Boise State basketball has played tight games, lost a couple. What progress is needed?

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Boise State is still finding itself through the early part of the 2024-25 college basketball season.

On one hand, the Broncos have five wins, with a victory over ACC opponent Clemson, 84-71. They are 38th in the NET rankings, and only a handful of teams below them can claim a Quad 1 win, which is what the Tigers were. On the other hand, Boise State has two losses — 84-73 at San Francisco and 63-61 to Boston College in the Cayman Islands Classic championship game.

In the Broncos’ past two games — the BC loss and an 83-82 nail-biting win over South Dakota State — the bench has outscored the starters.

“There’s always going to be adjustments as you go and figuring stuff out. And that’s kind of the part of the season you’re at right now,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said Monday. “You look around the country, and you see there’s very few teams that have their roles.”

Junior forward Javan Buchanan, who transferred to Boise State from NAIA school Indiana Wesleyan this year, has led the charge from the bench. He scored 28 points against South Dakota State and 24 against Boston College, finishing as the top scorer in both games.

“We knew it would take him some time to get a little comfortable, where he fits in the program as far as the system and where he can get his buckets, what his strengths are,” Rice said. “I think he’s settling in really nicely. I think he was the MVP of that tournament.”

But the Broncos might not be seeing enough from their primary offensive weapons at this point. Tyson Degenhart leads the team in scoring at 16.4 per game, but the 6-foot-8 senior forward and all-Mountain West player produced just 21 points in the final two games of the Cayman tourney.

Similarly, senior forward O’Mar Stanley scored just five points in those two games combined. He also fouled out in both of them.

“We’ve got to get them back to being at their best,” Rice said. “Because you’re talking about all-league players. Your all-league players are going to perform, and they’re going to perform over time.”

Rice said struggles have come because the Broncos are still finding that identity. He knows they have a lot of talent inside, but at times that has led to a lineup of four forwards on the floor with senior points guard Alvaro Cardenas, another transfer.

“It doesn’t mean you can’t do that some,” Rice said about the four-forward lineup. “But we’ve got to find the most effective way to get all these guys clicking together.”

The Broncos’ next chance to experiment with rotations and lineups is Tuesday night against Utah Tech at ExtraMile Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Trailblazers are 2-7 and rank 293rd in the NET rankings, making the home team a big, big favorite.

Boise State plays again Saturday afternoon against Washington State (6-2) in what is considered a neutral venue. The teams will meet at 2 p.m. at Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise. A win for the Broncos would count as a Quad 2 victory.

Last season the Broncos lost 66-61 to the Cougars in a neutral-site game in Spokane. Washington State finished 25-10 last season and made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed, beating Drake before losing to Iowa State in the round of 32.