Mid-Major Basketball is introducing a weekly Game of the Week feature. To kick off the season, the spotlight is on Boise State facing San Francisco at 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday at War Memorial Gym in San Francisco – a top mid-major matchup to start the year.
Boise State
Boise State ranks third in our Mid-Major Basketball Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Broncos also are the favorites to capture the Mountain West Conference regular-season crown after finishing second in the conference standings last season.
Boise State’s top talent, Tyson Degenhart, is a strong candidate for Mountain West Player of the Year. The 6-foot-8 senior led the Broncos in scoring at 16.7 points per game and was second with 6.2 rebounds per contest. He figures to take a step forward this season.
O’Mar Stanley is also back for the Broncos after making the all-league second team last year. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 12.7 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game in 2023-24.
Coach Leon Rice made a key addition via the transfer portal in the offseason, adding point guard Alvaro Cardenas. Cardenas spent the last three years at San Jose State. He averaged 13.2 points and 5.5 assists per game and shot 39% from 3-point range last season. He could be the key to finally securing Boise State’s first NCAA Tournament win – the Broncos are 0-10 in tournament history, the most appearances without a victory.
With Cardenas’ leadership and a talented frontcourt, the Broncos are positioned for a strong season.
San Francisco
San Francisco ranks 11th in our Mid-Major Basketball Preseason Top 25 Poll. In the offseason, the Dons lost Jonathan Mogbo to the NBA, marking the first USF player drafted since 1982 when the Toronto Raptors selected the 6-foot-8 All-WCC First Team forward. He was the 31st overall pick in the 2024 draft.
Mogbo led the Dons in scoring (14.2 ppg), rebounding (10.1 rpg) and steals (1.6 spg) last season. His production will be hard to replace. However, with a talented roster, the Dons are poised to build on last season’s 23 wins and NIT appearance.
This season, the Dons feature one of the strongest backcourts on the West Coast and possibly in the nation. Leading the charge is All-WCC senior Marcus Williams (14.0 ppg), who recorded six 20-point games last season. Joining him are senior guard Malik Thomas (12.4 ppg) and WCC Freshman of the Year Ryan Beasley (7.6 ppg). Versatile senior forward Ndewedo Newbury (9.4 ppg) also is back.
The Dons added an athletic 7-footer in UTSA grad transfer Carlton Linguard, who also spent two seasons at Kansas State. Linguard is a unique talent. He can play on the inside while also possessing the skillset to step out to the perimeter and knock down 3s.
The WCC is as talented and deep as ever. Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s figure to continue their long-standing success, while Santa Clara and San Francisco are also poised to contend for NCAA Tournament spots.
