BOISE, Idaho — Boise State sits at (1-1) in Mountain West Conference play. Both of those first two games came down to the wire with each one having a different result. The road doesn't get much easier for the Broncos though, as they have to face Utah State on Saturday. Utah State boasts the conference's best offense and the highest team three-point percentage in the nation, hitting 43% on their attempts about halfway through the year.
Throughout this season the Broncos have been good defensively, allowing just under 60 points a contest. But according to head coach Leon Rice, good won't beat Utah State.
“We are a good defensive team," Rice said. "We have to be great against (Utah State)."
Rice explains that Utah State's shooting success doesn't always come from set plays. He says it comes largely from the way they are able to move the ball around the floor and the way players move without the ball in their hands.
“I love how they move and how they cut, and it gets shooters open," Said Boise State guard Max Rice. "They got a lot of guys that work in their system, and they’re all super efficient right now. So you’re going to see that on Saturday for sure, just a well-oiled machine like I said.”
While some great defense will help, the Broncos also need to show up on offense. One of their leading scorers, Tyson Degenhart has had a rough shooting year thus far. He is only 26% from deep and was 0-5 in the game against San Jose State.
It's something that his teammates think will improve. Degenhart says it's less about technique and more about staying confident.
“They’re just not going in," said Degenhart on his shots this season. "Even with the misses, you just got to stay confident that you know you're going to make the next one and you just have to have a short memory and take it one shot at a time.”
The game tips off at Extra Mile Arena at 4:30 MT.
