Boise State men’s basketball vs. Fresno State: How to watch, prediction and odds
As Marcus Shaver Jr. continues to recover from an ankle injury, redshirt senior Max Rice has stepped up as a scoring leader for the Boise State men’s basketball team.
Since scoring just two points at Nevada, Rice has reached double figures in six straight games. He’ll try to make it a season-high seven in a row when the Broncos host Fresno State at 7 p.m. Tuesday at ExtraMile Arena.
“When you look at our team, we do need him to score for us,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “He’s carried the weight it seems like in those first halves when a lot of guys weren’t scoring ... and then those other guys came alive, too.”
On the season, Max Rice is averaging 13.3 points per game, but that average has increased in conference play to 15.1 — second-best on the team — highlighted by a career-high 29 points in a rematch with Nevada on Jan. 17.
He has been particularly effective in the first halves of games, scoring the majority of his points in the opening 20 minutes in five of the past six. He had 15 of 17 in the first half against New Mexico; 21 of 29 in the first half vs. Nevada; 12 of 17 at Wyoming; all 13 in the first half against UNLV; and 12 of 14 against San Jose State.
“I like to think sometimes to get myself going, I’m like, ‘These dudes don’t think I belong out here,’ ” said Max Rice, the middle of Leon Rice’s three sons. “... I’ve got to prove myself to them and show them that I can hoop, too.”
Max Rice joined the Broncos in 2018-19 as a walk-on out of Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, where he was a three-time All-Idaho First Team selection and a two-time 4A Southern Idaho Conference Player of the Year. As a senior at BK, he averaged 23.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
He redshirted his first season at Boise State and has steadily increased his role over the years, culminating with becoming a full-time starter this season.
As his role has increased, so has his skill set.
Once known largely as a 3-point specialist, Max Rice has developed a dangerous floater off the drive and has learned to maneuver inside against taller opponents.
“That man is on fire right now, and I love it,” Shaver said. “He has a huge amount of confidence and I just hope he keeps playing that way for the rest of the season. It helps us a lot.”
Leon Rice has learned the best way to motivate No. 12, as he calls him, is to challenge him.
“He always responds to challenges,” Leon Rice said. “He may not like it the way I do it sometimes. You know, we have a history, but the one thing I’ll say about him, he’s an elite competitor, so I always try to tap into that, and that usually works. I also want him to know he’s playing at an elite level and to have that confidence to do it. This team needs it.”
FRESNO STATE AT BOISE STATE
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: ExtraMile Arena, Boise
TV: Fox Sports 1
Radio: KBOI 670 AM (Bob Behler, Abe Jackson)
Records: Boise State 15-5, 5-2 MW; Fresno State 7-11, 3-4
Series: Boise State leads the all-time series 26-22
Vegas line: Boise State by 12.5
KenPom rating: Boise State 25, Fresno State 150
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 90% chance of beating Fresno State. His score prediction is a 68-55 BSU victory.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index: Boise State has a 93.7% chance of winning with a predicted point differential of 16.
This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 4:07 PM.
