BOISE, Idaho — The Boise State men's basketball team just closed out one of the best offensive months of the Leon Rice Era, which given his background, is saying something about the quality of ball the Broncos are playing.
Efficiency has been at the forefront of their success. Boise State shot 49.1% as a team in January, the 25th-best in the NCAA. It’s also the fifth-highest shooting percentage the Broncos have posted in a single month in the Leon Rice Era.
- November 2016: 51.6% (6 games)
- November 2011: 49.6% (6 games)
- December 2020: 49.5% (6 games)
- December 2014: 49.4% (8 games)
- January 2023: 49.8% (8 games)
The Broncos made threes, and they defended the three.
Boise State shot 41% from behind the arc in January, 14th-best in the country. In the same span, opponents only combined to make 25.7% of their three-point attempts, the fourth-lowest percentage allowed in the NCAA.
Believe it or not, those combined efforts are more probably more impressive than you think.
Boise State's net three-point shooting percentage ranks No. 1 in all of college basketball in January.
- Boise State: +15.3%
- Loyola Marymount: +13.6%
- Alabama: +13.4%
- Tennessee: +13.0%
- Tennessee Tech: +12.3%
THE BEST OF THE FIRST (MONTH)
With a win on Tuesday, the Broncos secured their eighth win of the month, a program record for an individual month in the Rice Era.
1. January: 2023: 8
T2. February 2014: 7
T2. December 2021: 7
T2. January 2021: 7
T2. January: 2022: 7
When in comes to winning, Boise State has been the best team in college basketball over the last two season combined. They have 15 combined January wins over the last two years, tied for second most in the NCAA, but their winning percentage ranks No. 1.
Best Winning Percentage in January - Last Two Seasons:
1. Boise State: .938
2. Montana State: .933
3. Houston: .929
T4. Gonzaga: .923
T4. Saint Mary’s: .923
15 MINUTE RICE
Boise State senior guard Max Rice has made a habit of scoring early and often. Rice has cracked double-figures by halftime in seven of the last nine games, including at Air Force on Tuesday. In fact, in the month of January, it only took Rice an average of 15 minutes, 27 seconds of live game action to hit the 10-point mark.
Time It Took Max Rice to Score 10th Point:
- at Air Force: 16 minutes, 11 seconds
- vs. Colorado State: 9 minutes, 39 seconds
- vs Fresno State: 25 minutes, 27 seconds
- at New Mexico: 13 minutes, 11 seconds
- vs Nevada: 9 minutes, 28 seconds
- at Wyoming: 11 minutes, 44 seconds
- at UNLV: 11 minutes, 2 seconds
- vs Utah State: 25 minutes, 48 seconds
- vs SJSU: 17 minutes, 41 seconds
Thanks to his 22-point performance on Tuesday, Rice finished January as the team’s leading scorer in the month:
1. Max Rice: 153*
2. Tyson Degenhart: 149
3. Chibuzo Agbo: 110
4. Marcus Shaver, Jr.: 95
5. Naje Smith: 93
6. Jace Whiting: 31
7. Lukas Milner: 19
T8. Pavle Kuzmanovic: 11
T8. Kobe Young: 11
*3rd most in January in Leon Rice Era
If you’re not impressed with Rice’s January, I have one more #TuSTAT for you.
First off, here is what he averaged for the month:
- 17.0 PTS | 50.9 FG% | 52.8 3-PT FG% | 86.7 FT% | 5.0 REB
Do you know how many players in the NCAA shot 50% from the field, 50% from three and scored 150 points in January?
There were four. Including Rice.
Do you know how many other Broncos have done it in the Leon Rice Era?
One.
Derrick Marks, one of the all-time greats in school history, accomplished it in January 2015.
NO TURNOVER TYSON
There were 139 players in the NCAA that logged at least 300 minutes during the January, including Boise State sophomore forward Tyson Degenhart. Amongst that group, Degenhart finished the month tied for second in fewest turnovers with just five in nine games.
Furthermore, Degenhart had five games where he played 30-plus minutes but didn’t have a single turnover, tied for second most such performances in the NCAA during January. (By the way, that doesn’t include a 29-minute, zero turnover effort at Wyoming.)
NOTE: I’ll have an extended #TuSTATS column on Degenhart specifically prior to the San Diego State game on Friday, so be sure to check back in later this week.
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