LAS VEGAS – Tyson Degenhart hugged anyone and everyone he could as he walked off the court for the final time.
Nearly 25 minutes after the game had ended, he showed up to the postgame press conference still wearing his uniform.
He wasn’t ready for it to end. Neither was his coach Leon Rice or the rest of Bronco Nation.
Degenhart’s career came to an end a bit earlier than everyone had hoped with a 79-69 loss to Nebraska in the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“It’s hard knowing this day was coming either today or tomorrow,” Degenhart said. “I’m just thankful. Not a lot of people get to do this and to have a great coaching staff for four years and great teammates. I’m forever grateful.”
The senior had a game-high 26 points but the Broncos couldn’t overcome a hot-shooting night from Nebraska. The Cornhuskers, who entered ranked 240th in the country in 3-point percentage, made 12 of 19 from deep to send the Broncos home early.
Boise State led 24-17 midway through the first half but Nebraska used a 15-1 run to pull ahead – and the Cornhuskers never looked back. Nebraska led by as many as 15 points in the second half before Boise State cut it to 7 in the final minute – but the Broncos weren’t able to get any closer.
“This group had been fighting hard because we didn’t want the season to end,” Rice said. “These guys wanted to keep playing. That was a good team we played, and we knew that. … They answered whenever we’d make a run.”
Degenhart finishes as the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,037 points) and the single-season record holder (676).
Andrew Meadow had 14 points and Pearson Carmichael had 13 for the Broncos, who dropped to 1-6 when losing the rebounding battle (38-31).
Alvaro Cardenas struggled in his final college game, finishing with four points on 2 of 8 shooting and six turnovers to go alongside nine assists.
Boise State finished the season with a 26-11 record, coming up one win short of tying the school record for wins. The Broncos also were unable to win the first postseason championship in program history.
The Broncos will lose Degenhart, Cardenas and O’Mar Stanley but could return a talented nucleus that includes Meadow, Carmichael, Javan Buchanan and Julian Bowie. Boise State reportedly landed a commitment from UCLA starting point guard Dylan Andrews in the transfer portal and the Broncos still have multiple scholarships to use for additions – potentially on a center and a shooter.
Boise State will play in the Maui Invitational in November against Texas, USC and others, but much of the schedule remains unknown at this point. The Broncos will enter their final season in the Mountain West before moving to the Pac-12 for the 2026-2027 season.
BNN will have complete offseason basketball coverage throughout the spring and summer on the roster, schedule and more. BNN will also continue to have daily live shows at 9am MT weekdays during the offseason.
