Boise State’s nonconference slate includes Top 25 team, WCC squads and rematch with BYU
The Boise State men’s basketball team has locked in five nonconference games for the 2020-21 season and is working to fill two more non-league spots on its schedule.
And for a team that has the potential to be one of the best in program history, the Broncos’ season opener has the makings of a marquee matchup.
Boise State opens the season at 1 p.m. MT Friday at No. 17 Houston. The game will be available on ESPN+ and marks the first time BSU has faced a Top 25 opponent in its season opener since the 2000-01 season against No. 17 Cincinnati.
“I wanted to seek out a resume opportunity and a challenging opportunity,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said Tuesday. “That’s what we got. We got the 17th-ranked team on their floor in front of some fans. It’s gonna be a big challenge, and our guys couldn’t be more excited.”
The Broncos and Cougars have played once before, with Boise State earning a 75-73 overtime victory in the 2014 Las Vegas Classic. Boise State went on to win the Mountain West regular-season title that season.
“When I went back and watched that one … the things that are important to our program are still important to our program,” Rice said. “The things that (Houston coach) Kelvin (Sampson) was instilling in those guys are still the main things that they do. They were maybe the best rebounding team in the country last year, and he gets them playing so hard, especially right out of the gate.”
Boise State will remain in the Lone Star State for the Southwest Showcase on Sunday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, where the Broncos take on Sam Houston State at noon.
The Broncos’ three additional nonconference games include a road matchup at BYU (Dec. 9) and home contests against West Coast Conference teams Santa Clara (Dec. 15) and Loyola Marymount (Dec. 22).
Start times and viewing information for Boise State’s full schedule will be announced at a later date.
“I’ve been doing this a pretty long time, and I told our guys yesterday it feels to me like we’re going to play in the Super Bowl,” Rice said. “It’s one game and you’re just so excited to play. If I feel that way, I can’t imagine how these guys that have sat out a year and have grinded for all this time (feel).”
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 2:29 PM.
