Montana State University
Idaho State
Bobcats Close Homestand Hosting Idaho State on Monday Night
1/21/2024 8:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State looking for 11th straight win in the series over the Bengals
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State men's basketball closes out a four-game homestand on Monday night, hosting Idaho State in an important Big Sky clash at Worthington Arena.
Tip is set for 7 p.m.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play from Voice of the Bobcats Keaton Gillogly and analyst Brian Priebe airing on the Bobcat Sports Network.
Montana State (8-10, 3-2 Big Sky) picked up their first conference win of the season on December 28 in Pocatello, defeating the Bengals, 74-66, in a game they never trailed.
Brian Goracke dropped 29 points on 11-of-15 shooting in the road win, adding eight rebounds. Eddie Turner III poured in a career-high 18 points.
The Bobcats opened up their homestand with wins over Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado last weekend, but fell to Montana on Saturday night in front of a near sellout crowd of 6,648 inside Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Robert Ford III, in his second season in Bozeman after transferring from Idaho State, paced the Cats with a game-high 30 points, seven rebounds, and five steals.
Idaho State (7-12, 2-4 Big Sky) has lost ten in a row to MSU dating back to the 2019 season. The Bengals last win in Bozeman came on March 1, 2018. Idaho State's head coach, Ryan Looney, left Point Loma to take the job in Pocatello after the 2018-19 season—his replacement was Matt Logie, who is now in his first season leading the Bobcats.
Idaho State is 2-2 in their last four Big Sky games, defeating Portland State and Idaho with losses to Sacramento State and Eastern Washington.
LAST TIME OUT
Montana State fell to Montana in the 306th Brawl of the Wild on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 6,684 at Worthington Arena—the fifth-largest crowd at a basketball game for MSU since 2005. The Cats trailed by just two, 38-36, at halftime, but the Griz pulled away over the second twenty minutes with high-level shot-making. Robert Ford III scored a career-high 30 points for MSU in the loss, adding seven rebounds and five steals.
SERIES HISTORY
Monday marks the 210th meeting all-time between Montana State and Idaho State, with the Bobcats leading the series, 122-87. In Bozeman, the Bobcats are 75-27 against the Bengals. Montana State has won ten in a row in the series and 12 of the last 13. Idaho State has not beaten Montana State in Bozeman since 2018. 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 (306 meetings).
SHARPSHOOTING TYLER
Tyler Patterson ranks ninth all-time at MSU for made 3-point field goals in a career (174). The junior from Snoqualmie, Wash., is now two 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.
SALUTE TO ROB
Robert Ford III poured in 30 points with seven rebounds and five steals in Saturday's loss to Montana, becoming the first player in the rivalry to score 30-plus points since Harald Frey scored 37 in 2018. Ford III was named Big Sky Co-Player of the Week on Tuesday, Jan. 16, after notching back-to-back double-doubles in a pair of wins over Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado. The redshirt senior guard continues to be one of the most impactful mid-major players in college basketball. The native of Portland, Oregon, ranks fourth in the country in steals in per game (3.0) and fifth in total steals (54). 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 (7.9). Ford has five double-doubles this season.
BONA FIDE BRIAN
Brian Goracke has been a revelation this season after following head coach Matt Logie from Division II Point Loma last season to Montana State. The junior ranks third in the Big Sky in scoring (15.9 ppg), first in three point percentage (38.3%), and first in three pointers per game (2.40). The native of Monroe, Oregon, is also sixth in NCAA Division I in free throw percentage (93.2%), having gone 55-for-59 at the free throw line this year. Goracke has scored at least 13 points in nine of his last ten games.
MR. AUTOMATIC
Brian Goracke ranks sixth in NCAA Division I in free-throw percentage (93.2%). The junior is 55-of-59 at the charity stripe this year. Montana State's single-season record-holder for free throw percentage is Tyler Hall, who shot 90.7% during the 2017-18 season.
ACTIVE HANDS
Montana State leads the Big Sky in steals per game (8.6) and turnovers forced per game (14.0)
GO AHEAD, B WALK
Brandon Walker continued his stellar sophomore season with 18 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting on Saturday. The transfer from UT Arlington is third on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) and leads the Big Sky in field goal percentage (57.7%). Over his last six games, Walker is averaging 17.0 points per game, scoring at least 17 in five of his last six outings.
EFFICIENT EDDIE
In five conference games this season, graduate transfer guard Eddie Turner III is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game with 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest. Turner poured in 18 points in a win over Idaho State on Dec. 28, 18 points in a loss to Weber State on Dec. 30, and 18 points in a win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 13.
SNIPERS ALL AROUND
Montana State has three of the top-eight players in the Big Sky for made 3-point field goals: Brian Goracke (1st, 44), Robert Ford III (10th, 36), and Tyler Patterson (11th, 35)
BALANCED ATTACK
Montana State has had five different players score at least 18 points in a game this season: Brian Goracke (29), Brandon Walker (26), Robert Ford III (26), Tyler Patterson (20), and Eddie Turner III (18)
LET IT FLY
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 (25.9), and top-50 in made 3-pointers per game (8.8)
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.)
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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