College basketball returns to Idaho Falls on Saturday when the 6-3 Boise State Broncos take on the 9-1 Saint Mary’s Gaels at the Mountain America Center at 7 p.m.

The Gaels and Broncos will play in Idaho Falls for the second time on Saturday. The two teams played again on December 1, 2023, when the Broncos won 63-60.

The Gaels, led by second-year forward Paulius Murauskas, will look for revenge on Saturday while hoping to build on their promising start to the season.

The Gaels’ nine wins include victories over power conference opponents Nebraska and Utah. Their only loss came against the Sun Devils of Arizona State University with a score of 8-1 and a score of 68-64.

Boise State also had a strong start to the season, including a huge 84-71 win over the Clemson Tigers, a team that made it to the Elite Eight of March Madness last season. The Broncos’ three losses came to San Francisco and Boston College, as well as a 74-69 home loss to the Washington State Cougars on December 7th.

The Broncos are led by a trio of 2023 all-conference selections in Tyson Degenhart, O’Mar Stanley and offseason newcomer Alvaro Cardenas. Degenhart leads the Broncos with averages of 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while he achieved a shooting rate of just over 56%.

Broncos head coach Leon Rice spoke in his post-game press conference at Washington State about the need for his team to focus and play a full 40 minutes.

“We weren’t a strong team in that first half,” Rice said. “The second half was great, we reacted, but you know you can’t play against a good team for 20 minutes and then expect to win.”

Both Boise State and Saint Mary’s have qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the last three years, and a win at a neutral site like Saturday’s game will go a long way toward boosting their resumes for another tournament appearance.

Tickets for Saturday’s contest can be purchased online through Ticketmaster or in person at the Bingham Healthcare Box Office at Mountain America Center.

Fans can find more information about the game and all other events at Mountain America Center on the arena’s website.

Feature image: A Boise State player who took a shot against the Gales last season. Photo credit: Will Vasseur

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