Montana State University
Portland State
Montana State Welcomes Portland State and Sacramento State
2/21/2024 8:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bobcats looking to recapture mojo entering final few weeks of regular season
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State men's basketball returns home this weekend looking to recapture their mojo ahead of two crucial Big Sky clashes inside Worthington Arena.
The Bobcats (11-15, 6-7 Big Sky) face Portland State on Thursday night at 7 p.m. before taking on Sacramento State on Saturday evening at 6 p.m.
Tickets are available here.
Both games 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 enters Thursday looking to snap a four-game skid that began after taking down first-place Eastern Washington on February 1 in a thrilling win, 70-60 in Bozeman.
IN NEED OF A BOUNCE-BACK
Montana State enters Thursday looking to snap a four-game losing streak--the first four-game losing streak in the 13-year career as a head coach for Matt Logie. Including a heartbreaking loss on the road to Portland State on January 27, the Cats have lost five of their last six games after starting Big Sky play 6-3.
FAMILIAR FOES
Montana State faces Portland State on Thursday in a rematch of a wild game in the Rose City the last weekend of January. Montana State held a 15-point lead with just over four minutes to go before the Vikings staged a comeback and won, 94-91. Two nights prior, Montana State pulled out a convincing 70-62 win over Sacramento State inside The Nest behind a 20 point, seven rebound performance from Brian Goracke
RIDICULOUS ROB
Robert Ford III has been one of the most improved players in the country this season, raising his scoring average from 4.4 ppg to 15.7 ppg, his field goal percentage from 28.6% to 47.6%, his three-point percentage from 26.2% to 43.4%, and his rebounding from 3.2 rpg to 8.0 rpg. Ford ranks second in the country in steals (75) and fourth in steals per game (3.00), and is top-60 in the nation in double-doubles (6). Ford has had at least one steal in all 26 games this season. The Portland native had a big game against Portland State in the Rose City on January 27, dropping 26 points with eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
MILESTONE WATCH
Tyler Patterson currently ranks sixth in MSU history for made three point field goals (191), and is tied for eighth in program history for games played (119). Patterson is five more threes away from moving up to fifth all-time in Bobcat history for career three point field goals, needing to pass Casey Durham (2004-2008).
HOME SWEET HOME
Montana State will play three of their last five games at Worthington Arena, a place where they have tallied 21 home wins against Big Sky opponents over the last three seasons.
HISTORIC NUMBERS
Robert Ford III is averaging the most rebounds by a Bobcat since 1997-1998 (8.0 per game) and the most steals by a Bobcat since 1987-1988 (2.9 per game)
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.
ROB-CAT
Robert Ford III is currently second in NCAA Division I in steals and ranks third in MSU history for steals in a single season (75). Chris Conway had 94 in the 1987-88 season.
FREE THROW MAESTRO
Brian Goracke ranks 37th in NCAA Division I in free-throw percentage (87.8%).
CAUSING HAVOC
Montana State leads the Big Sky in steals per game (8.2) and turnovers forced per game (13.7)
OFFENSIVE BALANCE
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)
POWER FIVE 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.)
THE LOGIE FILE
First year head coach Matt Logie would work for five seasons at his alma mater, Lehigh, before being promoted to associate head coach for two years. While there he recruited CJ McCollum, the 2013 NBA Draft pick and current member of the New Orleans Pelicans and helped lead the Mountain Hawks into the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The team whom Coach Logie helped to build at Lehigh before leaving for Whitworth in 2011 would go on to beat Duke in the 2012 NCAA Tournament in one of March Madness' greatest upsets.
MORE ON MATT
Logie watched from the sidelines as current Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder played for Logie's grandfather, Ed Pepple, at Mercer Island High School outside of Seattle. Snyder went on to star at Duke after a McDonald's All-American career at Mercer Island, before an NBA playing and coaching career. Logie was a ballboy and later played for his grandfather at Mercer Island, leading the Islanders to state championships in 1997 and 1999. Pepple was named the national high school coach of the year in 1998.
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