Boise State will face NBA-bound players in First Four, including possible No. 1 pick

The Boise State men’s basketball team is heading back to Dayton, Ohio, for the NCAA Tournament.

The Broncos made the 1,932-mile trip for the first round of the Big Dance in 2015. They took on the Flyers in the first NCAA Tournament game played on a participating team’s home floor since 1987. Boise State led by seven points with less than four minutes to play but lost, 56-55, after Dayton ended the game on a 10-2 run.

The Broncos shouldn’t have to deal with a hostile crowd this time around. Boise State takes on Colorado in the First Four on Wednesday (7:10 p.m. MT, TruTV) at UD Arena in Dayton. The winner earns a No. 10 seed and the right to take on No. 7 Florida in the first round Friday in Indianapolis.

Here are three things to know about the Buffaloes.

They’re peaking at the right time

Colorado (24-10, 13-7 Pac-12) won eight straight games on the way to the Pac-12 Tournament championship game, including a 79-75 win over eventual tournament champion Oregon. The Buffaloes led the Ducks with less than 5:00 to play in the championship game Saturday in Las Vegas, but Oregon rallied for a 75-68 win, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Buffaloes have scored at least 70 points in seven of their past nine games, including a 92-89 double-overtime win against USC. They scored more than 80 points in four of those games. Colorado ranks No. 3 in the Pac-12 with 79.3 points a game. Its allowing 71.2 points a game, which also ranks No. 3 in the conference.

Colorado leads the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (.493), 3-point percentage (.394) and free throw percentage (.778). The Buffaloes also lead the conference with 30.09 defensive rebounds a night.

Boise State averages 75.8 points a night, which ranks No. 5 in the Mountain West. The Broncos are giving are 67.5 a game, which ranks No. 3 in the conference. The Broncos are shooting 45% as a team, which ranks No. 8 in the 11-team league.

Here’s a look at Boise State’s nine appearances in the NCAA Tournament

They’re led by likely NBA draft picks

The Buffaloes are led by a trio of potential NBA draft picks, including 6-foot-8 freshman Cody Williams, who has a shot at being the No. 1 overall pick. He’s averaging 12.6 points a game and shooting 56.5% from the floor.

Opinions vary on where Williams will be picked, but draft analysts are in consensus that he’s a first-round pick. Williams went No. 7 to San Antonio in the latest mock draft from The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie.

Williams is playing alongside two likely second-round picks: 6-2 guard KJ Simpson and 6-9 forward Tristan da Silva. Simpson leads the Buffaloes and ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 with 19.6 points a night. He’s also averaging 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists a night. He was picked No. 50 overall by Washington in Vecenie’s latest mock draft.

Da Silva ranks No. 2 on the team with 15.8 points a night, and he’s averaging 5.2 rebounds a game. He was picked No. 35 overall by Milwaukee in Vecenie’s latest mock draft. Colorado is also getting 7.1 rebounds a game from 6-11 center Eddie Lampkin Jr. and 6.1 rebounds a night from 6-6 guard J’Vonne Hadley.

Broncos’ Rice is all too familiar with Colorado’s Boyle

Boise State basketball coach Leon Rice called Colorado’s Tad Boyle one of his best friends “in the business and in the world.”

Rice said he and Boyle have been friends for a couple of decades. They met when Rice was an assistant coach at Northern Colorado and Boyle was a high school coach at nearby Longmont High. They coached together with Team USA the past two years, and Rice said he grew to respect Boyle as a coach and a friend even more during the experience.

“We’ve known each other a long time, and I consider him one of my best friends,” Rice said. “There’s (67) other options and you’re playing one of your best friends. That’s crazy.”

Wednesday’s First Four game in Dayton marks the second time Boise State and Colorado have met the past two years. They played in the fifth-place game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational last year in South Carolina and the Broncos came away with a 68-55 win.

Boise State vs. Colorado

NCAA Tournament — First Four

When: 7:10 p.m. MT, Wednesday

Where: UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio

TV: TruTV (Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel, Jon Rothstein)

Records: Boise State 22-10, 13-5 Mountain West. Colorado 24-10, 13-7 Pac-12.

Series history: This will be the second all-time meeting between the Broncos and Buffaloes. Boise State beat Colorado 68-55 in the fifth-place game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational last season.