Good Morning, Bronco Nation! Tip times are set for the upcoming season of Boise State men’s hoops!

What else is mixed into today’s piping hot edition of the Good Morning, Bronco Nation Brew? Scroll down to find out!

🌟 Preseason star
🏆 Looking to clinch
🔷 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Preseason Star. Tatum Thompson is the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year for Boise State women’s hoops! It’s the fifth time in school history that the program has had a player earn the conference preseason player of the year honor. The senior Thompson averaged a team-leading 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season en route to earning MW All-Conference Team honors.

In three of the past four instances when Boise State boasted the preseason player of the year, the Broncos went on to win the conference title and participate in postseason play.

🔼 Looking to Clinch. Boise State soccer is on the road tonight to take on Mountain West foe Grand Canyon in Phoenix. The Broncos are 4-0-4 on the road and have already clinched a berth in the Mountain West Championships. With a win tonight, Boise State will clinch the Mountain West regular season title! Tonight’s game will get underway at 7 p.m. MT.

🔼 Walk-On to Standout. Linebacker Boen Phelps came to Boise State as a walk-on. Today, he’s one of the most dominant players on the defensive side of the ball for the Broncos. He chalks it up to his “blue collar” mindset. Here’s why.

🔼 Next Up. Boise State volleyball will be in action tonight, battling UNLV at home at 6 p.m. MT. The Broncos are 13-6 overall with a 5-3 record in Mountain West play, good for a fourth-place tie in the standings with Wyoming. The Broncos will host the final game of their current homestand on Saturday, Oct. 25, at noon MT against San Diego State. Full details here.

🔼 Welcome Serena. Serena van der Made will join Boise State beach volleyball for the spring season! The defender has been playing for The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. On the addition of van der Made, head coach Alex Venardos said: “We are extremely excited to have Serena join our program. She will add a lot of depth to the defender position and will bring a high level of competition and experience that is really going to benefit our team.”

The 2023 SportIF Player of the Year, van der Made has finished in the top three in 20 tournaments with six gold medals, six silver medals, and eight bronzes.

🔼 Broncos in the NFL. Seven former Broncos will take to the NFL field this week, six as players and one as head coach. Scott Matlock and the Chargers take on the Vikings tonight at 6:15 p.m. MT. Matlock played 10 offensive and 11 special teams snaps last week in Los Angeles’ loss to the Colts; his 74.1 Pro Football Focus grade is good for third on the team.

Khalil Shakir and the Bills will take on the Panthers on Sunday after last week’s bye, while Cedrick Wilson Jr. and the Dolphins will battle the Falcons. Denver’s JL Skinner matched his season-high with 24 total snaps last week as the Broncos are set to face the Cowboys. Washington’s John Bates (one reception for five yards last week, and the team’s second-best PFF run blocking grade) and Jeremy McNichols (season-high 24 offensive snaps, two rushes for 22 yards, and two catches for 23 yards) will take on the Chiefs.

Finally, New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore will lead the Saints against the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon.

📱 FROM THE A.D.

🤔 BLUE TURF TRIVIA

Fresh Foes. How many times have Boise State and Grand Canyon met on the soccer pitch?

Think you know the answer? Scroll to the bottom to find out!

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🗓 THE WEEK AHEAD

*All times in MT unless otherwise listed

Thursday, Oct. 23
🏐 Women’s Volleyball vs. UNLV @ 6 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats | Tickets
⚽ Women’s Soccer @ Grand Canyon @ 7 p.m. | Watch: Mountain West Network | Live Stats
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ 25K ITF Pro Event (Norman, Oklahoma)
🎮 ES vs. Kansas @ 6 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate
🎮 ES vs. Nevada @ 8 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate

Friday, Oct. 24
🏖️ Women’s Beach Volleyball @ Surf City Collegiate Challenge (Huntington Beach, California)
🏈 Football @ Nevada @ 8 p.m. | TV: CBS Sports Network | Listen: Bronco Radio Network | Live Stats
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ 25K ITF Pro Event (Norman, Oklahoma)
🎮 ES vs. Kansas @ 6 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate
🎮 ES vs. Nevada @ 8 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate

Saturday, Oct. 25
🏖️ Women’s Beach Volleyball @ Surf City Collegiate Challenge (Huntington Beach, California)
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ 25K ITF Pro Event (Norman, Oklahoma)
🏐 Women’s Volleyball vs. San Diego State @ 12 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats | Tickets

Sunday, Oct. 26
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ 25K ITF Pro Event (Norman, Oklahoma)
⛳ Men’s Golf @ Ka’anapali Classic (Maui, Hawaii)

Monday, Oct. 27
⛳ Men’s Golf @ Ka’anapali Classic (Maui, Hawaii)
🎮 ES vs. Utah @ 6 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate
🎮 ES vs. Grand Canyon @ 8 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate

Tuesday, Oct. 28
⛳ Men’s Golf @ Ka’anapali Classic (Maui, Hawaii)
🎮 ES vs. Utah @ 6 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate
🎮 ES vs. Grand Canyon @ 8 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate

Wednesday, Oct. 29
⛳ Men’s Golf @ Ka’anapali Classic (Maui, Hawaii)
🎮 ES vs. Utah @ 6 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate
🎮 ES vs. Grand Canyon @ 8 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate

Thursday, Oct. 30
⚽ Women’s Soccer vs. Utah State @ 7 p.m. | Watch: Mountain West Network | Live Stats | Tickets
🏐 Women’s Volleyball @ UNLV @ 7:30 p.m. | Watch: Mountain West Network | Live Stats
🎮 ES vs. Utah @ 6 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate
🎮 ES vs. Grand Canyon @ 8 p.m. TV: twitch.tv/boisestate

🔷 Go here to view the entire Boise State Athletics Calendar

ℹ️ TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: None! Tonight marks the first meeting between the two teams, as this is Grand Canyon’s first season in the Mountain West.

🔷 Have a great Thursday, Bronco Nation!