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Boise State picked to finish second in Mountain West, Degenhart earns preseason honors

Boise State forward Tyson Degenhart landed on the preseason all-Mountain West team on Thursday. The Broncos were picked to finish second in the conference.

BOISE, Idaho — The new-look Boise State men's basketball team is earning plenty of recognition as it inches closer to starting its journey toward a third-straight NCAA Tournament. 

On Thursday, the Mountain West revealed select media picked the Broncos to finish second in the conference, behind preseason favorite San Diego State. Junior forward Tyson Degenhart was also named to the preseason all-conference team.

Boise State earned 299 points in Thursday's poll, ahead of New Mexico (278), Nevada (240) and others. Of 31 voters, the Broncos received four first-place votes. Only four teams received first-place votes in the Aztecs (25), Broncos (4), Lobos (1) and Wolfpack (1). 

Head coach Leon Rice and the blue and orange finished 24-10 overall and 13-5 in Mountain West play last year. The Broncos won one game at the conference tournament, before falling to Northwestern in the first round of March Madness in Sacramento. 

Degenhart earned All-Mountain West First Team honors from both the media and coaches following the 2022-2023 campaign. The Spokane native started all 34 games and ranked 59th in the nation shooting 53.7%. Degenhart averaged 14.1 points and 5.3 assists per outing as a sophomore. 

The Bronco standout was the lone forward named to the preseason all-conference team on Thursday, alongside four guards. Colorado State's Isaiah Stevens earned preseason player of the year after averaging 17.9 points and 6.7 assists per game last year. 

2023-2024 preseason all-conference team:

  • Tyson Degenhart (F - Jr.) Boise State 
  • Isaiah Stevens (G - Gr.) Colorado State
  • Jaelen House (G - Gr.) New Mexico
  • Jamal Mashburn Jr. (G - Sr.) New Mexico
  • Lamont Butler (G - Sr.) San Diego State

Preseason player of the year: Isaiah Stevens 

Preseason newcomer of the year: Reese Waters (G - Jr.) San Diego State

Preseason freshman of the year: Dedan Thomas Jr. (G - Fr.) UNLV

2023-2024 preseason poll:

Rank     Team (First-Place Votes)            Points

  1. San Diego State (25)                    333
  2. Boise State (4)                             299
  3. New Mexico (1)                            278
  4. Nevada (1)                                   240
  5. Colorado State                              218
  6. UNLV                                           199
  7. San José State                              124
  8. Fresno State                                 115
  9. Utah State                                   105
  10. Wyoming                                        74
  11. Air Force                                        61

Boise State tips off the 2023-2024 season on Tuesday, Nov. 7, against Vanguard at ExtraMile Arena. The Broncos host San Francisco on Nov. 12, before hitting the road to face Clemson (Nov. 19) and participate in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando. 

Following departures such as Marcus Shaver Jr., Naje Smith and Lukas Milner, Rice and Co. went out and landed big-time talent through the transfer portal. Newcomers like Roddie Anderson III, O'Mar Stanley and Cam Martin are expected to make an immediate impact. 

During the Broncos' foreign tour this summer, true freshman forward Andrew Meadow finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game. The California native also averaged three rebounds and two steals, scoring 31 points against Trinity Western. 

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