PREVIEW | CBK: BOISE STATE (14-5, 5-1) VS #18 UTAH STATE (15-2, 5-1)
Boise State University vs #18 Utah State University
Date: Saturday January 27th, 2024
Time: 2:00 pm MT
Venue: ExtraMile Arena
Stream: Mountain West Network
Radio: KBOI 670 AM
Know Thy Enemy
Another Saturday, another huge game for the Broncos. This time Buster and the boys play host to the Aggies of Utah State with sole possession of first place in the Mountain West on the line. . The Aggies come into Saturday’s game ranked No.18 in the AP poll and is the highest-ranked Mountain West team. This is the third-straight week that the Aggies have been ranked in both the AP and Coaches Poll. The Aggies are coming off their bye and haven’t played since last Saturday when they beat Fresno State at home 83-62.
The Aggies are somewhat having a surprising season so far. First-year head coach Danny Sprinkle has led his team to a 17-2, 5-1 record to this point in the season. What makes their record so surprising is that Utah State returned zero offensive production for a season ago. No one on the roster had ever scored a point in an Aggies uniform until this season. With a roster of 13 brand new players to Utah State it’s remarkable what they’ve done so far this season.
Utah State is second in the Conference in scoring offense, putting up over 82 points per game and is holding opponents to 68 points per game which is fourth in the Mountain West. If Boise State fans were worried about Jaedon LeDee last week against SDSU, there is another coming who could be even better in Utah State’s Great Osobor. Osobor is the second best scorer and the best rebounder in the conference. Osobor averages almost 19 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Utah State also ranks in the top-50 in the country in several categories outside of their offensive production. These categories include defensive 3-point field goal percentage (.275, 8th), field goal percentage (.497, 11th), assists per game (17.33, 22nd), scoring margin (+13.78, 27th), rebounding margin (+6.89, 27th), assist-to-turnover (1.52, 28th)
Utah State is led by first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle. Sprinkle comes to Utah State after spending the past four years as the head coach at Montana State, leading the Bobcats to an 81-43 (.653) record, including 49-23 (.681) in the Big Sky Conference. He led MSU to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023 as the Bobcats were the regular season Big Sky Champions in 2022 and won the Big Sky Tournament in both the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. It was just the fourth- and fifth-ever NCAA Tournament appearances in program history and first since 1996.
The Aggies and Broncos go way back and since the 1950s these two programs have competed 57 times in school history. In more recent history Boise State is 13-11 against the Aggies since joining the Mountain West. Boise State is 9-3 in games played at ExtraMile arena.
What Happened Last Time in Boise
Each of Boise State's five starters scored in double figures as Boise State men's basketball ran past Utah State by 23 points for a 82-59 Quad 1 victory in front of a sold-out ExtraMile Arena on a Saturday afternoon.
The announced attendance of 12,007 is the ninth-largest crowd for a men's basketball game in facility history.
The Broncos shot an efficient 54.8% (17-31) from the floor in the first half, including 75% (6-8) from deep en route to matching its season high for first-half points with 45. 13 points from Tyson Degenhart and eight from Marcus Shaver, Jr. helped the Broncos jump out to a 15-point lead over the Aggies at halftime.
Boise State opened the second period with a 13-4 run, holding the Aggies scoreless for nearly three minutes to push the lead to 24 with 14 minutes remaining. Utah State whittled the lead down to as low as 15 points with 6:30 left, but the Bronco defense clamped down to only allow seven points through the remainder of the game, locking down their second Mountain West win of the season.
Player to Watch
UTAH STATE
JR., GREAT OSOBOR, F#1
In his last six games, junior wing Great Osobor is averaging 21.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting 61.5 percent (40- of-65) from the field and 71.9 percent (46-of-64) at the free throw line. Osobor has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, including scoring at least 20 points in eight of those games with two 30-plus point outings. Osobor recorded eight double-doubles and has logged at least eight rebounds in 13 games this season. Osobor has recorded four double-doubles with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds this season. The only Aggie since 2010 to record more 20-plus point and 10- plus rebound double-double games was Justin Bean with eight in 2021-22.
BOISE STATE
GS., CAM MARTIN, F#31
It’s been well documented that Cam Martin can be a dynamic scorer. It’s also been documented that the transfer from Kansas has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury that has limited his role and production on this Boise State squad. However, in the last few games Martin has played some significant minutes and shown his ability as a passer. His vision with the basketball is really remarkable. Martin might not be lighting up the scoreboard, but he’s coming into form on this team and I think the best days for him and this team are ahead of them.
PROBABLE STARTERS
BOISE STATE
UTAH STATE
Rev's Route to a Bronco Win
Box it Up, Please
The Broncos are going up against one of the best rebounding teams in the Mountain West and against the conference's leading rebounder. Boise State has to control the boards and scrap and claw for every loose ball and errant shot.
Finish the Job
Last Saturday Boise State was up eight with 40 seconds left and came away with just a one point victory. Tuesday night the Broncos were leading by 16 against the Bulldogs and then were on the wrong side of a 21-3 run. Luckily the Broncos figured it out and won the game. If Boise State is going to win this game they have to put two halves together and finish the job.
Revs Rant and Prediction
These last two games have not been for the faint of heart. The cardiac kids really made Bronco Nation sweat it out to the very end. That makes the ending of the last two games worth it is that the boys did pull out victories in both. Both of those games are the type of games are the type of games the Broncos will be faced with come tournament time and the Broncos are showing they will be okay when tested. This Saturday will be another “donnybrook” between too heavy weights. Every possession is going to count and the team that makes the fewest mistakes and plays the best defense will win. Boise State has a knack for shutting down high scoring offense when they come inside the “X” I think the same thing happens this time around.
Boise State 68, Utah State 65
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