Three ways to end the Boise State basketball losing streak
by Kevan Lee on Feb 10, 2011 7:46 AM PST
in Boise State basketball
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PrintThe Boise State basketball team has lost six of its last seven games. Their 4-0 conference start seems like forever ago. That replica Paul Noonan jersey purchase I made may is starting to look like a bad choice. Leon Rice may actually be human and not the wizard I mistook him to be.
Times are tough in Taco Bell Arena, but that's nothing some unsolicited advice from a blogger can't fix. After the jump, I offer up three suggestions on how to end the Broncos' slide. What would you suggest? Here's hoping this stuff gets fixed before this week's TV games. Basketball already looks bad enough on the WSN. To the jump.
Games this week:
- vs. Fresno State, tonight, 7:05 MT, WAC Sports Network
- vs. Idaho, Saturday, 9:00 MT, ESPNU
1. Play better defense
Boise State got off to its stellar start on the back of its high pressure D, which suffocated teams night after night. In hindsight, those teams were Western State and Eastern Washington, but still. Defense is defense, and the Broncos haven't been playing much of it over the last few weeks.
Case in point: shooting percentage. Only two teams have shot under 50 percent against the Broncos in the last seven games. Their last time out, BSU allowed USU to shoot 64 percent. And the Broncos have been outshot by 10 percent or more five times ... which brings me to unsolicited suggestion No. 2.
2. Stop shooting threes
Seriously. They're not working. Here's proof: the Boise State basketball team is 34-of-150 from three-point range in its last seven games. That's good for 22 percent, and 22 percent is good for last in all the NCAA - a heinous 345th out of 345.
Drive to the rim, dish and dunk, pick and roll, three in the key, I'm just throwing out random basketball sayings, onions.
3. Find out who is playing point guard and what they have done with La'Shard Anderson
Anderson was clearly the best player on the Boise State basketball team during the first half of the season, and his play kept the six losses in seven games from being seven in seven. However, Anderson has not had his A game lately. He scored zero points against Utah State. He went 0-for-6 from three against Hawaii. He needs reanimating and fast.
Of course, someone else could certainly step up and fill Anderson's shoes. I bet Leon Rice wouldn't mind that one bit. Robert Arnold, Daequon Montreal, and Paul Noonan are all capable of carrying this team for stretches. You have my permission to do so. Begin.
This week's games
Both Boise State basketball games are on TV this week - Fresno State tonight on the WSN and Idaho on Saturday on ESPNU. Where were these people in early January? That may have made for better TV.
The games themselves are hugely important for the Broncos and not just to get back on the winning track. Fresno State is tied with BSU in the conference standings at 5-6. Idaho is right above both of them at 7-5. Two wins by the Broncos vault them back in contention for the No. 4 spot in the conference, a first round bye in the conference tournament, an easier path to an NCAA berth, and INTERN BRING ME MY PAUL NOONAN JERSEY I'M GETTING ALL SORTS OF EXCITED.
Your turn
Will you be watching the Bronco games this weekend? What do you think BSU needs to do to get back on track? Share your thoughts in the comments.
The Broncos are back at home and back on TV for both games this week. Tonight is their first look at Fresno State
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I plan on watching the Idaho game.
I’m hoping they can pick it up and finish the way they started.
Championships should be earned on the field, not in newspapers or computers.
Wow
That’s pretty good basketball advise from a football writer (well, three in the key is a bad thing, but you probably knew that). I haven’t seen any of their games yet this year, but I’m going to the game against dUI. 150 three’s in 7 games seems like a lot, especially when they’re not falling. Do we have a big man? Feed the ball to him! Basketball is best when it’s an “inside out” game. Get the post players some production, get short to mid-range jumpers, THEN go for the three on occasion.
Throwing up 3's comes from being down late in games and needing the points.
Lots of teams go into desperation mode and start lobbing threes up to catch up. A quick two points is much better in the long run though. Just need more consistent play all around I think. These kids need to learn how to win the tough games. They’ve lost every close game this year.
Championships should be earned on the field, not in newspapers or computers.
Yeah, I understand the need for threes...
I just don’t like them, lol. I played on a lot of teams that the guards didn’t know how to play and would ignore us big men working our butts off in the post, only to throw up an off-balance three.
In college, our guards looked inside first and ran a lot of pick and rolls, it worked really well, we won the national championship in our division. Of course, we had 5 good big men, and me, the best 3rd string waterboy ever!
by ninjamonkey1 on Feb 10, 2011 8:29 AM PST up reply actions
Boise State throws up a lot of threes pretty much all the time. From what I understand, teams are giving them the three and packing it in inside.
Ryan Watkins is the most inside presence BSU has, and he’s a true freshman. I hope the 7-foot redshirt kid turns out to be a keeper. Although, really, I’d just take a Shawn Bradley clone.
"I did not send you to go-kart camp." - Maury Garner
Haha, Shawn Bradley
I had his rookie card and was so excited. I hoped that he would do really well and the card would be worth a lot. Such a disappointment.
by ninjamonkey1 on Feb 10, 2011 9:27 AM PST up reply actions
There is very little post presence...
Some of their glut of 3’s is due to being down, but it also a staple of their offensive attach during the entire game. Part of this is due to teams have primarily employed a zone defense against the Broncos. The athleticism of the Broncos make them hard to play in man-to-man. Without a post game, the Broncos try to break the zone by shooting 3’s. In the beginning of the year they were falling – now they are not, thus the skid.
That athleticism also plays to the defensive field goal percentage. BSU is not a great defensive team in the half-court, but when they stretch the floor, they generate turnovers out of their press which has kept them in some games.
"...east and west is the problem, north and south the solution."
by MKingery on Feb 10, 2011 8:57 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Passing breaks zones
3’s with no one in the post creats easy rebounds for other teams. In a zone you can still drive and pull up for a 10 to 15 foot jump shot. Of course, this is just me rambling without watching them play. And I’m taking the “monday morning qb” roll. I’m sure our coach is working with the guys and will do a great job, no program turns completely around in one year.
by ninjamonkey1 on Feb 10, 2011 9:33 AM PST up reply actions
True enough..problem is BSU is not lighting it up from inside the arc either...
Other than Perryman and occasionally Anderson, the Broncos rarely look to penetrate the zone and find those soft spots at 12 feet. When they do, they don’t shoot a great percentage. I can’t find a shot chart but it seems that BSU misses a lot of shots inside five feet. Perhaps Rice continues to let them launch 3s, because they haven’t been a consistent threat in close range either.
Teams will continue to zone BSU until they can hit the 3, because to date, the Broncos have not effectively attacked the zone in any other way. Their effective field goal percentage (eFG%) which gives higher value to made 3s is still only 40% for the season. In the disappointing close losses this year, it was consistently the outside shot that was their downfall. Three point stats from those losses: 2-21 (Drake), 3-20 (NMSU) 6-26 (LaTech) 5-22 (HAW)
If they could shoot a decent percentage, the rest of their game would allow them to have a shot at winning 20 games. They outrebound and create more turnovers than their opponents. BSU has 283 offensive rebounds to only 287 turnovers while opponents have 194 Offensive rebounds and 414 turnovers. While these stats may be skewed some by the early season blowouts, the Broncos average over 9 more possessions per game than their opponents. If they keep that up and start to shoot the ball well, they can make a deep run in the WAC tourney.
"...east and west is the problem, north and south the solution."
With stats like that we should be killing teams!
Well, except for the eFG %, that’s really bad. Here’s hoping the #’s start balancing out, I mean, the law of averages has to start working in our favor again soon, right?
by ninjamonkey1 on Feb 10, 2011 2:28 PM PST up reply actions
Not enough big strong guys.
Montreal is a pretty good player but hes just not physical enough. Hawaii had 3 big guys in against us last game and we just couldnt stop them down low.
Reggie Arnold needs to get hot. He has been extremely quiet. He is the guy they need to drive and draw fouls and get easy buckets.
I'm actually going to the game tonight
Just to prove a theory I have I’ll be bringing the broad side of a barn with me.
by Drew Roberts on Feb 10, 2011 8:36 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
The 4th way
Paint the court blue so that the players can blend into it.
by Jay Weston on Feb 10, 2011 9:44 AM PST reply actions 4 recs
you have got to be kidding me... i was just reading through the comments to see if anyone put that yet!
DANG YOU!!!! REC’D
by lifelongbronco on Feb 10, 2011 10:03 AM PST up reply actions
muuuhahaha
I was really surprised that I was the first one to post it.
I'm not kidding like word for word....
are you in my head???? I’m scared now….
by lifelongbronco on Feb 10, 2011 10:15 AM PST up reply actions
That fc press we all love
needs to be toned down. I was never a college athlete but pressing is draining and people like Paul Noonan and Anderson are playing too many minutes to be in a press for an extended time.
KEEP SHOOTING 3s! They have to fall at some point. BSU has some shooters but they aren’t getting great looks with the flex.
Good luck Broncos!
"You don't play against opponents. You play against the game..." - Bobby Knight
Keep shooting 3s
It feels so good to be right, something I am usually not.
"You don't play against opponents. You play against the game..." - Bobby Knight
Leon Rice needs a chance with his own players
The roster is mostly filled with Graham’s recruits. The team will be better when Rice’s own recruits are plugged into his system.
"It takes no talent to give great effort" -Chris Petersen
"It's hard to imagine a more complete football team than Boise State" - Kirk Herbstreit
"Watch the point, catch the fat." - Larry Fitzgerald
NOONAN!
looked pretty damn good tonight. I’m thinking that he must have read that Kevan was going to get rid of his jersey. ’Bout time.
NOONAN!
was 70% FG’s, like 72% 3’s, 7 rebounds and a steal. He also had more playing time than anyone else tonight at 33min and didn’t even start. That is a LOT of time to play FCP. I really hope to see this Noonan on sat against the vandulls.
so after losing six of seven
they’re on a two game tear!!
12 years in a row. 22-17-1 overall record.
Suck it Vandals
Twitter: @damienbsu
"[O]ne play can win a game but one play cannot lose a game." - Coach Petersen
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2012 Boise State Football Schedule
@ Michigan State  |
Fri 08/31 | 6:00 p.m. MT |
| Miami (OH) | Sat 09/15 | 2:00 p.m. MT |
| BYU |
Thu 09/20 | TBA |
| @ New Mexico | Sat 09/29 | TBA |
| @ Southern Miss | Sat 10/06 | TBA |
| Fresno State | Sat 10/13 | 1:30 p.m. MT |
| UNLV | Sat 10/20 | 1:30 p.m. MT |
| @ Wyoming |
Sat 10/27 | 1:30 p.m. MT |
| San Diego State | Sat 11/03 | 8:30 p.m. MT |
| @ Hawaii | Sat 11/10 | 5:00 p.m. MT |
| Colorado St. | Sat 11/17 | 1:30 p.m. MT |
| @ Nevada | Sat 12/1 | TBA |
