FAU, Saint Mary’s and Boise State headline college basketball Mid-Major Top 10

San Diego State is the class of the Mountain West, but don’t ignore Boise State’s upward trajectory. Almost always good under Leon Rice, the Broncos won the league’s regular-season and tournament titles in 2022 and hovered around the top 30 of the NET and KenPom rankings most of last season before earning a No. 10 seed. The program’s first NCAA Tournament win, however, remains elusive.

“First, you’ve got to get there and then get there somewhat consistently, and that creates those opportunities,” says Rice, who’s entering his 14th season. “Keep crossing those milestones and keep knocking on the door, and eventually you’ll get those next steps.”

Don’t be surprised if this is the year for that breakthrough. Rice has one of his deepest rosters, and while the past two seasons were built on top-30 defenses, these Broncos are full of versatile options on the other end.

“We’re not going to let our defense slide at all,” Rice says, “but I think this team could be a pretty darn efficient offensive team. We have a lot of balance, and I love the way we share the ball.”

It begins with Tyson Degenhart, the do-it-all, 6-7 junior who might well be the Mountain West’s best player. He was often pushed into playing center out of necessity last season, and while he has a strong post-up game, he’s much more of a mismatch threat on the perimeter. Degenhart’s 3-point shooting dipped to 32.7 percent last year from 42.5 percent as a freshman, and Rice says that’s primarily because he was playing out of position.

“He’s an elite, elite shooter,” Rice says. “He just didn’t get enough chances to show that last year. You’re going to see big strides in Tyson’s game.”

Boise State can still go small with Degenhart at the five, but transfers Cam Martin (Kansas) and O’Mar Stanley (St. John’s) will primarily man the post. Martin was a three-time Division II All-American who played just 10 total minutes in two seasons with the Jayhawks because of injuries and talent ahead of him. But at 6-9 with perimeter skills — “he’s like a point guard playing center,” Rice says — Martin makes for a fascinating frontcourt pairing with Degenhart. The Broncos could load the floor with shooting and utilize some deadly pick-and-rolls with those two and senior guards Max Rice and Chibuzo Agbo, who each connected on 40 percent of their 3s last season.

The main concern: replacing Marcus Shaver Jr. at point guard. Shaver bailed the team out whenever the offense stagnated and never shied from taking over in the clutch. San Diego transfer Roddie Anderson III and sophomore Jace Whiting are battling in practice for the starting job. Anderson has quick-twitch athleticism and likes to get to the rim, while Whiting is a less flashy but perhaps steadier hand. Martin, Max Rice and Degenhart are comfortable initiating the offense as well, lessening the pressure on the point guard position.

Keep an eye on 6-7 freshman Andrew…