Washington St. Cougars vs. Boise St. Broncos Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 21st 2023

Washington State and Boise State are both undefeated at home and below .500 on the road or at neutral sites.

There will be no home-court advantage in play on Thursday night when the Cougars and Broncos square off on a neutral floor in Spokane, Wash.

Washington State (8-2) is 7-0 in Pullman and 1-2 away from home after falling 69-61 to Santa Clara on Saturday in Phoenix.

Perhaps Boise State (8-3) faces a bigger challenge in Spokane after it set a program record with its 20th consecutive home win, 88-65 over Cal State Fullerton on Sunday. The Broncos are 2-3 away from home this season.

“That’s kind of been our thing,” Boise State guard Max Rice said. “Even if we have some tough road losses, to be able to come back to Boise and just feel really comfortable is huge.”

The victory over Cal State Fullerton was the Broncos’ fifth in a row overall.

The Cougars had won six straight games before the loss to Santa Clara.

Washington State shot a season-low 33.3 percent from the field and saw the game get away when Santa Clara went on a 23-1 run in the first half to take an 18-point lead.

“We just got our bubble popped a little bit,” Cougars coach Kyle Smith said. “We bounced back, but credit to them. They played a slower pace. They were deliberate with the lead. They took care of the ball, which they haven’t been able to do, and we’re not great at necessarily forcing turnovers.”

Isaac Jones scored 16 points and Andrej Jakimovski had 14 for Washington State.

Myles Rice is averaging a team-leading 15.6 points for the Cougars, and Jones is chipping in 15.1 per game.

Boise State will be looking to defeat a power-conference foe for the first time in four attempts this season.

The Broncos lost at Clemson and were defeated by fellow Atlantic Coast Conference program Virginia Tech on a neutral floor. Boise State also lost to Butler of the Big East on a neutral court.

The Broncos’ most impressive victory is a 63-60 win over Saint Mary’s on Dec. 1, another neutral-floor contest.

Chibuzo Agbo leads Boise State in scoring (16.3 points per game) and 3-point baskets (31). Tyson Degenhart is averaging 15.3 points and Max Rice is scoring 11.3 per contest.

The programs have split eight all-time meetings. Boise State won the past two matchups — in Spokane two seasons ago and on a neutral floor in downtown Boise last season.

–Field Level Media