Broncos-Horned Frogs  Preview
GAME NOTES: Meeting for just the second time in history, the Boise State Broncos and the TCU Horned Frogs play their first game as competing members in the Mountain West Conference as they clash at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Fort Worth this afternoon.
On Wednesday night, the Horned Frogs were up against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, not just one of the top teams in the MWC but the nation as well, and it showed as TCU took a hard fall in a 101-78 final at the Thomas & Mack Center in Sin City. The defeat was the second in a row for a TCU group that is off to a disappointing 0-2 start to the conference schedule.
The same goes for the Broncos who dropped their second MWC matchup in as many tries on Tuesday night, as they were held to just 55 points in an 11-point loss at Colorado State. The defeat was the third in a row and the fourth in five games for a program that has failed to reach 60 points in any one of the last three contests.
The only other time these two teams have played each other was back in 1977 during the Wolf Pack Classic in Reno where BSU put up a 69-43 victory over the Horned Frogs. The Broncos are scheduled to host the second meeting of the season in a month at Taco Bell Arena.
In addition to shooting a miserable 33.8 percent from the floor and 7-of-24 behind the three-point line at Moby Arena earlier this week, the Broncos converted just 4-of-6 at the free-throw line where they were outscored by 13 points by the hosts. Westly Perryman stepped up and delivered 16 points, Ryan Watkins 12 and Jeff Elorriaga 11 points, while Anthony Drmic captured 12 rebounds in an effort to offset his mere 1-of-8 shooting from the floor. In the last four games the Broncos have had a different leading scorer each time out, but overall on the season it is Drmic who has been the most reliable contributor with his 13.4 ppg, save for his dismal effort against CSU. The team is producing a solid 74.2 ppg, but much of that is based on two games early in the campaign against Cal State Northridge and Drake in which the Broncos scored 103 and 108 points, respectively.
TCU was forced to play catch-up the entire night against the Runnin' Rebels as the hosts opened with a 19-2 run and continued to pour it on before settling for the 23-point win in the desert. Offensively, the Horned Frogs shot only 38.6 percent from the floor and 3-of-18 behind the three-point line as they followed the lead set by Kyan Anderson with his 20 points and six rebounds. Adrick McKinney played 26 minutes off the bench as he recorded 16 points and five boards, followed by Amric Fields with 12 points in a reserve role as well. J.R. Cadot and Hank Thorns both came away with 11 points, the latter handing out six assists, but he also shot just 3-of-14 from the field. Thorns continues to pace the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and assists (82) through 17 games, but his mere 37.0 percent shooting from the field remains an issue for someone who handles the ball as much as he does. Garlon Green (11.4 ppg) and Fields (10.5 ppg) combine with Fields to account for 67 of the unit's 100 three-point baskets, so it is not hard to figure out who to take seriously on the perimeter.
Boise State has yet to win a true road game this season and by the looks of the offense it doesn't appear ready to do so here tonight either. However, if the Horned Frogs come up lame on defense and Thorns has too many empty trips at the offensive end, this could be one within reach for the Broncos.
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