Boise State’s search for its first men’s basketball Mountain West victory goes on after a thrilling overtime loss to No. 12 UNLV on Wednesday night. Its search for an identity — in a league filled with teams who know exactly who they are — should not.
In a game no one thought they would win and few thought they’d remain competitive in, the Broncos — with seven freshman on the roster — displayed a will that will make them tougher.
They could have folded early when UNLV scored the game’s first 12 points. Or they could have folded early in the second half, when the Rebels again extended their lead to nine.
Instead, Boise State fought back each time, scrapping for every rebound, diving for each lose ball, matching UNLV’s runs with one of its own.
It wasn’t enough. Not against UNLV, ranked in the top 15 with good reason.
It might not be enough the rest of the way either. Not against most of the teams Boise State will face in the rugged Mountain West. The Broncos are still searching for their first victory in their new conference. Picked to finish last before the season, Boise State appears headed there.
But, in taking the Rebels to overtime, the Broncos should have discovered something about themselves — a toughness, a will, an identity — that will serve them well as the season rolls on.
Second-year coach Leon Rice built his squad to be a skilled team with shooters surrounding a few big men. Early in the season, it worked. The 3-pointers met net. The victories accumulated.
In conference play, everything has gotten harder. Entering Wednesday’s game, Boise State was shooting 31.8 percent from 3-point range in league play. Against the Rebels, the Broncos went 8-for-27 (29.6 percent). The losses and injuries have piled up.
So the Broncos are changing on the fly.
Now they are an effort team. At least, that’s what they showed Wednesday night against UNLV. Undersized and athletic, Boise State’s mantra must become toughness, will, effort, energy.
They displayed those intangibles Wednesday evening. And it made for a compelling game with one of the best teams in the country.
Even with an offense that consisted largely — solely? — of screens to free point guard Derrick Marks or Westly Perryman to get into the lane and create something close to the basket or a pass for a 3-pointer.
The offense bogged down on the final possession of regulation and the Broncos couldn’t even get a shot to the rim. UNLV owned the overtime period as the Broncos’ legs — not their will — gave out. UNLV outrebounded Boise State 7-1 in overtime.
“We’re not going to be a soft team. We’re going to be build on blue-collar, hard-nosed hard work. That’s what got them in the game and kept them in it,” Rice said. “So our guys have to give supreme effort.”
Even that might not be enough if a few more 3-pointers don’t find their way into the bottom of the net. But, as they proved Wednesday night, supreme effort must be the starting point moving forward.
Brian Murphy: 377-6444
