Saturday, January 18
Bozeman, MT
7:05 pm
Montana State University
vs
NORTH DAKOTA
Antonio Biglow helps lead the Bobcats into action Saturday
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats Look to Defend Home Court Against North Dakota
1/17/2014 4:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
After win over league leaders, MSU looks to remain hot
Brad Huse doesn't need to reach far into the past for a reminder of how disruptive and destructive North Dakota can be defensively. The last meeting between the teams provides a harsh reminder.
MSU Game Notes vs. North Dakota
"We had the lead in the second half of that game," Huse said during preparation for Saturday's showdown against UND in Worthington Arena. "They got some steals that really changed the game." Huse's recollection is affirmed by statistics of the game. North Dakota registered 15 steals in that game, and out-scored MSU 24-to-13 off turnovers.
In some regards, things haven't changed much in the past 11 months. North Dakota leads the Big Sky with just over nine steals a game both on the season and in league play, after leading the Big Sky with 8.3 steals per conference game a year ago. Like last year, MSU is a team that has taken good care of the ball. And like last year, the task of taking care of the ball against North Dakota's swarming defense is imposing.
"We have to focus on controlling the things we can," Huse said. "North Dakota's an aggressive team. They get their hands on a lot of basketballs, and they have a number of players at the top of the league in steals."
In fact, three of the top four spots on the Big Sky steals list are occupied by UND seniors. Troy Huff leads the Big Sky in steals with 2.4 per game, while Jamal Webb (1.8) is third and Jaron Nash (1.7) is fourth.
On the other side of the equation, the Bobcats continue to protect the basketball effectively. Backcourt mates Antonio Biglow (first, +2.4) and Marcus Colbert (fourth, +2.2) stand among the league leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, and both are among the Big Sky's top seven in assists.
Montana State has also excelled on the boards, particularly in the area of keeping opposing teams off the offensive glass. The Bobcats lead the nation in defensive rebound percentage, or the ratio of opponent misses turned into defensive rebounds, and Huse knows that remains a key factor to the team's success.
"It's like your defense," he said. "Defense is not just the ability to guard someone one-on-one, you have to work together as a team, and rebounding on the defensive end is the same way. You have to block someone out or help block someone out. If we keep five guys rebounding it gives us a good chance to rebound well."
The Bobcats enter the weekend in a three-way tie for first with NAU and Northern Colorado, two teams whose only loss is to MSU. Montana State is 9-7 overall, 4-1 in the Big Sky, while North Dakota stands 5-10 overall, 2-3 in the Big Sky.
MSU Game Notes vs. North Dakota
"We had the lead in the second half of that game," Huse said during preparation for Saturday's showdown against UND in Worthington Arena. "They got some steals that really changed the game." Huse's recollection is affirmed by statistics of the game. North Dakota registered 15 steals in that game, and out-scored MSU 24-to-13 off turnovers.
In some regards, things haven't changed much in the past 11 months. North Dakota leads the Big Sky with just over nine steals a game both on the season and in league play, after leading the Big Sky with 8.3 steals per conference game a year ago. Like last year, MSU is a team that has taken good care of the ball. And like last year, the task of taking care of the ball against North Dakota's swarming defense is imposing.
"We have to focus on controlling the things we can," Huse said. "North Dakota's an aggressive team. They get their hands on a lot of basketballs, and they have a number of players at the top of the league in steals."
In fact, three of the top four spots on the Big Sky steals list are occupied by UND seniors. Troy Huff leads the Big Sky in steals with 2.4 per game, while Jamal Webb (1.8) is third and Jaron Nash (1.7) is fourth.
On the other side of the equation, the Bobcats continue to protect the basketball effectively. Backcourt mates Antonio Biglow (first, +2.4) and Marcus Colbert (fourth, +2.2) stand among the league leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, and both are among the Big Sky's top seven in assists.
Montana State has also excelled on the boards, particularly in the area of keeping opposing teams off the offensive glass. The Bobcats lead the nation in defensive rebound percentage, or the ratio of opponent misses turned into defensive rebounds, and Huse knows that remains a key factor to the team's success.
"It's like your defense," he said. "Defense is not just the ability to guard someone one-on-one, you have to work together as a team, and rebounding on the defensive end is the same way. You have to block someone out or help block someone out. If we keep five guys rebounding it gives us a good chance to rebound well."
The Bobcats enter the weekend in a three-way tie for first with NAU and Northern Colorado, two teams whose only loss is to MSU. Montana State is 9-7 overall, 4-1 in the Big Sky, while North Dakota stands 5-10 overall, 2-3 in the Big Sky.
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