Tag: rj williams

Boise State Hands UNLV First Conference Loss At Home, 73-66

Game Recap: Boise State 73, UNLV 66 Key players step up in big win over UNLV at home. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The new all-time leading 3-point shooter in Boise State history helps lead the Broncos over UNLV at home. With a conference …

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Game Recap: Boise State 73, UNLV 66

Key players step up in big win over UNLV at home.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The new all-time leading 3-point shooter in Boise State history helps lead the Broncos over UNLV at home. 

With a conference that has been shifting and realigning itself constantly this past week, Wednesday’s matchup inside ExtraMile Arena in Boise was one to watch. As conference heavy weights fell left and right, everyone not named San Diego State is fighting for Stability. Utah State suffered three straight losses this past week and New Mexico lost for the first time in conference play, once again at the hands of San Jose State. But all of that was on the back burner as UNLV traveled north to take on Boise State Wednesday night.

Each team was well aware of the stakes, for the Runnin’ Rebels a win tonight meant sitting alone at second place in the conference, just ahead of in-state rival Nevada and just behind the Aztecs. While a loss drops them into a tie with New Mexico for third. For the Broncos a loss tonight meant a drop to sixth with Utah State, and a win, well that’s just what we got.

The Bronco’s played with an effort and motor that we hadn’t seen from them just yet. This team was diving on the floor for loose balls and getting second, third and even fourth chances on the offensive glance at times, while moving the ball around the perimeter and knocking down shots. All of this to secure a quality win at home against one of two Nevada teams gaining momentum in conference play.

This was the same Bronco team that lost to Nevada just this past Saturday and couldn’t buy a three pointer going 5-26 from deep versus a much improved 8-19 on Wednesday. Justinian Jessup chipped in five of those made three pointers on his way to 18 points and a career night involving a broken record. 

Second chance opportunities were in abundance for the Broncos as RJ Williams (11 Points and 10 Rebounds) and Derrick Alston Jr. (26 Points and 10 Rebounds) ended the night with double-doubles. Those rebounds led to points and when they didn’t those opportunities led straight to the foul line where the Broncos shot 74% as a team. With the addition of Abu Kigab at semester break, Leon Rice’s squad now has a big four that when firing on all cylinders can compete with anyone in the conference. 

UNLV’s conference momentum hit a snag on the road, and a Runnin’ Rebels squad that started 3-0 in conference play for only the second time in program history needs to step back reevaluate their play and get ready to face a Cowboys team in the dome of doom this weekend. This Rebel team looked lost shooting the ball going 6-25 from behind the arc and shooting 37% from the field overall.

While many struggled, sophomore guard Bryce Hamilton continued to impress finishing with 19 points and 7 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. This Rebel team has stepped up it’s level of play after being called out by head coach TJ Otzelberger in a postgame interview earlier this season, they’ll need to keep this pace of basketball up and play Hamilton just a little more if they want to stay in the top half of the conference Standings.

Up Next: 

Boise State:

The Broncos head to Viejas Arena on Saturday to face undefeated and 7th ranked San Diego State. After a win over Wyoming on the road this past Wednesday the Aztecs continue their quest for conference dominance and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with a win at home against the Broncos.

UNLV:

The Runnin’ Rebels finish the week out on the road against the Wyoming Cowboys in Laramie. Wyoming is still winless in conference play after a 72-52 loss to San Diego State at home earlier this week. This is a game you don’t mind winning but a loss nobody wants on their schedule.

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A Hot Handed Jazz Johnson Leads Nevada Past Boise State, 83-66

Game Recap: Nevada 83, Boise State 66 Wolf Pack handles a cold shooting Bronco team to sit atop the conference standings with San Diego State at 3-0. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire A hot shooting Jazz Johnson had more made field goals than …

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Game Recap: Nevada 83, Boise State 66

Wolf Pack handles a cold shooting Bronco team to sit atop the conference standings with San Diego State at 3-0.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

A hot shooting Jazz Johnson had more made field goals than Boise State’s top three scorers on Saturday. 

The Boise State Broncos came to the Lawlor Events center Saturday hoping to give the Nevada Wolf Pack their first loss in conference play and hopefully keep a four game winning streak alive.

Things turned out a bit differently for the Broncos as shooting woes crept in as the team shot a combined 36.2% from the field and an even worse 19.2% from deep. This wasn’t the performance needed and no one wearing black on Saturday could find the bottom of the net.

Boise State’s top four scorers were a combined 14-40 from the field and 4-19 from behind the arc and without a great performance from senior post RJ Williams at the line (9-9), the deficit would have been worse. Junior guard Derrick Alston Jr. led the team with 15 points, 3 assists and 2 steals on the night. 

Nevada on the other hand created a two game winning streak with their rout of Boise State at home and is now sitting atop the conference standings with San Diego State at 3-0 and one of only three unbeaten teams remaining after an eventful Wednesday.

The momentum inside the program is at a season high and the Wolf Pack will be the team to beat going into next week, but a team that finally has guys catching steam in the new year will be tough to beat.

This has been the Jalen Harris show thus far, as the junior guard to this point is leading the team in scoring (17.4 PPG), rebounding (6.9 RPG) and is neck and neck to lead the team in assists with senior guard Lindsey Drew at 4 assists a contest. The former Louisiana Tech Bulldog took a needed break on Saturday and let a hot handed Jazz Johnson do the heavy lifting.

Johnson ended the night with 34 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 8-12 from three point range. The senior guard couldn’t miss and had more made field goals then Boise State’s top three scorers combined. We know he can score and if he can keep this up then he and Harris provide first year head coach Steve Alford one of the most potent scoring duos in the conference.

This means nothing without a little bit of  distribution and play calling and Lindsey Drew did a lot of that today finishing with 14 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds on the night.

This was a much needed win for either side as this was both teams first matchup against a top-5 conference foe thus far. The Wolf Pack have proven a lot of folks wrong with their conference play and will be a team to watch this week with a key match up this weekend.

Up Next: 

Boise State:

The Broncos take on UNLV at home on Wednesday at 7:00 PM MT and look to bounce back against a Rebels team who handed Utah State their first conference loss of the season just a week prior. This leading up to a challenging road matchup Saturday against conference leaders No. 13 San Diego State.

A win against the Aztecs will have an impact across the college basketball landscape at this point of the season, and this requires Boise State to find it’s shot before the weekend rolls around.

Nevada:

Steve Alford’s squad heads to San Jose on Wednesday to take on a Spartans team with an impressive win against New Mexico within the past week. Tip off is at 8:00 p.m. MT and the Wolf Pack will look to stay undefeated in conference play while gaining momentum for a showdown in Logan against the Utah State Aggies on Saturday the 11th.

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Boise State vs. Georgia Tech: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Boise State vs. Georgia Tech: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds and More Boise State meets Georgia Tech in the first round of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Can the Broncos take their …

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Boise State vs. Georgia Tech: Game Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Odds and More

Boise State meets Georgia Tech in the first round of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Can the Broncos take their momentum with them across the Pacific Ocean?

WHO: Boise State Broncos (6-4, 1-1 Mountain West) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-5, 1-1 ACC)

WHEN: Sunday, December 22nd — 5:00 PM EST/3:00 PM MST

WHERE: Stan Sherriff Center, Honolulu, HI

TV: ESPNU

STREAM: WatchESPN

LISTEN: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: First Ever Meeting 

ODDS:  Boise State -1, per KenPom

Game Preview

The Broncos head to Honolulu for the Holidays to participate in the Diamond Head Classic, and their first game is going to be their first ever meeting with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The tournament is packed with tough opponents but the Broncos will have to concentrate on their first round draw as the Yellow Jackets are a lot tougher than that 4-5 record reflects. Georgia Tech is coming in with a three game losing streak, and even though Boise State has been inconsistent all year they themselves are coming off of a 43 point beat down against Alabama State.

Josh Pastner’s team is 4-5 with a resume full of understandable losses, to the likes of Kentucky, Syracuse, Arkansas and Georgia. And besides a very lopsided 34-point loss to Syracuse at home the others were a lot closer. Then came this past Wednesday where a 5-4 Ball State team that is also in Hawaii this weekend went to Atlanta and beat the Yellow Jackets at home by 18 points.

It’s easy to say that this Georgia Tech squad hasn’t fared well at home and has been fairly inconsistent throughout the season. Maybe a tournament in paradise for the holidays will help them figure things out. Pastner has struggled in Atlanta in an ever competitive ACC, posting a 52-58 overall record and no NCAA tournament appearances with the Yellow Jackets since leaving Memphis back in 2016.

The Broncos can score, and they are averaging 80.4 PPG and when firing on all cylinders can rival any team in the country. But on Sunday afternoon Derrick Alston Jr. needs to be a playmaker from the get go and Justinian Jessup needs to be effective on the perimeter both offensively and defensively. Georgia Tech has an elite scoring guard in sophomore Michael Devoe who is averaging 18.4 PPG that they need to keep track of. Tough the Broncos may be in luck as he has been in a bit of a rut during the Yellow Jacket’s three game losing streak, shooting a combined 8-37 from the field during that time. They don’t want to be the team he catches fire against but the key to a Bronco win needs to be a great scoring output from their stars and keeping Devoe in check as both a scorer and distributor with assist leader Jose Alvarado still out with injury.

Georgia Tech also has a formidable duo down low in senior forward James Banks III (10.9 PPG and 7.8 RPG) and junior forward Moses Wright (11.1 PPG and 7.4 RPG). They are both capable scorers and rebounders but where Banks III shines is his defensive presence in the paint. He is averaging a team best 3.7 BPG, which is also good enough for third in the entire country. Georgia Tech also has five players averaging at least one steal a game. This could pose a problem for Boise State as we saw how the Broncos struggled against a Tulsa team with similar length on defense going 6-29 from deep and having their stars (Jessup and Alston) taken completely out of the game going a combined 4-18 from the field.

Game Prediction:

Georgia Tech 74, Boise State 70

Barring any kind of immaculate shooting performance from Boise State, I expect this game to be decided in the trenches and at the free throw line. Ending a bit closer than some might expect.

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Boise State vs. Pacific: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Boise State vs. Pacific: Game Preview Boise State looking to start a winning streak after overtime win against BYU. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Can the Broncos make it two in a row this weekend in California against the Tigers? WHO: …

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Boise State vs. Pacific: Game Preview

Boise State looking to start a winning streak after overtime win against BYU.

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Can the Broncos make it two in a row this weekend in California against the Tigers?

WHO: Boise State Broncos (2-2, 0-0 Mountain West) vs. Pacific Tigers (5-2, 0-0 West Coast)

WHEN: Saturday, November 23 — 4:00 PM EST/5:00 PM MST

WHERE: Alex G. Spanos Center, Stockton, CA

TV: None

STREAM: Stadium

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: Pacific leads all-time series 8-2

ODDS: Boise State -2, per KenPom

PREVIEW: The Broncos are coming off of a much needed win Tuesday night against a BYU team that has been hard to read this early in the season. Tuesday night’s game went into overtime tied at 58 a piece and great penetration by Derrick Alston Jr. and big defensive plays at the top of the key by Justian Jessup sealed the win. Both players will be needed on Saturday in Stockton along with senior forward RJ Williams who is averaging a double-double (16.5 PPG and 10.0 RPG) in order to leave California with a win. 

Alston has been dominant in four games, averaging 25.3 PPG 6.0 RPG and 1.8 APG, and even with a supporting cast of talented scorers sometimes his efforts are not enough. Shots just weren’t falling against UC-Irvine and Oregon is looking like a top 10 team with solid wins so far and should only get better with the return of N’faly Dante come December.

The Broncos are going to face a Tigers team who isn’t putting up big numbers (68.9 PPG) and are winning games by small margins as of the past week. They will need to simply knock down shots and outscore the Tigers who are led in scoring by junior guard Justin Moore with 12.0 PPG followed by senior guard Jahlil Tripp with 11.7 PPG and 7.7 RPG. The Tigers match up nicely with the Broncos in terms of height. Neither teams are very tall with starting big man Amari Mccray (6-9 265) playing around four guards and RJ williams a 6-7 forward essentially doing the same, even if the Broncos do have two guards who stand above 6-6. Look for Boise State to use their height advantage in certain positions as a weapon defensively again and for Alston to have another big game.

Game Prediction: Boise St. 80, Pacific 70

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Boise State Gets An Overtime Win Against BYU At Home

Game Recap: Boise State 72, BYU 68 Great defensive efforts in overtime earn Boise State a win at home. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Trio of Alston, Jessup and Williams get it done for the Broncos. The Broncos needed a win going into …

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Game Recap: Boise State 72, BYU 68

Great defensive efforts in overtime earn Boise State a win at home.

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Trio of Alston, Jessup and Williams get it done for the Broncos.

The Broncos needed a win going into Wednesday night’s game in the Extramile Arena while the Cougars were looking for their third straight. It was a hard fought battle for each team but after sending the game into overtime tied at 58 a piece, the Broncos sealed the win with a clutch performance at the free throw line from Derrick Alston Jr. and a solid defensive performance from Justian Jessup.

Boise State was riding a two game losing streak going into Wednesday night’s game and looked determined to end it against a hot BYU team. It wasn’t a pretty game most of the way, and you can blame that on tough defense combined with consistent effort form both teams throughout. Senior forward RJ Williams is having a great season after coming in from junior college with high expectations last year, and made his impact felt in the paint tallying 18 points and grabbing 7 boards whiling shooting a perfect 6-6 from the field.

But after fouling out in regulation the Bronco’s relied on Derrick Alston Jr. who ended the night with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Although he went 1/6 from deep, he was able to get into the paint get the foul stripe and create opportunities for others. A win might not have been possible if it wasn’t for senior guard Justian Jessup’s defensive efforts at the top of the key. Jessup finished with 4 steals on the night and turned those turnovers into fast break points.

The Cougars have struggled early on this season with senior guard T.J. Haws struggling to find a rhythm in their last three games and they have also missed senior leader Yoeli Childs’ presence down low. Mark Pope’s squad has been led in part by transfer guards Jake Toolson and Alex Barcello. And While Haws continued to struggle shooting from the floor going 5/16 and 0/8 from deep, Toolson kept the Cougars involved with a 19 point performance knocking down shots from inside and out.

The Bronco’s earned their second win of the season but first against a division one opponent. This was a great win at home and should provide momentum going forward with some winnable games on the horizon followed by early conference games.

Up Next: The Broncos take on the Pacific Tigers and former NBA point guard Damon Stoudamire on Saturday at 5:00 PM MT. The Tigers are 5-2 on the season after a four point win on Tuesday against another former NBA guard, Juan Dixon and the Coppin State Eagles.

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Boise State vs. BYU: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds and More

Boise State V.S. BYU: Game Preview BYU is coming off of buzzer-beater win at Houston, they come to Boise with a chance to extend their winning streak to three. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The Broncos need a win on Wednesday, can they get …

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 Boise State V.S. BYU: Game Preview

BYU is coming off of buzzer-beater win at Houston, they come to Boise with a chance to extend their winning streak to three.  

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 The Broncos need a win on Wednesday, can they get it against the Cougars?

WHO: Boise State Broncos (1-2, 0-0 Mountain West) vs. BYU Cougars  (3-1, 0-0 Big West)

WHEN: Wednesday, November 20 — 10:00 PM EST/8:00 PM MST

WHERE: Extramile Arena, Boise, ID

TV: CBSSN

STREAM: CBSSports.com or get a free seven-day trial with FuboTV

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: BYU leads all-time series 4-9

ODDS: Boise State -, per KenPom

PREVIEW: The Broncos could use a win, and a win against BYU on Wednesday night would be perfect timing. The Cougars are coming off of a 72-71 win in Houston on Friday night and have T.J. Haws to thank for that, while Boise State is currently experiencing a two game losing streak.

The Broncos were cold from the floor on Friday shooting 30.9% from the field and ended up falling to UC-Irvine at home. The week before they lost by 31 points to a top-15 Oregon team but not for a lack of trying on Derrick Alston Jr’s part who is averaging 25.0 PPG and shooting 41% from three. He is joined in the front court by senior forward RJ Williams who is coming off of a great performance against the Anteaters and averaging a double-double on the year (16. PPG & 11.0 RPG). 

The Dave Rose era is done in Provo but the Cougars are 3-1 in Mark Pope’s first season as head coach of the BYU program. Led by newcomers, Pope’s squad struggled a bit in their last two games. Wins against Houston and Southern Utah came by a combined total of 6 points and without Yoeli Childs who is still fulfilling his nine game suspension, BYU needs someone to step up on Wednesday to get the job done down low.

Transfer guards Jake Toolson (Utah Valley) and Alex Barcello (Arizona) are leading the team in scoring just ahead of T.J. Haws. But keep an eye out for sophomore forward Kolby Lee who had the best game of his career on Friday against the Cougars (of Houston) with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

The two schools were never members of the Mountain West at the same time and they haven’t faced off since 2008 when the Cougars won by a whopping 38 points in the Marriott Center. A win Wednesday night will go a long way for either team and I think the Broncos are due for one, let’s see. 

Prediction: Boise State 75-69

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Boise State vs. UC-Irvine: Game Preview, TV & Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Boise State V.S. UC-Irvine: Game Preview The Broncos Need A Win After A 31 Point Loss To Oregon. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Can Derrick Alston Jr. lead the Broncos Past UC-Irvine for a Div. one win? WHO: Boise State Broncos (1-1, 0-0 …

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Boise State V.S. UC-Irvine: Game Preview

The Broncos Need A Win After A 31 Point Loss To Oregon.

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Can Derrick Alston Jr. lead the Broncos Past UC-Irvine for a Div. one win?

WHO: Boise State Broncos (1-1, 0-0 Mountain West) vs. UC-Irvine Anteaters  (2-1, 0-0 Big West)

WHEN: Friday, November 15 — 9:00 PM ET/7:00 PM MT

WHERE: Extramile Arena, Boise, ID

TV: MW Network

STREAM: MW Network

RADIO: Tunein

SERIES RECORD: UC-Irvine leads all-time series 5-6

ODDS: Boise State -3, per KenPom 

PREVIEW: The Broncos will host the Anteaters of UC-Irvine on Friday the 15th, and they will be looking to get their first win against a NCAA division one opponent this season. Derrick Alston Jr. led his team to an 80 point win last week against a NAIA Life-Pacific team, and did everything in his power against a Top-20 ranked Oregon team (28 points, 2 rebounds and shot 44% from 3) but fell 75-106. This was good enough for second place in our new Mountain West Player of the Year watch list rankings. 

The Broncos scoring attack looks well balanced through two games, as the Broncos currently have four players averaging 14.0 points a game or higher. They have opted for a smaller starting line up so far, starting 6-7 215 senior forward RJ Williams at center in their first two games. The lack of size doesn’t seem to be hurting them at the moment but that weakness may be tested a bit against the Anteaters who have some size on their roster and were predicted to win the Big West this year.

The Anteaters of UC-Irvine are 2-1 on the season with that lone loss at coming at the hands of Pepperdine and those two wins coming against San Diego on opening night and a familiar Life-Pacific team on Tuesday the 12th, in which they won by 46 points. They are led in scoring by senior guard Evan Leonard who scored 19 points in their first win at San Diego but hasn’t played in the team’s last two games and with no news on his status for Friday.

If he doesn’t play expect fellow senior guard Eyassu Worku (15.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 4.0 APG) to have the ball in his hands and sophomore forward Collin Welp (12.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.3 APG) to help out. Welp is a part of a tall and efficient frontcourt for the Anteaters, who including Welp have three players 6-8 or taller averaging nearly ten points a game while logging twenty minutes plus a game in three games so far. This should be a test for the Broncos tonight and an indication of how they handle team’s with size.

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