News Story - Idaho State Journal

POCATELLO -- Don't bother asking Devin Diehl for scores from games involving Idaho State's Big Sky rivals.

Until the conference slate arrives, those aren't a big priority for Idaho State's junior wing.

"You just hear, 'Oh, did you hear who beat whoever?'" Diehl said. "And I won't have."

Not that it matters. Idaho State's trip to Boise State for a 7:05 p.m. clash today marks the fourth time this season the Bengals will face a team that also has played or will play fellow Big Sky squads.

While coach Seton Sobolewski has tracked, for curiosity's sake, how the Bengals' conference foes have fared against their common opponents, neither he nor his players will put much stock into those results. As experience has taught them, the scores really don't foretell very accurately how conference games shake out.

"I still think it's too early to tell that stuff," senior Michelle Grohs said. "And then again, I don't think that ever really holds true even late in the season. It's whoever brings it the day of."

Idaho State racked up perhaps its most impressive win this season when it toppled Utah State on the road Nov. 22. The victory appears all the more intriguing since Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona each have lost at the Aggies' Dee Glen Smith Spcetrum.

But the Bengals aren't gloating over that, nor are they fretting about having beaten Montana Western by a slimmer margin than Montana State did.

Each year, Idaho State's calendar provides plenty of examples of why these trends are irrelevant. Last season, the Bengals stole a win on the road against Oregon State, which subsequently pummeled Montana on a neutral site.

"You saw how that turned out," Diehl said.

Montana, of course, earned the Big Sky's top seed and won the conference tournament on its home court to advance to the NCAA tournament.

These disparities arise because teams match up differently against each another. During his days as a UC Riverside assistant coach, Sobolewski often worried more about the mediocre Big West teams than the elite ones. For instance, Cal State Fullerton's swift guards and transition style always bothered Riverside regardless of its record.

For that reason, the Bengals are viewing their clash against the Broncos in a vacumm. Even if Idaho State does win today and accomplish a feat Montana State failed to pull off in Bozeman, the Bengals won't read too much into it.

Said Sobolewski: "That doesn't mean we're going to sweep Montana State."

Idaho State (3-6) at Boise State (4-5)

When: 7:05 p.m. today

Where: Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho

Listen: 91.1 FM (KISU)

What's at stake:

Idaho State has played bigger-name opponents like DePaul and Wyoming close, but it hasn't managed to finish off those tight games strong. This trip to Boise presents its latest opportunity to pull off such a feat.

Key matchup:

Boise State center Janie Bos vs. Oana Iacovita. Bos, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, presents an easier defensive task for Iacovita than 6-foot-4 post Ja'Lara Walker, who likely will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Walker ranked third on the team with 9.2 points per game and second with 5.5 rebounds a game.

Three things about Boise State:

n Injuries have weakened the Broncos' lineup. They began the season without senior guard Jessica Thompson, who ranked second on the team with 13.4 points per game last year. Since then, Boise State also has lost Walker and Tasha Harris, the media's preseason WAC player of the year.

n Boise State ended Idaho State's 2007-2008 season with a 77-54 win in the first round of the WNIT in March at Taco Bell Arena.

n The Broncos have had mixed success with Big Sky teams so far this year. Boise State won 70-65 at Montana State and lost 72-51 at Montana last week.

Happy ending if...

Banged-up Chelsea Pickering shakes off her latest injury and performs like she has the past two games.

Sad ending if...

The Bengals tire and fade at the end of the game, like they did against Wyoming.

This document was originally published online on Wednesday, December 10, 2008

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