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BSU faces Fresno State in grudge match
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Boise State University’s athletic battle with Fresno State has
become one of the most prominent rivalries in the Western Athletic Conference.
The fight for bragging rights might get a little more heated
after the men’s basketball teams from BSU and FSU meet in Las Cruces, N.M. Thursday for the opening round of the 2007
WAC tournament.
The two teams split during the regular season and faced off
most recently last Thursday, March 1, in Fresno, Calif.
The Bulldogs prevailed in that meeting 78-77, which propelled them into position for the No. 3 seed in the final WAC standings.
The loss dropped BSU out of contention for the No. 3 seed and after a loss at Hawaii the Broncos found themselves entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed.
Ironically, the two final losses of the season brought BSU back around to Fresno for a third and final match-up this season.
“I don’t think it matters who we play and I don’t think it matters who they play,” BSU Head Coach Greg Graham said about playing Fresno again so soon. “You just want to make sure you’re playing well. They’ve been playing well and we’ve been playing well. It’s a quick turn around, but it’s the same for both of us, so I don’t think it’s an advantage or a disadvantage for either team.”
The Broncos hosted Fresno back on Jan. 25 in the first match-up between the two teams this season. BSU won the game 65-61 behind a 21-point effort from senior guard Coby Karl.
Matt Nelson paced the Broncos on the boards in game one with 11.
Nelson showed his ability to dominate against Fresno in game two, scoring a team-high 21 points and pulling down 15 boards in the 78-77 BSU loss.
Coach Graham said the BSU big men will be crucial in Thursday’s game plan if the Broncos are to get back on the winning path.
“They shoot a lot more long balls than us,” Graham said. “They really put it up and we go inside on them. Things aren’t going to change much. We’ve got to guard the ball better and they’ll do a better job on the post.”
BSU will also look to do a better job shutting down Bulldog guard Quinton Hosley, who led three Fresno players who averaged double figure points against BSU.
Hosley scored 20 points per game and grabbed 8.5 rebounds. Dominic McGuire put up 14.5 points per game, and Kevin Bell scored 13.5 points per game against BSU this season.
“We’ll make our adjustments but it should be another close game,” Graham said. “We both like to get up and down and push the basketball. I think the keys will be – as in most tournament games – free throws and turnovers.”
The Broncos are just 3-11 this season on the road, despite
finishing with a 13-2 record in Taco Bell Arena.
If history dictates anything, the Broncos will have to start hot and put points on the board to be successful in the tournament.
BSU is 14-4 this season when leading at halftime and is just 2-8 when trailing at the break. The Broncos are also 8-3 when they score over 80 points.
They are 3-5 when scoring less than 70 points. The Broncos
failed to hit 80 points in either of their two games against Fresno this season.
We feel good about where we are and what we’re doing,” Graham said. “Our guys are ready to show that they can win some games.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday. The winner of the BSU and FSU game will face the winner of No. 7 Louisiana Tech and No. 2 New Mexico State at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Jake Garcin
