Then, the dust will get kicked up all over again come Mountain West tournament time.
The Broncos have set themselves up for success, coming off a master class on offense in their last three games. Ball movement. Efficiency. Fantastic shooting and a balanced attack. All have helped propel the Broncos since a rough stretch with two losses a few weeks back. Yes, opposition has been weaker but Boise State handled their business, averaging 88 points in their three-game winning streak, with an average margin of victory at 25.3.
It's easy for a team to lose focus in these types of games. Thankfully Boise State has not because they close the regular season with three teams possibly NCAA tournament bound. Boise State (19-8, 10-4) shares first place with the Utah State Aggies, with only three games separating first and seventh place teams. The Broncos are in midst of fighting for an important first-round bye in the MW tourney, in which the top five teams receive.
Two wins this week would guarantee Boise State said bye. The big question sits with the Broncos and their NCAA tournament chances. They've climbed to number 32 in the NET rankings and most projections in recent weeks have them in the tournament for sure. To me, winning three of four plus a MW tourney victory should guarantee them of reaching the Big Dance for a third straight season. Even 2-2 plus a conference tournament win should mean Boise State is in good position (as long as one of those losses isn't to Air Force).
Crucial games are on the agenda this time of year, with even losses to a rising UNLV team and 19th-ranked Washington State (21-7) not looking as bad. The Broncos, with the type of activity they've had in recent games on offense plus stellar defense, will look to keep things rolling this week.
Boise State at Air Force
First up, the Broncos have a road meeting on 2/27 (7 p.m. MT) with the Air Force Falcons (9-17, 2-12). Boise State won the first matchup, running away with things in a 94-56 victory.
But, be wary of those Falcons. They may have only two conference wins but those have been huge. The first was a 32-point win in Las Vegas. The second was last Saturday, a 78-77 victory in The Pit that snapped a seven-game losing streak.
In the first meeting between Boise State and Air Force, all five Bronco starters scored in double figures. Boise State shot 60 percent from the field and was 15-27 from three-point range. The Broncos had 17 assists and only eight turnovers.
Standouts included Chibuzo Agbo and O'Mar Stanley, who each scored 14 points, and Cam Martin had four points, six rebounds, and seven assists. But, it was Tyson Degenhart who soared sky high.
Degenhart had 29 points on 11-12 shooting. This game kicked off a current six-game stretch where Degenhart is averaging 22 points per game and shooting 65.7 percent from the field. He is also pulling down almost seven rebounds per contest in this span.
Air Force shot 34.6 percent in the first matchup, with 13 turnovers. Jeffrey Mills had 17 points in that game, with Beau Becker adding 13. Boise State held Rytis Petraitis to three points, who went 0-8 from the field.
Petraitis averages 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on the season. He scored 15 in the victory over New Mexico. Becker, who also averages 14.9 and shoots 50 percent from the field, scored 19 against the Lobos. Air Force shot 51.7 percent and committed only eight turnovers in the victory.
The Falcons are very capable of pulling off the upset at home, even though their two conference wins have both been on the road. Boise State needs to hold focus, especially with an even larger game on the horizon.
Broncos vs Lobos
The New Mexico Lobos (21-7, 9-6) get a full week to stew over their loss to Air Force before taking the court Saturday (3/2, 6 p.m. MT) in Boise.
This means Boise State will be facing a very motivated and fired up New Mexico squad who, with another loss, could be moving further away from the wrong side of the bubble.
In the first meeting between the teams, Boise State walked away with a 86-78 road victory. That game was where Max Rice re-emerged from a shooting slump, scoring a career-high 35 points. Agbo had 16 points and Stanley finished with a double-double (12 points, 14 rebounds). Degenhart struggled, going only 1-8 from the field and scoring four points.
Boise State shot 48.5 percent from the field and turned the ball over only 11 times. The Broncos were 9-27 from deep and had a plus 8 advantage on the boards.
Guard Donovan Dent had a career game of his own for the Lobos, scoring 31 points. Jamal Mashburn Jr. had 14 points and JT Topping pulled down 15 rebounds.
New Mexico had only seven turnovers in that meeting but shot only 7-25 from three-point range.
The Lobos are 3-4 in their last seven games. They average 82.5 points per game but only have reached that twice in this seven-game stretch.
Jaelen House averages 15.5 points and is a top defender, averaging 2.4 steals. Dent scores 15.4 a contest and shoots 52.4 percent from the field. Toppin averages 12.1 points and 8.8 per contest, teaming with Nelly Junior Joseph to form quite the inside pair. Junior Joseph had 17 points and nine rebounds in the Air Force loss.
Boise State holds a 12-2 record at home, so the Broncos should have the edge. But part of me worries New Mexico will come out ablaze. Boise State might have to withstand an early storm to prevail in this one.
Still, the Broncos are playing at such a high level, it's hard to imagine them faltering this week. They have switched gears, seen bench players rise up, and are dominating. Do that going forward, and there will be a lot to talk about regarding this Boise State team come mid-March. Until then, keep doing the work and notching the wins.
More on Boise State men's basketball:
Comments