Vandal Nation Live: Idaho vs. Boise State

Yes, the time has come again — it’s the Battle Royale, the Gem State Grudge Match, the rivalry renewed. Tonight in the Cowan Spectrum, the Idaho Vandals and the Boise State Broncos will clash head-on for intra-state men’s hoops supremacy.

Last year, Don Verlin’s Vandals pulled off the first silver and gold sweep in a decade, and the second-year head coach will be looking to keep his record perfect against the Broncos. Mac Hopson, Steffan Johnson and Kashif Watson will lead Idaho into action against Ike Okoye, Daequon Montreal and Paul Noonan of Boise State.

We’ll have all the action for you from courtside, with pregame coverage at 7:30 p.m., tip at 8.

Click here for Vandal Nation Live commentary, analysis and chat!

WAC preview: #7 Boise State lacks star power, scoring threats

Team: #7 Boise State

Coach: Greg Graham, eighth season (127-95)

Last year’s record: 19-13 (9-7 WAC, T-3rd)

Returning starters: Four (C Kurt Cunningham, F Paul Noonan, F Ike Okoye, G Anthony Thomas)

Key losses: F Mark Sanchez, G Jamar Greene, G Aaron Garner

Key newcomers: F Sam Hicks, F Daequon Montreal, G Westly Perryman

Why they’re here: A glaring lack of star power. The Broncos are going to desperately miss graduating senior forward Mark Sanchez. Without him, the Broncos are lacking more than their leading scorer. Sanchez was Boise State’s only reliable go-to guy when a clutch bucket or big stop was needed.

The rest of the squad is made up of more-or-less role players, all with talent but also with significant weaknesses. Case in point: starting point guard Anthony Thomas gained infamy by guaranteeing victory at home over the Vandals, only to go 3-of-7 from the floor and put up a negative assist-to-turnover ratio in the Broncos’ stunning defeat. Whatever the opposite of clutch is, that’s Thomas.

Greg Graham is bringing in some decent talent in the form of Sam Hicks and Daequon Montreal, but in a season where the WAC competition is ridiculously deep and talented, just being “decent” won’t cut it. Boise State needs to find itself a star, and quickly, or else the 2008 NCAA Tournament bid will seem like a distant memory.

Why they could finish higher: The Broncos have been known to overachieve, and Greg Graham might have a few rabbits to pull out of hats. Montreal was a star at the JC level, and if he can translate that into success in mid-major Division I hoops, maybe Boise State will have found its go-to shooter. That’s a pretty big if, however, because the level of competition and court intensity is exponentially greater.

Why they could finish lower: There’s potential for an epic meltdown in Boise. Just two years removed from an NCAA berth, a Bronco nosedive to the WAC’s lower tier could provoke infighting, recrimination and a total team chemistry failure. Poor results could see the 12,000-seat Big Burrito go largely empty on gameday, further deepening the despair in Bronco country.

Most Valuable Player: Kurt Cunningham (10.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.2 apg) — With Sanchez’s consistent production gone, Cunningham is the most likely candidate to step up, particularly on the boards. Of particular note is Cunningham’s stellar shooting — leading the WAC, far and away, by making an amazing 67.3 percent of his shots. That might drop a bit this year if he takes more shots, but his talent is real.

Most Important Player: Paul Noonan (10.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg) — This guy could be one of the WAC’s best shooters, if only he wasn’t in love with a 3-point shot he just doesn’t have. Inside the arc, Noonan shot 49-for-91, a quality 53.8 percent. But he made just 54 of 160 3-point attempts — an awful 33.8 percent — and he was even worse in WAC play. Smarter shooting from Noonan would really help the Broncos this year.

Non-conference degree of difficulty: 2 — Boise State will take on a couple decent road opponents early, visiting the Big 10′s Illinois and the Mountain West’s Wyoming. After that, however, things drop off quite a bit. With the exception of a revenge game against a Portland State squad that embarrassed them in last year’s ESPNU BracketBusters, the remainder of the Broncos’ schedule features creampuffs like Houston Baptist and Cal State-Bakersfield.

Fun fact: The Broncos were swept by Idaho in their intra-state rivalry series last season for the first time since 1998.

Key games: Nov. 21 @ Wyoming; Dec. 5 @ Illinois; Jan. 9 vs. New Mexico State; Feb. 6 vs. Idaho

Predicted record: 14-16 (6-10 WAC)

Hoops Preview 2009-10: The WAC’s Best Juniors

In the second part of our 2009-10 Western Athletic Conference hoops preview, we make our picks for the WAC’s best juniors. Our senior picks can be found here.

Again, picks are based positionally, with a first and second team, and honorable mentions. Players are judged on the basis of overall performance and team impact. Due to the lack of impact junior centers, both teams are running a three-guard set.

Stat links go to Basketball State.

First team:

G: Tyler Newbold, Utah State

The No. 2 assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I hoops is all Newbold needs to claim this slot. Perhaps the most well-rounded player in the conference, Newbold can score (9.0 ppg), rebound (4.5 rpg) and assist (3.2 apg), and he shoots 40% from downtown. With the loss of workhorse Gary Wilkinson to graduation, Newbold will have to step up his scoring for Utah State to successfully defend its WAC crown, but with his talent that shouldn’t be a difficult task.

G: Jahmar Young, New Mexico State

Leading the WAC in scoring and placing 6th in three-point efficiency, Young is a no-brainer for the first team. He dropped 17.9 points per game to fuel the run-and-gun Aggies, while still finding the time to dish out a respectable 3.3 assists. Like his senior first team counterpart, Jonathan Gibson, Young needs to kick it up a notch on defense, as NMSU gave up more points than any other WAC squad.

G: Armon Johnson, Nevada

Another easy call, Johnson provided the “two” in the Wolf Pack’s one-two punch led by freshman star Luke Babbitt. He finished 7th in the WAC in scoring with 15.5 points per game and led his team in assists with 4.3 per game. For a shooting guard, he’s not much from outside, though — as a whole, Nevada was one of the WAC’s worst long-range teams. With a better 3-point stroke, Johnson would only get more dangerous.

F: Tai Wesley, Utah State

While Gary Wilkinson grabbed all the headlines for the Aggies inside, Wesley quietly went about his thing — and that “thing” was shooting. Only Wilkinson was more efficient, as Tai posted a 12.0 ppg average on 59.2% shooting, second-best in the conference. He also pulled down 6 boards per game and led his team in blocks — admittedly with only 0.8 per game. With Wilkinson gone, Wesley will have to step it up for the Aggies to dominate again. There’s no reason to think he can’t.

F: C.J. Webster, San Jose State

The Spartans’ inside workhorse, Webster was a consistent performer throughout the season on a San Jose State squad that struggled, as a whole, to find consistency. He averaged 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game (6th in the WAC) and managed to dish up 2.1 assists per game — second-best on a rather passing-challenged Spartan squad. With more experienced talent around him (particularly second-teamer Adrian Oliver), Webster’s numbers should rise this year.

The second team and honorable mentions are below the fold.