# 2014–15 Boise State Broncos men's basketball team

The 2014–15 Boise State Broncos men's basketball team represented Boise State University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Broncos, led by fifth year head coach Leon Rice, played their home games at Taco Bell Arena and were a member of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 25–9, 14–4 in Mountain West play to win a share of the Mountain West regular season championship. They advanced to the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament where they lost to Wyoming. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the First Four, in a de facto road game, to Dayton.
On March 9, the team was ranked #25 in the AP poll, the first time in the program's history that it was nationally ranked.

## Previous season

The 2013–14 Boise State Broncos finished the season with an overall record of 21–13, 9–9 in the Mountain West to finish in a tie for fifth place. In the Mountain West Conference tournament, the Broncos defeated San Jose State and Nevada to advance to the semifinals where they lost to New Mexico. They were not invited to the NIT and, citing injuries, choose not to accept an invitation to the CBI or CIT.

## Players
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Ryan Watkins | 0 | F | 6'9" | 229 | Senior | Santa Clarita, CA | Graduated |
| Thomas Bropleh | 4 | F | 6'5" | 203 | Senior | Denver, CO | Graduated |
| Jeff Elorriaga | 11 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Senior | Portland, OR | Graduated |
| Edmunds Dukulis | 21 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Sophomore | Riga, Latvia | Scholarship not renewed transferred to Saint Leo University |
| Joey Nebeker | 22 | F | 6'7" | 222 | RS–Freshman | Melba, ID | Scholarship not renewed, transferred to College of Idaho |

### Incoming Transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Kevin Allen | F | 6'10" | 240 | Junior | Ecorse, MI | Pratt Community College |
| Montigo Alford | G | 5'9" | 165 | Junior | Bloomington, CA | College of Southern Idaho |

### Recruiting

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Chandler Hutchison F | Mission Viejo, CA | Mission Viejo High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 7, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| David Wacker F | Converse, TX | Judson High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Sep 15, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Zach Haney F | Humble, TX | Atascocita High School | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 222 lb (101 kg) | Apr 23, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: – Rivals: – ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 24, 2014. ||||||

### Roster
## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| Nov 1* 6:00 pm | | La Verne | W 92–60 | | Taco Bell Arena (3,540) Boise, ID |
| Nov 7* 8:00 pm | | Montana Tech | W 103–63 | | Taco Bell Arena (4,155) Boise, ID |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 14* 4:30 pm | | vs. San Diego LMU Classic | W 81–75 | 1–0 | Gersten Pavilion (1,362) Los Angeles, CA |
| Nov 15* 6:00 pm | | at Loyola Marymount LMU Classic | W 77–69 | 2–0 | Gersten Pavilion (1,326) Los Angeles, CA |
| Nov 18* 8:00 pm | | Montana | W 72–67 $^{2OT}$ | 3–0 | Taco Bell Arena (4,535) Boise, ID |
| Nov 22* 8:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 3 Wisconsin | L 54–78 | 3–1 | Kohl Center (17,279) Madision, WI |
| Nov 25* 7:00 pm, 24/7 | | vs. Idaho | W 86–75 | 4–1 | CenturyLink Arena (5,672) Boise, ID |
| Nov 28* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at NC State | L 54–60 | 4–2 | PNC Arena (15,439) Raleigh, NC |
| Dec 6* 9:30 pm, ESPNU | | at Saint Mary's | W 82–71 | 5–2 | McKeon Pavilion (3,008) Moraga, CA |
| Dec 9* 7:00 pm | | Adams State | W 78–49 | 6–2 | Taco Bell Arena (3,452) Boise, ID |
| Dec 11* 7:00 pm | | Northwest Nazarene | W 91–51 | 7–2 | Taco Bell Arena (3,558) Boise, ID |
| Dec 14* 4:30 pm | | Southern Utah Las Vegas Classic | W 79–60 | 8–2 | Taco Bell Arena (3,995) Boise, ID |
| Dec 20* 11:00 am | | Abilene Christian Las Vegas Classic | W 77–33 | 9–2 | Taco Bell Arena (3,083) Boise, ID |
| Dec 22* 8:30 pm | | vs. Houston Las Vegas Classic semifinals | W 75–73 $^{OT}$ | 10–2 | Orleans Arena (N/A) Paradise, NV |
| Dec 23* 9:30 pm, FS1 | | vs. Loyola–Chicago Las Vegas Classic championship | L 45–48 | 10–3 | Orleans Arena (N/A) Paradise, NV |
| Dec 31 7:00 pm, RTNW | | at No. 24 Colorado State | L 65–71 | 10–4 (0–1) | Moby Arena (5,115) Fort Collins, CO |
| Jan 3 12:00 pm, RTNW | | Utah State | L 61–62 | 10–5 (0–2) | Taco Bell Arena (5,415) Boise, ID |
| Jan 10 4:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Wyoming | L 54–65 | 10–6 (0–3) | Arena-Auditorium (7,024) Laramie, WY |
| Jan 13 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | UNLV | W 82–73 $^{OT}$ | 11–6 (1–3) | Taco Bell Arena (4,387) Boise, ID |
| Jan 18 4:00 pm, CBSSN | | at New Mexico | W 69–59 | 12–6 (2–3) | The Pit (15,206) Albuquerque, NM |
| Jan 21 8:00 pm, RTNW | | San Jose State | W 86–36 | 13–6 (3–3) | Taco Bell Arena (4,219) Boise, ID |
| Jan 24 12:00 pm, RTNW | | at Air Force | W 77–68 | 14–6 (4–3) | Clune Arena (1,647) Colorado Springs, CO |
| Jan 27 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | Colorado State | W 82–78 | 15–6 (5–3) | Taco Bell Arena (5,682) Boise, ID |
| Feb 3 7:30 pm, CBSSN | | at Utah State | W 68–63 | 16–6 (6–3) | Smith Spectrum (9,378) Logan, UT |
| Feb 8 4:00 pm, CBSSN | | San Diego State | W 61–46 | 17–6 (7–3) | Taco Bell Arena (10,511) Boise, ID |
| Feb 11 7:00 pm | | Air Force | W 67–42 | 18–6 (8–3) | Taco Bell Arena (6,778) Boise, ID |
| Feb 14 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Fresno State | L 64–70 | 18–7 (8–4) | Save Mart Center (6,553) Fresno, CA |
| Feb 18 9:00 pm, CBSSN | | at UNLV | W 53–48 | 19–7 (9–4) | Thomas & Mack Center (13,675) Paradise, NV |
| Feb 21 1:00 pm, MWN | | Nevada | W 78–46 | 20–7 (10–4) | Taco Bell Arena (8,929) Boise, ID |
| Feb 24 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | New Mexico | W 76–65 | 21–7 (11–4) | Taco Bell Arena (4,991) Boise, ID |
| Feb 28 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 24 San Diego State | W 56–46 | 22–7 (12–4) | Viejas Arena (12,414) San Diego, CA |
| Mar 4 8:30 pm, RTNW | | at San Jose State | W 68–51 | 23–7 (13–4) | Event Center Arena (1,088) San Jose, CA |
| Mar 7 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Fresno State | W 71–52 | 24–7 (14–4) | Taco Bell Arena (11,308) Boise, ID |
| Mountain West tournament ||||||
| Mar 12 1:00 pm, CBSSN | (1) No. 25 | vs. (9) Air Force Quarterfinals | W 80–68 | 25–7 | Thomas & Mack Center (7,308) Paradise, NV |
| Mar 13 7:00 pm, CBSSN | (1) No. 25 | vs. (4) Wyoming Semifinals | L 66–71 $^{OT}$ | 25–8 | Thomas & Mack Center (9,199) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 18 7:10 pm, truTV | (11 E) | at (11 E) Dayton First Four | L 55–56 | 25–9 | UD Arena (12,592) Dayton, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East Region. All times are in Mountain Time. ||||||

## Season highs

| Category | Amount | Player | Game |
| Points | 31 | Derrick Marks | vs. Idaho 11/25/14, vs. Utah State 01/03/15, @ New Mexico 01/18/15 and @ Fresno State 02/14/15 |
| Rebounds | 15 | James Webb III | vs. UNLV 01/10/15 and vs. Air Force 02/11/15 |
| Assists | 7 | Derrick Marks | @ NC State 11/28/14 and vs. Nevada 02/21/15 |
| Steals | 5 | James Webb III | vs. Air Force 02/11/15 |
| Blocks | 3 | Nick Duncan, James Webb III, Chandler Hutchison | Duncan vs. Montana 11/18/14, Webb vs. Utah State 01/03/15, Hutchison @ UNLV 2/18/15 |

## Season statistics

Individual Player Statistics (As of 3/11/15 with stats through the game vs. Fresno State on 3/7/15) :
| | | | Minutes | Minutes | Scoring | Scoring | Total FGs | Total FGs | Total FGs | 3-point FGs | 3-point FGs | 3-point FGs | Free-Throws | Free-Throws | Free-Throws | Rebounds | Rebounds | Rebounds | Rebounds | | | | |
| Player | GP | GS | Tot | Avg | Pts | Avg | FG | FGA | Pct | 3FG | 3FA | Pct | FT | FTA | Pct | Off | Def | Tot | Avg | A | TO | Blk | Stl |
| Alford, Montigo | 27 | 0 | 322 | 11.9 | 108 | 4.0 | 39 | 99 | .394 | 16 | 39 | .410 | 14 | 24 | .583 | 1 | 25 | 26 | 1.0 | 35 | 29 | 4 | 12 |
| Allen, Kevin | 20 | 3 | 163 | 8.2 | 74 | 3.7 | 30 | 47 | .638 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 14 | 23 | .609 | 10 | 26 | 36 | 1.8 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| Drmic, Anthony | 7 | 7 | 248 | 35.4 | 105 | 15.0 | 33 | 77 | .429 | 16 | 43 | .372 | 23 | 30 | .767 | 7 | 28 | 35 | 5.0 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| Duncan, Nick | 29 | 28 | 889 | 30.7 | 266 | 9.2 | 86 | 216 | .398 | 66 | 172 | .384 | 28 | 33 | .848 | 23 | 77 | 100 | 3.4 | 26 | 23 | 13 | 16 |
| Hadziomerovic, Igor | 30 | 16 | 711 | 23.7 | 146 | 4.9 | 52 | 109 | .477 | 15 | 34 | .441 | 27 | 45 | .600 | 22 | 74 | 96 | 3.2 | 82 | 48 | 6 | 15 |
| Hanstad, Joe | 20 | 4 | 207 | 10.4 | 43 | 2.2 | 15 | 42 | .357 | 9 | 29 | .310 | 4 | 7 | .571 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 0.9 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| Hutchison, Chandler | 26 | 15 | 292 | 11.2 | 73 | 2.8 | 25 | 79 | .316 | 3 | 13 | .231 | 20 | 31 | .645 | 19 | 31 | 50 | 1.9 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 11 |
| Hyer, Rob | 31 | 5 | 627 | 20.2 | 137 | 4.4 | 46 | 93 | .495 | 18 | 48 | .375 | 27 | 32 | .844 | 38 | 59 | 97 | 3.1 | 24 | 18 | 7 | 14 |
| Marks, Derrick | 29 | 29 | 902 | 31.1 | 568 | 19.6 | 210 | 415 | .506 | 64 | 139 | .460 | 84 | 105 | .800 | 12 | 93 | 105 | 3.6 | 88 | 61 | 14 | 54 |
| Nealey, Chris | 7 | 0 | 19 | 2.7 | 2 | 0.3 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Ness, Jake | 19 | 0 | 86 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.4 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 3 | 4 | .750 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 0.7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Thompson, Mikey | 28 | 20 | 710 | 25.4 | 225 | 8.0 | 63 | 170 | .371 | 11 | 38 | .289 | 88 | 113 | .779 | 13 | 53 | 66 | 2.4 | 54 | 43 | 0 | 15 |
| Trent, Dezmyn | 11 | 0 | 99 | 9.0 | 39 | 3.5 | 13 | 37 | .351 | 7 | 21 | .333 | 6 | 10 | .600 | 5 | 19 | 25 | 2.2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Wacker, David | 27 | 4 | 253 | 9.4 | 62 | 2.3 | 21 | 47 | .447 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 20 | 30 | .667 | 15 | 26 | 41 | 1.5 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| Webb III, James | 29 | 24 | 772 | 26.6 | 334 | 11.5 | 127 | 224 | .567 | 44 | 103 | .427 | 36 | 56 | .643 | 55 | 172 | 227 | 7.8 | 15 | 27 | 18 | 33 |
| Team | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 46 | 48 | 94 | 3.0 | | 3 | | |
| Total | 31 | | 6300 | | 2189 | 70.6 | 762 | 1661 | 0.459 | 269 | 683 | 0.394 | 396 | 545 | 0.727 | 270 | 760 | 1030 | 33.2 | 377 | 313 | 74 | 188 |
| Opponents | 31 | | 6300 | | 1850 | 59.7 | 662 | 1617 | 0.409 | 178 | 582 | 0.306 | 348 | 500 | 0.696 | 265 | 686 | 951 | 30.7 | 320 | 387 | 102 | 146 |

## Season milestones & awards

The 2014–15 season saw several firsts and records. The 14 conference wins is the most conference wins in school history. Their eight-game conference winning streak set a school record for consecutive conference wins. On March 9, the Broncos were ranked #25 in the AP poll marking the first time the program had ever been ranked in a major poll. Leon Rice was named the USBWA District VIII coach of the year and Derrick Marks was named to the all-district team.

### MW awards

Player of the year: Derrick Marks
Newcomer of the year: James Webb III
Coach of the year: Leon Rice
Mountain West 1st team: Derrick Marks
Mountain West 2nd team: James Webb III