Boise St. @ Nevada preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 15, 2019 ) Nevada 72, Boise St. 71

Seventh-ranked Nevada has rolled off six consecutive victories since suffering a shockingly loss at New Mexico. The Wolf Pack, who own a one-game lead in their quest to garner a third straight outright Mountain West regular-season championship, put a 13-game home winning streak on the line Saturday afternoon when they host Boise State.

Nevada comes in after playing arguably its two best games of the season, a 100-60 home blowout of Colorado State followed by a 87-70 victory over in-state rival UNLV on Tuesday night in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated. The Wolf Pack built a 48-26 halftime advantage Tuesday and led by as many as 25 points early in the second half in cruising to the easy victory. Next up is a Boise State team that brings a two-game winning streak with it to Reno and nearly upset the Wolf Pack in their first meeting, falling 72-71 on a long Cody Martin 3-pointer from above the top of the key with 4.5 seconds remaining. "We can't rely on a miracle shot and hope that it goes in," Martin told the Reno Gazette-Journal about the rematch with the Broncos.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT BOISE STATE (10-11, 5-3 MW): The Broncos know it will be a much tougher challenge defeating the Wolf Pack at a sold-out Lawlor Events Center, where Nevada has won 42 of its last 44 games, than it was on Jan. 15 at Taco Bell Arena. "We've shown up and competed in some tough environments this year," head coach Leon Rice told the Idaho Statesman. "This probably will be the toughest one as far as the quality of the opponent and the situation that you're in. We're going to have to come out fighting." Junior guard Justinian Jessup leads the team in scoring (12.9 points per game) while connecting on 54-of-132 3-pointers (40.9 percent) with guards Alex Hobbs (11.5), Derrick Alston (10.8) and RJ Williams (10.6) also averaging in double figures.

ABOUT NEVADA (20-1, 7-1): Reigning Mountain West Player of the Year Caleb Martin had a game-high 26 points and six rebounds in the beat-down of UNLV and is averaging 18.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. Pretty impressive but only second best on the Wolf Pack as 6-7, 235-pound senior forward Jordan Caroline, also a first team All-Mountain West pick, leads the team in both scoring (18.6) and rebounding (9.7). Cody Martin, the 6-7 twin brother of Caleb and the reigning conference defensive player of the year, had 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds at UNLV and is four points away from hitting the 1,000 mark for his college career.

TIP-INS

1. Caroline, who has scored in double figures in all 21 games, has 12 double-doubles this season and 42 in his career.

2. Cody Martin leads the Mountain West in assists (5.3) and also assist/turnover ratio (2.8).

3. Boise State is 3-25 all-time on the road against top-25 teams with a 83-70 win over No. 11 Creighton on Nov. 28, 2012, ranking as the highest-ranked opponent defeated by the Broncos on the road.

PREDICTION: Nevada 82, Boise State 68