BOISE – It was just 20 days ago when the Boise State men’s basketball team went to Reno and suffered a heartbreaking 74-72 loss to open conference play.
The teams will meet again for the rematch Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at ExtraMile Arena in Boise. The Broncos have only played four games since, and will play Nevada for a second time before playing five teams in the league at all.
“It is weird,” Boise State coach Leon Rice admitted Monday. “The schedule sometimes – I don’t know how they come up with it. Usually in the old days you’d go through the whole circle first.
“It seems like we just played them actually, but that was last year I guess.”
Always one for a good joke, Rice was referring to the first game being on Dec. 28, 2022.
But the closeness of the two games adds a unique dynamic to a game with lots on the line. The two teams are tied with San Diego State atop the Mountain West standings in the loss column.
Nevada is 5-1 in league games while Boise State and San Diego State are 4-1. A win for the Broncos would move them into sole possession of first place at the one-third mark of the conference schedule.
“It’s a great feeling. I think it’s where we belong,” guard Max Rice said. “I think we’re playing really well and so are they, so it’s a great matchup.”
The matchup also features the top two teams in the NET rankings. Boise State is No. 20, while Nevada checks in at No. 28 – making it a Quad 1 game for both teams at the moment. The Wolf Pack are also No. 49 at KenPom and No. 60 at BartTorvik.
Boise State lost in Reno when Nevada’s Kenan Blackshear scored the go-ahead hoop on a layup with 3.8 seconds left. The Broncos had taken a 72-71 lead on a layup by Pale Kuzmanovic with 11 seconds, but Blackshear drove to the basket and scored to put the Wolf Pack back in front.
The Broncos haven’t lost since – and their four-game winning streak is currently the longest in the league.
“I think everyone is playing good together right now and we’re more efficient than we were back when we played them last time,” Max Rice said. “Offensively I think we’ve gotten a lot better. But they are playing better too. … It should be a high scoring game and I’m excited to get after it tomorrow.”
Nevada is led by Oregon State transfer Jarod Lucas at 16.9 points per game, while Blackshear is second at 14.7. Center Will Baker, a transfer from Texas, is third at 12.9 points per game.
Blackshear missed a wide open 3-pointer at the buzzer which would have knocked the Broncos out of the Mountain West Tournament in the quarterfinals a year ago. He had 20 points in the first matchup on Dec. 28.
Boise State won all three games against Nevada last season, but the Wolf Pack have won 12 of the past 16 meetings the past six seasons.
The Broncos continue to shoot up the computer rankings and are improving their NCAA Tournament resume by the game. Boise State has scored at least 80 points in each of the past three games, while holding all three opponents under 70 points.
Boise State also ranks No. 23 at BartTorvik and No. 27 at KenPom. According to BartTorvik, the Broncos have been the ninth-best team in the country since Jan 1.
It’s maybe the two best teams in the Mountain West with a spot at first place on the line. And the Broncos home ‘The X’ will be rocking.
“I hope we can sell this place out again because I think it really effects the to outcome of the game,” Max Rice said. “We play better when this place is sold out. I hope everyone can get out here and come watch a great matchup.”
Tickets still remain for as little as $20 at BroncoSports.com.
