BOISE, Idaho — It's a new season, but a familiar situation for the Boise State men's basketball team dealing with COVID-19 that has already postponed three of their games. But, the Broncos are looking to bounce back as they resume conference play against Nevada this week.
“Especially the way we were playing there were a lot of fans looking forward to us playing those games," said BSU Head Coach Leon Rice. "We had some great games and to give up the Colorado State home game, at Utah State, and at Wyoming that was a tough situation.”
Prior to the three postponements due to COVID-19 within the team, the Broncos were riding a seven-game winning streak during which they were outscoring their opponents 18.1 points per game.
“It is also the way it is and we are going to come back stronger," Rice said. "There are going to be challenges, of course, we have to get our minds right and our bodies right as quickly as we can and get to playing how we were, no excuses.”
Rice said pauses during the middle of the season are always challenging, and that's a big concern heading into their next matchup.
"It is amazing how quickly you lose timing and conditioning when you have a pause, and I think that is universal when you look at all these teams," Rice said. "We have to be aware of that and get it back quick, but yet you have to get prepped for a game too."
Despite those challenges, Rice said the spirit of the team remains high.
"The way they are bouncing around, their enthusiasm, that stuff it looks great," Rice said. "Yeah, we had some tough days, we had a lot of guys in this program who had some tough days, and for them to get through it was real, but I feel like we are on the other side of that and each day we get a little better as a group."
The Broncos will be back in action Wed., Jan. 12 in Reno against the Nevada Wolf Pack, who are also coming off a COVID-19 pause.
"They have bigs that can really really play, and their guards last year they were two of the best in the league," Rice said. "They are a great basketball team."
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. MT and you can watch the action live on FS1.
