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Broncos make another tough road trip
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The Boise State men’s basketball is coming off a disappointing loss to Texas El Paso last weekend 85-78 in overtime.
The Broncos (9-8 overall, 4-3 in the WAC) will try and get back to .500 or better in conference play as they take on Louisiana Tech (5-9, 2-4) tonight in Ruston, La. and Southern Methodist (9-8, 3-4) Saturday night in Dallas.
At the beginning of the season, La. Tech was considered to be one of the top teams in the conference with an outside shot at their first WAC title. Things have changed for the Bulldogs as a brutal schedule, which has included No. 4 Florida and No. 21 Mississippi State, has taken its toll.
“We have been on the short end of the stick,” said La. Tech head coach Keith Richard.
One thing the Bulldogs do have going for them is their size.
Despite the lack of quality wins, Antonio Meeking has been the go-to-guy for the La. Tech. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound senior is averaging nearly a double-double in points (18) and rebounds (8.2) every game.
Along with Meeking, the Bulldogs have above average height at the two starting guard positions.
6-foot-5 Darrian Brown and 6-foot-4 Lavelle Felton account for one of the biggest backcourts in the league.
“Some nights it has been good and some nights it hasn’t been good,” said Richard about the team’s size.
At times the Bulldogs have flirted with success. Two weeks ago, La. Tech almost escaped with a victory against WAC leader Fresno State, but ended up losing by one point.
“We have not been able to get over the hump,” Richard said.
The Bulldogs remain optimistic and realize they still have a way to go until the WAC tournament in March.
“Our kids have not lost their fire or their will [to win],” said Richard.
After the Broncos play La. Tech tonight, they then travel to Texas to battle SMU.
The Mustangs have played a tough schedule as well, including losses on the road at Texas Tech as well as No. 17 Wake Forest earlier this season.
If the Broncos want to stop SMU’s offense, they need to start with Quintin Ross. Ross, this week’s WAC Player of the Week, shoots 46 percent from the field while averaging over 20 points per game.
Although the Mustangs enjoy the shooting ability of Ross, head coach Mike Dement believes in a team approach to winning games.
“You have to have good team play to win games,” Dement said.
The Mustangs have won four out of their last five games with the lone loss coming from Fresno State, but they still have improvements to make.
“We have to get bench scoring, we have to get better defensively,” Dement said.
Other leaders for the Mustangs include freshman sensation Bryan Hopkins who averages 13.9 ppg. Hopkins, a native of Dallas, led Lincoln High School to an undefeated 40-0 record last year with the help of twin brother Ryan, who also plays for SMU.
Saturday night’s game against the Mustangs can be viewed locally on KBCI channel 2.
Phil Dailey, The Arbiter
