Boise State Broncos vs Colorado Buffaloes Prediction, Picks, Odds, News, Injury Report for 3/20/24

The Boise State Broncos and Colorado Buffaloes will still have to earn their way into the field of 64 teams for the NCAA Tournament. As First-Four entrants, the winner of this game will assume the 10-seed in the South Bracket where they will face Florida in the first round. The Buffaloes arrive at Dayton as slight favorites to notch the win on Wednesday night at 1.66, and Bet365 is featuring 140 points on the total. Our resident hoops expert Ej Garr is turning toward that total and offering his best bet for this Play-In game, so which way will he go?

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BRONCOS VS BUFFALOES Prediction, Picks

• Selection: Colorado Buffaloes -2.5 Handicap
• Best Odds: 1.91
• Bookmaker: Bet365
• Stakes: 4/10

If you watched the Sunday Night NCAA Tournament show on CBS, we all got a good look at the reactions from every team when their names were announced into the field.

Colorado and Boise State had much higher expectations of making the field of 64 teams that will compete for a National Title. Instead, they both have to play an extra game to earn their way in, and I’ll start with how Boise State took the news first.

The entire country saw the Boise State program let out a disappointing Ugh in shock at having to play this game. Bronco Nation was expecting to just make the field of 64 and find out where they were going, but now they only have two days to practice and prepare for Colorado.

The same can be said through the State of Colorado and on social media because the Buffaloes thought they had done enough to secure a spot in the main field. Now, the only response left to make is to make a deep run into the tournament and provide a new storyline for how the season ends.

The Colorado offense has an edge against the Broncos, as the Buffaloes average 79.3 PPG but the numbers go deeper than that. Colorado ranks 5th in the Nation in both 3-point shooting (39.4%), and field goal percentage (49.3%). In addition to that, the 77.8% mark from the free-throw line has the Buffaloes ranked 16th in the country.

Boise State was knocked out of the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament, although that loss did come to New Mexico who went on to win the title. That early exit is likely how and why the voting committee wanted to see more from them before they put them in the field of 64.

I am going with the Buffaloes to advance to the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, simply due to an offensive edge and a bench issue for the Broncos. I think Colorado can outwit, outplay, and outlast being favored to survive and face Florida. My Broncos vs Buffaloes prediction is for Colorado to cover the 2.5-point spread.

Game Info

• Time: 02:10 UK Time
• Date: Thursday, March 21
• Location: UD Arena, Dayton Ohio
• Where to Watch: TruTv

Boise State Broncos News, Injury Report, Schedule:

Broncos’ leading scorer Tyson Degenhart led the way in the loss to New Mexico in the MWC Tourney with 23 points. He averaged 16.8 PPG during the regular season, and he played 39 minutes of that game.

Depth is a major concern for the Broncos bench, as only 2 players came off the pine to support the starting 5 in the loss to New Mexico. The subs only contributed a total of 3 points, and Cam Martin accounted for all of them.

Omar Stanley brought in 12 rebounds in the loss to New Mexico, but his 6 points scored was far below his 13.2 average for the regular season.

The Broncos had won 6 of their previous 7 games upon entering the MWC Tourney, and the Broncos traveled well this year earning a 7 – 3 record away from home.

The Broncos are competing in their 10th NCAA Tournament, and there is one, little fact we need to point out. Boise State is a perfect 0 – 9 in their history at this event, so this team has a chance to make history.

Colorado Buffaloes News, Injury Report, Schedule

The Buffaloes advanced to the Pac-12 Conference title game and the 75 – 68 loss to Oregon left everyone in Boulder convinced they had done enough to make the field of 64.

Colorado was carrying an 8-game winning streak into that game, and a 24 – 10 overall record still didn’t convince the voting committee enough. Being a First-Four entrant, Colorado will be making their 15th appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, although they have not advanced past the second round since 1969.

In the three Pac-12 Tournament games, leading scorer K.J Simpson did what he has done all season long. Averages 19 PPG and his consistency will be needed again tonight if the Buffs plan to advance and face Florida in the first round.

Broncos vs Buffaloes H2H

The only other meeting between these programs happened in November of 2022. Boise State earned a home win, 66 – 55, and Colorado’s K.J Simpson scored 14 points in that affair. Boise State’s Tyson Degenhart also scored 14 points in that game, so there is some familiarity happening in this meeting tonight.

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