”Not calling for anyone’s head. Rice has done great. There is a ceiling for some reason. BSU hoops never wins when it really counts.” – A really smart Boise State fan from the Twitterverse … 

BY MIKE PRATER
@KTIK.COM

The Boise State basketball program has a relationship problem, and it has very little to do with a frustrating Valentine’s Day loss to Nevada in Taco Bell Arena on Wednesday night.

The Broncos’ relationship with the basketball gods is almost non-existent, and it has been that way since Nov. 30, 1968, when the program played its first game as an NCAA institution. Boise State lost …

And has lost nearly every meaningful game since.

It’s not for the lack of trying … or talent … or teaching.

It’s because of that damn ceiling. The gods, for whatever reason, have placed a ceiling above the Boise State program. You can’t physically see it, but it’s real, and a stagnant culture within the program has kept the Broncos from local, regional and national relevance since that first loss to Idaho State in 1968.

Boise State’s NCAA Tournament hopes took another shot to the gut with the loss to Nevada, and that’s a shame. These current Broncos have the winningest coach in program history. They have an NBA Draft pick. They have senior leadership and team chemistry. They can play inside and out. They can beat you with muscle and finesse … unless it’s a game that matters.

The story line is magnified this year because of high expectations and the talent on the roster, but losing big games and not playing for championships is an old story line. This isn’t an emotional reaction to an emotional loss Wednesday night.

Boise State basketball has won three regular season championships since leaving the Big Sky in 1994.

Boise State has won one conference tournament title since leaving the Big Sky.

Boise State has played in six Mountain West Tournaments, has been bounced after one game four times, and has never reached the championship game. REPEAT: Has NEVER reached the championship game of its conference tournament.

Boise State’s basketball season has ended with a loss for 36 consecutive years.

More importantly, Boise State remains winless in seven NCAA Tournament appearances, and just getting there this year would require winning a conference tournament the Broncos have never won.

Idaho and Idaho State have nine NCAA Tournament wins between them.

Every program in the Pac-12 has at least once tournament victory.

BYU has 15 NCAA wins on its resume.

And every team in the Mountain West has at least one NCAA victory, except for Air Force, San Jose State … and Boise State.

That’s beyond embarrassing.

So how do you bust through that damn ceiling?

How do you improve the culture of a program that has been underachieving for more than 20 years?

• Change the location of one of the most isolated cities in America? Not going to happen, though if it did, more inner-city/urban athletes would think about playing in Boise.
• Play a more aggressive nonconference schedule, including one Power 5 opponent at home (or Gonzaga, or BYU). This could lead to a few more losses in a regular season that doesn’t matter, but it would toughen the team for its conference schedule, the Nevadas of the world and the postseason.
• Recruit more Division I transfers (imagine this team without Chris Sengfelder and Lexus Williams, or the Boise State football team without Montell Cozart).
• Recruit more international players (coach Leon Rice might have some experience with this based on his Gonzaga days).
• Add significant resources to the recruiting budget so Boise State can chase Division I transfers and international players (if this was a football issue, it would have already been solved).
• Change Rice’s contract so he doesn’t get a one-year extension and a $25,000 raise for winning 18 games. Talk about low expectations in a sport where elite teams chase 30 wins a year. That’s a culture issue.
• A more consistent fan base, though fan frustration surrounding this program is understandable (how many will attend the Air Force game at noon Saturday?).
• Win a big game. An important game. A relevant game. Any game that matters.

Boise State football changed forever because of one game. It can happen to the basketball program, too. One win in the NCAA Tournament could create opportunities for years to come. First, the Broncos have to get there, and if this year’s team can’t break through that damn ceiling with this loaded roster …

When?

Mike Prater, editor of The Opinionator, co-hosts Idaho Sports Talk with Caves & Prater weekdays from 3-6 p.m. on KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket and can be heard on Bronco GameNight after BSU football games on KBOI 670 AM and KTIK 93.1 FM. He can be reached at [email protected], and found @CavesandPrater(Facebook) and @MikeFPrater (Twitter).