‘That was a great approach by our guys;’ What Leon Rice said after Boise State’s blowout victory over Air Force

The Boise State men’s basketball team picked up its fifth straight Mountain Conference victory Tuesday night with an 80-57 rout of Air Force at Clune Arena. 

Pearson Carmichael and Andrew Meadow had 14 points apiece to lead a balanced Boise State (22-8, 14-5) scoring attack. Alvaro Cardenas (13 points, six assists, five rebounds), Tyson Degenhart (11 points) and O’Mar Stanley (10 points, three steals) also finished in double figures for the Broncos, who have won nine of their last 10 games. 

“That was a great approach by our guys,” head coach Leon Rice said after the win. “This can be a tough place and a tough environment, and our guys had a great approach, a great consistency.”

Ethan Taylor paced the Falcons (4-26, 1-18) with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds. 

Boise State will wrap up the MWC regular season at 8 p.m. Mountain time Friday against Colorado State (21-9, 15-4) at ExtraMile Arena. The Broncos and Rams, who picked up an 83-56 victory over San Jose State (13-18, 6-13) Tuesday night, are both on the NCAA Tournament bubble. 

Here are the highlights from Rice’s postgame radio interview. 

On digging out of an early hole

“They got off to an 8-2 start, which we didn’t want. Then after that, we were great. With five minutes to go, we were up 35. I’m really proud of those minutes with our guys. That was some great toughness.”

On 10th straight win over Air Force

“Experience matters against them. When I first got in this league, man, it was a conundrum and it was hard. Then you trial and error, you find out what works. We’ve just gotten better and better at it. Also, playing at altitude, you’ll notice my subbing is different. We mass sub, so it’s not the long extended minutes. … It’s about getting that second wind and trading guys quick, quick, quick.

“What they really bank on is you’re going to get tired, you’re going to get back-cut, layin. You’re going get tired, you’re going to get cut on a screen, 3. By keeping those guys fresh and the emphasis on the defense, we were able to sustain some good defense, got a lot of deflections, and that led to some runouts and some good buckets.”

On Cardenas’ consistent play

“I’ve got to find a way we can get him back somehow. This day and age, there’s always a way, right? This kid, my only regret is I only get to coach him one year. He’s special. We’ve bonded, he and I, and he’s taken over this team in the most positive of ways. He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever coached.”