The sting of Tuesday’s loss has worn off and the Boise State men’s basketball team is ready for an even bigger challenge Saturday against San Diego State.
The Broncos, who missed four key free throws in the final minutes and struggled on the glass, have a chance to beat another Mountain West contender – and do so on the national stage.
Saturday’s 11 a.m. tip off at ExtraMile Arena is the first regular season game in Boise State history to air on national CBS.
“These guys hate to lose and we got up, pulled ourselves up from the bootstraps and dusted ourselves off and we’re ready to go,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “Our guys have been terrific. We’ve had great days of practices, great film sessions, but that doesn’t surprise me/
“They don’t like to lose and I like guys like that.”
Boise State (12-5, 3-1) is looking to stay tied for first place in the loss column in the Mountain West standings. The Broncos are also trying to add to their NCAA Tournament resume, and a fourth Quad 1 win of the season Saturday would surely do that.
“We were upset after the game an we had our 24 hours to be upset but now we forget about it and we learn from it and we’re on to San Diego State,” point guard Roddie Anderson said.
“This is a huge chance for us, any time you get a top – they are definitely a top 25 team in my eyes – and anytime you get a top team to come into your gym and protect that, it means a lot.”
San Diego State is coming off a 20-offensive rebound performance against Nevada on Wednesday. The Broncos gave up 13 offensive rebounds in the 68-64 loss to UNLV on Tuesday.
“That’s going to be the game,” Anderson said. “This game is not going to be won by making shots. It’s going to be who wants it more and who is going to do the dirty plays and get the 50-50 balls. We’re going in with that mindset that we’re going to be the tougher team.”
Boise State has won five of the past six meetings in Boise against San Diego State and four of the past five games overall.
The game is approaching a sellout, but limited tickets remain at BroncoSports.com.
