After three straight tournament appearances, Boise State basketball failed to do so last year. They’re making sure that won’t be the case again this season.

The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Boise State basketball.

Boise State had become a bit of a regular in the tournament post-COVID, making three straight appearances, albeit with a first-round exit each time. Last year, they found themselves on the bubble, but couldn’t make it to year four. They faced off in the infamous College Basketball Crown instead, making it to the semifinal.

Now, they are on a mission to get back. They’ll have to do it without their star, though, Tyson Degenhart. Degenhart is a 3x All-MWC player, and his absence will definitely be felt. They also lose Alvaro Cardenas, the talented point guard who finished 7th in the country in assists per game last season.

They do return Andrew Meadow, who took a huge leap last year, going from 3.2 PPG to 12.6 PPG from his freshman to sophomore year. Expect that upwards trajectory to continue this season. They also add Dylan Andrews, an interesting pickup. Andrews, whom we talk about in this article, took a huge step back last year, but if he finds his groove again, he could be a key piece for this team.

In general, they bring back a lot of guys who are hoping to benefit from bigger roles this year, like Javan Buchanan, Pearson Carmichel, and RJ Keene. This team is also giant, with four of their five starters projected to be 6-7 or taller and eight of the ten rotational players.

Head coach: Leon Rice (16th season at Boise State, 16th season overall)

2024-25 record: 26-11 (14-6)

2025 postseason finish: Lost in semifinals of College Basketball Crown Tournament

Notable departures: 

Tyson Degenhart (18.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.6 APG)
Alvaro Cardenas (11.5 PPG, 6.9 APG, 3.1 RPG)
O’Mar Stanley (6.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 0.6 APG)
Dylan Anderson (3.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.8 APG)
Emmanuel Ugbo (3.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.2 APG)

Notable non-conference games: 

vs. Wichita State (Nov. 18)
vs. USC (Nov. 24) – Maui Invitational
vs. NC State OR Seton Hall (Nov. 25) – Maui Invitational
Maui Invitational (Nov. 26)
at Butler (Dec 6)
vs. Duquesne (Dec. 10)
vs. Saint Mary’s (Dec. 20)

Projected Rotation

PG: Dylan Andrews (6-3, 180, Sr.)

2024-2025 stats: 6.9 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.6 RPG, 0.6 SPG (UCLA)

SG: Pearson Carmichael (6-7, 208, So.)

2024-2025 stats: 6.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 42.6 FG%, 77.3 FT%

SF: Andrew Meadow (6-7, 218, Jr.)

2024-2025 stats: 12.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 45.8 FG%, 35.2 3P%, 83.9 FT%

PF: Javan Buchanan (6-7, 230, Sr.)

2024-2025 stats: 9.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 53.4 FG%, 81.3 FT%

C: Drew Fielder (6-11, 225, Jr.)

2024-2025 stats: 7.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 BPG, 0.4 SPG, 46.3 FG%, 71.7 FT% (Georgetown)

6: RJ Keene (6-7, 212, Rs.-Sr.)

2024-2025 stats: 2.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG

7: Dominic Parolin (6-9, 245, Sr.)

2023-2024 stats: 11.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 BPG, 0.5 SPG, 45.5 FG%, 80.9 FT% (Lehigh)

8: Julian Bowie (6-3, 205, So.)

2024-2025 stats: 3.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.9 APG, 91.7 FT%

9: Spencer Ahrens (6-10, 230, Fr.)

2025 247Sports #214 ranked recruit

10: Ethan Lathan (6-10, 220, Fr.)

2024 247Sports #169 ranked recruit

Boise State Basketball team MVP: Andrew Meadow

Meadow was given a bigger opportunity last year, and he shined. He was the team’s second leading scorer and shoots the ball well on all three levels.  He started 35 games for them, and during the CBC, saw his production go up even more, averaging 14.3 PPG there.

With Degenhart gone, he can see that it can go up even more. He should be the first option every time, and embrace that ask. Defensively, he’s not the best, but good enough. If all goes to plan, he should be a first-team All-Mountain West player.

Boise State Basketball make-or-break player: Dylan Andrews

Andrews’ time at UCLA was quite the roller coaster. Freshman year, only 10 minutes a game. Sophomore year, he started every game and led the team in scoring. In his junior year, he saw his minutes decrease by 11 a game, and averaged just 7 points a game for the team.

So, which Dylan Andrews will Boise State basketball get? Sophomore year or junior year? If they get the former, he and Meadow can be a dangerous duo for this team. It’s hard to ignore what we saw last year, though, and if he is unable to find his shot, he could once again see his minutes dwindle, even though this team is loaded at the guard position.

Key analytic: Blocks and steals per game

Boise State is a good example of why you shouldn’t evaluate a team’s defense by its steals and blocks per game. According to KenPom, they finished 70th in defensive efficiency. Not bad. However, they finished 296th in blocks per game and 305th in steals per game. Yikes.

Only one player (Cardenas) averaged more than a steal per game, and no one averaged a block per game. The two transfers this year, Andrews and Fielder, averaged a combined 1 steal and 0.5 blocks per game. It’s not the end of the world, but if they’re unable to force turnovers, then it just makes every game a little bit harder for this team.

Boise State Basketball 2025-26 projections

Projected conference finish: 3rd in the Mountain West

Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Exit

Like this:

Like Loading…


Post navigation