ESPN BPI predicts Boise State vs. Colorado State men’s basketball

Second place in the Mountain West Conference men’s basketball standings will be on the line Friday night when Colorado State (21-9, 15-4) travels to Boise State (22-8, 14-5) in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Mountain time at ExtraMile Arena.

The Rams enter Friday’s contest on a six-game winning streak while the Broncos have won five straight and nine of their last 10. Both teams are on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Back in January, Colorado State earned a 75-72 victory over the Broncos on a late Jalen Lake 3-pointer.

Can Boise State even the season series with the Rams and pad its NCAA Tournament at-large resume?

What BPI says

According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI) matchup predictor, Boise State has a 68.5 percent chance to win Friday’s game. BPI gives Colorado State a 31.4 percent chance to sweep the regular-season series.

Boise State’s recent games

Outside of a mid-February blowout loss at San Diego State (20-8, 13-6), Boise State has won every game since the heart-breaking defeat in Fort Collins.

The Broncos boast recent victories over MWC regular-season champion New Mexico (24-6, 16-3) and Utah State (24-6, 14-5). Boise State is coming off back-to-back road victories over Fresno State (6-24, 2-17) and Air Force (4-26, 1-18), the two worst teams in the MWC.

Boise State has played strong defense during its 9-1 stretch, holding opponents to an average of 62.4 points per game.

Colorado State’s recent games

The Rams have been a completely different team following a 5-5 start to the season. Seventh-year head coach Niko Medved’s group is 16-4 in its last 20 games and enters ExtraMile Arena on a six-game winning streak.

Colorado State is feeling particularly good after scoring consecutive blowout home victories over Utah State and San Jose State (13-18, 6-13). The Rams jumped out to an 18-2 advantage over the Aggies in the first five minutes and led by as many as 36 points.

Senior guard Nique Clifford, one of the top players in the MWC, had 26 points, six rebounds, nine assists and two steals against Utah State. Clifford tallied 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the first meeting with the Broncos.