MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels (3-4) will be headed to the "Gem State" for their Friday night matchup with the Broncos of Boise State (3-3), that will not be in Boise, but rather about 250 miles east in Idaho Falls, as both squads prepare for a neutral site battle at the Mountain America Center. Saint Mary's is coming off of a split in their most recent two-game homestand, defeating Davidson handily before falling in a tight contest with Utah. The Gaels will now prep for another matchup away from UCU Pavilion, in hopes of their first win away from Moraga this season.
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Boise State Broncos
Friday, December 1 at 7:30 PM PST
Mountain America Center - Idaho Falls, Idaho
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DEJA VU TO 2018
Similarly to this season, the Gaels began November of 2018 with a 3-4 record, including a pair of losses at the then named MGM Resorts Main Event. Following the slow start, however, Saint Mary's would win each of their next four games in December, and would eventually go on to win the WCC Tournament and earn a bid to the National Tournament. The Gaels will hope to repeat their 2018 turnaround here in 2023, with that road beginning with Friday night's matchup in Idaho Falls.
RIPPING DOWN THE BOARDS
The Gaels continue to be one of the more dominant rebounding teams in the country, ranking in the top-25 in rebounding margin, offensive rebounds per game and total rebounds per game. Mitchell Saxen has led that charge, averaging 9.1 rebounds per game, including 5.1 o-boards per contest. Unfortunately, the strong rebounding numbers has not equivocated to wins, as the Gaels need to find a way to convert their second chance opportunities at a higher frequency.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS
Boise State currently sits at 3-3 on the year, taking two of those losses this past week at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando. A tournament team a season ago, the Broncos went 24-10, and were bounced from the first round of the 2023 Big Dance by Northwestern. Head Coach Leon Rice is in his 14th season at the helm of the Boise State program, but is no stranger to the Gaels, as he spent 11 seasons on Mark Few's staff at Gonzaga. This year's squad returns three starters, led by preseason All-Mountain West selectee Tyson Degenhart. The 6-8 four man led the Broncos, scoring 14 points per game and shooting 54% from the field last season, and is off to a strong start this year, averaging 13 points per contest. 2022-23 second team All-Mountain West selectee Max Rice (9 PPG) and Chibuzo Agbo (14 PPG 6 RPG) join Degenhart as the other two returning starters. The biggest shoes left to fill will be those of last year's point guard Marcus Shaver Jr., now playing professionally in the Czech Republic. So far this season, that role has been occupied by sophomore Jace Whiting in his second season in Boise. Rounding out the starting five is Kansas transfer Cam Martin. Martin is one of many major contributors in their first years of action with the Broncos, including Roddie Anderson III (UC San Diego transfer), O'Mar Stanley (St. Johns transfer), RJ Keene (third year in Boise, first year playing), and Austin Meadow (true freshman). This matchup will be the 14th all-time meeting between these two programs, dating back to 1979. Boise State leads the all-time series 8-5.
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