Can Boise State break the losing streak?
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What does Tulsa bring to the table?
GAME: Boise State vs. Tulsa
Date: December 3rd
Time: 9 PM EST
TV: None
Stream: Mountain West Network
Tulsa is struggling to begin the season, coming onto the Boise State game 4-3, with losses to Air Force, Utah, and Oral Roberts. It’s not surprising considering Brandon Rachal and Elijah Joiner, the team’s top-two players, moved on from the program last season.
Tulsa key players:
Jeriah Horne: Horne transferred from Colorado to Tulsa in the off-season, but it’s not his first time with Tulsa. He spent three seasons with the Golden Hurricane after beginning at Nebraska and finishing his career in Oklahoma. The super-senior leads Tulsa with 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Sam Griffin: The UT-Arlington transfer spent two seasons in the Sun Belt before moving to Tulsa. Griffin is the second-leading scorer on the roster, averaging 16.0 points. Only Horne and Griffin average double-figures. Nobody else is above 8.9 points.
Rey Idowu: The height differential between Boise and Tulsa is notable. Idowu starts at the five, averaging over 21 minutes. Idowu’s averaged double-digit scoring twice (against Oregon State and Little Rock) ended in the Golden Hurricane winning.
The Boise State struggles continue:
The Broncos lost two consecutive games in different ways — firstly, losing 46-39 against Cal-State-Bakersfield, shooting only 6-32 from deep. Anytime a team scores 39 points, oftentimes, you won’t win. The offensive struggles weren’t an issue in Monday’s 86-82 loss to Saint Louis.
Devonaire Doutrive came off the bench in the Saint Louis game, only playing 13 minutes. Freshman forward Tyson Degenhart replaced his starting spot. Well, a report from B.J. Rains says that Doutrive is no longer with the program. Doutrive was the team’s fourth top scorer in seven games this season.
There’s no clear number one option sans Derrick Alston Jr. While Alston wasn’t always the most efficient during his career when the game mattered, there wasn’t any question about who makes the plays. Abu Kigab leads the team with 12.7 points but doesn’t provide three-point shooting.
Emmanuel Akot shoots 45.5 from deep, with the lone player shooting above 31 percent. The lack of three-point shooting isn’t the only issue offensively — Leon Rice’s squad is shooting 56.4 percent on free throws, only McNeese State, Cal State Bakersfield, and Sam Houston State shoot a worse percentage (per KenPom.) You have to win defensively when you aren’t hitting shots and struggle from the foul line.
Prediction:
Boise State 61, Tulsa 55
Expect a low-scoring defensive battle between two teams struggling greatly offensively. I think the Broncos’ size advantage could be one of the deciding factors.
