How to watch, key matchup as Boise State heads to Wyoming for critical conference game

Boise State basketball coach Leon Rice issued a challenged to his reserves following a home loss to UNLV on Jan. 16, in which the Rebels’ bench outscored the Broncos’ reserves 20-2.

During the postgame interview in the club room at ExtraMile Arena, Rice summed up what he needed from the bench in a single word: energy.

“They have to make it so you don’t look and go, ‘It’s looking different now that those guys are in,’ ” Rice said in January. “That first group was competing its tail off, but there were some minutes when it looked different, and you can’t have that.”

Rice’s message obviously wasn’t lost on his players.

Boise State’s bench averaged 3.7 points a game in the Broncos’ first four Mountain West games this season. The reserves scored more than two points just once in that stretch, thanks to an 11-point effort from freshman Andrew Meadow against Colorado State on Jan. 9.

But the reserves have contributed at least 10 points in seven games since the UNLV loss and are averaging 12.8 points a night in the past nine games. They chipped in with 41 points the past two games, including 23 in a win over San Jose State on Tuesday.

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Seventh-year senior Cam Martin leads the reserves with 13 points the past two games. Backup point guard Jace Whiting has 12, while Meadow and redshirt sophomore RJ Keene both have seven.

The bench may play a key role again Saturday when Boise State heads to Wyoming (5:30 p.m., Mountain West Network) for a key game in Arena-Auditorium, which has proved to be a tough place to win this year. Nevada and Colorado State both lost in Laramie this season.

“You have to have a different system there,” Rice said. “We have a secret formula.”

Arena-Auditorium sits at 7,220 feet above sea level, making it the highest-elevation arena in college basketball. Rice said his staff has come up with a pretty solid formula to prepare the team for the elevation and the hostile crowd. The Broncos are 5-1 in their past six games at Wyoming, improving their record to 10-10 all-time on the Cowboys’ court.

“Elevation does have an affect, so you have to be prepared for that,” Rice said. “And then you look at the lineage of coaches there and all the great players, and you just expect a great game.”

The Cowboys (13-13, 6-7) have had an up-and-down season in which their longest winning streak is two games. Since their upset win at home over Colorado State, they have lost four of six, with three of those double-digit defeats.

Boise State (18-8, 9-4) can’t afford a setback this weekend as the Broncos try to stay within striking range of Utah State in the race for the regular season title and top seed in the conference tournament. They also want to stay on the right side of the bubble when it comes to an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.

The Aggies swept Boise State this season, so the Broncos likely need Utah State to stumble down the stretch. They also have to survive a daunting stretch to end the regular season that includes home games against New Mexico and Nevada, and a road trip to San Diego State.

Boise State at Wyoming

When: 5:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Arena-Auditorium, Laramie, Wyoming

TV: Mountain West Network. The Mountain West app is available to download on most mobile devices and smart TVs. Fans can also access the Mountain West Network through a link on the Broncos’ online schedule.

Radio: KBOI 670 AM (Bob Behler, Abe Jackson)

Series history: Boise State leads the all-time series 23-15. The Broncos are 11-2 against the Cowboys since 2018.

Last time: This is the first time the teams have met this season because of the conference’s unbalanced scheduling. Boise State swept Wyoming last season and the Broncos are 3-0 in their past three meetings, including a 68-61 win in the 2022 Mountain West Tournament.

Matchup to watch

Boise State guard Chibuzo Agbo vs. Wyoming guard Sam Griffin

Griffin is the unquestioned leader in a veteran backcourt. He runs the offense and controls the tempo. The senior also leads the Cowboys with 17.4 points a game, 62 3-pointers and 90 assists. The 6-foot-3 native of Miami is one of four Wyoming players with more than 100 rebounds on the season, and he’s shooting 44 percent from the floor. Griffin has scored at least 21 points in a game 11 times this season, but he was limited to six points in 32 minutes Tuesday in Wyoming’s 76-58 loss at Nevada.

Agbo is one of the Broncos’ most potent scorers when he’s on. His 14-point scoring average and 66 made 3-pointers both rank No. 2 on the team, and he has scored at least 10 points in 18 of the past 20 games. Agbo may need to set his scoring aside at Wyoming, though. He’s going to have to play one of his best games of the year on defense if the Broncos are going to grab the win.