Boise State Men’s Basketball has been invited to the NCAA basketball tournament for three straight years going into this season. Despite being winless in their program’s history in the tournament, the Broncos seemed to be on the right track to become a powerhouse in the Mountain West Conference (MWC).
The offseason addition of Alvaro Cardenas, a playmaking point guard from rival program San Jose State, improved an already strong basketball team. Because of this and the return of multiple starters and role players, expectations were high for the Broncos. They were even the preseason favorites to win the MWC.
The 2024-25 campaign started off strong, having played in one of their most difficult non-conference games in their program’s history, taking down strong programs like Clemson (Nov. 17) and Saint Mary’s (Dec. 14), while also becoming the runner ups in the Cayman Islands Classic.
The 8-3 non-conference start for the Broncos was impressive, especially given the difficulty in their schedule. The Broncos seemed prepared for conference play.
Though they won their first three conference games, despite those games being against three teams in the bottom four of the conference (Wyoming, Air Force and San Jose State), things began to go south for them following their 11-3 start.
Boise State followed their strong start by going 2-4 in their last six games, with back to back losses leading up to now.
Three of these losses were winnable games as well.
Against San Diego State (SDSU) on Jan. 4, the game was tied with 12:46 to go in the game, until SDSU held a lead that the Broncos couldn’t overcome.
On Jan. 11, playing against the current top team in the MWC — the Utah State Aggies — the Broncos took a two point lead with 13 seconds remaining. The Aggies responded with an and-one three pointer with seven seconds remaining, adding another loss for the Broncos.
Finally on Jan. 22, Boise State suffered yet another heartbreaking loss against the Colorado State Rams, despite holding the lead with 1:08 on the clock.
“I have got a big challenge, and I have got to figure it out one way or another,” Boise State Head Coach Leon Rice said in a postgame press conference to Bronco Nation News, following the loss to Colorado State. “I just don’t know what I am going to get.”
The lack of consistency around the roster proved to be detrimental to the team’s success.
The once pre-season MWC favorite is now sitting at the sixth place mark in conference standings, with a 5-4 conference record, and they are now fighting for their lives for the rest of the season.
It is unlikely that Boise State will make the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid at this point in the season, meaning their only hope would be winning the MWC Tournament, which would give them an automatic spot at the big dance.
The Broncos have 11 season games left until their conference tournament, as each game for them going forward is now a playoff game.
The Boise State Men’s Basketball team’s next game is at home on Jan. 29 against the University of Nevada Wolfpack where the Broncos will attempt to turnaround a season that is currently spiraling out of control.
