Streaking Broncos to take on Aggies in the Spectrum
Boise State’s five-game hot streak will be put to the test Tuesday in a place where losing isn’t just familiar — it’s the only thing they know.
Boise, a rival to Utah State since their days in the Big West, has never won a game in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, losing 18 straight since the first matchup in 1997.
As if being 0-18 on the road against the Aggies isn’t enough incentive, freshman forward David Collette added fuel to the fire in January, knocking down a buzzer-beating three-pointer on Boise’s home court. The Broncos will be hungry for a revenge game, and they’ll look to senior guard Derrick Marks to get it.
“Our whole team needs to guard him,” said USU head coach Stew Morrill. “We will need to have a lot of help, no matter who is on him individually.”
Marks has been hot since the new year, averaging 25.9 points per game since January — the highest mark in the nation. The three-time Mountain West player of the week is shooting 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 85 percent from the charity stripe.
“He’s really, really good,” Morrill said. “I think he’s an NBA guard. That’s the way it looks to me out there.”
In the Bronco’s last outing, Marks scored just two points in the first half against Colorado State before exploding for 26 in the second, erasing a 12-point deficit and willing his team to a 72-68 win.
The Broncos began league play with three straight losses, including games against USU and CSU, letting a second-half lead slip away in all three. They have since bounced back into conference contention, winning five straight with what coach Morrill said might be the best offense in the league.
“We better get ready and better know what we are in for,” Morrill said.
The Aggies have already posted one win against the Broncos this season, surviving a 31-point onslaught from Marks that disintegrated USU’s double-digit halftime lead as well as a seven-minute stretch where the offense managed just five points.
“Watching the video of it, we played pretty dang good for 30 minutes and really bad for 10 minutes,” Morrill said. “It was a big win for us. They are going to come in and try and return the favor.”
Led by junior guard Chris Smith and three other Aggies scoring in double-figures, USU dealt Boise a rare conference loss last month and hope to repeat the feat with a friendly home crowd at their backs Tuesday in the Spectrum’s signature white-out game.
— logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @logantj