Saturday, February 21
2:35 pm
Montana State University
vs
Idaho State University
Sach Green and the Cats host Idaho State on Saturday
Photo by: Ruth Shellenberg
Bobcats, Bengals Get Together in Worthington Arena Saturday
2/20/2015 3:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Teams with striking similarities battle to move up in league standings
A pair of teams with similar season profiles get together in Worthington Arena Saturday, when Montana State hosts Idaho State at 2:35 pm.
The Bengals and MSU, Big Sky charter members and former Rocky Mountain Conference rivals, each sit on six wins in 2014-15. Each owns three league wins and six victories overall, with one of Idaho State's coming against the Cats on January 8 in Pocatello. ISU and Montana State share 11th place in the league standings.
"Idaho State really hasn't changed much" since the January meeting between the teams, when the Cats lost a 19-point first half lead in a 70-61 Bengals victory. "They've used a smaller lineup a little more and that's been effective, but 99 percent of what they do is the same as last time."
While Chris Hanson remains the focus of Idaho State's offense, averaging 17.2 points and shooting more than nearly a quarter of the team's field goals and more than one-third of its free throws, the lineup tweak has accelerated the team's pace and scoring. The Bengals average 64.6 points a game on the season and 68.0 in the league, but have surpassed the 75-point mark in four of the last seven outings.
While the 2014-15 season's overlay for MSU and the Bengals matches pretty closely, the details bring similarities into even clearer focus. Each team has played a number of close contests, without much success. While the Cats are 2-8 in conference games decided by 10 points or less, ISU is 3-6 in such games, and 3-8 when the parameters are expanded by two points.
Michael Dison's consistent season continued Thursday, when Montana State's 5-9 guard poured in 22 points. That effort was Dison's second 20-point game in the last three, and his fifth of the season. Marcus Colbert added 17 points on Thursday, while Danny Robison scored 13.
After Saturday's game, the Bobcats hit the road for games at Eastern Washington and Idaho next weekend.
The Bengals and MSU, Big Sky charter members and former Rocky Mountain Conference rivals, each sit on six wins in 2014-15. Each owns three league wins and six victories overall, with one of Idaho State's coming against the Cats on January 8 in Pocatello. ISU and Montana State share 11th place in the league standings.
"Idaho State really hasn't changed much" since the January meeting between the teams, when the Cats lost a 19-point first half lead in a 70-61 Bengals victory. "They've used a smaller lineup a little more and that's been effective, but 99 percent of what they do is the same as last time."
While Chris Hanson remains the focus of Idaho State's offense, averaging 17.2 points and shooting more than nearly a quarter of the team's field goals and more than one-third of its free throws, the lineup tweak has accelerated the team's pace and scoring. The Bengals average 64.6 points a game on the season and 68.0 in the league, but have surpassed the 75-point mark in four of the last seven outings.
While the 2014-15 season's overlay for MSU and the Bengals matches pretty closely, the details bring similarities into even clearer focus. Each team has played a number of close contests, without much success. While the Cats are 2-8 in conference games decided by 10 points or less, ISU is 3-6 in such games, and 3-8 when the parameters are expanded by two points.
Michael Dison's consistent season continued Thursday, when Montana State's 5-9 guard poured in 22 points. That effort was Dison's second 20-point game in the last three, and his fifth of the season. Marcus Colbert added 17 points on Thursday, while Danny Robison scored 13.
After Saturday's game, the Bobcats hit the road for games at Eastern Washington and Idaho next weekend.
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