BOISE, Idaho — Boise State needs to regain their rhythm on offense.
During the month of January, the Broncos had one of the most efficient offenses in the country. In that calendar month, they ranked 25th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (49.1), 14th in three-point field goal percentage (41.0), and 49th in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to Bart Torvik.
"We were clicking pretty good," head coach Leon Rice told KTVB on Friday.
For the first time this season though, Boise State is coming off back-to-back games where they failed to crack the 60-point mark. They were limited to their sixth lowest point total of the season against Air Force (59 points), then followed it up with their second worst offensive output of the season at San Diego State (52 points).
"One of those games was Air Force,” Rice said. “You're going to play defense for 30 to 50 seconds [per possession], depending on if you rebound. That tempo creates a [dip] in points."
Rice does have a point there. The Broncos only had 59 offensive possessions against the Falcons, and they managed to average one point per possession, which isn't terrible by any means.
They did that with two of their best players highly limited due to injuries, too. Senior forward Naje Smith only played 11 minutes against the Falcons, and senior point guard Marcus Shaver Jr. checked out of a two-point game with 2:47 remaining in Colorado Springs, and we haven't seen him on the court since.
"We were leaking oil at the end of that game," Rice said. "Naj was out. Shave was out. That was a tough one. When we have all out guys, all our parts fit together nicely, and the guys off the bench really settle into their roles. As soon as you take one of those five [starters] out, [the bench player’s] roles change dramatically."
The good news?
Boise State is coming off a well-timed bye, and according to Rice, both Smith and Shaver have a shot at playing against Wyoming on Saturday.
UNBEATABLE AT 80
The Broncos have been unbeatable when they get to 80 points, and really good when they can even put just 60 on the scoreboard. When they score anything less than that, the outcome of the game pretty much turns into a coin flip.
Win Percentage by Point Totals:
- 80 or more: 1.000 (8-0)
- 60-79: .700 (7-3)
- 59 or less: 3-3
(Record)
LUCKY 13
Boise State is 13-2 (.867 win%) when Tyson Degenhart scores at least 13 points this season, leaving them just 5-4 (.556 win%) when he fails to eclipse that total. If you expand the sample size to include last season too, the Broncos are 23-4 (.852 win%) when Degenhart scores 13 or more, and 22-10 (.688 win%) when he doesn’t.
The takeaway?
Degenhart’s point production has always contributed to the team’s success, obviously, but it’s even more heightened this season compared to last.
KING OF THE MOUNTAIN
Degenhart will appear in his 33rd career Mountain West game on Saturday. The Broncos are 26-6 (.813 win%) all-time against conference opponents when Degenhart is in the lineup. This year, particularly, he has torch his Mountain West counterparts.
In MW games this season:
11 G | 61.7 FG% | 40.0 3-PT FG% | 15.3 PTS | 5.3 REB | 2.2 AST
FIVE GUYS
The entire Boise State starting-five is average at least 10 points per game in Mountain West play this season.
- G - Max Rice, SR: 15.5
- F - Tyson Degenhart, SO: 15.3
- G - Chibuzo Agbo, JR: 12.2
- G - Marcus Shaver, Jr., SR: 11.7
- F - Naje Smith, SR: 10.5
They’re the only team in the league with five players averaging double-digits in conference games. Utah State has four such guys, but no other team in the Mountain West has more than three.
BONUS #TuSTATS:
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