PORTLAND, Ind. — For the first time since 2015, the Boise State men's basketball team is back at the NCAA Tournament and ready to defend their Mountain West Conference Tournament title in the national spotlight.
Head coach Leon Rice and the Broncos are set to face Memphis in a battle of No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in the big dance's West region. Thursday's opening round matchup tips off at 11:45 a.m. MT at the Moda Center in Portland.
Bronco Nation can keep up with the score, updates and highlights from Thursday's game with KTVB's Game Tracker and live blog. Scroll down to find KTVB's Game Tracker, which will have the latest scores and a live blog with the newest tweets and updates by KTVB's Jay Tust and Will Hall from Portland.
Although Boise State (27-7, 15-3) cut down the nets in Las Vegas only a few days ago, it is a brand new season beginning Thursday for the boys in blue and orange.
The Broncos ride into Portland red hot after accomplishing a handful of program firsts during the 2021-2022 campaign. Boise State has won 24 of its last 27 games, including the Broncos' first Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship on Sunday over San Diego State.
Across the court, Memphis also kicks down the NCAA Tournament door after winning 12 of its last 14 games. During the American Athletic Conference Tournament (AAC) in Fort Worth, Texas, the Tigers earned wins over UCF and SMU, before falling to top-seeded Houston 71-53 on Sunday.
Prior to the AAC Tournament, Memphis (21-10, 13-5) won both of its matchups with Houston, taking down the Cougars 69-59 on Feb. 12 in Houston and 75-61 on March 6 in Houston. When Memphis put together the pair of upset wins, Houston was ranked No. 6 and No. 14 in the country, respectively.
Boise State and Memphis also met one another in the postseason less than a year ago. The Tigers took down the Broncos 59-56 in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on March 25, 2021, before the Tigers eventually won the NIT.
Both teams enter Thursday's contest with their respective conference's Freshman of the Year. Jalen Duren won the award for the AAC, while Boise State's Tyson Degenhart took home the same hardware for the Mountain West Conference. The Memphis center is a projected NBA lottery pick.
During Wednesday's media availability in Portland, Boise State senior forward Abu Kigab gave praise to Memphis' scrappy and aggressive roster that ranks sixth in the nation with 5.8 blocks per game and 20th in the country with 8.9 steals per contest.
“They’re a really talented team, very athletic," Kigab said. "They can beat anybody in the country."
Meanwhile, Memphis head coach and former NBA star Penny Hardaway returned the praise about Kigab, who leads the Broncos by averaging 14.7 points per game.
“Amazing … He’s a force to be reckoned with," Hardaway said about Kigab. "I have a lot of respect for him.”
Duren leads Memphis in scoring with an average of 12.2 points and also grabs a team-best 8.1 rebounds per game. DeAndre Williams -- a senior forward for the Tigers -- enters Thursday's contest averaging 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds.
With Duren and Williams standing at 6-11 and 6-9, respectively, Boise State will need Mladen Armus (6-10) to impose himself physically in the paint against the towering duo. Armus averages 7.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and dominated against Wyoming in the Mountain West semifinal, totaling 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Memphis has not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2014, but the program is familiar with the big dance. The Tigers' 2022 trip marks their 27th appearance in the tournament and Memphis advanced to the round of 32 as a No. 8 seed in 2014.
Despite a tough draw as a No. 8 seed after winning both the Mountain West regular season and tournament titles, a Boise State win Thursday would likely set up Rice's first matchup with Gonzaga since he left Spokane for Boise in 2010 after 11 seasons under head coach Mark Few.
The last time Boise State's men's basketball team won both titles in a single season was 1988, when the Broncos were a member of the Big Sky Conference.
Boise State could erase history once again on Thursday by winning the Broncos' first NCAA Tournament game in program history. Boise State is 0-7 all-time in March Madness, including losses in 2013 and 2015 after earning at-large bids under Rice.
ESPN's Basketball Power Index gives Memphis a 59.2% chance of defeating the Broncos.
Boise State-Memphis in the first round of the NCAA Tournament tips off at 11:45 a.m. MT at the Moda Center in Portland Thursday. The game will be televised on TNT.
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