Boise State Basketball's road to the Mountain West Conference championship took an unusual bounce last night, losing to New Mexico Friday night in Albuquerque 81-79. The Broncos never faded despite a sold-out 'Pit' of over 14,000 Lobo fans.

However, what happened off the court has the usual pleasant, easy-going Leon Rice up in arms. Rice told the media that his team was involved in a pushing incident with the New Mexico Baseball team. He says the team had to run through a gauntlet of Lobos to get to the basketball court.

"We had to run through their baseball team, and it got physical a little bit, Rice revealed in a post-game news conference. The incident left was something the coach hadn't seen in his vast years of coaching experience. "I've coached for thirty-five years, and that was one of the like worst situations we've been in halftime."

A quick look at Leon Rice.

Boise State's Most Underappreciated Star

Boise State seems to mean "football" for most, right? On a national stage, after all, it's the blue turf and the success that the Broncos have had on it that made the university a household name. What happens on the hardwood, however, is far from appreciated at the level that it should be. Leon Rice came to Boise State as a blessing from one of the most powerful basketball programs in the nation: Gonzaga University. Now, the winningest basketball coach in the history of the school seems to take immediate heat if the Broncos aren't in the Final Four. Spoiled by wins on the football field, fans seem to expect the same of the basketball program but when the investment in basketball is so much less than football--can you really have these types of expectations!?

Coach Rice wants the Mountain West to investigate why the baseball team was allowed to be in their area. He went on to say that he believed it was on purpose. The New Mexico Administration apologized to the Broncos, according to Coach Rice. He was concerned that the situation could've gotten worse.

"That could've been a riot," he said. He continued saying the Lobos got in the face of the Broncos, and it was all poorly handled.

The coach gave credit to his players for showing restraint. He believed it could've ended in a brawl if he had some of his past players in New Mexico.

You can hear the entire interview below courtesy of Bronco Nation News.


Fans React Coach Rice

 


 


 


 


5 Things Boise State Basketball Needs Now

The Boise State men's basketball team under the leadership of Leon Rice has been on fire. You really can't complain about 14 wins in-a-row, even if some of them were a little scrappy. So out of all of the energy and momentum being built behind this basketball team--which one could argue, is greater than anything that the football team earned this year--what can be improved?
The Broncos have the wins...here's what they need at home.

Tom Brady Seeks Out Boise State Star for Words of Advice

It isn't often that Tom Brady goes hunting down one of Idaho's best-known football stars!

 

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