Boise State’s Leon Rice has done a masterful coaching job this season. But is it his best?

At a program where 20-win seasons have become standard, Boise State basketball coach Leon Rice might be outdoing himself this time.

Going into the final four games of the regular season, the Broncos (17-8, 10-4) are tied for first in the Mountain West with Nevada and Colorado State. There have been seasons when Boise State was expected to win a lot of games; this is not one of them.

▪ The Broncos were picked to finish fifth in the conference preseason poll.

▪ Gone from last season’s roster are All-Mountain West performer James Webb III, who left school early and is now playing for the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League, and Anthony Drmic, the No. 2 scorer in school history.

▪ The Broncos lost 65 percent of their scoring production. The only returner who started more than seven games last season was senior Nick Duncan. The team’s most veteran player, redshirt senior James Reid, had not played a minute of college basketball since transferring from Arkansas-Little Rock after the 2014-15 campaign.

▪ Rice is playing three true freshmen, including guard Justinian Jessup, one of only three players on the roster who has started every game this season.

“I had them sixth, and I mostly did that based on the idea that Nick Duncan was going to be the guy that took a step forward. I had no idea that Chandler Hutchison would turn into the player he is,” NBC Sports college basketball writer Rob Dauster said.

Hutchison (18 points, 8.3 rebounds per game) has evolved from averaging 6.8 points per game last season into a Mountain West Player of the Year candidate. The junior is Boise State’s alpha, having scored a career-high 31 points at New Mexico last Tuesday.

Speedy guard Paris Austin, meanwhile, has become the spoon that stirs Boise State’s coffee. And David Wacker, Robin Jorch and Zach Haney are playing well in their roles down low. All four are sophomores.

“I am shocked that Boise has a shot to win the Mountain West, given what Leon and his staff lost after last season,” ESPN college basketball reporter Jeff Goodman said.

So is this Rice’s best coaching job in seven seasons at Boise State?

The Idaho Statesman takes a look at his previous seasons and, based on returning players, predicted order of finish and final results, ranks Rice’s coaching jobs.

1. 2012-13

Record: 21-11 (9-7 MW)

Preseason poll: Eighth

Finish: Tied for fourth

Postseason: NCAA First Four

The Broncos were coming off a 13-17 season, their first in the Mountain West. Drmic and fellow sophomore Derrick Marks averaged 17.7 and 16.3 points per game, respectively, while junior Jeff Elorriaga was a potent third option who averaged 10.2 points a game. Boise State had one senior on the roster; each significant contributor averaged 2.9 years of experience (based on weighted minutes played, according to sports-reference.com/cbb/).

The Mountain West sent five teams to the NCAA Tournament in the 2012-13 season, which tied the Pac-12, Atlantic 10 and Big 12 for the third-most from any conference, and was more than the ACC (four) and SEC (three) sent. Boise State lost to La Salle in the First Four.

“There’s something to be said for having the amount of success he had in the Mountain West when it was, as a whole, a better league than the SEC,” Dauster said.

2: 2016-17

Preseason poll: Fifth

Currently: Tied for first

Hutchison might be the most important player in the Mountain West because he is the only player on the team who can consistently create for himself, due to his 6-foot-7 size and explosiveness. Without him, Boise State’s offense is deep shooting and occasional Austin drives.

Rice and his staff have done a great job developing Hutchison’s confidence and turning him into a game-changer.

Rice also has put his trust in freshmen Jessup, Marcus Dickinson and Alex Hobbs. He doesn’t turn on them if they make mistakes. His decision to bring Austin off the bench has provided a spark to the team and proven to be a wise move.

According to Duncan, the key to this year’s team has been maintaining an even keel and remaining intense at practice, regardless of wins or losses.

“Every day is the same practice, it’s the same energy, whether it’s a win or a loss. I think that’s why we’ve been going so well and beating expectations, is that practice is the same every day,” Duncan said. “Bringing the competitive edge that everyone out there is doubting us still, and we’re still at the tip of the ladder.”

One factor holding this team back, and keeping it behind the 2012-13 team, is the fact that the Mountain West is weaker than it was four seasons ago.

“It’s unfortunate it’s a one-bid league this year,” Goodman said. “Because this is one of the best coaching jobs Leon has done since he has been there.”

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3: 2014-15

Preseason poll: Second

Finish: First

Postseason: NCAA First Four

This was Rice’s best team, as the Broncos won the Mountain West regular season title before falling to Dayton in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. Drmic injured his ankle early in the season, leaving senior Marks and Webb, a North Idaho College transfer, to pick up the slack. Marks won Mountain West Player of the Year honors and led a team whose contributors averaged 2.2 years of experience to the top of the conference.

“(Rice) has always done a good job of getting the most out of the players he has,” Drmic said. “(He gets) everyone to buy in on the team and not worry about themselves.”

The 2014-15 team tied the 2007-08 Broncos for most wins in a season. While Rice did a solid job of coaching (he was the Mountain West Coach of the Year), the cast of players was overall stronger than the first two teams on the list.

4: 2010-11

Record: 22-13 (10-6 WAC)

Preseason poll: Fourth

Finish: Second

Postseason: CBI semis

Rice’s debut season as a Division I head coach was a good one. Boise State was 15-17 in 2009-10 under then-head coach Greg Graham. Rice took a veteran team (four leading scorers were seniors) and led the Broncos to a 22-13 record. Outside of the seniors, most of the team’s key players were freshmen, including Elorriaga, a walk-on.

[VIDEO: A day with Boise State men's basketball coach Leon Rice]

5: 2011-12

Preseason poll: Eighth

Finish: Tied for seventh

This certainly wasn’t Rice’s best team, as the Broncos finished under .500. It was, however, one of his most important. Freshmen Drmic and Marks laid the foundation for the 2015 Mountain West champions, averaging 12 and 9.4 points a game, respectively. Boise State had one player listed above 6-foot-7 (sophomore Ryan Watkins). The leading scorers were a pair of freshmen, a sophomore and a junior.

6: 2015-16

Record: 20-12 (11-7 MW)

Preseason poll: Second

Finish: Third

Despite losing Marks, this was a team expected to contend for the Mountain West. Drmic was back after receiving a medical redshirt, as was Webb. The Broncos were good, finishing 20-12. But the average experience level of the team’s contributors was 2.5, and the Broncos missed out on the NCAA Tournament, ultimately falling short of preseason expectations.

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7: 2013-14

Preseason poll: Second

Finish: Tied for fifth

This was Rice’s most experienced team, with the team’s main contributors averaging 3.1 years of experience. Drmic, Marks and Elorriaga led the Broncos to the NCAA Tournament the year before, but failed to send the Broncos back for a second straight year. All three took steps back in their scoring averages from the previous year.

This story was originally published February 20, 2017 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Boise State’s Leon Rice has done a masterful coaching job this season. But is it his best?."