Thursday, January 22
7:05 pm
Montana State University
vs
Southern Utah
Danny Robison leads MSU into
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Bobcats, Southern Utah Get Together in Fieldhouse Thursday
1/21/2015 1:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU looks for return to win column
It was a simple Monday encounter between a basketball player and his coach, yet to Montana State first-year head man Brian Fish it was much more.
"I had a meeting with Danny (Robison) yesterday," Fish said of his team's junior forward that has started all 17 games this season, "and Danny's starting to get the look of a guy that knows what I'm talking about now, like 'I accept the challenge, I understand that going from a role player to a starter takes some more responsibility.' We're making progress in some mindsets that's just not showing up in the win column yet."
The Bobcats take another crack at the win column on Thursday, hosting vastly-improved Southern Utah at 7 pm in Worthington Arena. The Thunderbirds experienced a 2013-14 season similar to what the Cats are presently enduring. SUU finished 2-27 last year, including a 1-19 mark in Big Sky play. The win didn't come until the season's final weekend, when the Thunderbirds broke through against North Dakota, 77-71.
While concern exists externally about bouncing back from Saturday's 15-point loss at Montana, Fish feels none. "We came out (Monday) and had a great practice," he said. "It indicates to me the guys were feeling the pressure (Saturday). If a team that starts four seniors and a junior were in an eight-game losing streak there would probably be dissension. We have a bunch of guys that have never started before. We're still excited."
The excitement may wane some this week as MSU familiarizes itself with the Thunderbirds. After winning on a buzzer-beater in Cedar City and in overtime last season against SUU, the Cats face a 2015 squad that according to Fish plays "a style of basketball where they run 10 or 12 guys at you.
"They're going with the approach of keeping guys fresh, they don't have anybody playing 30 minutes, they're just going between 18 and 22 minutes a guy and they're going with the approach that fresh guys are better than tired guys," Fish said. "I like how they played, they shot 60-some percent against Weber. They're into ball screens and spreading you out and trying to go at you. It's a team that's gotten two (consecutive) wins so they're playing very well."
Fresh off of home wins over Weber State and Idaho State, doubling last year's league win total, Southern Utah relies on a stingy defense and opportunistic, balanced offense. The team's three-point defense (34.4%) is second-best in the Big Sky, and it is third in opponent field goal percentage (.443) and sixth in scoring (71.6). Only veteran A.J. Hess averages in double-digits at 11.8 points per game, but five others chip in more than five points an outing and forward Casey Oliverson shoots 62.6% from the floor, the best mark in the league.
Still, Fish says the Bobcats main concern should be the Bobcats. "We've got to take care of our business. We weren't a winning basketball team on Saturday, whereas that game we played at Weber, that was more of a winning style."
That winning style relies on newly-minted veterans such as Robison and point guard Marcus Colbert, each of whom played last year but have transitioned this season into lead roles, to continue to play well. Fish said the transition continues for those players and has led to some ups and downs, but he likes what he has seen lately.
"It's the difference between the California Angels' no. nine hitter getting a single," Fish says, "and when Albert Pujols comes up he's expected to hit a home run. There's a different type of pressure when you're expected to produce two RBIs than when you're expected just to get on base. When you're expected to make a shot when you're 0-for-4 or 0-for-5, there's a different type of pressure. These guys are changing and adjusting to that."
"I had a meeting with Danny (Robison) yesterday," Fish said of his team's junior forward that has started all 17 games this season, "and Danny's starting to get the look of a guy that knows what I'm talking about now, like 'I accept the challenge, I understand that going from a role player to a starter takes some more responsibility.' We're making progress in some mindsets that's just not showing up in the win column yet."
The Bobcats take another crack at the win column on Thursday, hosting vastly-improved Southern Utah at 7 pm in Worthington Arena. The Thunderbirds experienced a 2013-14 season similar to what the Cats are presently enduring. SUU finished 2-27 last year, including a 1-19 mark in Big Sky play. The win didn't come until the season's final weekend, when the Thunderbirds broke through against North Dakota, 77-71.
While concern exists externally about bouncing back from Saturday's 15-point loss at Montana, Fish feels none. "We came out (Monday) and had a great practice," he said. "It indicates to me the guys were feeling the pressure (Saturday). If a team that starts four seniors and a junior were in an eight-game losing streak there would probably be dissension. We have a bunch of guys that have never started before. We're still excited."
The excitement may wane some this week as MSU familiarizes itself with the Thunderbirds. After winning on a buzzer-beater in Cedar City and in overtime last season against SUU, the Cats face a 2015 squad that according to Fish plays "a style of basketball where they run 10 or 12 guys at you.
"They're going with the approach of keeping guys fresh, they don't have anybody playing 30 minutes, they're just going between 18 and 22 minutes a guy and they're going with the approach that fresh guys are better than tired guys," Fish said. "I like how they played, they shot 60-some percent against Weber. They're into ball screens and spreading you out and trying to go at you. It's a team that's gotten two (consecutive) wins so they're playing very well."
Fresh off of home wins over Weber State and Idaho State, doubling last year's league win total, Southern Utah relies on a stingy defense and opportunistic, balanced offense. The team's three-point defense (34.4%) is second-best in the Big Sky, and it is third in opponent field goal percentage (.443) and sixth in scoring (71.6). Only veteran A.J. Hess averages in double-digits at 11.8 points per game, but five others chip in more than five points an outing and forward Casey Oliverson shoots 62.6% from the floor, the best mark in the league.
Still, Fish says the Bobcats main concern should be the Bobcats. "We've got to take care of our business. We weren't a winning basketball team on Saturday, whereas that game we played at Weber, that was more of a winning style."
That winning style relies on newly-minted veterans such as Robison and point guard Marcus Colbert, each of whom played last year but have transitioned this season into lead roles, to continue to play well. Fish said the transition continues for those players and has led to some ups and downs, but he likes what he has seen lately.
"It's the difference between the California Angels' no. nine hitter getting a single," Fish says, "and when Albert Pujols comes up he's expected to hit a home run. There's a different type of pressure when you're expected to produce two RBIs than when you're expected just to get on base. When you're expected to make a shot when you're 0-for-4 or 0-for-5, there's a different type of pressure. These guys are changing and adjusting to that."
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