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Headline:

Some old, some new, all blue

In territory not ventured before by any Boise State men's basketball team, the 2013-14 Broncos are hardly timid, but instead excited.

The Broncos earned the school's first-ever at-large NCAA Tournament berth in March.

From that team, all five starters are back, along with 92.4 percent of all scoring.

Talented sophomores are now seasoned juniors.

"When you're building a program, if you keep getting better, eventually you'll have to deal with high hopes, " Boise State fourth-year coach Leon Rice said. "We're welcoming them, and I think the guys have gone about it the right way. They know there's a lot of work to do, they aren't complacent."

In the Mountain West preseason media poll, Rice's Broncos were tied for second with UNLV, behind only New Mexico. In his first three years, Boise State has exceeded preseason conference voting.

Boise State received 22 points in the preseason Associated Press poll, a first for the school. That praise extends to players such as juniors Anthony Drmic and Derrick Marks, preseason all-conference picks who averaged 17.7 and 16.3 points per game last season, respectively.

"It's a good thing, because we have good players, " Marks said.

With all that scoring back, there is little worry about the Broncos missing a beat on the offensive end.

In Rice's opinion, if Boise State wants to take the next step as a program, it will be with defense.

Last season, the Broncos were 214th nationally in field goal percentage defense (41.7 percent), and lapses were magnified in their 80-71 loss to La Salle in the NCAA tournament.

"One of the things I've liked so far is that our guys have bought in, they understand how important it is for us to be tough defensively, " Rice said.

If Boise State is content in its position, the Broncos aren't showing it much, especially when they know plenty of goals are unachieved.

"I still feel we have a lot to prove - we got to the tournament, it was an early exit, so we're still hungry from that, " Watkins said. "We haven't won a game in the Mountain West tournament yet. There's a lot of things we're still hungry for."

Headline:

Undersized Broncos have been coming up big

The Boise State men's basketball team relishes its status as undersized scrappers. The Broncos embrace that fighting spirit.

"We learned we have to be a scrappier team and fight because we're smaller and sometimes we're not the most gifted team, " said Jeff Elorriaga, who walked on at Boise State when no other school offered him a scholarship. "It's good for us to keep fighting. ...

We're going to have to play scrappy. Who is going to get the most loose balls? Those are going to decide the game."

That mentality - particularly when it comes to rebounding - has served the Broncos (13-2, 1-0 Mountain West) well this season. The guard-heavy Broncos will need it again Wednesday night when they host No. 19 New Mexico (15-2, 2-0 MW) at Taco Bell Arena.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

The Lobos' combination of 7-foot sophomore center Alex Kirk and 6-9 junior forward Cameron Bairstow gives them a distinct size edge on Boise State, which starts 6-9 junior forward Ryan Watkins and 6-6 sophomore wing Anthony Drmic as its big men.

In two Mountain West games, Kirk is averaging 21.0 points and 11.5 rebounds, way up from his season averages of 12.5 points and 7.9 rebounds. Bairstow, who like Drmic played at the Australian Institute of Sport, is averaging 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in league play.

"Their development has been essential and a big part of the reason we're 15-2, " New Mexico coach Steve Alford said. "I think we're a little bit ahead of schedule ... so to be sitting here at 15-2, we're extremely pleased. A lot of that falls on the shoulders of our two big guys because I think they have developed very nicely. They continue to improve and continue to get better at both ends."

Guard Tony Snell, at 6-7, gives the Lobos exceptional size in a league that has more and more teams playing four guards like Boise State. In two league games, New Mexico has outrebounded opponents 84-62.

Despite their small lineup, the Broncos have outrebounded their Division I opponents 32.4 to 29.2.

"If we don't rebound like our hair's on fire, we're in trouble, " Boise State coach Leon Rice said. "Our guys understand that. That's what's kept us in games against teams that are a lot more talented rebounding wise."

Much of the burden will fall on Watkins, who grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds in the Broncos' victory against LSU, to stay out of foul trouble and remain effective. He is

averaging 7.1 rebounds per game. Watkins picked up his fourth foul early in the second half at Wyoming.

"It's definitely going to be a test. I'm going to try to go out there and prove myself and prove what I can do, " Watkins said.

Said Rice: "Ryan has to do a great job. I'm sure they're going to try to get Ryan in foul trouble. He has to be smart, but aggressive. There is a fine line here."

Backup center Kenny Buckner, who was suspended for the Wyoming game, will sit out the New Mexico game and Saturday's game at Air Force for violating team rules. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor petit theft charges in April and paid a fine of $304.90. He had not been previously suspended for the incident.

Walk-on sophomore Jake Ness, who played 17 effective minutes in the Broncos' victory at Wyoming, will be the top reserve in the middle.

"He plays hard. He gives his best effort all the time, " Watkins said.

But it will take a complete team effort agaisnt the taller Lobos, Rice said. Drmic, who often battles players several inches taller with toughness and tenacity, is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game. Elorriaga grabbed 10 boards against Louisiana and nine at UT Arlington.

"Our guys do a great job boxing out, " Elorriaga said. "We really emphasize that guards rebound because the bigs are going to be in a dogfight most of the night." • The Broncos have sold 9,060 tickets for the game, as of the close of business Tuesday.

Boise State is encouraging fans to wear orange and arrive early to avoid long lines.

Headline:

Yes, Virginia is coming to play on the blue

Boise State Athletic Director Mark Coyle hopes to make Monday's announcement more business-as-usual than oddity.

The Broncos announced they will play a home-and-home football series against Virginia, with games in 2015 in Charlottesville, Va., and 2017 at Bronco Stadium.

Virginia and Michigan State (2022) are the only Bowl Championship Series-conference schools from outside the Northwest that have agreed to play regular-season games at Boise State.

"We've proven ourselves (on the field), " Coyle said. "We need to convince some of these BCS teams to come and play on our field. That's what has us excited about Virginia - it does show other schools out there that you can come play in Boise and (the Broncos) will do a return game."

The Cavaliers, who compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference, fit into an improving set of nonconference football schedules for the Broncos.

In 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Broncos are scheduled to face two BCS-conference opponents and BYU with one game each year still to schedule.

In 2014, they have games against Ole Miss in Atlanta and BYU in Boise with two openings.

Since Chris Petersen became head coach in 2006, the Broncos have played two BCS opponents in a regular season just once (2010).

Coyle's options expanded when the Broncos decided to stay in the Mountain West.

Instead of scheduling non-conference games in the West to limit travel, he's interested in taking the football program on the road.

"The thought process is how can we continue to build our brand - from a recruiting standpoint, more national exposure, " he said. "What gives us the best opportunity to have a game that's attractive to TV and has a chance to be attractive to our fans at home so we get a sold-out stadium?"

Coyle has run into two significant challenges.

BCS teams often schedule many years in advance - that's why Virginia and Michigan State won't be coming to Boise for a while.

And, as Coyle's predecessor Gene Bleymaier often lamented, many schools don't want to send their teams to Boise, where the Broncos have four losses in the past 14 seasons.

Bleymaier dealt with the lack of home-and-homes in part by landing neutral-site games with marquee opponents - Virginia Tech (2010), Georgia (2011) and Ole Miss (2014).

Coyle would like to shift to home-and-homes. He expects to announce more future games in the next month.

"We've had so much success that people are anxious about playing us, " he said, "but then you try to get them to come out here - the blue (turf), the fan base - you throw those things into the mix and it's not like traveling to another program that is not in the top five conferences. It's been a challenge, but people have been receptive."

For Virginia, the games against Boise State represent a chance to generate exposure for its program.

"They've (succeeded) with great coaching, solid recruiting and a fearless approach to competition, " Virginia Executive Associate Athletics Director Jon Oliver said in a statement. "We are trying to do the same thing and this will be an incredible challenge for us as we continue to build our program. The 2015 and 2017 seasons could end up being two of the toughest schedules in the history of our football program and we hope they will excite and energize our fans, student-athletes and recruits."

NOTES: Coyle and coach Chris Petersen haven't discussed shortening the 12-year series with BYU, Coyle said. Petersen and BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall expressed concern about the length of the series in September. "We're committed, " Coyle said. ... The Broncos open spring ball March 11.

Headline:

ANCHORS AWAY

Nampa golfer Eric Peterson, one of the state's better amateurs, struggled to make 3-foot putts five years ago.

Like many golfers around the country, he sought salvation from an anchored putting stroke.

And it worked.

Two and a half years from now, he'll have to ditch the anchored stroke - banned by the USGA and R&A, the keepers of golf's rulebook, beginning Jan. 1, 2016. He can only hope the dreaded yips do not return.

"If I'm not able to adjust and get back to making those (short putts) consistently, I do see myself at the very least playing quite a bit less and probably not playing any tournament golf, " said Petersen, who represented Idaho in the recent PNGA Cup. "I'd just play the occasional round with my kids or with my friends."

The controversial rule change was proposed in November and finalized in May despite criticism from the PGA of America, which worries it will harm the game's popularity, and the PGA Tour, which has not indicated whether it will implement the ban.

Anchored putting - pinning the top of the putter grip against the belly, sternum or chin to limit movement in the stroke - has been part of the game for decades. It has become much more common recently, though, and four of the past six major championships have been won with the anchored style.

Boise State men's golf coach Kevin Burton, who was an early adopter of anchoring during his tour career, estimates 20 percent of college golfers putt that way.

"They're going to have to relearn how to putt, " he said.

Burton has anchored for about 12 years, dating to his last full season on tour - the 2001 Web.com Tour. He rotates between a belly putter, a sternum putter and occasionally a traditional putter.

"If something goes cold, I switch, " he said.

He plans to use the anchored style as long as he can but thinks there's an advantage to the stroke.

"I actually kind of agree with what (Tiger Woods') quote is, that the putting stroke should be more of a swing of the club, " Burton said. "Now by anchoring, you're changing the whole dynamics of how you're swinging to hit a golf ball. If it goes through and would be banned (on tour), I'd completely understand."

The delayed implementation of the ban could create additional problems for the golfers facing a switch back to traditional putters. Josh Gliege of Eagle High played with a belly putter during the 2012 season, when talk of a ban intensified.

He won the Idaho Golf Association junior championship, yet decided to return to traditional putting this season.

"I was tired of being called a cheater for using it once they came out and said they were going to outlaw them and decided I better switch before I get too comfortable with it, " said Gliege, a 15-year-old who just completed his freshman season at Eagle High.

Gliege tried the belly putter because of the buzz about the success others experienced.

But he says the long putters and short putters require the same level of skill and work ethic.

"I don't think it was the club that was helping me at all, " he said. "Whatever you're using, it's just practice. ... It took a lot of hours."

Longtime Idaho club pro Stoney Brown, who works at The Valley Club in Hailey, agrees with Gliege. He figures there are better legal ways to putt than the long putter.

And Brown knows about experimentation - he has used long putters, without anchoring, since the mid-1980s. He has putted side saddle, too.

"It takes a lot of practice to be good with an anchored putter or a long putter or a belly putter, " Brown said. "That's why most guys don't do it - because it's not as good of a method.

"Here's my opinion: (The rulesmakers) don't like the way it looks."

Anchoring likely will be in the spotlight until the ban takes effect. The first major since the ban was finalized is this week's U.S. Open - run by the same organization that instituted the change in America (the USGA) and with a defending champion (Webb Simpson) who anchors.

Count Peterson among those who plan to anchor until they can't - extending this controversy for another 31 months.

He took a short putter with him on a trip to St. George, Utah, last winter and didn't even finish a round before grabbing his long putter.

"It's how I enjoy the game more, " he said.

Headline:

PAGING LINE THREE ...

Through most of the regular season, Idaho Steelheads fans knew who to watch when a big offensive play was needed.

There was Austin Smith, a dynamic goal-scorer. Or Tyler Gron, who was tied for second in the ECHL in goals scored before coming to Idaho and continued to make plays as a Steelhead. Rookie Austin Fyten earned all-star honors for his offensive ability.

But when it came time for Idaho to play Game 6 of its semifinal series against the Ontario Reign on Tuesday, it was the unsung heroes of the third line who lifted the Steelheads to a series-clinching victory.

Forward David de Kastrozza scored the first goal of the game in the first period.

Linemate Brett Robinson scored Idaho'ssecond goal. The third goal? You guessed it.

Justin Taylor scored that one, as Robinson and de Kastrozza notched the assists.

By the game's end, Robinson had two goals and an assist, and Taylor and de Kastrozza each finished with a goal and an assist in a 5-3 victory. That's a lot of production from even a top line.

"That's the playoffs, " coach Brad Ralph said. "You need different lines stepping up and contributing. We certainly got that."

Ralph can only hope for more of the same as the Steelheads open the Western Conference Finals against the Stockton Thunder at 7:10 p.m. Friday at CenturyLink Arena.

"Every year in the playoffs, the team that goes the furthest is the one with the most depth, " said Robinson, who played for the Cincinnati team that defeated Idaho in the 2010 Kelly Cup Finals.

"We're really proud of that line, for sure, " Ralph said. "It's good to see, because those guys work hard and they don't always get the credit they deserve."

The timing of the line's offensive production couldn't have been better. "(Ontario's) style smothered and stalled some of our top-end players, " Ralph said.

Taylor said Idaho can expect other teams to try to do the same.

"When it comes down to it, our top guys are going to get keyed on, " said Taylor, who will be playing in his third ECHL conference finals. "That's when our secondary scorers need to step up."

Robinson and de Kastrozza have each been healthy scratches in the postseason. Neither player enjoyed watching from the stands, but both said there may have been a positive end result.

"It definitely lit a fire under my butt when (Ralph) held me out of that game, " said de Kastrozza, who played more games than any other Steelhead in the regular season (66).

"It was a good decision by him. I really wasn't playing that well, and I wasn't producing."

Said Ralph: "We took him out of the lineup, but when he came back he was a differencemaker. When he's going, he's a force."

Robinson said the message was clear for him, too.

"Coach had been, not calling guys out, but saying that everyone has got to contribute, " he said.

After a 72-game regular season and a few playoff series, that's becoming increasingly obvious.

"It's a grind, no doubt, " he said. "We just finished an emotional, physical series, and a few days later we're starting another emotional, physical - even harder - series. ... That's why we need different guys stepping up."

The way Robinson sees it, it might as well be him and his linemates.

"We feel good as a line, and we're really clicking right now, " Robinson said. "So we've just got to bring that into the next round."

Headline:

Hey, Mikey likes being a starter for Broncos

He may be coach Leon Rice's go-to man off the bench, but Mikey Thompson hardly spends much time these days getting settled into his seat.

Thompson, a redshirt freshman guard, is averaging 33.8 minutes per game in Mountain West play - second on the team - and has started the past four games. While Rice likes Thompson coming off the bench for "instant offense, " Thompson is relishing his boost in court time.

"It's been a blessing, I would try to pick up the pace off the bench, but now I've been trying to do that from the opening tip, " Thompson said.

In his four starts, Thompson is averaging 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and has been off the floor a total of 17 minutes.

Rice said Thompson's nine rebounds in a win over UNLV on Feb. 2 "might have been the difference." In the Broncos' next contest, a 63-62 loss at San Diego State, Thompson was 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. The last put Boise State ahead until the final seconds.

"He's done a great job stepping up for us, " junior guard Jeff Elorriaga said. "He brings another scoring element that we needed, and he's given us some tough baskets."

Rice was effusive in his praise for the 6-foot-3 point guard, who has averaged 9.1 points per game this season.

By comparison, Derrick Marks averaged 9.0 points in his first 21 games last season, and like Thompson, broke into the starting lineup in Mountain West play.

"The biggest thing I like about Mikey is his upside, " Rice said. "He's doing great things now, but I just see a kid that's going to be so much better in two years. I just think the sky's the limit for him."

Though Thompson has proven himself to be an intriguing talent, he redshirted last season while four other guards played as true freshmen.

"It was a hard decision, because he could've helped us, " Rice said. "When I took this job, the biggest thing I wanted to do was make decisions long term, not the quick fix.

The decisions like a Mikey Thompson redshirt, when he's a junior and a senior ... he could be one of the best players in the Mountain West."

Making the transition from Las Vegas high school standout to spending time as the sharpest-dressed man on the end of the bench wasn't exactly easy, but Thompson is seeing the dividends paying off this season.

"I knew I could have helped us win last season, but it's actually been great for me - it really helped me prepare for the speed of college, let me get stronger in the weight room, too, " Thompson said.

As he has let his play do most of his speaking, Thompson has one more aspect of his game he wants to improve to become a reliable point guard.

"I'm pretty quiet, " Thompson said. "I've got to be more vocal, tell guys where to go.

Once I get comfortable, I can be that way, so I'm getting there."