San Jose State wrap up three-game homestand by hosting Denver

The San Jose State Spartans look to end a three-game homestand with a 2-1 record. They host the Denver Pioneers on Thursday night at 7:00 pm PST.

SJSU will not return to Walt McPherson Court until Dec. 3.

The Spartans have made four attempts to beat the Pioneers dating back to the 1959 season when the teams first met. SJSU and Denver last met inside the Event Center on Feb. 16, 2013, resulting in a 62-41 win for the visiting team.

This is a game that will likely be exciting.

The Spartans have a stronger bench. They've outscored the opposing benches by a combined 56 points (85-29) early in the season. E.J. Boyce was a huge lift in the first game with 20 of SJSU's 61 bench points.

Let's rewind a second to Tuesday night when SJSU outscored Portland’s bench 24-8. Terrell Brown had seven points, while Jalen James and Cody Schwartz both added six points.

The Pioneers are coming off a 92-84 loss at home to the Jacksonville Dolphins in its season opener. Sophomore guard Joe Rosga was selected preseason all-conference second team, and he proved himself in Denver's first game with nine 3-pointers and a career-high 30 points.

However, tricks can be played and the game could easily go either way.

In the first two regular season games, Spartans' freshman guard Isaiah Nichols has been finding a balance as a scorer and distributor. Despite not scoring a point, Nichols finished with 10 assists against Portland. Unlike last year, SJSU only has one freshman starter thus far.

The Spartans will have to net second-chance points. Through two games, SJSU has 29 second-chance points compared to their opponents with seven points combined. They also need to find the happy medium between offense and defense.

You can watch the game on Mountain West Network. You can also listen to the radio broadcast on 1590 KLIV AM.