Does the Boise State men’s basketball team have a uniform superstition? Seems like it.
Leon Rice was reticent about discussing uniform choice when it comes to his Boise State men’s basketball team.
But based on trends this season, it seems the Broncos have become superstitious about sporting their black jerseys.
“I try to stay out of that stuff as much as I can, because I’ll obsess about that,” Rice said. “I’ll have all the stats and I’ll know exactly the percentages we shot. So I’m like: ‘OK, don’t even go there. Don’t let yourself go there.’ I’ve stayed away from it like: ‘OK, it has no effect. It’s not gonna bother me.’ I pretend it doesn’t exist.”
Going into Wednesday’s 7 p.m. Mountain West contest against San Jose State (7-14, 3-6) at ExtraMile Arena, Boise State (13-8, 5-4) has worn its black uniforms only twice this season. The Broncos have donned their white unis 11 times and their blue ones on eight occasions.
Boise State is 0-2 in black this season, losing 69-56 at Tulsa on Dec. 11 and 83-66 at Nevada on Jan. 4. Last season, the Broncos went 1-5 when wearing black, and they were 1-1 in black during the 2017-18 season. That’s a combined record of 2-8 over the last three seasons — a winning percentage of 20 percent.
“I love the black unis, though,” Rice said. “I always think we look great in them.”
Rice said he is generally not involved in picking out which uniform the team wears. He leaves that responsibility to David Moats, the Broncos’ director of basketball operations.
“(Moats) and our equipment guys, they kind of get together on things and coordinate things,” Rice said. “If I see something I don’t like, I’ll say something, but I try my hardest (not to). I don’t need more superstitions.”
This wouldn’t be the first time Boise State has been hesitant to wear a particular jersey under Rice. The Broncos went nearly two years without wearing their orange jerseys after a 97-93 double-overtime loss to Colorado State on Feb. 11, 2016. Boise State did not wear those orange unis again until a 70-64 victory against Fresno State on Jan. 9, 2018.
“We confronted it once. We conquered it,” Rice said. “We were like, ‘No, we’re doing this.’ And I like the orange. Those look great on TV. I like those, we’ve gotta bring those back eventually.”
Rice may have good reason to avoid the Broncos’ all-black uniform.
There is some scientific evidence that suggests wearing black may be detrimental to performance, according to a study by Cornell University entitled “The Dark Side of Self- and Social Perception: Black Uniforms and Aggression in Professional Sports.”
A summary of that study concluded that “an analysis of the penalty records of the National Football League and the National Hockey League indicate that teams with black uniforms in both sports ranked near the top of their leagues in penalties throughout the period of study.”
Wednesday’s game against the Spartans may be the perfect time to suit up in black and squash the bad vibe. The Spartans have not won a Mountain West road game since 2017, and they have finished last in the conference standings five of the last six seasons. Additionally, Boise State is 9-1 at ExtraMile Arena this season.
Don’t hold your breath.
“For all intents and purposes, (San Jose State) beat San Diego State. It was Malachi Flynn making a miracle shot over three guys, otherwise they beat the (No. 4) team in the country on the road. Right there, that grabs your attention. I know it certainly did mine,” Rice said. “They’ve beaten Nevada, New Mexico and Air Force. That says something there. They’re doing a great job, and they’re making big progress. They are a good basketball team.”
Note: Wednesday’s game will be streamed online by the Mountain West Network, which is available at BroncoSports.com/mwn. Listen to play-by-play on the radio at 670 AM.
Women’s basketball: Fourth-quarter D lacking
Defensive breakdowns have cost the Boise State women’s basketball team in Mountain West action this season.
The Broncos surrendered 35 fourth-quarter points in an 85-80 loss to Fresno State last Saturday, and coach Gordy Presnell says it comes down to defense.
“We’ve got to be able to do a better job of finishing the game,” Presnell said. “Right now, we’re not stopping the ball.”
On the heels of their loss to first-place Fresno State, the Broncos (14-7, 6-3 MW) travel to second-place San Jose State (14-6, 8-1) for an 8 p.m. Mountain time game Wednesday in San Jose, California.
Opposing teams have found success against the Broncos late in games by driving to the basket. When Boise State can’t stay in front of the dribbler, it leads to an easy layup or a trip to the free-throw line. Last season, then-senior Marta Hermida was the Broncos’ go-to defender, but the team hasn’t found a consistent perimeter defender in 2019-20.
“Everyone puts their head down and drives to the basket at the end of the game,” Boise State junior Mallory McGwire said. “We need to get better at defending that — not just guards, but posts, too. So I think that, and just coming together as a team and wanting to win.”
Note: Wednesday’s game at San Jose State will be streamed online by the Mountain West Network, which is available at BroncoSports.com/mwn. Listen to a radio broadcast on 1350 AM.
