Boise State Broncos
Mountain West (25-8, 13-4)
Considering the injuries and suspensions that Boise State has had to deal with this season, they have had a great season. The loss of Anthony Drmic, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, with an ankle injury was a huge blow. Following a four game losing streak in late December and early January while the Broncos were getting used to life without Drmic, they won eight games in a row. That included wins over UNLV, New Mexico, Colorado State and San Diego State.
Big Wins: 1/27 Colorado State (82-78), 2/8 San Diego State (61-46), 2/28 at San Diego State (56-46)
Bad Losses: 12/23 vs Loyola IL (45-48), 1/3 Utah State (61-62), 2/14 at Fresno State (64-70)
Coach: Leon Rice
Why They Can Surprise:
This is a Boise State team that can simply knock down shots. It starts with senior guard Derrick Marks. He leads the MWC with an average of 19.3 points per game and connects on an amazing 44.0 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. On the year Marks has knocked down 66 of his 150 attempts from long range. He can score inside the arc too. But there are not many other teams that are as dangerous from long range as the Broncos. While Marks is a huge part of that, just about everybody else on the squad is a danger from long range as well. Nick Duncan is a prolific shooter from his forward position and fellow big man James Webb has been extremely efficient from beyond the arc as well. The backcourt outside of Marks will not shoot too much from long range, but players like Mikey Thompson, Igor Hadziomerovic, Robert Heyer and Montigo Alford can get hot on occasion. What those guys do particularly well is run Coach Leon Rice’s offense. This is a relatively high scoring team, but they commit very few turnovers. Taking care of the ball and connecting on three-pointers is a recipe for an upset.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The inability to create turnovers of their own means this Boise State squad struggles to get easy buckets. It comes down to the old adage, live by the three and die by the three. That is certainly the case with Boise State. The opposition can have an easy time backing down Duncan and Webb in the paint. And to make matters worse, those are the only two big guys on the roster. Even if Boise State is hitting a lot of three balls, they still need to get some stops on the other end of the floor.
Probable Starters:
Igor Hadziomerovic, Senior, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 2.8 apg
Derrick Marks, Senior, Guard, 19.3 ppg, 3.0 apg, 1.8 spg
Chandler Hutchison, Freshman, Guard, 3.1 ppg
Nick Duncan, Sophomore, Forward, 9.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg
James Webb, Sophomore, Forward, 11.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Montigo Alford, Junior, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 1.2 apg
Robert Heyer, Senior, Guard, 4.7 ppg
Mikey Thompson, Junior, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 1.8 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.6 (89th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.7 (23, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.9 (72, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.9 (84, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.7 (18, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 39.4 (16, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.7 (51, 1)
Rebound Margin: 2.5 (93, 5)
Assists Per Game: 12.2 (205, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.1 (13, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA First Round loss to LaSalle
2011 CBI First Round win over Austin Peay
2011 CBI Second Round win over Evansville
2011 CBI Semifinal loss to Oregon
2009 CBI First Round loss to Stanford
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Louisville
2004 NIT Opening Round win over UNLV
2004 NIT First Round win over Milwaukee
2004 NIT Second Round loss to Marquette
1994 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Louisville
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
