Boise State men’s basketball opens Mountain West play at venue where ‘crazy’ happens
The circumstances surrounding Boise State’s Mountain West Conference opener in men’s basketball were already unusual. Coach Leon Rice says it feels downright unnatural.
For the first time in Rice’s tenure at Boise State — and the first time in the league’s 21-year history — teams will open conference play before Christmas. And Boise State (4-2) has arguably the most difficult draw among Mountain West squads with a 7 p.m. matchup against New Mexico (7-2) on Wednesday at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“It doesn’t feel right. There’s a biological clock that you have after playing this many years of (conference games in) January and February, and I certainly prefer that,” Rice said. “But so what? Now what? We’ve got to go do it. We’re going to go battle and not only do we open conference, but we open maybe in the toughest venue against a really, really good team.”
The 2020 Mountain West Tournament was moved up a week to avoid a conflict with a major construction trade show in Las Vegas during the tournament’s traditional dates. That necessitated teams play two conference games in early December. In previous years, Mountain West play has started no earlier than Dec. 27.
Boise State not only will be on the road for its conference opener, but the Broncos also are playing at a venue where they’ve won the fewest league games. Boise State has just two victories (2015, 2018) at The Pit in eight visits, and the Lobos lead the all-time series 11-5.
“It’s just weathering a bunch of chaos. It’s crazy, things that happen down there,” Rice said. “Two years ago, we had a bit of a brawl at the end of the game. ... It’s maybe the loudest place to play. Then you throw in some altitude issues, too, which are real, and they always have a good basketball team, too. So all those things stack up and makes for a tough place to go win a game.”
The Pit itself can be an intimidating place to play, and it doesn’t help that the Lobos have a tradition of success in Mountain West openers. Of the league’s 11 current members, New Mexico has the best record in conference openers with a mark of 14-6, including eight straight wins. New Mexico is 5-0 at home this season.
Boise State has built some momentum entering Wednesday’s game. The Broncos are on a three-game win streak and lead the league in scoring at 82.5 points per game. But the Broncos’ ability to cleanly defend could prove more pivotal than putting big points on the board against the Lobos. The Broncos are among the top 20 in the nation in fewest fouls committed (91, tied for 16th), while the Lobos lead the country in free throws made (163) and attempted (229).
“We’ve had three great games in a row. Not maybe great in the fact that we didn’t shoot the ball perfect, we didn’t do things perfect, but we found ways and we stuck with it,” Rice said. “We are starting to understand our plan and how we do it and what our strengths are and starting to play to those. Now we have to put it all together quickly and go play an A-plus game on the road to get that done.”
Note: Wednesday’s game will be streamed online on the Watch Stadium platform and on Facebook. The game also is available on the radio on 670 AM.
Women’s basketball: Broncos host Lobos
Boise State and New Mexico finished first and second, respectively, in the Mountain West regular-season standings last season.
The two teams are expected to compete for the league title again this season, according to a preseason poll of the league’s coaches, and they’ll open conference play against each other Wednesday. The Broncos (4-4) host New Mexico (6-1) at 7 p.m. at ExtraMile Arena, and the game will be broadcast on the radio on 1350 AM.
Boise State and New Mexico met just once last season — a 70-66 Boise State win on March 4 in Boise — and they split their two meetings in 2017-18.
Volleyball: Broncos receive postseason bid
Boise State will make a postseason appearance for the third time in four seasons after accepting an at-large bid to the 2019 National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
The Broncos (18-11) take on Weber State (24-8) in the opening round at 4 p.m. Thursday in Laramie, Wyoming.
“It’s a great accomplishment to be selected to compete in the NIVC,” Boise State coach Shawn Garus said in a press release. “Our program wants to be playing in the postseason every year. We played a tough schedule this season, and our young team performed well to earn this bid. I am excited to see how we can prepare and perform this week for a good Weber State team in the opening round.”
If the Broncos beat Weber State, they will face the winner of Wyoming (21-8) and Northwestern State (20-12). The second-round match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 6:26 PM.
