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Boise State suffers lopsided defeat to San Diego State, looks to rebound against Wyoming

Without Marcus Shaver Jr., the Broncos’ offense was in disarray the whole night.

Boise State v New Mexico Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images

Well...that was a whoopin’.

Not much to say other than Boise State needs to put this game in the rearview mirror.

And get Marcus Shaver Jr. back.

Key Teams Stats of the Night

Field Goal Percentage

Boise State - 36.5%

San Diego State - 51.0%

Rebounds

Boise State - 28

San Diego State - 36

Assists

Boise State - 8

San Diego State - 13

Stat Leaders

Points

Max Rice (BSU) - 16 points

Nathan Mensah (SDSU) - 17 points

Rebounds

Naje Smith and Chibuzo Agbo (BSU) - 5 rebounds

Nathan Mensah (SDSU) - 6 rebounds

Assists

Naje Smith, Jace Whiting and Max Rice (BSU) - 2 assists

Darrion Trammell (SDSU) - 7 assists

Story of the Game

Before the opening tip, Boise State suffered their first setback with Marcus Shaver Jr. listed as out. This wasn’t the first time that Shaver has been sidelined with an ankle injury this season. In earlier contests, the Broncos have struggled to create offensive opportunities without their primary ballhandler.

This trend was not bucked in Viejas Arena.

After jumping out to a brief 6-2 lead, San Diego State began to impose its will. Aztec big men Nathan Mensah scored eight points in three minutes to inflate the lead to 11, igniting “The Show” into a frenzy. A pair of Adam Seiko triples put the game on the brink of a blowout with Leon Rice scrambling to search for answers.

Boise State limped into halftime with a 22-point deficit staring them in the face.

The second half was simply a slow death as the Broncos couldn’t mount any type of substantial run.

Chalk this game up as simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

San Diego State is the class of the Mountain West, plain and simple.

FINAL

BOISE STATE BRONCOS (18-6, 8-3) 52

SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (19-5, 10-2) 72

BOISE STATE (18-6, 8-3) VS WYOMING (7-16, 2-9)

Location: Boise, Idaho (ExtraMile Arena)

Date/Time: Friday, February 11th at 6:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)

Traditional Television: CBS Sports Network (CBSSN)

Streaming: CBS Sports app

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Head-to-Head: Boise State is 22-15 all-time against the Cowboys. In their first meeting of the season, the Broncos traveled to Laramie and took care of business, 85-68.

Keys to Watch

1. How will Wyoming’s rotation look after the recent departures of multiple PAC-12 transfers?

  • Max Agbonkpolo, Ethan Anderson and Jake Kyman were all big-time transfers this past offseason, but with certain rotation decisions and limited minutes, the three have left Laradise. Considering Graham Ike is still out and others are dealing with injuries, this team is simply needing bodies.

2. Will Marcus Shaver Jr. return to the lineup?

  • There was speculation throughout the week that Shaver may suit up, but it has not been officially announced one way or the other. I would elect to sit Shaver considering the home stretch that Boise State will face in the coming weeks, but Leon Rice knows his players better than anyone.

3. Can some of Boise State’s bench pieces find their rhythm?

  • With the injuries that Naje Smith and Shaver have endured over the past few weeks, it is imperative for guys like Pavle Kuzmanovic, Kobe Young and Jace Whiting to improve within their respective roles. The Mountain West is a grind, and relying on the health of six or seven players is a big risk.

Stat Leaders (Averages)

Points

Boise State: Forward Tyson Degenhart - 14.2 Pts.

Wyoming: Guard Noah Reynolds - 14.5 Pts.

Rebounds

Boise State: Guard Marcus Shaver Jr. - 6.3 Reb.

Wyoming: Forward Hunter Thompson - 5.3 Reb.

Assists

Boise State: Guard Marcus Shaver Jr. - 4.2 Ast.

Wyoming: Guard Hunter Maldonado - 3.6 Ast.

Odds

Via our friends at DraftKings, Boise State is currently a 13-point favorite and the total is set at 134.5.

Prediction

This should be a get-right game for Boise State. Expect the full roster to contribute and different lineups to be implemented. If this matchup is close in the second half, then something has gone awry. The Broncos win and cover the spread before traveling to Fort Collins on Wednesday.

Final Score

Boise State 76 - Wyoming 60

What are your thoughts on the Broncos’ performance against San Diego State?

Leave your comments down below.