Thursday, January 19
Bozeman, MT
7:00 PM
Montana State University
vs
SACRAMENTO STATE
Shawn Reid scored 16 points at NAU last Saturday
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats Host Hornets on Thursday to Open Weekend Homestand
1/18/2012 5:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Big Sky home games provide opportunity, challenge
Brad Huse knows it's cliché. He also knows it's true.
MSU Game Notes vs. Sacramento State
“These are big games,” Montana State's sixth-year head men's basketball coach said of his team's weekend homestand against Sacramento State (7 pm on Thursday) and Northern Colorado (7 pm on Saturday), “but as a coach you say every (conference) weekend is big. We just finished a very long road trip, and we know we have to play well at home. In league play you need to take care of the home court. We've lost one at home, and we don't want to fall back any more in that area.”
While the Bobcats host a pair of teams that earned road wins in Worthington Arena last year, Huse likes the way his team is playing. “We're showing signs,” he said. “Things are coming together for us. We learned a little more about ourselves (on the just-completed road trip), learned more about what it takes to be successful in the Big Sky. And at the same time, there's still room for improvement.”
One developing factor that pleases Huse is the potential for offensive balance. Six Bobcats average between 7.5 and 12 points an outing. “From night to night we're getting different guys to step up,” he said. “We're at a point now where, at Weber State (Mike)Dison and (Jeff) Budinich led us in scoring and the next time out Xavier (Blount) stepped up and had a good night, Shawn Reid and Christian Moon are in double figures (scoring). We're getting contributions from different players on different night, and I like that balance. I think that makes us hard to prepare for.”
While Sacramento State continues to seek its first Big Sky win of the season, Huse sees a team that combines ability and effort. “Sac State is a team that probably feels a little snake-bit right now. They could have some wins under their belt but they had a very difficult loss last weekend. It's a team with a lot of character, a team with a lot of different guys that can make baskets and score. I know they'll come to our place with a lot of energy.”
Huse knows teams across the country strive for the balance between placing importance on every conference contest and continuing to grind and improve in a season that stretches for nearly two more months. “We're still only five games into the league, but now you play two (this weekend) and all of a sudden you're almost halfway through (conference play). Each game brings on new meaning, and certainly for us this weekend is important.”
Thursday's game is televised on Altitude.
MSU Game Notes vs. Sacramento State
“These are big games,” Montana State's sixth-year head men's basketball coach said of his team's weekend homestand against Sacramento State (7 pm on Thursday) and Northern Colorado (7 pm on Saturday), “but as a coach you say every (conference) weekend is big. We just finished a very long road trip, and we know we have to play well at home. In league play you need to take care of the home court. We've lost one at home, and we don't want to fall back any more in that area.”
While the Bobcats host a pair of teams that earned road wins in Worthington Arena last year, Huse likes the way his team is playing. “We're showing signs,” he said. “Things are coming together for us. We learned a little more about ourselves (on the just-completed road trip), learned more about what it takes to be successful in the Big Sky. And at the same time, there's still room for improvement.”
One developing factor that pleases Huse is the potential for offensive balance. Six Bobcats average between 7.5 and 12 points an outing. “From night to night we're getting different guys to step up,” he said. “We're at a point now where, at Weber State (Mike)Dison and (Jeff) Budinich led us in scoring and the next time out Xavier (Blount) stepped up and had a good night, Shawn Reid and Christian Moon are in double figures (scoring). We're getting contributions from different players on different night, and I like that balance. I think that makes us hard to prepare for.”
While Sacramento State continues to seek its first Big Sky win of the season, Huse sees a team that combines ability and effort. “Sac State is a team that probably feels a little snake-bit right now. They could have some wins under their belt but they had a very difficult loss last weekend. It's a team with a lot of character, a team with a lot of different guys that can make baskets and score. I know they'll come to our place with a lot of energy.”
Huse knows teams across the country strive for the balance between placing importance on every conference contest and continuing to grind and improve in a season that stretches for nearly two more months. “We're still only five games into the league, but now you play two (this weekend) and all of a sudden you're almost halfway through (conference play). Each game brings on new meaning, and certainly for us this weekend is important.”
Thursday's game is televised on Altitude.
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