By PAUL GOTHAM
DAYTON, OH — When it comes down to familiarity the Boise State Broncos (25-8/14-4 Mountain West) might have an edge when playing Dayton’s Flyers (25-8/ 13-5 Atlantic 10) on Wednesday night.
UD gets a de facto home game, but Boise State has its system.
With a front court that has connected on 120 3-pointers, Boise State presents a unique challenge for Dayton and head coach Archie Miller.
“You get mesmerized by the way they shoot the ball from three, Miller said during Tuesday’s press conference. “They have a very unique system. They’re very unorthodox. And as much as we try to probably be hard to guard or have our defensive system that’s in place that’s built to play anybody, there’s some real concerns for us just in terms of that.”
Boise State comes into the game hitting 291-of-378 (39.5 percent) shots from behind the arc. Dayton has held opponents to 181-of-571 (31.7 percent) shots from long range.
“I don’t know that I’ve seen a front court make 120 3s together,” Miller added. “So as I look at Boise State, to be honest with you, no one would want to play them. There isn’t any seed in the tournament that would feel comfortable playing them, because of how well they’re coached, how unselfish they are and how skilled they are.”
That Boise State is successful behind the arc at all can be a matter of concern for Dayton. After spending much of the year inside the top 40 nationally for 3-point percentage defense, the Flyers looked vulnerable from long range last week in the Atlantic 10 tournament. St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island and VCU combined to go 26-of-58 (44.8 percent) against the Flyers.
A-10 opponent Davidson is similar to Boise State in that the Wildcats hit 39.7 percent of their shots past the stripe. Davidson went 12-of-23 in a 77-60 victory over UD on January 20th.
“They’re going to get some shots off,” Miller said. “That’s not going to be the thing. We’ve got to be dialed in and challenge them and we just gotta try our best. And I think our effort level is going to have to be at probably the best it’s ever been, our communication’s going to have to be the best it’s ever been. And we’re going to have to play really hard.”
Boise State is led by Mountain West Player of the Year, Derrick Marks. The senior guard averages 19. 3 points per game including four games of 30 points or more.
“He’s unique in the way he doesn’t get sped up,” Miller explained. “He’s never out of control. And he’s very, very tough in terms of the physicality that he brings to an opponent. Guards are dealing with a guy that can punish him. Whether he’s dribbling the ball and backs you all the way down, whether they put him down there, to me he’s a guy that can catch the ball ten times on the wing and doesn’t need any help.
“And so when you deal with guys like him you’re at their mercy a little bit. You try to make things difficult and try to challenge some shots. But he’s going to score some points, too. I think the big thing is you’re going to have to, you know, pick your poison a little bit in defending the 3 and letting him operate.”
“We can’t solely focus on him and lose track of the other shooters they have on the court,” Dayton’s senior guard Jordan Sibert said. “They’re a really good all-around team and it’s going to be a team focus from us. But from him we’re definitely going to key in, make sure we try to limit his touches and limit him from feeling comfortable.”
Boise State’s starting forwards, Nick Duncan (6-8/245) and James Webb III (6-9/202), have dialed it up from three-point range a combined 123 times this season.
“Front-court players with that type of range, that type of freedom, you don’t see that all the time,” Miller said. “You don’t see their style all the time. So that’s something you have to be aware of. And their system takes advantage of how teams play and help. They pick on you a little bit.”
Sibert (16.5 ppg) leads three Flyers scoring in double figures. He has scored 11 or more points in each of his last 10 games including three of 20 or more.
Dyshawn Pierre adds 12.7 points, and Kendall Pollard chips 12.8 per game.
“They’ve got so many guys that can get to the rim and they can do so much damage to you in transition,” Boise State’s Leon Rice said. “I think they’re really, really good in transition, really efficient. That’s probably the 1. The 1-A would be even in the half court they can attack you. They have mismatches all over the place.”
This will be Boise State’s second trip to the First Four at UD Arena. The Broncos lost to La Salle, 80-71.
Earlier this season Boise won for the first time in program history New Mexico. They turned the same trick at Utah State snapping an 0-18 skid in Logan. Boise also won at UNLV and snapped San Diego State’s 29-game home winning streak.
“The fact that we’re playing in Dayton, I just don’t want people to think that this is a cake walk,” Miller stated. “I don’t want people to think that this is going to be very easy. I have a lot of respect for Boise State. They’re a terrific team. They’re the Mountain West champs. They’re a lot like us, they’re coming out of a non-BCS league with great players.”
A 9:10 pm tipoff is scheduled.
“It’s the NCAA Tournament,” Sibert said. “We’re here. We’re ready. So if you don’t have an edge, then I don’t know what you’re here for.”
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