MBB: Boise State (18-5, 8-2) at #22 San Diego State University (17-5, 8-2)
Boise State University at #22 San Diego State University
Date: Friday February 3, 2023
Time:7:00pm MT
Stadium: Viejas Arena (12,414)
TV: FS1
Commentators: Dan Helle and KJ Smith
Radio: KBOI 670 AM
Commentators: Bob Behler and Abe Jackson
Know Thy Enemy
Tom Scott put it best, “Now for the vaunted visit to Viejas.” Boise State heads to the sunny shores of San Diego to take on the #22 ranked Aztecs in a battle for Mountain West supremacy! The Broncos are coming off a gutsy 62-55 win over the Air Force Falcons while the Aztecs are still licking their wounds after suffering just their second conference loss of the season 66-75 at Nevada.
The Aztecs came into this season as the favorite to win the league after finishing second in both the regular season and in the conference tournament last season. SDSU currently sits at 17-5, 8-2 this season and is in a tie for first place heading into Friday nights matchup. The Aztecs are a tough team to play, especially at home. San Diego State is 11-1 in games played at Viejas Arena and are currently drawing an average of 12,210 in their home games, so Friday night’s crowd should be mighty in number. The lone home loss came at the hands of New Mexico on the 14th of last month.
This game couldn’t be more evenly matched as both teams come in scoring in the mid 70’s and both teams have limited opponents to under 70 on the scoreboard. The Aztecs shoot it relatively well, hitting an average of 45% from the field and 36% from deep. The Aztecs really rely on their athleticism on both ends of the floor to overwhelm their opponent.
San Diego State, unlike Boise State, has a very deep bench that provides plenty of production on a nightly basis. Nine Aztecs average at least 15 minutes per game, and none of them average 30. They get a lot of scoring off the bench as well. Looking down their roster if all of their primary bench players would score their season average they would score more than 31 points just off the bench. By comparison, Boise State’s bench would score 8-10 depending on who was on the floor. But like Boise State the Aztecs don’t just have “one guy” and then everyone else. They have a trio of guards,Matt Bradley , Darrior Trammell and Lamont Butler, that average close to double digits on a nightly basis and really can beat you in several ways. Inside you have Keshad Johnson and Nathan Mensah who are bigs that will run the floor and love to score in transition.
The Aztecs are coached by Brian Dutcher. Dutcher is in his fourth season on the sideline for the Aztecs. In his four seasons San Diego State is 132-44. Dutcher has been with the program since 1999 when he was hired to be their associate head coach under legendary coach Steve Fisher.
The Aztecs and Broncos have been playing ball against each other since 2012. In the previous 26 meetings the Aztecs have a 17-10 advantage. Boise State has only won three times on the road in the series. Boise State is currently on a 3-game win streak against the Aztecs.
What Happened Last Season
These two schools met three times in the 2021-2022 season. Not only did they trade home and home games during the regular season, they also met in the conference championship in Las Vegas.
In the first meeting neither team was very interested in scoring the basketball. Tied at 37 with a minute left in the game, Marcus Shaver and the Broncos went to work. With the ball in his hand, Shaver dribbled left for a side ball screen, spun back to the middle of the floor to escape a double team and found himself with enough daylight to rise up and drill his third three-pointer of the game with 30 seconds on the clock.
On the other end, Abu Kigab did not allow San Diego State's Matt Bradley to get a clean look. When the deep try bounced off, Tyson Degenhart corralled the rebound and was fouled with 0.8 seconds left. Degenhart made two free throws to secure the 42-37 win and set off a celebration of Boise State's first win at Viejas Arena since 2016.
In the second matchup Abu Kigab went to the free-throw line down by one with a chance to win the game with just 1.7 second remaining on the clock. He coolly sank both, pushing Boise State past San Diego State 58-57.
After a missed go-ahead 3-point attempt by the Broncos, Matt Bradley of the Aztecs was fouled on the rebound and went to the other end to shoot two free throws with a one-point lead in hand. Bradley missed on both attempts, and Kigab took the ball from the other end where he was fouled while driving to the basket, setting up the game-winning attempts.
Kigab finished the night with a game-high 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a 9-of-11 effort from the free throw line.
Then in finals of the conference tournament the Broncos once again leaned on their defense. The Aztecs (23-8) took possession with 29 seconds on the clock. Matt Bradley was met at the rim by Tyson Degenhart on a driving layup attempt, but collected his own miss and kicked the ball out to Trey Pulliam at the top of the arc. Pulliam dribbled into the lane and put up a free-throw-line floater in traffic that bounced off the back of the rim. Boise State (27-7) cleared the miss as time expired and the Broncos rushed the court to celebrate the program's first conference tournament title since 2008, when the team was in the Western Athletic Conference.
Player to Watch
SAN DIEGO STATE
SR., MATT BRADLEY, G#20
The lefty shooting guard from San Bernardino, CA is in his second season with the Aztecs after transferring in from Cal back in 2021. Little known fact is that Bradley has never beaten Boise State in his career at SDSU. Bradley is a preseason All-Mountain West caliber player who is staking his claim for Player of the Year attention as well. He leads the team in points with 13.2 per game overall and 16 points per game in conference play. He is the team’s number one option on offense as he is responsible for 24% of the total shots taken in Mountain West play this year. He’s built like a linebacker and will bully his way to the basket in hope of drawing the contact and getting to the foul line. Boise State needs to just try and keep him around his average and they will be in good shape. Last year Boise State kept him below his season average in each of the meetings and we all know how those games went for the Broncos.
BOISE STATE
Rs.SR., MAX RICE, G #12
It’s been the Max Rice revenge tour through 10 games of conference play. Rice has been pouring in the buckets. Since the opening conference game where Nevada held him to just 2 points on two free throws and 0-for from the floor, Rice has not scored any less and 13 points and has had two games of 20 plus points including his 29-point outburst in the second meeting with the Wolfpack. Last season in three meetings with the Aztecs Rice went a combined 2-of-13 for just 7 points in 68 total minutes of game play. Rice has been having a career year and look for that to continue on Friday night.
PROBABLE STARTERS
BOISE STATE
SAN DIEGO STATE
Rev's Route to a Bronco Win
Next Man Up
Boise State could be without two of their starters on Friday night as both Naje Smith and Marcus Shaver suffered injuries in the win at Air Force on Tuesday evening. Smith exited the game after just 11 minutes and didn’t return. Shaver got banged up late in the game after taking the ball hard to the rim. Whether either of them can go on Friday still remains to be seen, but regardless of their status the Bronco desperately need one or two of their reserves to step up. It seems like coach Rice is still trying to figure out who he trusts off the bench and we are more than halfway through this season. The Broncos need production off the bench and if they want to win this game the likes of Whiting, Young, Kuzmanovic, or even Bruke Smith.
Inside Out
What has made Boise State so hard to stop this year is their ability to score from anywhere on the floor. They can score inside, they can score outside. The nights where they struggle are the nights where they are having a hard time making that entry pass into the post to set up their offense. They need to find ways to get inside so they can get into the flow of their offense.
Editor Note:
Scared Spitless
If I’m being honest, this one scares me out of all the games left on the schedule. Yes, the Aztecs will come to Boise and yes, we still have another date with New Mexico but to my point, both of those games are at home, a place that has proven to give the Broncos an advantage. It feels like one of those games where if the boys in blue can find a way to steal a win, they might not lose another game. However, this one scares me. The Broncos really aren’t sure if Smith and Shaver will play and if they do, how healthy will they be? Do we have enough firepower with Degenhart, Rice, and Abo to stay in it? This game to me has to be what coach Rice calls a “Rock Fight.” Last year their recipe for success was letting their defense shine and making timely baskets. I think that needs to be the case again this time around. Boise State will be better off if this game is in the 60’s than if it’s in the 70’s. All that being said, I think Boise State finally gets that signature win on the road.
Boise State 65, San Diego State 63
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