BOISE — The Boise State men's basketball team is riding a program-record 12-game winning streak and is 8-0 going into their matchup against Fresno State.
After last week's two-game sweep over Wyoming, the Broncos got some time off to recover.
“We had some great practices and a couple of good days off," said Leon Rice. "We had some good rehab lifts, and we just got a good chance to recalibrate.”
But as they head into their matchup against the Bulldogs, Rice is expecting a challenge.
“The Fresno team has one of the best players in the league. They are coming together. They were set back a lot because of their limited practice time, but now you are seeing some improvements," said Rice. "They are starting to come together as a team.”
He said that their focus is on defending Orlando Robinson, one of the league's best players right now.
"He had 33 points and 16 rebounds against Wyoming that’s a pretty darn good effort that he can go out there and do that on any night,” said Rice.
The Broncos are currently ranked 14th in the NET Rankings, which is used to select and seed teams for the NCAA tournament.
They are not currently ranked in the AP's Top 25 poll.
Coach Rice said that their focus isn't on polls but that he's excited his team is finally starting to get the recognition he thinks they deserve.
“People will say things, and I’ll be like, 'oh yeah, what is our record?' You just put it aside, and you’re on to the next one, and you’re lasered focused with the two-game series," said Rice. "Tt’s really compartmentalized every game or series, and we just got one thing on our mind, and that's Fresno.”
Rice also said that he's hopeful Emmanuel Akot will make his return after suffering an Achilles injury.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday inside ExtraMile Arena.
No fans are allowed, so you can catch the game live on FS1.
