Boise State, Saint Mary’s announce neutral-site men’s basketball game

The Boise State and Saint Mary’s men’s basketball teams have agreed to play a non-conference game in Idaho Falls for the third consecutive season, the mid-major powers announced in a joint statement on Monday.

The Broncos and Gaels will face off at Mountain America Center on Dec. 14. The news was first reported last week by college basketball analyst Rocco Miller. 

“We’re so incredibly grateful for the relationship and partnership we’ve developed with Mountain America Center, and we’re thrilled to bring Boise State basketball back to eastern Idaho,” Broncos head coach Leon Rice said in a statement. Idaho Falls is about a four-hour drive east of Boise. 

“(Saint Mary’s head coach) Randy Bennett is an outstanding coach and has built one of the premier programs in college basketball,” Rice added. “The previous two games in Idaho Falls have been decided by a combined five points, and we look forward to yet another amazing game for fans across the state to attend and enjoy.”

The trilogy between the Broncos and Gaels began in Dec. 2023 with Boise State earning a 63-60 victory in Idaho Falls. The Broncos prevailed again last December in overtime, 67-65. 

Boise State is 10-5 all-time against Saint Mary’s, including a 3-1 mark in neutral-site games. The Broncos have won three straight games in the series dating back to 2014. 

Bennett holds a 562-222 overall record (71.7 percent winning percentage) in 24 seasons with the Gaels. He has guided Saint Mary’s to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven NITs. 

The Gales will be going for their third consecutive outright West Coast Conference title during the 2025-26 season. Saint Mary’s finished 29-6 overall a season ago, reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year and advanced to the second round for the third time since 2022. 

The Broncos were among the first four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament last season and finished with a 26-11 overall record after falling to Nebraska in the College Basketball Crown semifinals. 

Boise State has announced the majority of its 2025-26 non-conference schedule.

The Broncos have home matchups scheduled with Utah Valley (Nov. 8), Texas Rio Grande Valley (Nov. 11), Montana State (Nov. 15), Wichita State (Nov. 18) and Duquesne (Dec. 10) at ExtraMile Arena and a Dec. 6 road game at Butler. Boise State will also play an Oct. 17 exhibition game against Idaho at Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise. 

Thanksgiving week, Boise State will compete in the Maui Invitational for the first time in program history. The Broncos will open the three-day, eight-team tournament on Nov. 24 against USC.

With five returning rotation players and two highly-touted transfers, Boise State is expected to contend for the Mountain West title during the 2025-26 season.