3 reasons to already be excited for Boise State’s 2026-27 men’s basketball season

The Boise State men’s basketball team will have five new starters next season as the program transitions from the Mountain West to the Pac-12.

Here are three reasons for optimism coming off a disappointing 2025-26 season.

1. New Pac-12 should be electric

The old Mountain West morphed into a quality basketball conference, sending four or more teams to the NCAA Tournament between 2022 and 2025.

The new Pac-12 should be even stronger headlined by Gonzaga and San Diego State, which have both reached the national championship game since 2021.

Fellow Mountain West alumnus Utah State has appeared in six of the last seven NCAA Tournaments, including four straight trips. The Aggies retained 2026 MWC Player of the Year Mason Falslev and hired longtime Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson to replace Jerrod Calhoun, who is now at Cincinnati.

Oregon State reached the Elite Eight in 2021 and hired Michigan assistant Justin Joyner to run the program. Joyner retained first-team all-WCC point guard Josiah Lake II and signed a strong transfer portal class that ranks third among mid-majors and 54th nationally in the 247Sports portal team rankings.

Colorado State and Washington State have also made recent NCAA Tournament appearances.

Boise State, which is hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament after making three straight trips in 2022-24, will face a higher level of competition on most nights in the new Pac-12.

2. New defensive mentality

Boise State has traditionally fielded strong defenses in the Leon Rice era, but the Broncos dipped to No. 76 nationally last season in KenPom’s defensive rating. It was the program’s lowest defensive rating since the 2019-20 season.

Rice and staff attacked the defensive issues in the transfer portal with the signing of two elite defenders: 6-foot-6 guard Ty Rodgers and 6-foot-9 forward Jerquarius Stanback.

Rodgers, who hasn’t played the last two seasons, was a defensive stopper for Illinois’ 2023-24 Elite Eight team who averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and two assists. Rodgers is a versatile defender who can guard point guards and small-ball centers.

Stanback averaged 8.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and two blocks for Alabama State last season and was voted SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. He projects to be the Broncos’ top interior defender next season.

With the addition of Rodgers and Stanback, Boise State’s defense should be much improved heading into the Pac-12.

3. Three sophomores could make the leap

The Broncos leaned on a trio of true freshmen last season in forward Spencer Ahrens, forward Bhan Buom and point guard Aginaldo Neto, and all three players showed flashes of two-way potential in limited minutes.

The 6-foot-10 Ahrens was the star of the bunch, notching 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc. Ahrens will likely start at forward next season.

Buom and Neto should both be key rotation pieces with the potential to earn more minutes.

If one or two of the sophomores can make the leap, Boise State could be the surprise of the new Pac-12 next season.

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