Boise State blocks out NCAA tourney noise, focuses on must-win San Diego State game
Alvaro Cardenas is trying not to focus on Boise State basketball’s precarious position on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
He understands the implications, no doubt. Boise State enters the Mountain West Tournament among the many teams in apparent competition for one of the final at-large spots, and an early loss in the conference tourney likely would eliminate the Broncos from the conversation.
That’s why the senior guard isn’t focusing on the chatter — just the next game. If the Broncos win the games in front of them, they can make it easy on themselves. Up first is a meeting with fellow bubble team San Diego State on Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Mountain time.
“There obviously is a lot of pressure,” Cardenas said Wednesday at the team hotel. “We’re trying not to think in that way. Instead of thinking so much about the outcome, we’ve got to win this game. ... I feel like that’s a good mindset to have.”
Boise State started Mountain West play 5-4 and had to play uphill this season. The Broncos then won nine of their last 11 games to get back into NCAA tourney territory, and Cardenas isn’t ready to let all that hard work go to waste.
“There are things that haven’t gone our way like we wanted it, but our dreams are still ahead of us,” Cardenas said. “Everything that we wanted to accomplish is still in front of us. So obviously, that’s something that we’re thinking about.”
The conference tournament champion, as always, will get an automatic bid to the NCAAs. Failing that, what Boise State might need is a run to the championship game, which would mean finally beating the Aztecs and then knocking off No. 1 seed New Mexico in the semifinals, should the Lobos be waiting there.
This tournament is even more impactful for Cardenas because he’s repeatedly stated that he came to Boise State from conference foe San Jose State to win. So far this season, Cardenas and the Broncos have been unable to win against San Diego State, losing both regular season games. They also were swept by Colorado State, which left them in this tough spot.
The Spaniard spent his first three seasons with the Spartans, who reached the conference tournament semifinals in 2023, his sophomore year. But the program never sniffed the NCAA Tournament, a place Boise State has been each of the past three seasons.
Junior forward Javan Buchanan is also shooting for his first NCAA tourney appearance, but he reached Boise State via a slightly different path. Buchanan played two years at NAIA school Indiana Wesleyan before joining the Broncos this season. The jump up hasn’t posed a problem. He was named the Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year earlier this week, after averaging 22 minutes and 9.7 points per game off the bench.
“It just proves everything that I thought about myself,” Buchanan said about the award. “But obviously, the awards don’t mean everything to me. It’s about the journey, and it’s been amazing so far. I’m just ready to keep this thing going with this team.”
Buchanan’s shooting ability could prove pivotal for Boise State on Thursday afternoon. San Diego State’s wins over the Broncos have come via clogging the paint and elite rim protection, and watching BSU shoot poorly.
Buchanan is shooting 52.8% from the field this season. He has the best shooting percentage on the team among players with at least 100 attempts. He also shoots 33.3% from 3-point range.
“The past two games, and in their recent games, we know they’re really athletic,” Buchanan said. “A lot of talented guys on their team. It’s going to take the whole 15, 13, 14, however many guys to win this game. It’s not just going to be one or two people.”
