SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The 2023 NCAA Tournament is officially underway, and a pair of underdogs are looking to make some noise in a loaded West Region, starting Thursday evening in Sacramento.
No. 10 seed Boise State (24-9, 13-5 MW) meets seventh-seeded Northwestern (21-11, 12-8 Big Ten) at 5:35 p.m. MT at the Golden 1 Center. The Broncos are on a mission to win their first March Madness contest ever, while the Wildcats look to repeat a 2017 first-round win in their second appearance on the national dancefloor.
Northwestern head coach Chris Collins took home Big Ten Coach of the Year, and Wildcat standout Chase Audige was tabbed as the conference's best defensive player. Additionally All-Big Ten First Team honoree Boo Buie is averaging a team-best 17.1 points per game.
The Broncos are led by All-Mountain West First Team standout Tyson Degenhart, who is averaging 14.3 points per game. All five of Boise State's starters are scoring in double figures, and were apart of last year's NCAA Tournament team that fell to Memphis in the opening round.
Thursday's bout will be nationally televised on truTV. For information on how to watch or listen to the game, check out KTVB's Bronco preview story.
Before action gets underway, tune into the Bronco Roundup Game Day Show from 4:30 p.m. MT to 5 p.m. MT for a preview of Boise State vs. Northwestern.
KTVB Sports Director Jay Tust and sports reporter Brady Frederick will paint Bronco Nation a picture of the sights and sounds of Sacramento, with all things Boise State. The Bronco Roundup Game Day Show will be available on KTVB Channel 7, KTVB.COM, KTVB+ on Roku and Amazon Fire TV and the KTVB mobile app.
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