BOISE, Idaho — Boise State looks to rebound against San Diego State on Saturday following its first loss at ExtraMile Arena since November 2022 and first conference defeat of the season.
The Aztecs, a Quad 1 opponent for the Broncos, roll into the City of Trees on the heels of a 71-59 victory over Nevada. San Diego State (15-3, 4-1 MWC) received 153 votes in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, leaving them just two spots outside of the rankings.
In its 68-64 loss to UNLV last time out, Boise State had 11 turnovers and its bench was outscored 20-2 by the Rebels' reserves. All-conference forward Tyson Degenhart scored 19 of his team-high 24 points in the second half, but the Broncos couldn't get over a two-point deficit the majority of the contest.
"They gotta give us stuff off the bench, no doubt, and that's big. They gotta make it so you don't look and go, 'well that's looking different now that those guys are in.' It shouldn't," head coach Leon Rice said. "That first group was competing their tail off. There was some minutes where maybe it looked different, and it can't be like that."
Tuesday's result is another reminder of just how deep and talented the Mountain West is this season, with six teams receiving top 25 consideration. Despite its nation-leading home winning streak coming to an end, Boise State still touts 12 wins and a 3-1 conference record.
A massive bounce-back opportunity awaits against the Aztecs, a game that will be nationally televised on CBS at 11 a.m. MT Saturday. San Diego State and Boise State sit in second and third place in the conference standings respectively, behind No. 16 Utah State.
The late-morning bout marks the first meeting of the season between the two programs. Boise State knocked off No. 18 San Diego State last year in front of a sold-out crowd at ExtraMile Arena, thanks to a 26-point performance from Max Rice.
"It's always about response, whether that's to wins or losses," Rice said. "It's about knowing what kind of level you need to play at when you're playing good team after good team. So Saturday we'll look to respond against San Diego State."
Degenhart is averaging 16.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.7% from the floor to pace the Broncos. Chibuzo Agbo enters Saturday's showdown at 14.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while O'Mar Stanley is averaging 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per outing.
Aztec forward Jaedon LeDee leads the Mountain West averaging 21.6 points per game. He's also grabbing eight rebounds per game and is shooting 57.0% from the field. Reese Waters adds 12.1 points, while Micah Parrish averages 10.2 points.
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