BY MIKE PRATER
@KTIK.COM

BSU RECORD: 15-3, 5-1 Mountain West (Broncos are 10-0 at home this season; the school record is 16-1 and there are six home games remaining … The school record for most overall wins in a season is 25 (2007-08 and 2014-15); the Broncos have at least 13 games remaining).

PREVIOUS GAME: The Broncos defeated San Diego State 83-80 on Saturday, Jan. 13, in Taco Bell Arena. Senior guard/forward Chandler Hutchison finished with a school-record 44 points despite taking only 21 shots. The game drew a season-high crowd of 10,874 as coach Leon Rice pushed his record to 8-2 in home games with attendance at 10,000-plus.

NEXT THREE GAMES:

• Vs. Utah State, Taco Bell Arena, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17 (670 AM, 93.1 FM, Stadium/Facebook)
• At Nevada, Reno, 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20 (670 AM, 93.1 FM, ESPN2)
• Vs. San Jose State, Taco Bell Arena, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24 (670 AM, AT&T Sports Network)

SCOUTING REPORT: Boise State hosts Utah State (10-9, 3-3 MW) and plays at first-place Nevada (16-3, 5-0) in a four-day period, which makes the Aggies’ game in Boise a trap special. Utah State has lost two straight games (Colorado State 84-75 and Nevada 83-57). The Aggies’ top players are sophomore guards Koby McEwen (14.3 points a game) and Sam Merrill (14.9). Boise State has won the past five games in the series, including two straight in Boise (70-67 in 2016 and 72-70 in 2017).

HUTCHISON UPDATE: The senior guard/wing and NBA prospect is averaging 19.8 points and 8.4 rebounds a game. He also leads the Broncos in assists with 57.

AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE: 5,640 (the highest average since consistent Boise State records were maintained starting with the 2001-02 season is 6,810 in the 2013-14 season).

RPI: 30

BRACKETOLOGY:

• ESPN/Joe Linardi lists Boise State as a No. 11 seed, playing No. 6 Ohio State in a South Region game in Nashville.
• CBS Sports/Jerry Palm does not have Boise State in the NCAA Tournament.

OPINIONATOR: Hutchison provided a special moment in the San Diego State game, taking advantage of the season-high crowd to set a single-game scoring record. One issue: Only five players scored in the game, and none off the bench. Despite the strong start, the Broncos’ hopes of making the NCAA Tournament remain marginal, barring a win in the Mountain West Tournament championship game. There is no margin for error – which means Boise State must have better overall scoring support as games become more critical down the stretch. Sophomore guards Alex Hobbs and Marcus Dickinson combine to average 16.2 points a game. They can’t afford to go 0-fer, especially in tight games against good teams like San Diego State. Boise State beat the Aztecs by three, and could have easily lost the game. With more scoring support, the Broncos could have won by double-digits.

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).

MOUNTAIN WEST STANDINGS

Standings through Tuesday, Jan. 16 games
Chandler Hutchison photo courtesy of Boise State Photo Services