Techs, spitting, near-brawls: Boise State ‘villain’ is returning to The Pit

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — It’s a love-hate relationship that Leon Rice has with The Pit.

Boise State’s basketball coach and his team will travel to New Mexico this weekend in the program’s final game for the foreseeable future in the Lobos’ iconic arena. The Broncos are one of five Mountain West schools making the jump to the Pac-12 this summer, and New Mexico is not.

“I hope there’s appreciation for what those places bring and that atmosphere, how unique it is and how cool it is in this day and age,” Rice said about The Pit on Thursday afternoon. “Because you look all over the country, it’s hard to get environments like that.”

The 15,400-seat venue has been New Mexico’s home since 1966 and quickly earned the nickname The Pit, in part because it’s built into a mesa in southeast Albuquerque. As a result, the court sits 37 feet below street level, creating an imposing environment for road teams.

The arena also has been home to NCAA Tournament games in 10 different years, including the famous 1983 Final Four, which saw N.C. State upset Houston for the title.

Boise State has played there 11 times, all since joining the Mountain West in 2011, and therefore all under Rice. The Broncos have won three games during that span, most recently in 2022, and there has been plenty of animosity.

Back in 2018, a brawl nearly happened on the court after New Mexico forward Joe Furstinger shoved the Broncos’ Anthony Mathis following a 73-71 win for the visitors. Rice said he was spit on by a fan after the game.

A year later, Bronco forward RJ Williams was called for a loose-ball foul and ejected from the game on two technicals after getting into a verbal altercation with Carlton Bragg.

Then, in 2023, Rice and the players almost got into an altercation with the New Mexico baseball team, which Rice said lined the hallway to the visitors locker room.

“That could have been a riot up here at halftime,” Rice told Bronco Nation News at the time. “We had to run through the baseball team, and they were in our face. I had to get our team through as quick as we can.”

Saturday’s game, which tips off at 8 p.m. Mountain time, will be Boise State’s second trip since the baseball team episode, and last year did not go well, producing an 84-65 loss without any incidents.

Despite an uneven season, the Broncos (14-9, 6-6 Mountain West) defeated the Lobos (18-5, 9-3) at ExtraMile Arena by nine points in December. And while Rice and his team won’t be looking for drama, he isn’t opposed to being the bad guy one more time.

“I don’t want to shy away from it, as long as we all keep it between the guardrails. But that’s what makes sports so great,” Rice said. “It’d be miserable if nobody cared, and it’s way more fun when you have a villain. I guess I could be their villain once in a while.”