The Boise State men’s basketball team passed its first true test of the 2026-27 season with flying colors. 

The Broncos raced out to a 20-point halftime lead and held on in the final minutes on Sunday for a 100-81 non-conference victory over Butler at ExtraMile Arena.

Boise State (2-0), which led by as many as 26 points in the second half, finished 17 of 35 (49 percent) from beyond the arc and 36 of 79 overall (46 percent) from the floor. 

Butler (2-1) trimmed the deficit to 11 on three different occasions in the second half but was unable to complete the comeback. 

Boise State head coach Leon Rice said he was very impressed with Butler while watching film. 

“The way they played in the first two games, the way they moved the ball and the way they attacked, we knew we were going to have to play really good,” Rice said in his postgame radio interview. “And you’ve got to make shots. In a game like that, you’ve got to make some shots. We got some good looks and we made more than they did.” 

Aginaldo Neto paced the Broncos with 25 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block. Spencer Ahrens added 24 points and five rebounds while Dovydas Butka (14 points, 14 rebounds, three assists) and Pearson Carmichael (14 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals) also had strong games. 

“We’ve got some guys that can go by you,” Rice said. “You’ve got to have guys that can create an advantage, and it starts with (Neto).”

Eduardo Klafke and Jalen Jackson had 19 points apiece to lead the Bulldogs, who finished 16-16 overall last season with a 7-13 record in Big East play.

Butler matched a program record with 20 made three-pointers on Wednesday in a blowout victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Bulldogs went just 8 of 36 (22 percent) from long distance against Boise State. 

“They get a ton of their good looks off offensive rebounds,” Rice said. “I bet if we go back, we’re going to see … two or three of them where they got an offensive rebound, or we didn’t get the rebound. You take those away, now we hold them to five threes.”

The Broncos resume non-conference play on Wednesday with another home game against Oakland (0-3). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mountain time at ExtraMile Arena.

The Golden Grizzlies have played a brutal schedule to begin the season with losses to Michigan (84-68), Stanford (81-63) and Big West contender UC Santa Barbara (90-67). 

Boise State opened the 2024-25 season with an 87-43 victory over Oakland.