Boise State (12-4) (NET: 57)
1-1 (Q1), 1-2 (Q2), 4-0 (Q3), 5-1 (Q4)
Boise State’s big breakthrough win came in Idaho Falls against Saint Mary’s a few weeks ago and currently is their first Quad 1 win. A home win over Clemson is the Quad 2 victory, though the Broncos are hoping that the Tigers can have a nice season in the ACC and maybe propel that into a Quad 1 game.
Now here’s the bad news: Boise State’s loss to Boston College in the title game of the Cayman Islands Classic is currently a disastrous Quad 4 defeat. The Broncos also lost a pair of games at home to Washington State and San Diego State though neither was exactly a disaster.
The MWC is fortunately filled with opportunities to better build this resume. A league that got six teams into last year’s Big Dance has the same depth of talent this season, and the Broncos clearly need to pick up another couple of Quad 1 wins to feel much more comfortable.
It’s wild to say that this MWC has an anchor on their resume because they lost to an ACC team but that’s just Boise State’s reality. The important thing is to avoid adding bad losses to some of the weaker MWC teams while taking advantage of their opportunities.
Bradley (13-2) (NET: 74)
0-1 (Q1), 1-1 (Q2), 4-0 (Q3), 7-0 (Q4)
Bradley’s record is good and they play in a solid MVC, though they fell a bit short in their nonconference opportunities. That top win was at home over San Francisco a few weeks ago, though each of their three wins at the Myrtle Beach Invitational unfortunately sit at Quad 3.
This team had a tough time at Washington State in what’s currently a Quad 1 loss, though they also missed a major opportunity with a loss in Las Vegas against Santa Clara in mid-December. That win wouldn’t have saved this resume, but 14-1 looks a lot better than 13-2 right now.
This isn’t the same MVC we mentioned that regularly gets multiple bids; none of the upcoming games on Bradley’s schedule are currently Quad 1. Their upcoming game with Drake is currently Quad 3 and the trip to Iowa in mid-February is one of their six Quad 2 chances.
Basically, the Braves need to be strong and win a lot on the road against feisty and underrated MVC teams. There’s no major win standing out and that NET needs serious work. Bradley cannot afford a loss in league play, especially to a team in the lower-half of the conference, or it’s all over.