PREVIEW | MBB: BOISE STATE (0-0) VS VANGUARD UNIVERSITY (1-0)
Boise State University vs Vanguard University
Date: Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Time: 7:00pm MT
Stadium:Extra Mile Arena (12,644)
Tv: KTVB
Stream: Mountain West Network
Radio: KBOI 670 AM
Commentators: Bob Behler and Abe Jackson
Know Thy Enemy
The journey begins and the road to a third-straight NCAA tournament starts as the Broncos play host to NAIA foe, Vanguard University. The Lions play in the Golden State Athletic Conference. Last season they missed the GSAC tournament and had their worst finish in the conference standing since the 2016-2017 season.
The Lions come into this season picked to finish 7th in the conference and have a very daunting task in front of them as they play six games against teams ranked in the top 20 in the NAIA including a road test against reigning NAIA National Champion College of Idaho.
VU will be looking to replace both their assist leader and their scoring leader from a year ago. Leading candidates for that include newcomer Anthony Tello and returning starter Phillip Willis. Both Phillip and Tello played big minutes and combined for 31 points in their massive 103-59 victory over the California Institute of Technology in their season opener last week. The Lions had five double digit scorers and had 61 points scored from their bench in the win.
Vanguard is a deep team, with 11 players having at least 11 minutes of playing time. The Lions like to play fast and shoot. They shot a total of 77 shots last time out and covered 55.8% of those opportunities. They also shot 14 of 34 from downtown and out rebounded their opponent 36 to 35. Vanguard will also likely begin the game with their press defense to maybe force Boise State into some early turnovers.
Vanguard is coached by Rhett Soliday. Soliday is entering into his 14th season on the sidelines with the Lions. In the previous 13 seasons, Soliday has led the team to four top-four finishes in the conference, including two first place finishes, one of which was the 2014 season where he led the team all the way to being crowned NAIA National Champions.
Surprisingly enough, Tuesday’s game with Vanguard will be the second meeting between the programs. Boise State is 1-0 all-time against the Lions. The last time these two teams meet Max Rice was just but a wee freshman!
What Happened Last Time
Boise State opened their 2018-2019 season with a visit from the Vanguard Lions on November 5th, 2018. The Broncos took care of business taking down the Lions 89-63. BSU had five players finish in double figures with Zach Haney leading the way with 21. RJ Williams, Malek Harwell, Alex Hobbs and Derrick Alston all finished with double figures. The Broncos were able to surge ahead late in the second half after holding a 10-15 point lead for the majority of the game. Boise State rattled off a 14-2 run late in the second half to put the game out of reach.
Player to Watch
VANGUARD
JR., ANTHONY TELLO, G #1
Tello might have come off the bench in their season opener, but if he continues to play like he did the other night it won’t be long before he’s in the starting five. Tello, the transfer from Citrus College, helped lead his team all the way to the semifinals in the California Community College Athletic Association. He was the leading scorer on the team and was one of the better shooters as well, shooting close to 45% from the field. In his first game with his new team, Tello scored a team-high 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting in 18 minutes on the floor. He also chipped in 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals on the night.
BOISE STATE
FR., ANDREW MEADOW, F #13
The awaited debut of Andrew Meadow is finally here! The freshman out of Santa Clarita, California was one of the top ranked recruits in Southern California coming out of high school. Even though Tuesday will be his official first game as a Broncos, Meadow gave Bronco Nation a taste of his capabilities when the team went to Canada earlier this year. In the three games up North, Meadow was second on the team in scoring, averaging over 15 points per game. He also had a high of 31-points in their opener against Trinity Western. Meadow definitely has what it takes to contribute to this already stacked Boise State roster.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Boise State
Vanguard
Rev's Route to a Bronco Win
Dependable Depth
Boise State’s biggest problem last year was its lack of dependable depth. Coach Rice even commented that there was a major “drop off” after about 7-deep. This year with transfers like Omar Stanley, Roddie Anderson III, Cam Martin, freshman Chris Lockett and Andrew Meadow along with returners like RJ Keene and Jace Whiting this team could be facing an issue that they haven’t in a long time which is having many mouths to feed! This game won’t be hanging in the balance for very long so getting some of these new guys time on the court will be invaluable for the future.
Talent Take Over
Again, this game should not be in flux for the better part of five minutes. Even if Degenhart is a gametime decision, this Boise State team is far superior and should show it. All they need to do is let their talent take over and all will be well. .
Revs Rant and Prediction
Sky High Expectations
This is one of the most anticipated starts to a Boise State basketball season I think I’ve ever witnessed. This team is looking to get to their third-straight NCAA tournament bid. Coach Rice called this a “super team” and I believe him. With what is coming back off of their last tournament team and the new pieces they added through the transfer portal and freshman this team has the depth to come at you in waves. Multiple levels of scoring that each night it could be someone different to pick up the slack if the key guys are off. I think this team could be 10-11 deep this year which will be a problem for the opposition.
Tuesday counts and it will be fun to see the boys get after it in a game against someone in a different uniform. This one shouldn’t be in doubt and the Broncos should be able to empty their bench for a majority of the second half.
Boise State 105, Vanguard 57
Comments
Post a Comment