Saturday, January 19
Missoula, MT
7:05 p.m.
Montana State University
at
MONTANA
Xavier Blount and the Bobcats face Montana in Missoula Saturday
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcats Trek West for Cat-Griz Showdown
1/18/2013 3:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU faces league-leading Montana in Dahlberg Arena on Saturday
Brad Huse knows all about the opponent his Montana State basketball team faces Saturday when it meets Big Sky-leading Montana in Missoula. He knows the Grizzlies have won 20 consecutive conference games, and have beaten the last 22 Big Sky teams that ventured into Dahlberg Arena.
MSU Game Notes vs. Montana MSU Bio Updates
He knows UM features two of the league's top seven scorers in forward Mathias Ward and guard Kareem Jamar, who along with their point production each contribute in a variety of ways statistically and otherwise. He also knows that one of the Big Sky's most talented players, Will Cherry, is quietly working his way back into form after missing the early portion of the season with an injury.
But he's more worried about what's going on with his team than the one the Cats face Saturday.
“As a team we're really bonding to one another and giving ourselves up for the team,” Huse said of his still-young team, which features only four players that have competed in Dahlberg Arena previously. “I feel good about where we are as a unit. We're coming out of a stretch where we won four times in five games, and we're playing well at times.”
Saturday's game shapes up as a crucial contest for both teams, transcending even the Cat-Griz rivalry. While Montana fights to keep pace with Weber State at the top of the league standings, the Bobcats are bunched with six other clubs – including Monday's opponent Southern Utah and next Saturday's foe Idaho State – with either three or four league losses. “We have a big stretch of four games coming up in eight days,” Huse said, “so we need to be ready physically, and we need to keep our emotions in check and put the previous game in the rear view mirror.'
“It was a big week to prepare for Montana, but also to clean some things up on our end. We have a big stretch of four games coming up in the next eight days, so we need to be ready physically and we need to keep our emotions in check and put the previous game in the rear view mirror regardless of the circumstances.
Montana's seven-game league-only stats paint a picture that strikes fear in opponents. The Grizzlies shoot a 47% from the floor but hit 39% of their three-point shots and 75.5% of the team's charity tosses. UM has made five free throws more (123) in league play than its opponents have shot. Impressively, 63% of the team's field goals come from assists.
“Montana is a good team, that is a difficult place for an opponent to win a game,” Huse said, emphasizing that he continues to appreciate the way his team is performing. “I like the way this team is playing for one another,” he said. “They're playing for the team.”
The Bobcat team enter Saturday's game for one of the few times all season with a full complement of players. Guard Antonio Biglow missed the previous five games while suspended for actions detrimental to the team, and he brings an offensive boost to a team that hast struggled on that end of the floor at times.
Defensively, though, the Bobcats have played their best basketball lately. In the three games before North Dakota's torrid shooting game on Saturday, MSU limited its three previous league opponents to 40.1% shooting. Even accounting for UND's 53% shooting last weekend and the tough NAU-Sac State road swing prior to Christmas, the Bobcats allow opponents to shoot 45% from the floor.
Tipoff is 7 pm for Saturday's Cat-Griz men's game. The game is televised statewide on Max Media stations (ABC affiliates except for Billings, where NBC KULR-8 carries the game).
MSU Game Notes vs. Montana MSU Bio Updates
He knows UM features two of the league's top seven scorers in forward Mathias Ward and guard Kareem Jamar, who along with their point production each contribute in a variety of ways statistically and otherwise. He also knows that one of the Big Sky's most talented players, Will Cherry, is quietly working his way back into form after missing the early portion of the season with an injury.
But he's more worried about what's going on with his team than the one the Cats face Saturday.
“As a team we're really bonding to one another and giving ourselves up for the team,” Huse said of his still-young team, which features only four players that have competed in Dahlberg Arena previously. “I feel good about where we are as a unit. We're coming out of a stretch where we won four times in five games, and we're playing well at times.”
Saturday's game shapes up as a crucial contest for both teams, transcending even the Cat-Griz rivalry. While Montana fights to keep pace with Weber State at the top of the league standings, the Bobcats are bunched with six other clubs – including Monday's opponent Southern Utah and next Saturday's foe Idaho State – with either three or four league losses. “We have a big stretch of four games coming up in eight days,” Huse said, “so we need to be ready physically, and we need to keep our emotions in check and put the previous game in the rear view mirror.'
“It was a big week to prepare for Montana, but also to clean some things up on our end. We have a big stretch of four games coming up in the next eight days, so we need to be ready physically and we need to keep our emotions in check and put the previous game in the rear view mirror regardless of the circumstances.
Montana's seven-game league-only stats paint a picture that strikes fear in opponents. The Grizzlies shoot a 47% from the floor but hit 39% of their three-point shots and 75.5% of the team's charity tosses. UM has made five free throws more (123) in league play than its opponents have shot. Impressively, 63% of the team's field goals come from assists.
“Montana is a good team, that is a difficult place for an opponent to win a game,” Huse said, emphasizing that he continues to appreciate the way his team is performing. “I like the way this team is playing for one another,” he said. “They're playing for the team.”
The Bobcat team enter Saturday's game for one of the few times all season with a full complement of players. Guard Antonio Biglow missed the previous five games while suspended for actions detrimental to the team, and he brings an offensive boost to a team that hast struggled on that end of the floor at times.
Defensively, though, the Bobcats have played their best basketball lately. In the three games before North Dakota's torrid shooting game on Saturday, MSU limited its three previous league opponents to 40.1% shooting. Even accounting for UND's 53% shooting last weekend and the tough NAU-Sac State road swing prior to Christmas, the Bobcats allow opponents to shoot 45% from the floor.
Tipoff is 7 pm for Saturday's Cat-Griz men's game. The game is televised statewide on Max Media stations (ABC affiliates except for Billings, where NBC KULR-8 carries the game).
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