Boise State 2009 CBI Tournament Preview

Boise State Broncos -Western Athletic Conference (19-12, 9-7)

RPI: 110

Big Wins: 12/3 Wyoming (86-85), 2/14 Utah State (66-56), 3/2 at New Mexico State (104-92)

Bad Losses: 12/13 San Francisco (76-79), 2/9 at Fresno State (82-88), 2/28 at Louisiana Tech (62-76)

Coach: Greg Graham

Probable Boise State Starters:

• Anthony Thomas, Junior, Guard, 9.6 ppg, 4.7 apg

• Aaron Garner, Senior, Guard, 5.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg

• Paul Noonan, Sophomore, Forward, 10.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg

• Mark Sanchez, Senior, Forward, 13.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.3 apg

• Kurt Cunningham, Junior, Center, 9.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg

Key Boise State Roleplayers:

• La’Shard Anderson, Sophomore, Guard, 5.5 ppg, 2.5 apg

• Jamar Greene, Senior, Guard, 6.1 ppg, 1.5 apg

• Ike Okoye, Junior, Forward, 8.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg

Why Boise State Can Surprise:

The Boise State frontcourt is not very flashy, but they have gotten the job done this year. Mark Sanchez, a 6-7 senior, is the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. Sanchez is an extremely versatile player who can battle in the paint or step out and hit the three-point shot. He is also a pretty good passer for a 6-7 forward and will even block a shot here and there. Fellow 6-7 forward Paul Noonan is a lot like Sanchez. He is a solid shooter from outside and has enough size to battle in the paint. However, unlike Sanchez, Noonan is not a strong rebounder.

Kurt Cunningham has taken over the starting job at the center spot. Cunningham is averaging less than 20 minutes per game, but he does score 9.7 points and grab 4.1 rebounds per contest. The depth keeps coming with Ike Okoye. The 6-9 junior is the most explosive athlete in the frontcourt and has developed into a solid scorer and rebounder and a great shot blocker.

Why The Broncos Can Disappoint:
While Sanchez and Okoye are good rebounders, the team as a whole struggles in that category. With so many quality scoring forwards on the team, Boise State should not be so bad on the glass, but they have a negative rebounding margin on the year. Players like Noonan and Cunningham must help neutralize that disadvantage. The other issue for the Broncos is turnovers. Point guard Anthony Thomas is a quality shooter and scorer and he will make some great passes, but he commits too many turnovers. Coach Greg Graham cannot afford to lose possessions during the tournament.

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Who To Watch:
Most of the minutes on the wings will go to La’Shard Anderson, Aaron Garner and Jamar Greene. Anderson will also spend some time backing up Thomas at the point and he has done a pretty good job at that. Garner is the most efficient three-point shooter on the team, connecting on 39.8 percent of his attempts. He is only averaging 5.5 points per game, but the 6-3 senior does have the ability to step up and put some big numbers in the scoring column. Greene has had some good games too, especially during the months of February and March when his outside shooting has become much more consistent. If Garner and Greene can give the backcourt more of a scoring punch, Boise State’s offense can stick around with just about anybody.

Boise State By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 72.8 (92nd in nation, 2nd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 71.3 (259, 8)

Field-Goal Percentage: 47.4 (33, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.7 (191, 7)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.3 (156, 3)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.6 (141, 5)

Free-Throw Percentage: 70.0 (126, 5)

Rebound Margin: -0.6 (205, 6)

Assists Per Game: 16.0 (24, 2)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.5 (226, 5)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Stanford

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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