MBB: Boise State (13-4, 3-1) at University of Wyoming (5-11,0-4)
Boise State University at University of Wyoming
Date: Saturday January 14, 2023
Time:9:00pm MT
Stadium: Arena-Auditorium (11,612)
TV: FS1
Radio: KBOI 670 AM
Commentators: Bob Behler and Abe Jackson
Know Thy Enemy
From Freemont Street to University Drive, Boise State finishes their week on the road with a trip to Laramie, Wyoming to face the mighty Cowboys. Pistol Pete has been shootin’ blanks the last few weeks as the Pokes are in the midst of a six-game losing skid.
The preseason looked favorable for the Cowboys as they were picked to finish second in the Mountain West and even picked up a few first place votes along the way, but losing their top-player and preseason Mountain West Player of the Year candidate Graham Ike to a lower leg injury has really sent this season into a downward spiral. Ike is supposed to make his season debut sometime this month, but if things continue the way they have been it might be too little too late, as the Cowboys are currently sitting dead-last at 0-4 in conference play. If there is any silver lining to this raincloud it would be that they have played a really tough opening conference schedule, playing Fresno State, New Mexico, San Diego State, and Utah State, and three of those four have been decided by 5 points or less. One would think if Ike did come back things might go a bit differently the second time through the schedule. Luckily for the Broncos, they won’t have to deal with the 6’9” Power Forward on Saturday.
Wyoming could be even more short handed coming into Saturday as their injury report keeps growing. Along with Ike, Hunter Thompson, Kenny Foster, Noah Reynolds and Brendan Wenzel were all unavailable on Wednesday. The Cowboys only had eight players available against Utah State.
As mentioned before, despite the dreadful record of 5-11, 0-4, the Cowboys' scoring average and opponents' scoring average are exactly the same. Wyoming is scoring an average of 70.6 points per game and they are giving up an average of 70.6 points a game. With that in mind, getting an all-conference type player back into the lineup would certainly make the offensive number go up and the defensive number go down.
Looking further into the numbers, you couldn’t find a more 50/50 team in the country. In almost every category they give as much as they get. In shooting percentage the Cowboys shoot it about 45%. Their opponents shoot 45%. Wyoming averages 33 rebounds per game, their opponent averages 33 rebounds per game. This could be the reason that six of their losses are by five points or less. A bucket here, or a stop there and this team is looking like a serious contender. They only lost to New Mexico, who was just ranked in the top-25, by one point and they lost to the preseason pick to win the conference, San Diego State, by just five!
The Cowboys are headlined by preseason all-Mountain West team member Hunter Maldonado. Maldonado is a very solid player, averaging 13.5 points per game and playing an average of 32 minutes per game. He’s only one of two Cowboys that has started every game he’s played. However, he hasn’t played in every game and in fact, only Xavier Dusell has played in every game this season. Wyoming has been mixing and matching their starting five all season depending on who’s healthy and trying to find the right recipe for success.
Wyoming is coached by Jeff Linder. Linder is in his third season with Cowboys and has a record of 39-20 and a career record of 119-70. Linder led the Cowboys to their first NCAA tournament bid last season, marking the first trip back to the Big Dance since the 2015 season. Linder is very familiar with Coach Leon Rice and Boise State as Linder served as one of Leon’s assistants from 2010-2016.
Saturday will mark the 24th game between these two programs. Boise State leads the all-time series 16-7. Boise State once held an 8-game win streak against the Cowboys before losing in Laramie last season. Boise State is 9-5 all-time when visiting the Arena-Auditorium. The Broncos are 9-1 against Wyoming in the last 10 meetings.
What Happened Last Season
Boise State and Wyoming met three times over the course of the season last year. Outside of the two regular season games, the two teams faced-off in the Semifinals of the conference tournament.
In the first matchup the Cowboys saw their then six-game win streak snapped as Boise State won their 13th straight 65-62 in Boise. Wyoming trailed by double-digits twice in the second half and battled back to take leads, but late trips to the line by Boise State led to Wyoming losing their first conference game of the season. Graham Ike led the way with 19 points for the Pokes.
Wyoming's Drake Jreffries gave the Pokes a 60-58 lead with 2:46 left then the Broncos Abu Kigab tied the contest with 1:34 left in the game. The Broncos would then convert on three-of-four free throws to take a 63-60 lead with just :46 second on the clock. BSU extended their lead to 65-60 before a layup from UW Wenzel cut the lead to three with just second remaining. On the ensuing play, Max Rice would have a chance to ice the game away, but after failing to hit both of his free throws, the Cowboys had a chance to tie, but a Jeffries miss gave Boise State the victory.
Boise State was led by Kigab with 18 points. Tyson Degenhard added 14 for the Broncos.
In round two, it would be the Cowboys doing the win-streak snapping, as they would snap the Boise State program-record 14-game win streak in a 72-65 win. It was a one-possession game with less than a minute and a half remaining, but Wyoming made its free throws down the stretch to hand Boise State its first loss in more than two months.
Boise State used a 6-0 run to take a 55-54 lead with 4:46 on the clock before the Cowboys rattled off an 8-2 run of their own to build a 62-57 lead with just over three minutes remaining. Marcus Shaver Jr. made a free throw to bring the Broncos within two, but Wyoming got back-to-back field goals from Graham Ike, and the Cowboys made 6-of-8 attempts from the stripe to close out the game.
Ike finished with a game-high 33 points and 10 rebounds.
Abu Kigab kept Boise State in the game down the stretch, scoring nine of the Broncos' final 14 points. Kigab finished the game with a team-high 26 points, going 8-of-15 from the field and 9-of-11 effort from the free throw line.
The rubber match would come with a spot in the conference title game on the line as the two teams squared off at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Boise State never trailed, holding off a late Cowboy comeback to secure a 68-61 win and advance to the title game for the first time since joining the league.
Boise State led by as many as 17 in the second half before Wyoming (25-8) rallied to cut the lead to three with 30 seconds remaining in the game. Boise State earned three defensive stops in the final seconds before Abu Kigab took the ball to the other end for a layup to seal the game, 68-61.
Kigab finished the night with a game-high 22 points, including a career-high-tying four 3-pointers.
Player to Watch
WYOMING
SR., HUNTER MALDONADO, G #24
This is not a diss, but Maldonado is probably the only player to watch for the Wyoming Cowboys. He certainly is the most dependable of the team, playing and starting in 15 of the teams 16 games so far this season. Last time out against Utah State, Maldonado played 39 minutes and led the team with 20 points. Maldonado has been tasked with carrying the team in Ike’s absence and has done a decent job of doing so. He leads the team in minutes played and shots attempted. He’s second on the team in shots made and scoring, and he’s third on the team in field goal percentage, total rebounds and rebounds per game.
BOISE STATE
FR., JACE WHITING, G #15
We very well might be witnessing the blossoming of the next Boise State great point guard. Whiting has really come on as of late, playing a key role off the bench for the Broncos. Whiting has made four spot-starts this season, but has really been the fist one off the bench for coach Rice. Known as a scorer in high school, the now college Freshman has been timid in shooting the basketball. However, the last two games Whiting has gotten a little more comfortable and has added 8 and 10 points respectively off the bench. Tuesday night was the first time in his collegiate career that he hit the double-digit mark in scoring. Along with his 10 points, Whiting added an assist. With the immediate health status of Marcus Shaver up in the air, Whiting could be on the cusp of another stint in the starting five for the Broncos.
PROBABLE STARTERS
BOISE STATE
WYOMING
Rev's Route to a Bronco Win
Dynamic Duo
The combination of Tyson Degenhart and Chibuzo Agbo has been deadly the last two games for the Broncos. In both blowout wins, the two have combined for 54 points. Wednesday Degenhart was 8-9 from the field en route to his second straight game with a double-double. Agbo added in 17 of his own by going 4-of-6 from deep including back-to-back possession where he had a chance at a four-point play (That's when one hits a three-pointer and is fouled, for those keeping score at home). With the status of Marcus Shaver’s ankle still in doubt, both Degenhart and Agbo will be leaned on even more to keep this season going in the right direction.
Dominate the Glass
Boise State does a tremendous job rebounding the basketball. Where they lack in physical size, they make up for in hustle and anticipation. With Ike out, the Cowboys don’t really have that much of an inside presence and seem to now rely on outside shooting to get the job done. With that said, outside shots are not high percentage shots so the opportunity for rebounds will be there Saturday. If Boise State can dominate the boards they will forsure be on the winning side of the equation.
Editor Note:
No Nights Off…maybe expect for Shaver
I know Boise State head coach Leon Rice will never say it, so I’ll say it for him. Boise State has a tough week next week. After the Wyoming game on Saturday, Boise State hosts Nevada, their only Mountain West loss so far, and then travels to The Pit to play New Mexico, who seem to be the team to beat this year. The Broncos can’t afford to not have Marcus Shaver available and as close to 100% as he can get.
I know that the atmosphere in Laramie can get a little squirrely at times, but as of today the Cowboys are only drawing north of 3,000 in a building that holds over 11,000. Also, Wyoming is dealing with their own injury bug right now. Who knows who is going to be available on Saturday. Along with that Jace Whiting has really come on the last two games and is playing really good ball. With that said, I think if they wanted to, Boise State could afford to sit Shaver and still come out with a win on Saturday.
Boise State wills their way to their fourth-straight win
Broncos 74, Cowboys 63
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