Montana State University
Southern Utah
Bobcats Host Southern Utah on Tuesday in Rematch of Former Big Sky Rivals
12/18/2023 1:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU looking for big non-conference win in final home game of 2023
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State men's basketball welcomes a familiar foe to Worthington Arena on Tuesday night, hosting Southern Utah in the Cats' final home game of 2023.
From 2012-2022, the Bobcats and Thunderbirds competed as conference rivals in the Big Sky before Southern Utah left for the Western Athletic Conference last season.
Tip on Tuesday is set for 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with the live radio play-by-play of Keaton Gillogly and Brian Priebe airing on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. Tickets are available here.
BALANCED O
Montana State tallied 22 assists in Saturday's win over SAGU AIC, and connected on 20 3-pointers, their third-most in a game since 2001. The Bobcats went 20-of-43 from deep (46.5%) and were 20-of-23 at the free throw line (87.0%). Brian Goracked led the way with 29 points, Robert Ford III added 24, and Eddie Turner III chipped 16 points with nine assists.
MR. AUTOMATIC
Brian Goracke is coming off a season-high 29 points in Saturday's win. The junior from Monroe, Oregon, went 10-for-10 at the free throw line, and is now 26-of-27 (96.3%) at the charity stripe this season, good for fifth in NCAA Division I
SALUTE TO EDDIE
Eddie Turner III enjoyed his best game as a Bobcat on Saturday, tallying a career-high 16 points, all of which came in the first half. The graduate transfer from Columbia also recorded a career-high nine assists. Turner III is sporting a protective face mask as he recovers from a broken nose suffered on Nov. 11 at Seattle U
TYLER'S DIALED IN
Tyler Patterson was named Big Sky Conference Co-Player of the Week on Monday, Nov. 27 after notching consecutive 20-point games.The junior from Snoqualmie, Wash., finished 7-of-9 from the floor and scored 18 points in the second half alone against UC Riverside,including going 4-of-4 from three-point range to lift the Cats to a huge non-conference win, then dropped 20 more points with seven rebounds while going 6-of-11 from three in a tight loss to Long Beach State
HIGHWAY ROB-BERY
Robert Ford III put up 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals in Saturday's win, continuing his impactful stretch to start the season. The redshirt senior from Portland, Oregon, ranks fourth in the country in steals in per game (3.22) and 13th in total steals (29). On Nov. 20, Ford recorded a career-high seven steals against Green Bay, the second-most in a single game in program history and the most by a Bobcat since 2013. Among players 6-foot-2 or shorter, the Portland native ranks second in NCAA Division I in rebounds per game (7.8).
BALL SECURITY
Montana State ranks 18th in the country and first in the Big Sky Conference in turnover margin (4.4) and is first in the Big Sky in steals per game (8.9) and turnovers forced per game (15.78)
REINFORCEMENTS
After a wrist injury kept him sidelined for the first eight games, forward Jaden Geron made his return to the court on Saturday. The transfer from Rice played 13 minutes and contributed three points and three rebounds
LET IT FLY
Matt Logie-coached teams pride themselves on three-point shooting, and that has translated to the Cats in Bozeman. Montana State ranks sixth in the country in three point attempts per game (30.1) and 20th in the made three point field goals per game (10.1)
INTO THE TOP TEN
With his four 3-pointers on Saturday, junior Tyler Patterson entered Montana State's all-time top ten for made three point field goals (164). Patterson is six behind Danny Piepoli (170) for ninth. Tyler Hall (431) is the program's all-time leader. Tyler Patterson leads the Big Sky in 3-point percentage (40.3%), three-pointers made per game (2.78), and is second in total made three-point field goals (25)
SERIES HISTORY
Montana State leads the all-time series with Southern Utah, 24-6. The Cats have won five in a row, with the last Thunderbirds win coming in 2020. Last season, MSU pulled out a thrilling 86-83 road win in Cedar City on a RaeQuann Battle steal and score in the final seconds. Montana State is 15-0 against Southern Utah in Bozeman.
ABOUT THE THUNDERBIRDS
After going 24-13, reaching the WAC Championship game against Grand Canyon, and advancing to the CBI semifinals last season, 2023-2024 has been tougher sledding for Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds are under the direction of first-year head coach Rob Jeter (Western Illinois) after the departure of Todd Simon to Bowling Green State. Similar to MSU, Southern Utah's roster features a lot of newcomers from the transfer portal. The Thunderbirds enter Tuesday's matchup 3-7 with wins over Idaho State and Texas State and losses to Utah State, Utah, Seattle U, and Northern Arizona.
GOLDEN AGE OF BOBCAT BASKETBALL
The Bobcats are coming off of their two best seasons in the modern era. In 2021-22, Montana State went 27-8, which included a 13-1 record at home and a program-record 16 wins in conference play. In 2022-2023, Montana State went 25-10, collected a 12-1 record at Worthington Arena, and went 15-3 in conference action. Montana State has played in three straight Big Sky Tournament championship games, gone 37-7 against Big Sky opponents over the last two seasons, won at least 25 games in two straight seasons for the first time since 1927-1929, and are coming off consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history.
WELCOME TO THE LOGIE ERA
First-year head coach Matt Logie comes to Montana State after four seasons at Point Loma in California, where his teams rolled up an 82-23 record with three conference championships. His 12 seasons as a head basketball coach includes eight at Whitworth University in Spokane (2011-19), where his Pirates compiled a 194-35 record. Logie's 276-58 career mark in 12 seasons is good for an .826 winning percentage, the third-highest winning percentage in the history of all NCAA men's college basketball coaches.
#GoCatsGo
