You won’t want to miss Boise State vs. Fresno State basketball. Here’s why.
Mountain West Conference play continues Saturday for both the Boise State men’s and women’s basketball teams, and there’s a lot on the line.
The men host Fresno State at 3:30 p.m. at Taco Bell Arena (AT&T SportsNet, 670 AM), while the women have a 2 p.m. MT showdown at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California (WatchStadium.com, 1350 AM).
If you already have plans for Saturday afternoon, you might want to change them. These games deserve your attention.
Has Rice’s crew really made progress?
If Boise State’s near upset of No. 10 Nevada on Tuesday wasn’t proof enough that the Broncos have come a long way since a 2-5 start, they’ll get another chance to prove themselves against Fresno State.
The Bulldogs (12-4, 3-1) have the second-best record in the Mountain West and recently handed Utah State its first home loss of the season behind senior guard Braxton Huggins’ 33-point outing that included eight made 3-pointers. Huggins’ triple with 5.2 seconds left assured the Bulldogs a 78-77 win in Logan.
“All five guys out there can score in a lot of different ways,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “They drive a hard bargain. I mean, good luck stopping them. (Fresno coach Justin Hutson’s) got them really buying in on the defensive end. It’s a complete team we have to play (Saturday).”
Fresno’s only league loss was a 74-64 setback against Nevada on Jan. 12, and the Bulldogs join Boise State (8-9, 3-1), Nevada and UNLV as the only teams with one conference loss.
You be the judge
Nevada’s Caleb Martin may be the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year, but Fresno State senior Deshon Taylor is among the top contenders to unseat him.
Taylor declared for the NBA Draft last spring after averaging 17.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, but he ended up returning to Fresno State for his senior season.
Although he missed most of December with a dislocated left elbow, Taylor has eased his way back into the Bulldogs’ starting lineup and is averaging 16.8 points, 4.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Taylor had a team-high 15 points in the Bulldogs’ only game against Boise State last season, which the Broncos won 70-64 in Fresno.
“Taylor’s one of the best in the country, let alone the league, at getting fouled,” Rice said. “Some guys just have a knack to do that, and he certainly does. And they’ve got a team of guys that it’s really, really hard to keep them in front of you.”
Women battle Fresno for first place
The winner of Saturday’s matchup between the Boise State (13-2) and Fresno State (11-4) women’s basketball teams takes over sole possession of first place in the Mountain West standings.
The teams enter with perfect 4-0 marks in league play and the two longest current winning streaks among Mountain West teams.
“(Saturday) is really going to be an interesting game, because this is a team that wants to be first and is hungry to be first,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said. “We’re going to go there as the defending champs and try and defend our title. It will be a really great game, and I look forward to playing, just seeing where we’re at with all that they can do.”
The Bulldogs have won their last five games and are led by Mountain West Player of the Year candidate Candice White, a senior guard who is averaging a league-best 18.8 points per game. White made five 3-pointers and scored 30 points in a 75-66 loss to the Broncos at Taco Bell Arena last season.
In that same game, Boise State’s Riley Lupfer made six triples and totaled 26 points.
Another 3-point show could be in the works Saturday.
“They’re playing at a really high level right now, and they have a great resume,” Presnell said of Fresno.
This story was originally published January 17, 2019 at 10:24 PM.
