoiberg said after the quarterfinal victory over Georgetown. “We’re playing a heck of a team in Boise on Saturday …. a really talented team that really should’ve been in the NCAA Tournament.”
The Broncos, who were one of the first four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament, are led by senior forward Tyson Degenhart. Degenhart surpassed the 2,000 career points mark against Butler and averages 18.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Degenhart is the top scorer in Boise State history with 2,011 career points.
Senior guard Brice Williams averages 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists for the Huskers. Williams torched Arizona State for 30 points and scored 28 more against Georgetown.
Who: Boise State and Nebraska meet in the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown
When: 11:30 a.m. Mountain time | Saturday, April 5
Where: T-Mobile Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada
Live stream: Watch Boise State vs. Nebraska live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
TV channel: FOX
Betting odds: Boise State -1.5
ESPN BPI prediction: Boise State has a 52.7 percent chance to win
Odds are courtesy of DraftKings. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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