Boise State fans get their first look at a revamped men’s basketball roster Saturday, when the Broncos meet in-state rival Idaho in an exhibition at Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. Mountain time, and the game does not count in the standings.
It’s the first of three exhibition tune-ups for Boise State before the season opens for real against Western Baptist on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
The Broncos also are scheduled to face Washington on Oct. 17 and Bismarck State College on Oct. 29.
For Leon Rice, the preseason is about building toward November rather than trying to have everything polished too early.
“This time of year as a coach, you want everything to be ready and everything to be done, but also you don’t play a counting game until November,” Rice said earlier this week during his preseason press conference. “So there’s a process that you want to go through, and you don’t want to be peaking on October 10th. There’s a rhythm to the season that you’ve got to get these guys in, but it’s so valuable to get in front of fans, to get the lights on, to get the jerseys on, when you have a new team.”
The Broncos are rebuilding after losing all five starters from last season’s 20-12 team, which missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Four of those starters, including center Drew Fielder, moved on to Power Four programs.
That leaves Boise State leaning on a mix of returning reserves and newcomers. Spencer Ahrens, Pearson Carmichael and Aginaldo Neto are back, and the roster also includes six additions from the transfer portal.
Rice believes this group has a different edge to it.
“I think this team reflects who our staff is, who our best teams have been more,” Rice said. “We’ve got, I use the term hungry dogs.
We’ve got a bunch of outdoor dogs, not dogs like mine that just sleep on the couch and wonder when their next great bougie meal is coming. It seems like we have a bunch of guys that are scrappy, tough and out to prove something, and that’s what I want.”
Boise State’s two biggest transfer pickups, guards Ty Rodgers and Lamar Washington, will not play against Idaho. Washington’s eligibility remains unresolved after a Georgia Court of Appeals ruling as he pursues a fifth season, while Rodgers is out after tearing his patellar tendon in offseason workouts and does not have a timetable for his return.
Who: Boise State will take on in-state rival Idaho in a men’s basketball exhibition game
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