Thursday, January 31
Cheney, WA
6:05 p.m.
Montana State University
at
EASTERN WASHINGTON
The Bobcats are ready for another big week of Big Sky Conference play.
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcats Head West to Face Eastern Washington, Portland State
1/29/2013 4:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Pair of talented foes on tap for Bobcats in Great Northwest
Brad Huse may not always look like he's having fun, but don't let that fool you.
MSU Game Notes vs. EWU Bio Updates
“This is a fun part of the season,” Montana State's seventh-year head basketball coach says of college basketball's annual January and February grind, in which his team is currently submerged. “The games mean so much now.” This weekend's road trip certainly rises to Huse's standard of 'fun', as the Bobcats play games packed with meaning at Eastern Washington (7:05 pm MT) on Thursday (7:05 pm MT) and Portland State on Saturday (8:35 pm MT), a pair of crucial conference contests.
The Bobcats earned narrow victories over both of the league's Northwest teams on the first weekend in January, beating Portland State 62-59 and Eastern Washington 70-68 in overtime. Huse said that the onus as teams enter the second half of the conference season moves from scheme to execution.
“There have been changes they've made since then,” Huse said, “there have been changes we've made. They might be kind of small, but there have certainly been some, so you're always looking for that. Things you did that were successful last time you want to continue to explore and see if that's going to allow you to do the same things this time around. You anticipate teams are going to take away some strengths so you want to have your counters in place. But I really feel that the second half of the league is so much about making plays, guys playing off one another. Your foundation and strength as a unit really has to come to the forefront and carry you because there's so much familiarity.”
While the Bobcats may appear to be enjoying the success of a 6-2 stretch in which one of the losses was an overtime defeat at league-leading Montana, Huse doesn't expect his team to lose intensity. “I don't anticipate there will be a letdown,” he said. “I think our guys understand the value in all these games. Halfway through league (your record) doesn't mean anything. You want to be in good position and I feel like we're in good position.”
Eastern Washington is led by sensational freshman Venky Jois, who averages 13.4 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, with a team-high 21 steals. Collin Chiverton chips in 10.1 points a game, and Jois (47) and Martin Seiferth (35) help the Eagles lead the Big Sky in blocked shots with 112. That has allowed the team to remain at or near the top of the league in field goal defense.
The Bobcats counter with a team that is proving increasingly efficient on the offensive end. The team shoots just 42.7% from the floor in conference games, but has increased that to 44.4% in the last eight. The Bobcats' hallmark trait offensively is its ability to take care of the basketball, averaging just 11.4 turnovers a game on the season and 13.7 in league play – a figure slightly padded by a pair of overtime games.
Free throw shooting has emerged as another positive trend in recent games. MSU shoots 73.5% from the line in Big Sky games, and last weekend hit 37 of its 44 charity tosses, an 84.1% clip that helped the team grab a pair of close home wins.
“They're shooting those things to win the game,” Huse said. “It's kind of like special teams (in football) – it's something you better handle. The guys are confident when they step up there, we have a lot of good shooters, and they're making some clutch ones.”
The Bobcats enter weekend play with a loose grip on third place in the Big Sky standings, holding a 6-4 mark. Sacramento State, North Dakota and Southern Utah each stand a game back at 5-5, , while no conference school has more than seven league defeats.
MSU Game Notes vs. EWU Bio Updates
“This is a fun part of the season,” Montana State's seventh-year head basketball coach says of college basketball's annual January and February grind, in which his team is currently submerged. “The games mean so much now.” This weekend's road trip certainly rises to Huse's standard of 'fun', as the Bobcats play games packed with meaning at Eastern Washington (7:05 pm MT) on Thursday (7:05 pm MT) and Portland State on Saturday (8:35 pm MT), a pair of crucial conference contests.
The Bobcats earned narrow victories over both of the league's Northwest teams on the first weekend in January, beating Portland State 62-59 and Eastern Washington 70-68 in overtime. Huse said that the onus as teams enter the second half of the conference season moves from scheme to execution.
“There have been changes they've made since then,” Huse said, “there have been changes we've made. They might be kind of small, but there have certainly been some, so you're always looking for that. Things you did that were successful last time you want to continue to explore and see if that's going to allow you to do the same things this time around. You anticipate teams are going to take away some strengths so you want to have your counters in place. But I really feel that the second half of the league is so much about making plays, guys playing off one another. Your foundation and strength as a unit really has to come to the forefront and carry you because there's so much familiarity.”
While the Bobcats may appear to be enjoying the success of a 6-2 stretch in which one of the losses was an overtime defeat at league-leading Montana, Huse doesn't expect his team to lose intensity. “I don't anticipate there will be a letdown,” he said. “I think our guys understand the value in all these games. Halfway through league (your record) doesn't mean anything. You want to be in good position and I feel like we're in good position.”
Eastern Washington is led by sensational freshman Venky Jois, who averages 13.4 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, with a team-high 21 steals. Collin Chiverton chips in 10.1 points a game, and Jois (47) and Martin Seiferth (35) help the Eagles lead the Big Sky in blocked shots with 112. That has allowed the team to remain at or near the top of the league in field goal defense.
The Bobcats counter with a team that is proving increasingly efficient on the offensive end. The team shoots just 42.7% from the floor in conference games, but has increased that to 44.4% in the last eight. The Bobcats' hallmark trait offensively is its ability to take care of the basketball, averaging just 11.4 turnovers a game on the season and 13.7 in league play – a figure slightly padded by a pair of overtime games.
Free throw shooting has emerged as another positive trend in recent games. MSU shoots 73.5% from the line in Big Sky games, and last weekend hit 37 of its 44 charity tosses, an 84.1% clip that helped the team grab a pair of close home wins.
“They're shooting those things to win the game,” Huse said. “It's kind of like special teams (in football) – it's something you better handle. The guys are confident when they step up there, we have a lot of good shooters, and they're making some clutch ones.”
The Bobcats enter weekend play with a loose grip on third place in the Big Sky standings, holding a 6-4 mark. Sacramento State, North Dakota and Southern Utah each stand a game back at 5-5, , while no conference school has more than seven league defeats.
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