Will Boise State coach get ‘tossed’ if there’s a sellout vs. Nevada?
Justinian Jessup was concerned when he heard the news.
After all, this is a serious game with serious consequences in the Mountain West men’s basketball standings.
Maybe that’s why Boise State coach Leon Rice would like to see a sellout at ExtraMile Arena, even if it means he’ll have to get thrown out when the Broncos host Nevada at 8 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU.
“We need Bronco Nation to sell this place out. Let’s get it rocking,” Rice said. “Somebody had an idea that if they sell it out, I get thrown out. I think I’ll wait till the end of the game and get thrown out by celebrating too much or something.”
Rice has challenged fans before in order to pack ExtraMile Arena. In 2017-18, he waded across the Boise River in exchange for a full house against San Diego State. Later that season he rode a horse across campus when the Broncos sold out their game against UNLV. Boise State won both.
Those stunts didn’t factor into the outcome of the games, but an ejection could very well change the momentum Saturday.
“That’s not a goofy thing, that’s like a serious thing,” Jessup said. “If it’s at the end of the game, then I’m cool with it, but maybe he should have stuck with riding a horse across campus again. We definitely need the fans to come out. This place is special when there’s a lot of people in there — it’s special when there’s not — but when there’s nine, ten thousand people, it gets rocking and that definitely plays a factor into who wins the games.”
Rice didn’t provide specifics on his plan to get ejected, but fans might want to give him a little leeway if the game ends up being close.
“I’ll get tossed Billy Martin style or Jackie Moon style, whatever. You guys can vote on it,” Rice told local media on Friday afternoon in reference to the former MLB player/manager and Will Ferrell’s character from the movie “Semi-Pro.”
A tight contest is a likely scenario against the Wolf Pack. Nevada has won the last eight meetings, including an 83-66 victory in Reno on Jan. 4. But half of the 16 games the two teams have played since the Wolf Pack joined the Mountain West in 2012-13 have been decided by single digits. It took a late 3-pointer from Cody Martin for Nevada to escape with a 72-71 win last year in Boise.
Entering the matchup, Boise State (14-8, 6-4 MW) and Nevada (13-9, 6-4) sit in a four-way tie for third place in the league standings with Utah State (17-6, 6-4) and Colorado State (15-8, 6-4).
“You’ve got two of the teams that are battling and jockeying for position,” Rice said. “You’re kind of coming around the final turn of league, you know, down the homestretch we come, and there’s a group just all together. The one that can come out of that group, it’ll be interesting to see who it is. These games are important for that.”
Rice has just one career ejection, and it actually came earlier this season when he was tossed just before halftime in the Broncos’ 85-78 loss at Air Force on Jan. 15.
Note: The Broncos have planned their annual “Black Out” game for Saturday. Fans are encouraged to wear black to the game, and the first 1,000 fans will receive a commemorative “Black Out” poster. … Jessup needs two 3-pointers to tie and three to break the Mountain West career 3-point record of 296 set by BYU’s Jimmer Fredette from 2007 to 2011.
Women’s basketball: Broncos look for season sweep
Boise State’s remaining eight Mountain West games will be rematches, starting with Saturday’s 2 p.m. Mountain time contest against Nevada at Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada.
The Broncos defeated the Wolf Pack 54-40 on Jan. 4 in Boise, and BSU leads the all-time series 43-17.
Boise State has dropped back-to-back Mountain West games (Fresno State, San Jose State) for the first time in two years. The Broncos will try to avoid a three-game league skid, which hasn’t happened since 2016.
Saturday’s game will be streamed online by the Mountain West Network, which is available at BroncoSports.com/mwn. Listen to a radio broadcast on 1350 AM.
Football: Spring Game is set
The Boise State football team’s annual Spring Game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at Albertsons Stadium.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Athletic Ticket Office beginning at noon the day of the game, or in advance at BroncoSports.com/tickets.
Parking for the game is free and will be available starting at 11:30 a.m. in the East Stadium Lot. The Stueckle Sky Center will open at 1:30 p.m., and the main stadium gates (A, D, N and P) will open at 2:30 p.m. Schedule posters will be distributed at each of the gates prior to the start of the scrimmage.
Following the game, access to The Blue will be available to all attendees.
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 4:25 PM.
