Montana State University
Idaho State
Bobcats Hit Road For First Weekend of Big Sky Play
12/27/2023 10:17:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MSU faces Idaho State on Thursday night in Pocatello, Weber State on Saturday afternoon in Ogden in conference debut for first-year head coach Matt Logie
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- The Montana State men's basketball team opens up Big Sky Conference play on the road this week, traveling to Pocatello, Idaho, to face Idaho State on Thursday night before turning around and heading to Ogden, Utah, for a Saturday afternoon clash with preseason favorite Weber State.
Thursday night's game against Idaho State will tip at 7 p.m. from Reed Gym, while Saturday's game at Weber State will get underway at 2 p.m. from Dee Events Center.
All Big Sky Conference games stream on ESPN+. Live radio play-by-play from Voice of the Bobcats Keaton Gillogly will air on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network.
After this weekend's conference-opening road trip, the Cats will face Oral Roberts at home (Jan. 3) and South Dakota State on the road (Jan. 6) as part of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. Through the first stage of the season, MSU sits at 5-6 in head coach Matt Logie's first season, with signature wins over California, UC Riverside, and Southern Utah.
BIG SKY PLAY BEGINS
Montana State is the two-time defending Big Sky Tournament champion and embarks on their 60th season in the Big Sky Conference in 2023-2024. The Bobcats were picked seventh in the preseason coaches' poll and fourth in the media poll after replacing four starters and welcoming ten newcomers, including seven transfers and three freshmen, under first-year head coach Matt Logie. Montana State has gone 37-7 against Big Sky opponents over the last two seasons.
RUNS THROUGH ROB
Over his last three games, Robert Ford III is averaging 21.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 3.0 apg, and 2.7 spg. The redshirt senior from Portland, Oregon, ranks third in the country in steals in per game (3.09) and 8th in total steals (34). 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 (8.1).
BALLING BRIAN
Brian Goracke's game-winning three last Tuesday in overtime was just the latest gem in the crown of what has been a standout season for the Division II transfer from Point Loma. The junior has scored in double-figures in nine of 11 games this year, scoring 18+ points on four occasions. Goracke leads the Big Sky in made 3-pointers (30) and made 3-pointers per game (2.73), and ranks second to teammate Tyler Patterson in 3-point percentage (36.1)
GORACKE GAME-WINNER
With the Bobcats trailing 88-86 to Southern Utah with 2.5 seconds left last Tuesday night in Worthington Arena, Brian Goracke nailed a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to hand the Cats a thrilling win. From the sideline, Tyler Patterson inbounded to John Olmsted, who delivered a perfect touch pass to Goracke on the wing. Goracke faked a shot, then delivered the buzzer-beater which checked in at No. 5 on the SportsCenter Top 10 plays segment that night.
SALUTE TO CHIKA
Chika Nduka is playing his best basketball of the season, scoring 16 points with six rebounds off the bench last Tuesday against Southern Utah and ten points with three rebounds off the bench this past Friday against Cal State Northridge. The junior transfer from Portland played in 67 games for the Pilots before joining Logie's squad in Bozeman this year
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
THRILLING RECENT HISTORY
Montana State and Weber State have met in the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament each of the last two seasons, with the Bobcats pulling out a pair of narrow wins on their way to back-to-back tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2022, the Bobcats outscored the Wildcats 38-29 in the second half to win, 69-66. In 2023, the Bobcats won in double-overtime, 60-58, to advance back to the championship game--Robert Ford III hit a pair of big shots down the stretch and snagged six rebounds to help secure the win.
TOP TEN TYLER
Junior Tyler Patterson has entered Montana State's all-time top ten for made three point field goals (167). Patterson is three behind Danny Piepoli (170) for ninth. Tyler Hall (431) is the program's all-time leader.
AUTOMATIC AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
Brian Goracke ranks 14th in NCAA Division I in free-throw percentage (93.9%)
MR. STEAL-YO-POSSESSION
Montana State leads the Big Sky in steals per game (8.5) and turnovers forced per game (14.45)
LONG DISTANCE SNIPERS
Montana State has three of the top-six players in the Big Sky for made 3-point field goals: Tyler Patterson (1st, 30), Brian Goracke (2nd, 28), and Robert Ford III (6th, 30)
BALANCED ATTACK
Montana State has had four different players score at least 20 points in a game this season: Brian Goracke (29), Brandon Walker (26), Robert Ford III (26), and Tyler Patterson (20)
IT'S BEEN A MINUTE
Before beating Cal on Nov. 16, Montana State had last taken down a Power Five opponent on December 9, 2018, defeating Washington State, 95-90 in a neutral site game in Kennewick, Wash. Montana State is 54-101 against schools currently making up the Pac-12 (including Colorado, Utah, etc.)
ABOUT IDAHO STATE
The Cats and Bengals have one common opponent—Southern Utah. The Cats took down the Thunderbirds, 89-88 in overtime at home on a Brian Goracke game-winning 3-pointer, while the Bengals lost, 82-74, on the road. Idaho State boasts the top 3-point shooting defense in NCAA Division I, holding opponents to 25.9% from beyond the arc. Kiree Huie, a junior college transfer from Odessa College, leads the team in scoring (12.7 ppg), while graduate student center Brayden Parker, who has started 75 games at Idaho State, averages 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The Bengals love to slow the game down—they rank 315th in NCAA Division I in adjusted tempo, with each possession lasting an average of nearly 21 seconds.
ABOUT WEBER STATE
Montana State and Weber State have met in the semifinals of the last two Big Sky Tournaments in Boise, with the Bobcats pulling out memorable wins on their way to back-to-back tournament titles. The Wildcats brought back Big Sky Preseason MVP Dillon Jones from last year, a two-time Big Sky First-Team honoree and a Big Sky Freshman of the Year. Jones leads the Big Sky in rebounding (10.8 rpg) and assists (4.2 apg), and is second in scoring (17.8 ppg). Senior Steven Verplancken is also a reigning All-Big Sky honoree and is averaging 12.4 ppg while shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc. The Wildcats have recorded some of the best wins in the Big Sky this year, defeating No. 23 Saint Mary's, Yale, and Wyoming, after being picked as the preseason favorite in both the coaches' and media polls.
SERIES HISTORY (IDAHO STATE)
Thursday marks the 209th meeting all-time between Montana State and Idaho State, with the Bobcats leading the series, 121-87. In Pocatello, the Bengals are 60-44 against the Cats. Montana State has won nine in a row in the series and 11 of the last 12. Idaho State has not beaten Montana State in Pocatello since 2016. The first meeting between the teams came in 1913, with Idaho State winning, 28-25. Idaho State is Montana State's second-most common opponent behind Montana (305 meetings).
SERIES HISTORY (WEBER STATE)
Saturday marks the 131st meeting all-time between Montana State and Weber State, with the Wildcats leading the series, 88-42. In Ogden, Weber State has won 55 of 65 meetings, with the Cats winning only twice there since 2009 (2020, 2022). The Cats have won four of the last five meetings, including a pair of wins in the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament each of the past two seasons. The first meeting between the teams came in 1964, with MSU winning, 86-69 in Bozeman.
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.
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