Courtesy of Boise State Athletics

DAYTON, Ohio – Colorado closed the game on a 15-4 run as Boise State was defeated, 60-53, by the Buffaloes in the First Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Broncos (22-11) took a 49-45 lead on a stepback jumper from Chibuzo Agbo with 4:31 to play, but Colorado (25-10) scored the next 11 points to grab the win.

KJ Simpson put the Buffaloes ahead, 50-49, with a pair of free throws, then extended their lead with a jump shot in the paint. Eddie Lampkin tipped in an air ball to stretch it to a five-point game, then Colorado made 6-of-6 free throws to ice the contest.

Six of Boise State’s 10 losses in the NCAA Tournament have come by single digits – including three of the last four. 

Quotable

  • “These guys battled and battled even when the shots weren’t dropping,” said head coach Leon Rice. “We competed on the glass and battled defensively. They made some big plays down the stretch that created just enough of a gap.”
  • “This team has been a joy to coach, I told them that in the locker room,” said Leon Rice. “None of us are perfect but we have such great guys. They accomplished so much this year, and it’s hard to look at right now . . . none of us wanted this (journey) to end. You don’t get a group of 25 special people like this together very often. You hate for it to end this way.
  • “I feel like we were right there with three minutes left, we just didn’t get it done,” said Max Rice.

Top Broncos

Notables

  • Six of Boise State’s losses in the NCAA tournament have come by single digits.
  • 41 rebounds ties the program record for most in a NCAA Tournament game . . . only second time having 40+ rebounds in a NCAA Tournament game – 2023 vs. Northwestern (41).
  • The 66 field goals attempted are the most in a NCAA Tournament game in program history.
  • Boise State forced 12 turnovers.
  • The Broncos had 19 second chance points.
  • Leon Rice ends with a record of 8-12 against the Pac-12.
  • The four assists and two 3-pointers made are a season low.
  • Roddie Anderson III’s basket 1:10 into the game is the first lead Boise State has had in a NCAA Tournament game since 0:45 left in the second half at Dayton in 2015 . . . trailed for 78:03 against Memphis (2022) and Northwestern (2023).
  • Boise State played nine players in a postseason game for the first team since playing nine against Dayton in 2015.
  • The Broncos had only one assist on their first 10-made field goals.
  • Both teams opened the game 6-of-17 to the first media timeout.
  • The two-point deficit is the smallest deficit Boise State has had in a NCAA Tournament game – led by nine at halftime against Dayton in 2015.
  • Both teams went 2-for-18 from beyond the arc in the first half.

What’s Next
Boise State ends its season with a 22-11 record having made the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season – first time in program history.