SERIES DISPUTE

Broncos and Vandals rarely agree on anything, so its no surprise that the two schools disagree on something so basic as series record.

Boise State says it leads the series 51-35. Idaho takes credit for five more victories, all before 1971 when Boise State was a two-year college.

What is not in dispute is the Broncos’ recent dominance. Boise State has won 18 of the past 21 meetings, including 14 in a row from 2001 to 2008. The Broncos have won all three meetings under third-year coach Leon Rice, including a 76-73 decision last year at the Idaho Center in Nampa. The three games were decided by a combined 12 points.

“They’ve been battles down to the last possession. I expect nothing less from this game,” Rice said.

IMPACT PLAYER

Playing on a severly sprained ankle, Boise State forward Anthony Drmic scored a then-career high 28 points in last year’s game.

“He kicked our tails,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said.

Last week, the 6-foot-6, 196-pound Drmic set a career high when he scored 34 points in a win against LSU. He is second on the team in scoring (16.4 points per game) and rebounding (4.8), and is shooting 43.6 percent from 3-point range.

“He’s an excellent shooter. It doesn’t take long to get it off and that makes you get a little closer to him,” Verlin said. “He can score in a number of different ways.”

BARONE CLIMBING LISTS

Idaho senior forward Kyle Barone ranks No. 12 on the Vandals’ all-time scoring list with 1,048 career points. He can pass Gary Simmons (1956-58) with 19 points.

Orlando Lightfoot (1991-94) is No. 1 with 2,102 points. At his current 14.6 scoring average, Barone could push his way into the top four. Steve Weist (1973-76) is currently No. 4 at 1,357 points.

In five games against Boise State, the 6-foot-10 Barone is averaging 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Brian Murphy: 377-6444