Basketball GameThread: Boise State vs Nevada

It's Oompa Loompa night at Taco Bell Arena as Bronco fans are strongly encouraged to don orange attire to cheer the Broncos on as they battle for sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference. Last season, Boise State (12-6) was one of only two teams to sweep the Nevada Wolf Pack (16-4) in conference play but Coach Eric Musselman's 2017 team is a different beast and have athleticism all over the court. Senior guard Marcus Marshall is the Pack's high-point man, averaging over 20 points (21.7 to be exact) per contest and Jordan Caroline is flirting with averaging a double-double (14/9.6). All told, all five Nevada starters are averaging double-figures per game and the Broncos are going to need a much better gameplan to stop them than they had against Fresno State and New Mexico.

How to watch/listen

The game, which tips in a half hour, will be broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network (DirecTV 221, Dish 158, Cable ONE 139/1139) with Rich Waltz and Dalen Cuff on the call. Of course, it will also be beamed into your ear drums via 670 KBOI with Bob Behler and Abe Jackson calling the action. Yours truly will also be courtside manning the twitter battle stations (@OBNUG) and I'll be hanging around after the game to stream the (hopefully triumphant) postgame presser through Facebook Live.

Betting line

Boise State is a 4.5 point favorite, but I don't think I'm buying.

Fun fact

At halftime tonight, Boise State will honor all available student athletes that recorded at least a 3.0 GPA during the Fall semester. There are 299 Broncos with that distinction, so the court should be filled to the brim.