Can Boise State basketball still make March Madness? This factor could help

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — If you were to tell someone two weeks ago that the Boise State basketball team stood a chance of making the NCAA Tournament, they’d probably laugh in your face.

After an 89-85 overtime loss to UNLV on Jan. 13, the Broncos’ overall record sat at 9-8, and they were 1-5 in the Mountain West. A four-game losing streak showed an inability to close out tight games, and when the games weren’t tight, it was Boise State on the receiving end of a heavy beating.

But fast-forward two weeks, and people aren’t laughing at the Broncos as much. Their chances of postseason success might still be a bit of a long shot, but stranger things have happened once college basketball rolls into February.

After an 89-58 victory over San Jose State on Tuesday night, Boise State (13-8, 5-5) is riding a four-game winning streak. There are a couple of reasons for that. One, on the scheduling front, the Broncos couldn’t have asked for a much tougher start. Their first six Mountain West games were against the teams ahead of them in the standings, and they got only a home win over New Mexico.

Since then, they’ve handily beaten the four teams at the bottom of the league standings.

To keep moving up, they’ll have to beat the good squads, and the first opportunity to do that comes Friday night at Grand Canyon (13-7, 6-3).

Two, their depth is starting to show up, and will need to be a factor going forward. The next five games are against teams above the Broncos in the standings, a critical swing that likely will decide their regular season fate.

“The difference in our team with some of these other teams has been our depth,” Boise State coach Leon Rice told KBOI on Tuesday following the Broncos’ 31-point win over the Spartans. “It’s the time of year when a lot of teams are getting tired, and we had seen that on tape with (San Jose State).”

Trusting the bench

The Broncos’ reserves have outscored their opponents’ bench in three straight games, including getting 40 of the 96 against Air Force last week and 41 of 89 against San Jose State.

The winning run has seen the emergence of freshman forwards Spencer Ahrens and Bhan Buom as contributors. Sixth-year forward Dominic Parolin has also grown as a weapon off the bench; he’s averaged 7.3 points across his past six games, after scoring at a 4.7 clip in the 15 games prior.

Rice acknowledged that for many coaches, it’s often a case of asking a bench player to “hold down the fort” until the starters are ready to come back in. He is trying to emphasize getting players experience so they’ll be comfortable and productive in times of need.

Buom is a perfect example. The 6-foot-8 forward from Lincoln, Nebraska, looked a bit out of his depth in limited minutes earlier in the season. However, he’s now played 31 minutes across two games, and scored a career-high 11 against San Jose State.

“It’s given us energy and excitement, and our practices have been great because of that,” Rice said. “Because you’ve got two teams that can really compete and practice, and they’re all taking a lot of pride in it.”

Keeping fresh legs

With Boise State’s bench providing valuable minutes, starters are getting more rest than they typically get. Through 21 games, not a single Bronco is averaging more than 30 minutes per game.

The closest to that mark, junior forward Andrew Meadow, averages 29.1 minutes, and that figure is affected some by the 51 minutes he played in the triple-overtime loss to San Diego State on Jan. 3.

Beyond Meadow, the next busiest Broncos are senior guard Dylan Andrews (28.3 minutes), senior forward Javan Buchanan (26.3) and junior forward Drew Fielder (22.9).

As a result, some impact players have picked up significant minutes off the bench, including freshman guard Aginaldo Neto (21.3) and sophomore forward Pearson Carmichael (19.1).

“When your starters have to play 32 to 35 (minutes), it does wear you down mentally more than physically,” Rice said. “We manage their physical pretty good. But you’ve seen it with Drew, when we’re able to get him subs, he comes back in better.”

Boise State’s next opponent, Grand Canyon, plays both of its stars for more than 30 minutes a game: Nana Owusu-Anane (31.6) and Jaden Henley (30.9). The duo played 38 and 33 minutes, respectively, in the Antelopes’ 75-58 win at ExtraMile Arena earlier this month.

The Antelopes don’t dip into their bench a ton. They have seven players who average at least 21 minutes per game, and one at 13.2. Boise State has six players averaging at least 21 minutes, and nine who play double-digit minutes.

“These guys are playing so hard that they know they can just play as hard as they can, and those minutes will be better, and then they can come out and get a rest, and go back in and get better,” Rice said.

A win at Grand Canyon on Friday night would be huge for Boise State as it tries to force its way into a top-four finish in the conference, which means a bye in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament.