PREVIEW | MBB: Boise State (22-7, 12-4) vs #22 San Diego State University (23-5, 14-2)
Boise State University vs #22 San Diego State University
Date: Tuesday February 28, 2023
Time:7:00pm MT
Venue: ExtraMile Arena (12,644)
TV: CBSSN
Radio: KBOI 670 AM
Commentators: Bob Behler and Abe Jackson
Know Thy Enemy
After a disheartening loss, the Broncos will try to bounce back against the surging Aztecs as both teams try to solidify their spot right before the dawn of March Madness! San Diego State is coming off a thrilling 73-71 win on Saturday night when Lamont Butler hit a three-point at the buzzer to overtake New Mexico. The win guaranteed the Aztecs at least a share of the Mountain West regular season title.
The Aztecs have been rolling, winning six straight after losing to Nevada on the road in late January. Three of those six have been decided by just one bucket! The Aztecs (23-5, 14-2) have only lost one home game and one away game this season. The other three losses came in neutral site tournament style games early on this season.
All season long the Aztecs have relied on a deep bench to provide the extra “umph” that the team has needed. San Diego State will play 9 guys on the regular. Each of their reserves are playing more than 15 minutes a game with junior Guard, Micah Perrish averaging over 21 minutes a game which is more minutes than their starting big man Nathan Mensah. If all four of their regular bench players score their average the Aztecs would average more than 26 points off their bench. No one player is the “star” of this team which makes them so hard to game plan for and defend. Any given night any number of players could have a hot hand.
SDSU averages about 72 points per game in conference play, but gives up a stingy 64 points which is best in the Mountain West. The Aztecs can either beat you by outscoring you or they can beat you by suffocating you with their defense.Case in point, they beat UNLV earlier this month 82-71, but then turned right around and beat Fresno State 45-43 their next time out.
As mentioned before, the Aztecs have won six straight, but three of those have been decided by a single bucket. The common thread there is that those three games were all on the road. The Aztecs are super human inside of Viejas, but they look more earthly on the road. However, winning is the name of the game and it doesn't matter by how many and San Diego State certainly has shown their ability to do just that.
The Aztecs are coached by Brian Dutcher. Dutcher is in his fourth season on the sideline for the Aztecs. 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 27 meetings the Aztecs have a 18-10 advantage. Boise State has only won three times on the road in the series. Sixteen games have been decided by single digits, and nine were one-possession affairs.
What Happened Last Time
Cold shooting and the absence of Marcus Shaver was too much for Boise State men's basketball to overcome in a 72-52 loss to No. 22 San Diego State. The Broncos shot 36.5% from the field and only made two 3-pointers to score 52 points. A 14-point run from San Diego State early in the first half put the Aztecs up by double digits, and from there Boise State never recovered. Max Rice led the Broncos with 16 points.
Player to Watch
SAN DIEGO STATE
SR., NATHAN MENSAH, C#31
Nathan Mensah absolutely demolished the Broncos last time in San Diego. The 6 '10' ' senior scored a game-high 17 points on a perfect 4-for-4 night from the floor and added 9-of-12 from the charity stripe. Mensah also hauled in 6 boards and added 2 blocks as well. Since that outburst Mensah has come down to earth a bit, but is still putting up solid numbers. Over his last four games he’s put up 31 points and 28 rebounds in total. Boise State had a real tough time guarding San Jose State’s “big” and they will be tested again on Tuesday with Mensah.
BOISE STATE
5th YR., NAJE SMITH, F #23
#23 is the key to this game. His leadership and spark plug nature will make or break this game for the Broncos. When Naje is on the team follows. Last time against the Aztecs, Smith was visibly injured and did whatever he could to be on the floor for his team. However, that only amounted to 2 points and five rebounds. Smith has cooled off a bit in the last two games after having a three-game stretch where he scored 18,17,and 13 points respectively. The Broncos don’t need Smith to lead the team in scoring by any means, but his timely baskets and hustle plays that don’t show up in the box score will need to be on display Tuesday.
PROBABLE STARTERS
BOISE STATE
SAN DIEGO STATE
Rev's Route to a Bronco Win
Simple:Rebound the Basketball
Let’s face it, the Broncos were just whipped on the glass on Saturday afternoon. The Broncos gave up 53 total rebounds and 21 offensive rebounds to the Spartans. Boise State ended up -21 in the rebound column. Giving up that many rebounds comes down to effort and want. Boise State has made their living this year on out working and out hustling their opponent. If Boise State can control the glass and get some extra possessions by rebounding, it might be all they need to pull this out.
Also Simple: Give the Ball to Degenhart
Tyson Degenhart was a cool 5-of-7 from the field for 13 points on Saturday. That seems like a nice night for the sophomore, but when the star of your team has 11 less shots than the team leader it's a problem. Down the stretch it didn't even look like the Broncos were trying to get the ball to #2. Degenhart was also very quiet in the last meeting with the Aztecs. Degenhart has to assert his dominance and prove he is one the conferences' premier players if the Broncos have any shot.
Editor Note:
Don’t Panic…Yet
Yes, that was a disappointing loss. Was it a “bad” loss, not according to the computer rankings which ended up putting that one in the quad 2 category which if you’re going to lose a game it’s better to be in that quad than quad 3 or 4. However, it was still an “L” which means without help Boise State is playing for 2nd. Boise State looked tight down the stretch and they weren’t playing their loose and free, dare I say “happy go lucky” style of basketball that we’ve come accustomed to. That one loss didn’t end our season, but it didn’t help with their postseason hopes. The losing has to stop and the Broncos need to prove to the national landscape that they can hang with the top tier teams. And wouldn’t you know they have that opportunity right in front of them on Tuesday night in front of their home supporters on an emotionally charged senior night.
Yes the Broncos fell flat on their faces earlier this month when they went to Viejas Arena and laid an absolute egg. However, they were without their rock-steady point guard, their lighting rod Naje Smith was clearly not 100% and Degenhart was on the bench with foul trouble. The other thing is Boise State is really tough at home. The Bronco have yet to lose a home conference game and haven’t lost a game inside of ExtraMile since the season opener! The Aztecs, despite their 8-1 road record have played less than great away from home. If Boise State is going to steal a victory it would be this one.
This one is mental for Boise State. If they can put what happened on Saturday behind them and forget about the last time these two teams met then I really believe they have a shot to win this game. But my hope and homerism can only go so far. San Diego State is the better overall team and I think they steal this one away from the Broncos.
San Diego State 73, Boise State 69
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