Utah State at Boise State (-3.5) - 6:00pm Pacific - Game #545-546
I had a chance to see Boise play in person a few weeks back and I liked what I saw. The Broncos have all five starters back from last season, but have really upgraded their frontcourt with two JC transfers, F/C Matt Nelson (14.7ppg, 8.8rpg) and F Reggie Larry (12.4ppg, 7.6rpg). Both have taken over starting jobs. Senior guard Coby Karl (14.9ppg, 4.1apg) was particularly impressive in person. Not only does he have a great shooting stroke but now has developed into a capable playmaker and is a tough matchup for any defender. He will play the point well for someone at the next level. The Broncos 6-5 record is unimpressive but road losses at Washington State, Montana, and LMU all went down to the wire. Boise is shooting better, defending better, and rebounding better than they did a year ago. They are coming off a lackluster win over Idaho State after an extended layoff due to a canceled game, but are fresh and will be primed for a big effort tonight in their conference opener. The Bronocs are a perfect 5-0 at home this season which includes a solid win over BYU.

Utah State is working with 10 newcomers (counting redshirts) and has started 8 different players in games this year trying to find the right mix. This is clearly one of their more inexperienced teams. They are 5-0 at home but just 2-3 on the road with only wins coming at South Dakota State by 6 and at Utah Valley State by 4. Utah State's success in recent years has been built around strong defense as they have held opponents to just .410 shooting on average over the past six seasons, but this years undersized and unseasoned group is allowing opponents to shoot .453, and five teams have shot over .500 already this year. This is despite playing a schedule ranked 194th by Sagarin. Boise State redshirt freshman reserve guard Anthony Thomas (1.1spg in 10.7mpg) is an exceptional perimeter defender. Expect to see him matched up with Utah State leading scorer Jaycee Carroll during critical stretches of the game. Utah State escaped with a 64-62 win here last season but Boise State has improved and Utah State has regressed since then. Give the points.

RAS Official Play: Boise State -3.5 1 UNIT


Return to Record Page