How to watch, stream Boise State men’s basketball vs. San Jose State: TV channel, game time

The Boise State men’s basketball team ripped off four straight Mountain West victories before entering a difficult five-game stretch against some of the conference’s top teams.

The Broncos (15-11, 7-8) went 2-3 during the gauntlet, including blowout losses to Grand Canyon (17-9, 10-5) and MWC-leading Utah State (23-3, 13-2).

Sitting in a tie for seventh place with Colorado State (16-10, 7-8) in the conference standings, Boise State head coach Leon Rice said the team continues to practice at a high level.

“These guys have been amazing, so impressive,” Rice said on Friday ahead of Saturday’s 2 p.m. Mountain time home matchup with San Jose State (7-19, 2-13). “In fact, I don’t know if I’ve had a team that has practiced this good in February. Now, when I had a shorter bench we maybe didn’t practice as hard sometimes, but we’ve got a lot of young guys that we’re working hard to develop.

“You’re seeing growth in our point guard (Dylan Andrews), growth in (center Drew Fielder), how much better he’s getting. The process is working for them, and they’re going to get the results that they want.”

The Broncos have dropped some heartbreakers this season, including two overtime losses to UNLV (13-13, 8-7) and a triple-overtime loss at San Diego State (18-7, 12-3).

Boise State has also suffered five double-digit defeats in MWC play. Utah State picked up a 25-point win at ExtraMile Arena, the most lopsided home loss in Rice’s 16 years at the helm.

“You look all over the country, you see good teams sometimes losing by big margins,” Rice said. “We’ve had more of those this year than we’ve ever had. One of the things we’ve always done is be able to keep close, keep close. I think there’s more of that in college basketball because there’s more parity, because there’s great players. Somebody can have a great night and affect the game and wow, boom, it got away from a good team.”

San Jose State is coming off a stunning 87-71 home victory over Nevada (17-9, 9-6). Junior guard Colby Garland exploded for 29 points, nine assists and three steals against the Wolf Pack.

Garland, who had 10 points and four assists in a January home loss to Boise State, is the exact type of player Boise State has struggled to contain over the last two months.

HOW TO WATCH BOISE STATE VS. SAN JOSE STATE

Who: Boise State resumes Mountain West play with a home game against San Jose State

Records: Boise State 15-11, 7-8; San Jose State 7-19, 2-13

When: 2 p.m. Mountain time | Saturday, Feb. 21

Where: ExtraMile Arena | Boise, Idaho

TV channel: Mountain West Network