Courtesy Boise State University
WHAT’S NEXT: Boise State men’s basketball makes its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance as the 10th-seeded Broncos take on Northwestern, Thursday (March 16) in Sacramento, Calif. Tipoff from the Golden 1 Center is set for 5:35 p.m. MT, and the game will air on truTV and 670am KBOI.
Boise State is seeking its first-ever Big Ten win.
WE’RE DANCING: The Broncos are making their ninth tournament appearance all-time and fourth under head coach Leon Rice. The at-large bid is the third in program history, each of which have come during Rice’s tenure. This marks the first time the Broncos have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons with at least one of the selections being an at-large bid. Boise State previously made back-to-back appearances in 1992-93 and 1993-94.
THE IRON FIVE: Boise State’s starting five has all scored in double figures in six games this season. The only team in Division I to do so more often is Creighton (eight times). All five members of Boise State’s projected starting lineup have appeared in an NCAA Tournament game before, one of 10 schools in the country to lame claim to that experience.
450-POINT CLUB: Tyson Degenhart (473 points) and Max Rice (459 points) have each eclipsed 450 points this season for the first time in their careers. It is the 10th time in program history that Boise State teammates have scored at least 450 points in the same season. Degenhart and Rice are the eighth different Bronco duo to accomplish the feat.
ELITE DEFENSE: Boise State’s successful season was once again built upon an elite defense. The Broncos are among the nation’s best in scoring defense (34th), defensive rebounds per game (35th), 3-point percentage defense (36th) and field goal percentage defense (45th). Boise State holds the 14th-best defense according to KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric, despite playing a top-40 schedule in adjusted opponent offensive efficiency.
