GAME NOTES: State-wide bragging rights are on the line this Tuesday, as the Boise State Broncos tangle with the Idaho Vandals at CenturyLink Arena.

The Broncos, who used to play in the Western Athletic Conference along with the Idaho Vandals before both programs moved out in the last few years, opened the 2014-15 campaign with three straight victories before falling at nationally-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday night, 78-54.

Meanwhile, the Vandals began the campaign with consecutive wins over the likes of Eastern Oregon and South Dakota State at home in Memorial Gym. However, the program was then upended by Northern Illinois in the road opener last Thursday by a score of 78-67.

In terms of the all-time series between these familiar foes, the Broncos are ahead by a count of 53-35 and have won three of the four neutral-site bouts since the relationship began back in 1971.

Against the third-ranked Badgers, Boise State was way out of its league, particularly on defense as the squad allowed the hosts to make good on 55.4 percent from the floor and forced only five turnovers. Offensively, the Broncos were led by Derrick Marks who tallied 16 points, doing so on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor, while Mikey Thompson tacked on 10 points off the bench as one of two other players to have made more than a pair of field goals in the contest.

Although he, like almost every other Bronco failed to score in double figures versus Wisconsin, Anthony Drmic is still the top scorer for the program with his 17.3 ppg and is also tops on the glass with 5.3 rpg. Thompson, a starter in just one game thus far, accounts for 11.5 ppg although his output could be even greater if not for the fact that he has converted only 54.2 percent of his chances at the free-throw line.

Somehow Idaho led by a basket in the first half against the Huskies in the latest outing, but at the same time the Vandals made a total of just nine field goals in the period, en route to a double-digit halftime deficit and an 11-point loss. In an effort to give the visitors a fighting chances, Sekou Wiggs tallied 18 points and Mike Scott 17 before fouling out, while Bira Seck cleared a game-high 11 rebounds.

Connor Hill, who shot a feeble 3-of-14 from the floor, including 1-of-10 behind the 3-point line versus NIU as he finished with nine points, can be a productive player in terms of his bottom line of 7.7 ppg, but the fact that he is shooting an abysmal 22.2 percent from the floor in more than 29 minutes per game cannot be helpful for someone like Scott who paces the program with 15.7 ppg based on 51.4 percent accuracy.

Neither one of these teams is coming off a positive experience in their last outing, so there's a need to step up their efforts especially in this contest. Luckily for the Broncos, they'll have the bulk of the crowd on their side and that should push them into the win column.