The Boise State Broncos are doing pretty good for themselves. They have won their last seven games but the competition turns up a notch tomorrow night with a trip to Logan, Utah to square off against Utah State.
Boise State's showdown with Utah State might not be a must win but it's as close as it gets. Over the last two seasons, Utah State and Boise State have split four games. The Broncos ended an 18 game losing streak in Logan last year, something that is still on the mind of Coach Rice.
"Going on past records we never would have gotten on the bus to go play them last year, and our school has never won down there. It was good it was a big win for us, we won by the skin of our teeth. We know how hard this one is going to be and we expect nothing less." said, head coach Leon Rice.
In 12 games against division one teams this season, the Broncos have outscored opponents by a total of 31 points. With Nick Duncan on the floor, Boise State has a 45 point edge. Without Duncan in the lineup, Boise State averaged nearly 63 points per 40 minutes. It is the time that Duncan has spent on his own that keeps this team going.
"Get those extra reps up and guys get their confidence back and he knows that he knows we have confidence in him and that's the exciting thing those numbers end up sorting themselves out and they will with him"
The Broncos rank 3rd in the conference for scoring and are first in scoring margin. The team continues to give Coach Rice a vote of confidence to show their balance on the court.
"We’re good at a lot of different things. I don't know if we're great at anything right now. I think we're heading in that direction. At times were a really good rebounding team, at times we’re a terrific offensive team, and at times we have shown we’re a really good defensive team, like that first half of the colorado state game. If we can put it all together and keep moving in that direction will be terrific at a lot of minutes and then we have a great chance to be good."
The Aggies are coming off a home court loss to San Diego State. BSU is seeking its first 2-0 start in league play and a win could shake up the end results come conference tournament time.
"You're going to look up and maybe the team that went 9-0 at home or 8-1 and didn't lose many at home is the one that wins it all so, it's a big game."
TIp off versus the Aggies is set for 8:00 P.M. at the Smith Center tomorrow night.
