Montana State University
Northern Colorado
Men's Basketball Hosts Northern Colorado on Saturday Night
1/12/2024 5:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cats look to build off dominant win over Northern Arizona, clash with Bears in matchup of top-four teams in the Big Sky
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Fresh off a resounding 79-50 win over Northern Arizona on Thursday night, the Montana State men's basketball team welcomes Northern Colorado to Worthington Arena on Saturday evening for a matchup between two of the top-four teams in the Big Sky Conference.
Tip is set for 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play from Voice of the Bobcats Keaton Gillogly and color analyst Brian Priebe airing on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network.
The game will be a "Pack the Place in Pink" affair, with the Cats sporting limited edition pink and white uniforms that will be auctioned off postgame to benefit the Pack the Place in Pink Foundation.
Fans can get into Saturday's game for $5 by wearing pink.
Montana State (7-9, 2-1 Big Sky) is coming off their most complete team win of the season, holding Northern Arizona to just 50 points on 29.4% shooting while recording a season-high 55.3% shooting mark from the field themselves. Brandon Walker led the way with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds, while Robert Ford III posted his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Northern Colorado (9-6, 2-0 Big Sky) has been one of the surprises of the Big Sky thus far, starting out 2-0 in conference play with wins over Northern Arizona and Montana after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll. The Bears are led by Loyola Chicago transfer Saint Thomas, the leading scorer in the Big Sky (19.5 ppg) and a three-time Big Sky Player of the Week honoree. UNC took down Montana in Missoula on Thursday night, 98-92 in overtime.
CUT DOWN THE LUMBERJACKS
Montana State turned in its most complete team performance in a 79-50 drubbing of Northern Arizona on Thursday night at Worthington Arena, securing their 11th straight win in the series against the Lumberjacks. Montana State held NAU to season-low marks in points (50) and field goal percentage (29.4%), snapping a streak of three Bobcat losses in which they had allowed an average of 85.6 points per game. Brandon Walker scored a game-high 17 points with six rebounds, while Robert Ford III recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals
IMPRESSIVE CONSISTENCY
Prior to a three-game skid from Nov. 26-Dec. 5, a Matt Logie-coached team had not lost three games in a row since Point Loma dropped three straight from Feb. 5-15, 2020. The Bobcats' three-game losing streak coming into Thursday marked just the fourth time in Logie's 13-year coaching career that a team under his direction had lost three straight. Logie has never lost four games in a row as a head coach
CATS AND BEARS
Montana State and Northern Colorado will clash for the 77th time on Saturday. The Cats and Bears have met in the Big Sky Tournament each of the last two seasons on the way to two MSU championships. In 2022, Montana State defeated Northern Colorado, 87-66, in the championship game to book their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996. Last season, MSU defeated UNC in the quarterfinal, 84-73, en route to their second straight Big Sky tournament championship.
SHARPSHOOTING TYLER
Tyler Patterson ranks ninth all-time at MSU for made 3-point field goals in a career (173). The junior from Snoqualmie, Wash., is now three behind Scott Hatler (1992-96) and Marcus Colbert (2012-16) who each hit 176 triples. Tyler Hall (431) is the program's all-time leader.
CAPTAIN ROB
Robert Ford III continues to be one of the most impactful mid-major players in college basketball. The redshirt senior from Portland, Oregon, ranks sixth in the country in steals in per game (2.81) and fifth in total steals (45). 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 6-foot Portland native ranks second in NCAA Division I in rebounds per game (7.7).
WALK IT LIKE HE TALKS IT
Sophomore forward Brandon Walker has scored at least 17 points in three of his last four games, shooting 25-of-41 (60.9%) from the field during that stretch.
FREE THROW MAESTRO
After going 8-for-8 at the free throw line on Thursday, Brian Goracke now ranks 7th nationally in free throw percentage (94.0%), going 47-for-50
SERIES HISTORY
Montana State leads the all-time series with Northern Colorado, 50-26. Montana State has won five in a row in the series, and seven of the last eight. The Bobcats have won five of the last seven meetings in Bozeman, and 27 of 35 matchups all-time at Worthington Arena. The Cats and Bears have clashed in each of the last two Big Sky Tournaments, with MSU winning in the 2022 championship game and winning in the quarterfinals in 2023. The two teams first clashed during the 1923-24 season.
CHAMPIONSHIP MEMORIES
Two current members of the Montana State basketball team saw action in the 2022 Big Sky Tournament championship game that saw the Cats win and book their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996. Tyler Patterson started and played 28 minutes, scoring five points and grabbing two rebounds, while Sam Lecholat played ten minutes, scoring two points.
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.
CAUSING HAVOC
Montana State leads the Big Sky in steals per game (8.6) and turnovers forced per game (14.4)
ISO BRANDON
According to KenPom.com, Brandon Walker is fourth in NCAA Division I in percentage of possessions used (35.8%), and is third in percentage of shots taken while he is on the court (38.2%)
LET IT FLY
Montana State has three of the top-eight players in the Big Sky for made 3-point field goals: Brian Goracke (1st, 40), Tyler Patterson (4th, 35), and Robert Ford III (8th, 32)
BALANCED ATTACK
Montana State has had four different players score at least 19 points in a game this season: Brian Goracke (29), Brandon Walker (26), Robert Ford III (26), and Tyler Patterson (20)
BEYOND THE ARC
The Bobcats love to shoot the three-ball under head coach Matt Logie. The Cats rank in the top-25 in NCAA Division I in three-point attempts per game (27.3), and top-50 in made 3-pointers per game (9.2)
SIGNATURE WIN
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.)
#GoCatsGo
