Thursday, January 5
Greeley, CO
6 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Northern Colorado
Darius Brown II
Photo by: Kyle Cajero
Men’s Basketball Heads to Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona
1/4/2023 11:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Embarking on its first Big Sky Conference road trip of the season, the Montana State men's basketball team plays at Northern Colorado on Thursday night, followed by a Saturday afternoon contest at Northern Arizona.
Both games will be livestreamed on ESPN+ and a free radio call will be provided by the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. Links to livestream, live stats and radio broadcasts can be found on the men's basketball team's schedule page on msubobcats.com.
The Bobcats (8-7, 1-1 Big Sky) are coming off a tough, 70-67 home loss to Eastern Washington on Dec. 31, 2022, in which the Eagles won on a go-ahead three from Steele Venters with 19 seconds left. Saturday's result snapped a 14-game home winning streak and a seven-game win streak against Big Sky Conference opponents, yet the Bobcats look to right the ship against two teams it got the best of last season.
This week's opponents are looking for their first Big Sky Conference wins and returning home after two weeks on the road. Northern Colorado (5-9, 0-2 Big Sky) lost 81-72 at Weber State last Thursday and fell 90-83 in overtime at Idaho State last Saturday. The Lumberjacks (4-11, 0-2 Big Sky) also fell to Idaho State and Weber State last week.
A bright spot for the Bobcats in the first week of conference play was Darius Brown II, who notched his third-career double-double with an 18-point, 11-rebound effort against Eastern Washington. Brown II is one of two players in the Big Sky to record double-figure point, rebound and assist stat-lines, plus he ranks second in the nation with his 2.98 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Prior to the Eastern Washington game, the Bobcats picked up their first conference win with a 72-58 home win over Idaho. The Bobcat defense held the then-top offense in the Big Sky to 21 points below their scoring average, plus it held double-double machine Isaac Jones in check with only six points and four rebounds. Jubrile Belo led MSU with 19 points and Tyler Patterson provided a spark off the bench with his best game of the season: a 17-point showing with five made threes.
Recently, the matchup between Montana State and Northern Colorado has delivered thrilling games. The two regular-season meetings were determined by two points apiece: first with a 77-75 Northern Colorado win in overtime, and then with an 87-85 home win for the Bobcats off a game-winning three from Battle. MSU would then blow out UNC with an 87-66 win in the Big Sky title game that sent the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.
This year's matchup will pit one of the best defenses in the Big Sky against Northern Colorado's high-powered offense. Through the first two conference games, Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle's squad boasts the second-best scoring defense (64.0 points per game allowed) and the third-best field goal percentage (45.7%) in the Big Sky. Thanks to Great Osobor (league-leading 2.0 blocks per game) and Belo (1.0 blocks in league play), the Bobcats also rank second in the conference with 3.5 blocks per game.
Northern Colorado's Dalton Knecht leads all players with 25.5 points per game in Big Sky Conference games. The senior forward poured in 29 points against Idaho State, 22 against Weber State and currently leads the league with eight 20-point games. His teammate Daylen Kountz is close behind with six 20-point outings and is the Big Sky's fifth-leading scorer at 18.5 points per game.
Following this game, Montana State travels to Northern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. MT. All Big Sky Conference games will be streamed on ESPN+. The Bobcats' next home game will be on Thursday, Jan. 12 against Idaho State. Season tickets and single-game tickets for all remaining home games can be found on msubobcats.info/tickets.
Both games will be livestreamed on ESPN+ and a free radio call will be provided by the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. Links to livestream, live stats and radio broadcasts can be found on the men's basketball team's schedule page on msubobcats.com.
The Bobcats (8-7, 1-1 Big Sky) are coming off a tough, 70-67 home loss to Eastern Washington on Dec. 31, 2022, in which the Eagles won on a go-ahead three from Steele Venters with 19 seconds left. Saturday's result snapped a 14-game home winning streak and a seven-game win streak against Big Sky Conference opponents, yet the Bobcats look to right the ship against two teams it got the best of last season.
This week's opponents are looking for their first Big Sky Conference wins and returning home after two weeks on the road. Northern Colorado (5-9, 0-2 Big Sky) lost 81-72 at Weber State last Thursday and fell 90-83 in overtime at Idaho State last Saturday. The Lumberjacks (4-11, 0-2 Big Sky) also fell to Idaho State and Weber State last week.
A bright spot for the Bobcats in the first week of conference play was Darius Brown II, who notched his third-career double-double with an 18-point, 11-rebound effort against Eastern Washington. Brown II is one of two players in the Big Sky to record double-figure point, rebound and assist stat-lines, plus he ranks second in the nation with his 2.98 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Prior to the Eastern Washington game, the Bobcats picked up their first conference win with a 72-58 home win over Idaho. The Bobcat defense held the then-top offense in the Big Sky to 21 points below their scoring average, plus it held double-double machine Isaac Jones in check with only six points and four rebounds. Jubrile Belo led MSU with 19 points and Tyler Patterson provided a spark off the bench with his best game of the season: a 17-point showing with five made threes.
Recently, the matchup between Montana State and Northern Colorado has delivered thrilling games. The two regular-season meetings were determined by two points apiece: first with a 77-75 Northern Colorado win in overtime, and then with an 87-85 home win for the Bobcats off a game-winning three from Battle. MSU would then blow out UNC with an 87-66 win in the Big Sky title game that sent the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.
This year's matchup will pit one of the best defenses in the Big Sky against Northern Colorado's high-powered offense. Through the first two conference games, Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle's squad boasts the second-best scoring defense (64.0 points per game allowed) and the third-best field goal percentage (45.7%) in the Big Sky. Thanks to Great Osobor (league-leading 2.0 blocks per game) and Belo (1.0 blocks in league play), the Bobcats also rank second in the conference with 3.5 blocks per game.
Northern Colorado's Dalton Knecht leads all players with 25.5 points per game in Big Sky Conference games. The senior forward poured in 29 points against Idaho State, 22 against Weber State and currently leads the league with eight 20-point games. His teammate Daylen Kountz is close behind with six 20-point outings and is the Big Sky's fifth-leading scorer at 18.5 points per game.
Following this game, Montana State travels to Northern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. MT. All Big Sky Conference games will be streamed on ESPN+. The Bobcats' next home game will be on Thursday, Jan. 12 against Idaho State. Season tickets and single-game tickets for all remaining home games can be found on msubobcats.info/tickets.
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