One of the opening chapters in the Mountain West-Atlantic 10 Challenge will be written in Kingston.

The University of Rhode Island will host Boise State as part of its 2020-21 nonconference schedule. The Rams and Broncos meet to start off what could be a four-year agreement. The conferences are committed to games next season and in 2021-22 and hold a mutual option to double the length of the initial two-year deal.

URI’s last meeting with a Mountain West foe came in 2017-18, as the Rams visited a Nevada team that was eventually ranked in the top 10. In terms of KenPom.com, the two leagues share a similar place in the sport’s hierarchy – outside of Power 5 range, but above several other mid-major leagues in a given season. The Mountain West has sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament in 17 of the last 19 years and as many as five in 2013.

Boise State slumped to just 13-20 overall last season, but its previous six campaigns under coach Leon Rice included at least 20 wins. The Broncos reached the NCAAs in 2013 and 2015 and qualified for the National Invitation Tournament in 2017 and 2018. Boise State was the league’s regular season champion in 2015.

URI adds a second home game to its annual rivalry matchup with Brown University, as it will host the Broncos on Dec. 5, 2020 at the Ryan Center. The Rams also have potential road dates with Providence, Western Kentucky, Harvard and Florida Gulf Coast. URI owes future games to the Hilltoppers, Crimson and Eagles to finish off previous home-and-home series.

Per a release issued by both leagues, matchups were made based on “previous year’s records, NET rankings and team achievements, as well as projected rankings and anticipated strength of teams for the upcoming season.” Boise State closed seventh in the Mountain West last year while the Rams finished eighth in the A10. The Broncos (139) actually had a better KenPom rating than URI (142) by three spots despite their sub-.500 record.

Utah State visits Davidson to begin the series on Dec. 1, 2020. Dayton travels to Nevada to close out the first round on Dec. 6, 2020. Massachusetts, La Salle, George Washington, Fordham and San Jose State have all been left out of the first year of games.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25