Boise State basketball looks sharp in season-opening win over Oakland

Boise State routs Oakland, 87-43, at ExtraMile Arena

Boise State Broncos forward Tyson Degenhart. / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

The Boise State men’s basketball team looked like a well-oiled machine in Wednesday’s season-opener against Oakland.

Six different Broncos recorded nine or more points in an 87-43 rout of Oakland at ExtraMile Arena. 

“Hold a team to 43 and to be able to score 87 against them … that’s more than a good start, that’s a great start,” Boise State head coach Leon Rice said in his postgame radio interview. 

Senior forward O’Mar Stanley led the way with 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks while Andrew Meadow added 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Tyson Degenhart, the preseason Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, had 13 points, five rebounds and two assists. 

The Broncos (1-0) also got major contributions from three transfers before an announced crowd of 10,626, the largest for a home opener in program history. 

7-foot Arizona transfer Dylan Anderson made six of his seven field goals and finished with 13 points and four rebounds. New point guard Alvaro Cardenas (San Jose State) had nine points and six assists; Javan Buchanan (Indiana Wesleyan) contributed with nine points, four rebounds and two assists. 

“It is a nice mix,” Rice said of the transfers and returnees. “You’ve got good leaders and good teachers and a lot of experience in those upperclassmen, and then you’ve got a lot of guys that are inexperienced that did some great things tonight.”

Added Meadows: “I love playing with all the guys. We really gelled as a team over this summer, and I really love this team, this program, everything about it.”

Boise State scored the game’s first 10 points en route to a commanding 48-18 halftime lead. The Broncos didn’t let up after the break and cruised to victory No. 1 of the 2024-25 season. 

Rice said a pair of preseason private scrimmages helped Boise State get off to a sharp start Wednesday. 

“We tried different things and we learned a lot about ourselves in those two games,” he said. “I think that really helps you. I think we played a lot this fall, probably more than we have with most teams.”

The Broncos finished with 23 assists while holding Oakland (1-1) to 27.3 percent shooting (18 of 66) and two assists. 

“We were moving the ball really, really well, making easy plays, and only seven turnovers in a high-possession game,” Rice said. “I thought our offense was really efficient.”

Boise State will be back at it Saturday with a road game at San Francisco (1-0). Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Mountain time. 

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