The men’s Final Four is still days away, but college ball doesn’t rest. It’s the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas, now down from 16 teams to eight in this single-elimination tournament. While winning is top of mind for the players, some of them are just happy they get to extend their season.
“It was hard not making the tournament, knowing that we’d been there the past three years, and it’s been a great experience,” said Boise State power forward Tyson Degenhart.
This is Tyson Degenhart’s first year not playing in the NCAA Tournament.
“That’s kind of the way life goes, can’t always get what you want,” said Degenhart.
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Boise State is one of 16 schools playing in the inaugural year of the College Basketball Crown.
“I think it’s a great time for this tournament. There’s not much other basketball, college basketball, Final Four is this upcoming weekend, but these games are when no one else is on, so we’re the only college basketball on, and to have NBA scouts there is great, just looking ahead to my future and really, really excited,” said Degenhart.
More than anything, this tournament gives teams another go at prolonging their season.
“We’re trying to milk out the season, to keep these guys as long as we can, because this team loves each other, loves playing with each other, loves going to practice together. That’s the driving force,” said Boise State Men’s Basketball Coach Leon Rice.
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That sentiment is echoed by other teams as well.
“We’re very happy to continue on with our season, and compete for a championship. You just don’t really get those chances in life very often. We’ve been very lucky. We haven’t had one player that has entered the portal at this time. We’ll see what happens after this season, but I think that speaks to the character of our guys, that they want to continue to come out and play together,” said Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg.
The tournament has also invited reps from the big leagues to look at all the talent on the court.
“I think it’s a really cool opportunity anytime you get to come out and compete in front of people, and people who make decisions for the next level, so it’s important for our group to take advantage of that and be the best we can,” said Nebraska guard forward Cale Jacobsen.
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Seniors make up nearly half of the rosters for some of these schools, which means, for some teams, this tournament is the last time they will all play together.
“You know, these last couple weeks preparing, it’s a lot of time to not play a game, but it didn’t feel monotonous with our group just because everybody enjoys to be in the gym, and to be together. We’re just playing hard for each other so we can continue to be together,” said Jacobsen.
Both Boise State and Nebraska advanced to the semifinals on Wednesday.
The semifinals tip off Saturday morning, with one team being crowned champion at the finals on Sunday.
