Boise State started a bit slow but finished strong, beating UC-Irvine 71-64 and advancing to the semifinals of the Wooden Legacy Classic. It was the first loss of the year for the Anteaters (4-1) and the win lifted the Broncos above .500 for the first time this season. The 3-2 Broncos will face the winner of Boston College and Michigan State tomorrow at 3:30—the game between the Spartans and Eagles begins momentarily.
The enormous Mamadou Ndiaye was relatively harmless after the Broncos decided to attack him despite his massive inside presence. Anthony Drmic led all scorers with 21 pts and was shot 50% from beyond the arc.