On Feb. 19, No. 5 in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) Boise State University sent Bronco Nation home celebrating after a much needed victory against the No. 1 men’s basketball team in the MWC, University of New Mexico.
The Broncos 86-71 win against this top team could be the bounce back they were looking for to get back on the path to the March Madness Tournament.
Boise State senior forward, Tyson Degenhart hit a career-high of 32 points with 13 free throws, seven rebounds and two assists.
Following in Degenhart’s footsteps was forward Pearson Carmichael, who became the first Bronco freshmen to score 20 points in a game since Degenhart in the 2021-2022 season.
“We’ve had a lot of belief in him [Carmichael],” said Head Coach Leon Rice in a postgame press conference. “Even in the last three weeks, he’s gotten better and he’s getting tougher with the ball. He’s one of those guys that scores easily and that’s what we’ve been missing.”
Carmichael made a name for himself in his first game as a starter with a career-high 21 points, five field goals, four three-point field goals and seven free throws.
“He’s [Carmichael] shooting better than I was my freshman year,” said Degenhart in a postgame press conference. “From being on the scout team and then getting tossed in the starting lineup, he’s one of the only players that has ever had that happen to him so I’m really, really proud of his day-to-day.”
Coach Rice took off Carmichaels redshirt earlier this season and he’s continued to push himself to grow ever since.
In the first half of the game, the score remained tight with neither team leading by more than six points.
By halftime, the Broncos led the game 42-39 with help from six three pointers and 10 scored free throws.
Boise State started the second half with a 7-2 run and a 4-point play by Carmichael. The Broncos remained in the lead for the rest of the game, hitting their largest lead at 19 points.
Another notable player of the game was Guard Alvaro Cardenas who became the first Bronco in program history with at least nine assists and five steals in a game.
This game marked the Broncos first win against a top four team this season serving as the major breakthrough the team needed.
“Getting one of these big wins is definitely going to boost our confidence,” said Cardenas in a postgame press conference. “I’ve said it all year long but I truly believe that this team has what it takes to get to March Madness”
This game upped the Broncos to an eight game winning streak and 12th home win and the student section plays an important role in supporting the team’s success.
“The atmosphere was electric to say the least,” said forward Omar Stanely in a postgame press conference. “The crowd does a great job at responding … and the fans have always supported me. When I’m able to make them proud, and give them that energy back, that means the world too because I want to be the best I can be for this program.”
Next up, Boise State will play at No. 6 University of Nevada, Reno this Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. live on FS1.
