RENO, Nev. ? The Boise State men's basketball team knows what it has to do, and really, it has known the key to success all season.
The problem for these Broncos (13-17 overall, 6-12 WAC) has been applying that knowledge on a consistent basis.
BSU will try to get it right again tonight, when the Broncos play Tulsa (9-19, 5-13) in a WAC Tournament play-in game at the Lawlor Events Center on the campus of the University of Nevada.
And if they don't, this disappointing season will come to an end. If BSU gets its act together?
"We have a chance to go deep in the tournament," BSU senior Jason Ellis said.
The key?
"We just need a team effort ? the usual thing that we need," sophomore guard Eric Lane said. "We need to play our game for 40 minutes. We've been saying that all year. We have to put two halves together. If we can do that, we should be able to get the win."
The Broncos split their season series with the Golden Hurricane, with each team winning on its home court. BSU enters the game as the No. 8 seed, while Tulsa is the ninth seed. The winner would play tournament host and No. 1 seed Nevada on Thursday night.
But Thursday's game isn't even on the radar for BSU. The Broncos know they'll have their hands full with a Tulsa team that has gotten better the second half of the season.
"When their coach (John Phillips) resigned, they went through some issues," BSU coach Greg Graham said. "I think they've got those cleared up and have played well. They have a lot of size, and (Jarius) Glenn has stepped up his game the last half of the season and put their team on his back."
Glenn, a senior, averages 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds for interim coach Alvin "Pooh" Williamson. He also made the WAC's all-defensive team, and he'll likely be asked to guard BSU's leading scorer Jermaine Blackburn (15.3 points per game).
But Glenn isn't a one-man team.
"They're pretty solid at a lot of positions," Lane said. "They're really athletic. They've got Glenn, (Anthony) Price down low and the quick guard (Brett McDade). I think that's how they beat us down there ? they hit us from a lot of different spots."
The Broncos have the same kind of potential. With five players ? Blackburn, Ellis, Lane, Coby Karl and Franco Harris ? scoring more than 8.0 points a game, BSU has the ability to spread defenses and make them pay for any double teams.
"We've just got to play as a team," said Ellis, who needs five rebounds to become the first player in school history to score more than 900 points and grab 900 rebounds. "We've got to have each other's backs. We have to have a good game."
In BSU's most recent game, a 78-64 loss at UTEP, the Broncos had their season summed up. It was one bad half, followed by a good one.
"If the right team shows up, we're ready," Graham said. "I don't think we're different than anyone else here. I think everybody feels like they have a shot if they play well."
Graham said he anticipates Blackburn (ankle), Seth Robinson (knee) and Andrew Green (ankle) to be 100 percent for tonight's game. The trio had been slowed by those ailments in the past week.
For Ellis, who will be playing in his fourth WAC Tournament, the key simple.
"It's got to be business as usual," he said. "We've got to leave it all on the floor and give it all you can. (Winning) it is a possibility ? we've just got to put it all together, and the time to do it is now."
You'll get no argument from Graham.
"We just need to play," Graham said. "I don't think anybody is really looking forward to playing anyone else just because of the parity in the conference. If you have a bad night, you're going to be be out."
The problem for these Broncos (13-17 overall, 6-12 WAC) has been applying that knowledge on a consistent basis.
BSU will try to get it right again tonight, when the Broncos play Tulsa (9-19, 5-13) in a WAC Tournament play-in game at the Lawlor Events Center on the campus of the University of Nevada.
And if they don't, this disappointing season will come to an end. If BSU gets its act together?
"We have a chance to go deep in the tournament," BSU senior Jason Ellis said.
The key?
"We just need a team effort ? the usual thing that we need," sophomore guard Eric Lane said. "We need to play our game for 40 minutes. We've been saying that all year. We have to put two halves together. If we can do that, we should be able to get the win."
The Broncos split their season series with the Golden Hurricane, with each team winning on its home court. BSU enters the game as the No. 8 seed, while Tulsa is the ninth seed. The winner would play tournament host and No. 1 seed Nevada on Thursday night.
But Thursday's game isn't even on the radar for BSU. The Broncos know they'll have their hands full with a Tulsa team that has gotten better the second half of the season.
"When their coach (John Phillips) resigned, they went through some issues," BSU coach Greg Graham said. "I think they've got those cleared up and have played well. They have a lot of size, and (Jarius) Glenn has stepped up his game the last half of the season and put their team on his back."
Glenn, a senior, averages 17.1 points and 6.2 rebounds for interim coach Alvin "Pooh" Williamson. He also made the WAC's all-defensive team, and he'll likely be asked to guard BSU's leading scorer Jermaine Blackburn (15.3 points per game).
But Glenn isn't a one-man team.
"They're pretty solid at a lot of positions," Lane said. "They're really athletic. They've got Glenn, (Anthony) Price down low and the quick guard (Brett McDade). I think that's how they beat us down there ? they hit us from a lot of different spots."
The Broncos have the same kind of potential. With five players ? Blackburn, Ellis, Lane, Coby Karl and Franco Harris ? scoring more than 8.0 points a game, BSU has the ability to spread defenses and make them pay for any double teams.
"We've just got to play as a team," said Ellis, who needs five rebounds to become the first player in school history to score more than 900 points and grab 900 rebounds. "We've got to have each other's backs. We have to have a good game."
In BSU's most recent game, a 78-64 loss at UTEP, the Broncos had their season summed up. It was one bad half, followed by a good one.
"If the right team shows up, we're ready," Graham said. "I don't think we're different than anyone else here. I think everybody feels like they have a shot if they play well."
Graham said he anticipates Blackburn (ankle), Seth Robinson (knee) and Andrew Green (ankle) to be 100 percent for tonight's game. The trio had been slowed by those ailments in the past week.
For Ellis, who will be playing in his fourth WAC Tournament, the key simple.
"It's got to be business as usual," he said. "We've got to leave it all on the floor and give it all you can. (Winning) it is a possibility ? we've just got to put it all together, and the time to do it is now."
You'll get no argument from Graham.
"We just need to play," Graham said. "I don't think anybody is really looking forward to playing anyone else just because of the parity in the conference. If you have a bad night, you're going to be be out."
