Saturday, December 17
BOZEMAN
4 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Northwest Indian College
Great Osobor
Photo by: Jack Power
Men’s Basketball Wraps Up Non-Conference Play
12/15/2022 2:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Saturday’s non-conference home finale against Northwest Indian College, then a game at nationally ranked Arizona next Tuesday finishes off Montana State’s non-conference schedule.
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Coming off a three-game win streak, the Montana State men's basketball team will wrap up its non-conference schedule this Saturday against Northwest Indian College before traveling to #9 Arizona next Tuesday, Dec. 20.
The Bobcats' matchup against Northwest Indian College is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17; it will be livestreamed on ESPN+ with a free radio broadcast on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. Admission to Saturday's game is free, and everyone who attends the game will receive a voucher for a ticket to a future Montana State men's basketball home game (excluding Cat/Griz).
The Bobcats (6-5) not only are on a three-game winning streak, but also have won the last 12 games in Worthington Arena — a streak dating back to Jan. 1, 2022. Should the Bobcats win on Saturday night, they will extend their home winning streak to 13 games, which would be the second-longest streak in program history.
"When I took the program over, I wanted to make Worthington Arena the hardest place to play in the league," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. "We've had good players that have been able to win a lot of games, which helps, but a lot of it has been the crowd. Our 6th Man Club gets those guys going and it's a huge advantage for us."
"We have to continue to get this place loud and get this place packed — whether it's football season or volleyball season, we have to have a packed house for all our athletic teams," Sprinkle added.
Thanks to big wins over St. Thomas and Omaha last week, statistics have been kind to the Bobcats.
Montana State's offense has had a resurgence lately by putting up three-straight 80-point performances for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Additionally, the Bobcats have connected on at least 49% of their field goals over the past four games. All told, has become one of the most balanced teams in the Big Sky Conference, connecting on 45.6% of their field goals (second-best in the Big Sky) and limiting teams to shooting 42.4% from the field (best in the Big Sky).
In last week's homestand, MSU's bench was the difference-maker in both games. During the win over St. Thomas, sophomore Patrick McMahon came off the bench and chipped in 14 points on 4-for-4 shooting to help put the Tommies away in the second half. Against St. Thomas, six different Bobcats finished in double-figures, which is the second time that has happened this year.
"Last week, the second unit really stood out," Sprinkle said. "We needed Patrick, Rob and Great in order to win those games. I knew it would take a while for this group to figure it out — especially with so many new guys on the roster. We're still a work in progress, but those guys were huge."
Then against Omaha, sophomore forward Great Osobor took over midway through the first half, scoring six-straight points en route to a season-best 18-point night. Additionally, Robert Ford III came off the bench and gave MSU a spark on both ends of the floor: first by sinking two deep threes, and then by notching a season-high three steals.
"When Great is playing like that and scoring on the low block, he's a load," Sprinkle said. "Patrick needs to continue to play and be comfortable with more minutes. He's capable of playing like that. Rob has proven himself in this league before, but he still needs to get healthy. It was nice to see him be more aggressive and confident out there."
The Bobcats will look to carry these trends into Saturday's game against the Northwest Indian College Eagles.
Not much is known about the Eagles, which compete in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, yet they are 1-10 on the season with the majority of their games played on the road. The Eagles will come to Bozeman less than 24 hours after playing at Idaho. Junior Trazil Lane leads the Eagles, having averaged 21.3 points per game in the team's last four outings. He and sophomore Mycole Rodriguez (16.3 PPG over the last four games) have been the team's two main offensive threats as of late.
The game is expected to be a tune-up for the Bobcats before they travel to #9 Arizona for the non-conference finale on Dec. 20. The Wildcats will likely be the first nationally ranked opponent the Bobcats have played since squaring off against #19 Utah State on Nov. 5, 2019. Tuesday's game also marks the first meeting between the two teams in Tucson; MSU played Arizona in Minneapolis during the 1981-82 season and in Oklahoma City during the 1939-40 season. The all-time series is tied at 1-1.
This year, the Wildcats will be the toughest team MSU plays in the regular season.
Led by Azuolas Tubelis (20.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG) and Oumar Ballo (18.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG) in the frontcourt, Arizona leads the nation in points per game (92.0), field goal percentage (54.7%) and assists (21.5 per game). Arizona plays fast, has four players in its rotation who make at least 40% of their threes and — until its Dec. 1 loss to Utah — scored at least 80 points in every game.
"We know it's going to be a challenge, but we have to continue to get better," Sprinkle said. "There will be some adversity; Arizona does make things hard on opposing teams. And they have two of the best post players in the country, plus they have tremendous players all around. You have to pick your poison with them. The pace they play at and their ability to score puts you in bad spots — and it's not just us, it's been every team they've played. We're going to hope they miss some shots and guard and rebound the way we're capable of doing."
Tuesday's game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network at 6:30 p.m. MT. After that game, Big Sky Conference play begins with a two-game homestand against Idaho on Dec. 29, then a New Year's Eve matchup against Eastern Washington on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. All conference games will be broadcasted on ESPN+. Season tickets and single-game tickets for all remaining home games can be found on msubobcats.info/tickets.
The Bobcats' matchup against Northwest Indian College is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17; it will be livestreamed on ESPN+ with a free radio broadcast on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. Admission to Saturday's game is free, and everyone who attends the game will receive a voucher for a ticket to a future Montana State men's basketball home game (excluding Cat/Griz).
The Bobcats (6-5) not only are on a three-game winning streak, but also have won the last 12 games in Worthington Arena — a streak dating back to Jan. 1, 2022. Should the Bobcats win on Saturday night, they will extend their home winning streak to 13 games, which would be the second-longest streak in program history.
"When I took the program over, I wanted to make Worthington Arena the hardest place to play in the league," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. "We've had good players that have been able to win a lot of games, which helps, but a lot of it has been the crowd. Our 6th Man Club gets those guys going and it's a huge advantage for us."
"We have to continue to get this place loud and get this place packed — whether it's football season or volleyball season, we have to have a packed house for all our athletic teams," Sprinkle added.
Thanks to big wins over St. Thomas and Omaha last week, statistics have been kind to the Bobcats.
Montana State's offense has had a resurgence lately by putting up three-straight 80-point performances for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Additionally, the Bobcats have connected on at least 49% of their field goals over the past four games. All told, has become one of the most balanced teams in the Big Sky Conference, connecting on 45.6% of their field goals (second-best in the Big Sky) and limiting teams to shooting 42.4% from the field (best in the Big Sky).
In last week's homestand, MSU's bench was the difference-maker in both games. During the win over St. Thomas, sophomore Patrick McMahon came off the bench and chipped in 14 points on 4-for-4 shooting to help put the Tommies away in the second half. Against St. Thomas, six different Bobcats finished in double-figures, which is the second time that has happened this year.
"Last week, the second unit really stood out," Sprinkle said. "We needed Patrick, Rob and Great in order to win those games. I knew it would take a while for this group to figure it out — especially with so many new guys on the roster. We're still a work in progress, but those guys were huge."
Then against Omaha, sophomore forward Great Osobor took over midway through the first half, scoring six-straight points en route to a season-best 18-point night. Additionally, Robert Ford III came off the bench and gave MSU a spark on both ends of the floor: first by sinking two deep threes, and then by notching a season-high three steals.
"When Great is playing like that and scoring on the low block, he's a load," Sprinkle said. "Patrick needs to continue to play and be comfortable with more minutes. He's capable of playing like that. Rob has proven himself in this league before, but he still needs to get healthy. It was nice to see him be more aggressive and confident out there."
The Bobcats will look to carry these trends into Saturday's game against the Northwest Indian College Eagles.
Not much is known about the Eagles, which compete in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, yet they are 1-10 on the season with the majority of their games played on the road. The Eagles will come to Bozeman less than 24 hours after playing at Idaho. Junior Trazil Lane leads the Eagles, having averaged 21.3 points per game in the team's last four outings. He and sophomore Mycole Rodriguez (16.3 PPG over the last four games) have been the team's two main offensive threats as of late.
The game is expected to be a tune-up for the Bobcats before they travel to #9 Arizona for the non-conference finale on Dec. 20. The Wildcats will likely be the first nationally ranked opponent the Bobcats have played since squaring off against #19 Utah State on Nov. 5, 2019. Tuesday's game also marks the first meeting between the two teams in Tucson; MSU played Arizona in Minneapolis during the 1981-82 season and in Oklahoma City during the 1939-40 season. The all-time series is tied at 1-1.
This year, the Wildcats will be the toughest team MSU plays in the regular season.
Led by Azuolas Tubelis (20.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG) and Oumar Ballo (18.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG) in the frontcourt, Arizona leads the nation in points per game (92.0), field goal percentage (54.7%) and assists (21.5 per game). Arizona plays fast, has four players in its rotation who make at least 40% of their threes and — until its Dec. 1 loss to Utah — scored at least 80 points in every game.
"We know it's going to be a challenge, but we have to continue to get better," Sprinkle said. "There will be some adversity; Arizona does make things hard on opposing teams. And they have two of the best post players in the country, plus they have tremendous players all around. You have to pick your poison with them. The pace they play at and their ability to score puts you in bad spots — and it's not just us, it's been every team they've played. We're going to hope they miss some shots and guard and rebound the way we're capable of doing."
Tuesday's game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network at 6:30 p.m. MT. After that game, Big Sky Conference play begins with a two-game homestand against Idaho on Dec. 29, then a New Year's Eve matchup against Eastern Washington on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. All conference games will be broadcasted on ESPN+. Season tickets and single-game tickets for all remaining home games can be found on msubobcats.info/tickets.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballBobcat Insider TV Show
Thursday, March 03
Inside The Brick (Amin Adamu)
Friday, November 05
Inside The Brick (Nick Gazelas)
Monday, November 01
Inside The Brick (Abdul Mohamed)
Sunday, October 31
