Boise State is out of the Mountain West tournament after losing to Wyoming in the semifinals, but the coaches and players are confident that the Broncos will make the NCAA tournament.
In the post game press conference head coach Leon Rice discussed that confidence and the turning point in the loss.
Quote are from ASAP Sports:
Rice on the Wyoming run late in the first half.
"We had a couple guys in foul trouble we were trying to protect. They got a slip dunk to the basket because Nick was out. They got a turnover for an and one too. That game wasn't going to be won or lost in the first half. If we had a 10 point lead going into first half, it wasn't going to be over because Wyoming was battling. They know what's at stake. They got to win this tournament.
"So they played like it. They got a bunch of seniors that want to keep playing. They were battling. Our guys, I'm not taking anything away from our guys. They battled back, got it into overtime. Then had one of the best defensive possessions in the game. Had a stop it looked like. The ball just happened to bank in. When you play in that many close games, sometimes that happens."
The confidence level of the Broncos feeling safe come Selection Sunday and being rewarded on playing a tough schedule.
"You look at what we've done recently, 15 of the last 17. We lost a game around Christmas to Loyola Chicago without Derrick Marks. We lost on a buzzer beater to Utah State. Tonight we went down to the wire with these guys. They banked one in with a minute to go that kind of ended the game.
"You tell me we're not a tournament team because of those three situations, I don't buy it. We're the Mountain West champions. We're number one seed in the tournament. I think we got a great résumé. We went out on the road and played a lot of games, too. I think we need to be rewarded for that."