The men's basketball team for the Boise State Broncos picked up win no. 20 earlier this week, powered by a group of starters that have been in this position before.
The best, most consistent college basketball teams have that special player who helps guide them. This player may not always be the best overall player or top scorer but someone who brings consistency, talent, effort, energy, and enthusiasm to the court.
For the Boise State Broncos men's basketball team, that player is Naje Smith. And that's saying a lot, considering it can be argued multiple players on the team check those boxes.
Smith, a fifth-year senior, has been a spark since his arrival at Boise State, whether that be off the bench in brief appearances or as a starter. Previously coming off the bench most of his career as a Bronco prior to this season, Smith has started the last 23 games for the 20-6 Broncos, and the team has been better off.
Season ramping up for Smith
A recent stretch of games for Smith has seen the forward join his fellow starters in the double-digit scoring club. And his importance has never been more evident than in the last six games.
The last two games, in victories over the Wyoming Cowboys and Colorado State Rams, Smith has scored 35 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. He's connecting on 66.7 percent of his field goal attempts and, even better, hit 9-11 from the charity stripe.
Discounting a couple of games where he was banged up (Air Force, San Diego State) and only scored a total of six points, Smith has been locked in. If one was to toss out those games, Smith has a four-game effort of averaging 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest.
Cherry picking stats aside, Smith is delivering on both ends of the floor. He only played 11 minutes in the victory over Air Force. And I'm sure Smith is looking forward to the rematch with the first-place Aztecs (21-5) on 2/28 to improve on the two-point effort from Boise State's loss.
Smith had one of his best games of the season with an 18-point, 10-rebound effort against Wyoming. And he provides highlights on both ends of the floor. Monster dunks on one end and sky-high rebounds and electric blocked shots on defense. Smith had six blocked shots in a victory over UNLV and has had three or more blocks in four games this season.
Smith is averaging 10 points per game, to go along with 5.5 rebounds (second on the team). He is shooting 50.8 percent from the field and hit 16-48 from three-point range.
All five starters average double figures in scoring for the Broncos. While outstanding, it points to lack of offensive output from a spirited bench.
Boise State Broncos: Bench play
A concern for the Boise State Broncos, notably in conference play, is just how much they rely on the starting five. While it's great the lineup is so good, there's also worry about their workload and production heading into the homestretch and Mountain West Conference tourney.
The drop-off can be especially seen when top scorers Tyson Degenhart (14.6 ppg) and Marcus Shaver Jr. (13.4 ppg) are on the bench for extended minutes. In Wednesday night's 80-78 victory over Colorado State, Degenhart's absence due to foul trouble was huge. With him in the game, especially the second-half, the Broncos would be on the verge of pulling away as Degenhart was lighting up the scoreboard. But the Rams battled back when Degenhart went to the bench as the Broncos found it difficult to score.
The same can be said about the loss to San Diego State with Shaver missing the game and Degenhart saddled with foul trouble. Max Rice (13.4 ppg) did all he could but that night was a perfect storm of the aforementioned, plus the Aztecs on a mission to avenge three losses to Boise State last season.
Newcomer Chibuzo Agbo (11.6 ppg) rounds out the starting five and can definitely be hot and cold when it comes to his scoring output.
It's beyond these five where the worry comes into play, especially in the scoring department.
Jace Whiting and Pavle Kuzmanovic can certainly get hot from deep and Kobe Young has proven he can score. Lukas Milner is often the most consistent of the bunch but recently went through a stretch where he failed to score in four of six games.
One of these four need to be scoring five or more points per game to truly make the Broncos great. Of course, their impact is much more than aiding the scoring load shouldered by the starters. The bench, whether it's these four players or even deeper down the roster, could go scoreless as long as they're giving meaningful minutes.
It's about being reliable in key situations and for two, Whiting and Young, they are still learning the college game in many ways. But both are improving and contributing valuable minutes, along with Milner and Kuzmanovic, will determine if the Broncos repeat as Mountain West champions and how deep Boise State plays into March
So, too, will the play of Smith. Counted on in so many ways, the senior has risen to the occasion. And if he keeps posting similar numbers as the season winds down, I like the odds that the Boise State Broncos can finally get that elusive NCAA tournament win eluding them all these years.
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