Boise State’s next opponent has third-toughest nonconference schedule in country
Prairie View A&M is winless through its first eight games and won’t play at home until Jan. 1.
The road warriors continue their trek with a nonconference matchup against the Boise State men’s basketball team at 7 p.m. Friday at ExtraMile Arena. The Mountain West Network will provide a live stream of the game, which is available free online at broncosports.com/mwn.
“Our guys are basketball junkies, and one thing that they do know is they know the quality of opponents they’ve played,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “... They have our attention. I know that.”
The Panthers’ 0-8 record could be a bit deceiving. According to KenPom.com, Prairie View A&M has played the third-most difficult nonconference schedule of any Division I team this season, including games against then sixth-ranked Michigan, Texas Tech, Saint Mary’s (Calif.), Oklahoma State and San Francisco.
After going unbeaten in Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season play last season, the Panthers fell in the SWAC Tournament championship to Texas Southern. PVAMU was picked to finished second in the SWAC this season, behind Texas Southern, and features the conference’s preseason player of the year in senior guard Jawaun Daniels.
In its most recent game, a 99-90 loss to South Dakota State, Prairie View A&M scored 79 points over the final 28 minutes of the game.
“Yikes. That caught my attention,” Rice said. “I’m looking at that going, ‘Wow.’ They can score in bunches.”
The Panthers’ closest loss came in the game before they met South Dakota State, when they fell 83-80 at Loyola Marymount.
Friday’s game will be the first meeting between the two teams, but Boise State (5-4) is 4-0 all-time against current members of the SWAC.
Notes: Fans who donate a new, unwrapped toy to Toys For Tots upon arriving at ExtraMile Arena on Friday will get a game ticket for $5. ... Prairie View A&M coach Bryson Smith coached the Harlem Globetrotters for one season and was the director of basketball operations under Clyde Drexler at Houston.
Women’s basketball: Broncos on the road for three
The Boise State women’s basketball team begins a three-game stretch of road games Friday night at Eastern Washington. Tipoff is 7 p.m. Mountain time at Reese Court in Cheney, Washington.
The Broncos have won the past three times they’ve visited Cheney, but only by a combined 11 points, including a 63-61 win on Dec. 15, 2019, on a driving layup by Braydey Hodgins with 2.2 seconds left.
Boise State (2-5) is coming off its first win of the season over a Division I program — 76-64 over Florida Atlantic — and meets an Eastern Washington squad that is 2-4. The Eagles have won two of their past three games, highlighted by a 102-61 drubbing of Multnomah.
The Broncos’ road swing continues at Washington State on Sunday, and then they’ll have nearly a week before their following game, which is at Pepperdine on Saturday, Dec. 18.
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT BOISE STATE
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: ExtraMile Arena, Boise
Live stream: Mountain West Network
Radio: 670 AM (Bob Behler, Abe Jackson)
Records: Boise State 5-4, Prairie View A&M 0-8
Series: First meeting
KenPom rating: Boise State 65, Prairie View A&M 242
KenPom & ESPN predictions
Ken Pomeroy, who created the popular college basketball statistical website KenPom.com, ranks every Division I team using an adjusted efficiency margin, which Pomeroy defines as the difference between a team’s offensive and defensive efficiency.
According to Pomeroy’s detailed statistical analysis, Boise State has a 91% chance of beating Prairie View A&M. His score prediction is a 77-62 Broncos victory.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index: Boise State has a 91.6% chance of winning with a predicted point differential of 16.1.
