Presented by MAZ-TECH AUTOMOTIVE.
Friday, February 27, 2015.
When did Boise State ever play a late-season game against a Top 25 team…with first place in the conference at stake…nationally-televised on a major sports network…at a sold-out arena on the road…with a chance to potentially nudge itself off the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament mainstream? Can you say “never?” I’m in the camp that says tomorrow evening’s showdown at San Diego State on ESPN2 is the Broncos’ biggest regular season game ever. The Aztecs are loaded for bear as they prepare. Their 15-point loss in Taco Bell Arena earlier this month was the SDSU’s largest margin of defeat in three years and more than 100 games. For their part, the Broncos are looking for another road milestone, having never won at San Diego State. Boise State has already won four conference road games, their most ever in Mountain West play.
The Show is sure to have something cooked up for Derrick Marks tomorrow. You’re familiar with The Show, right? That’s the San Diego State student section in Viejas Arena. It is certainly one of the best—and most creative—in the West. It has built itself into a force during the Steve Fisher era. The Show freely admits that it lifted the “I Believe” chant from Utah State and Navy, but SDSU students claim to have perfected it. That’s the one that goes, “I. I believe. I believe that. I believe that we. I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!” When a star player like Marks comes to town, The Show usually holds some “planning sessions.”
If The Show gets to Marks tomorrow night (not that it will), it would help Boise State immensely if James Webb III and Nick Duncan had solid outings in the same game. That doesn’t always happen. Against New Mexico, while Duncan was draining eight three-pointers, Webb was going 1-for-6 and missing all four of his treys. Of course, Webb contributes in many different facets—he pulled down 11 rebounds against the Lobos. The last time both Webb and Duncan scored in double figures in the same game was…three weeks ago against San Diego State.
San Diego State feels it’s going to be an even better team with Dwayne Polee back in the lineup tomorrow. The senior swingman has returned after missing 15 games following his frightening on-court collapse December 22 in a game against UC Riverside. Polee got his feet wet last Saturday with a surprise appearance at San Jose State. The Aztecs had their mid-week bye this week, so Polee has had more opportunity to get in basketball shape and work on his timing. He’s a resourceful shot-maker and a solid defender—he was second on the Aztecs in steals last season despite logging only 18 minutes per game. SDSU coach Steve Fisher calls Polee “our best athlete.” Bronco fans don’t have to be reminded that it was Polee who hit a three-pointer with three seconds left in Taco Bell Arena last year to rally the Aztecs past the Broncos, 67-65.
Spring football previews are starting to percolate, and the Orlando Sentinel’s Matt Murschel is ahead of the curve, profiling key storylines from the Group of 5 conferences. His Mountain West lead: “Boise State back for another strong run.” Murschel likes the outlook for Bryan Harsin’s team, with a couple asterisks. “Harsin’s squad returns 16 starters—the most of any MWC team—but has serious concerns at quarterback and running back. Grant Hendrick passed for close to 4,000 yards while Jay Ajayi rushed for more than 1,800 yards. Finding their replacements will be key. To make matters worse, offensive coordinator Mike Sanford left to become offensive coordinator at Notre Dame. Harsin promoted tight ends coach Eliah Drinkwitz to OC and it will be his job to help groom the next QB.” Not everyone is as alarmed as Murschel.
Goalie Jack Campbell did what he set out to do as an Idaho Steelhead. The former NHL first round draft pick got his rhythm back, and now he’s a Texas Star again. The AHL club has recalled Campbell, who went 5-2 for the Steelheads with one shutout and a 1.73 goals-against average. He trades places with Henri Kiviaho, who will rejoin the Steelies tonight at Bakersfield. Kiviaho went to Texas when Campbell was assigned to Idaho. There’s still hope that injured starting goaltender Olivier Roy will be back between the pipes when the Steelheads return to home ice next Wednesday.
Graham DeLaet’s momentum didn’t travel well from the West Coast to the East Coast. After a top 10 result at the Northern Trust Open last week, DeLaet turned in a five-over 75 yesterday in the first round of the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The former Boise State star ran into major trouble after the turn, carding a double-bogey and three bogeys on holes No. 10-14.
Kevin Murphy’s return to the Idaho Stampede ended up being a cameo. Murphy had left the Stampede just before Christmas for a stint in China, then was back for one game last Saturday, when he scored 14 points. He has now been traded to the Grand Rapids Drive for former Nevada standout Brandon Fields. Last season Murphy led the D-League in scoring as a member of the Stampede with 25.5 points per game. Fields averaged 14.1 points and 4.3 asssists for Grand Rapids and is set to debut for the Stamps tonight against Rio Grande Valley in CenturyLink Arena.
The College of Idaho hosts a giant-killer and old rival tomorrow night in the semifinals of the Cascade Conference tournament. Eastern Oregon makes the trip down I-84 from LaGrande to challenge the Coyotes in the J.A. Albertson Activities center after upsetting No. 2 seed Concordia in Portland. Elsewhere, the Idaho men ended regulation on a 10-1 run to tie Montana last night—then beat the Grizzlies 92-87 in double-overtime. The Vandals host Montana State tomorrow night in Memorial Gym (the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival is in the Kibbie Dome). And the Boise State women are teetering on the edge of a first-round bye in the Mountain West Tournament. The Broncos are in fifth place going into tomorrow’s game against San Diego State in Taco Bell Arena. Only five women’s teams earn byes.
The Boise State men’s tennis team plays its home openers this weekend—looks like weather will force the action indoors. The Broncos face Utah today and play doubles against Penn tonight at the Boas Bubbles. BSU finishes with singles against Penn tomorrow morning at the Bubbles and takes on BYU tomorrow night at the Boise Racquet & Swim Club. The Broncos are trying to find their groove after a pair of losses last week at the Blue-Gray Classic. And the Boise State gymnastics team has a matchup versus BYU tonight in Taco Bell Arena. The Broncos have topped the 196-point plateau in three of their six meets this season.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by VETERANS PLUMBING…proud to serve.
February 27, 1992: Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to play in a PGA Tour event in 35 years. Woods was only 16 when he teed it up in the Los Angeles Open (now the Northern Trust Open). Tiger didn’t make the cut at Riviera Country Club, but he would go on to win three amateur player of the year awards. Woods finally turned pro in August, 1996.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment Sunday nights at 10:30PM on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors five sports segments each weekday on 93.1 The Ticket. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
Scott Slant sponsor sites:
