Spartans stun the Mountain West in electrifying tournament upset over Boise State

LAS VEGAS — Sometimes March doesn’t whisper. Sometimes it roars.

On a night when almost no one outside the San Jose State locker room believed it possible, the No. 11 seed Spartans delivered one of the most stunning results of the 2026 Mountain West Tournament, knocking off heavily favored No. 6 Boise State 84–74 inside the Thomas & Mack Center.

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It wasn’t luck. It wasn’t fluky shooting. It was belief, execution, and a relentless defensive effort that flipped the script on a Boise State team that had entered the game as the clear favorite.

The Spartans led for more than 26 minutes and shot nearly 50 percent from the field while holding Boise State to just 37.9 percent shooting, including a frigid 5-of-23 from beyond the arc.

For a San Jose State team that had won just four games all season in conference play and only twice before in Mountain West Tournament history, the result felt almost surreal.

Yet inside the Spartan locker room, the tone was simple.

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Preparation met opportunity.

“We worked hard this whole week and prepared,” said guard Colby Garland. “We knew these games would be hard way. You can’t just hang out here. We had to stay on it.”

Garland leads, Spartans follow

Garland once again proved why he’s the heartbeat of the Spartan offense.

The veteran guard poured in 22 points, hit all seven of his free throws, grabbed five rebounds, and added three assists while playing the full 40 minutes.

But perhaps more importantly, he orchestrated the pace of the game.

Garland scored from his preferred spots; mid-range pull-ups, strong drives through traffic, and a momentum-changing three at the half-time buzzer that gave San Jose a 41–39 lead entering the break.

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If Garland was the conductor, he had plenty of help from an energized supporting cast.

Jermaine Washington added 18 points and six assists, repeatedly finding teammates in transition and drilling timely threes. Adrian Myers contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds, while…

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Publish date : 2026-03-12 06:38:00

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