Tuesday, December 5
Mount Pleasant, MI
5 pm
Montana State University
at
Central Michigan
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcats Look to Slow Down Balanced Central Michigan Squad
12/4/2017 6:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cats face Great Alaska Shootout champs at 5 pm MT
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Montana State's 68-64 win at Milwaukee Saturday was impressive for a number of reasons, but one in particular stuck out to Bobcat head coach Brian Fish.
"To beat a good team on the road when (the opponent) is able to play the game at its tempo is a good sign," Fish said of the win over a deliberate and physical Panthers team. "Those are the games that you have to win in the conference (season)."
The Cats get a similar test Tuesday when Montana State visits Central Michigan, who enters the contest with a 6-1 record and a championship in the Great Alaska Shootout. Tipoff is at 5 pm MT (7 pm ET) and is available on ESPN3, on msubobcats.com and across Montana on the Bobcat Radio Network.
While the Chippewas may be most noted for a player they lost – Marcus Keene, the nation's leading scorer a season ago – Central Michigan's attack is more diversified. Guard Shawn Roundtree leads the four Chips in double-digit scoring at 14.4 points a game and landed Great Alaska Shootout MVP honors, while forward Cecil Williams averages 12.4 point a game with a pair of double-doubles.
"They lost their two leading scorers, but the concepts are the same," Fish said. "The three, four and five guys are very good stretch players who can shoot it. Their scoring is down a little but they're substantially more balanced. They do a good job of getting into their five game, spacing the floor, and shooting it."
Montana State's defensive improvement this season has been steady. The Cats have held six of their nine opponents below 45% shooting, and seven of the nine below 50%. The team's staunch defense against three-point shooting – four straight MSU foes have shot below 29% from the arc – faces a stern test Tuesday. CMU averages a tick under 10 triples a game, and the team shoots 36% from the arc.
The Bobcats answer with a potent three-point attack, led by Tyler Hall and Harald Frey. Hall is among the nation's top long-distance threats, hitting 46.1% of his three-pointers, and is also among the country's top scorers at 21.6 points a game. Harald Frey shoots 41.7% from the arc.
Fish identifies success on the boards as one of the team's hidden keys. "I liked the toughness and resolve we showed rebounding" on Saturday, he said. Konner Frey snagged eight caroms in the win at Milwaukee, while Zach Green added four, both coming off the bench.
After Tuesday's game, the Cats return home to face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. Tipoff is 2 pm.
"To beat a good team on the road when (the opponent) is able to play the game at its tempo is a good sign," Fish said of the win over a deliberate and physical Panthers team. "Those are the games that you have to win in the conference (season)."
The Cats get a similar test Tuesday when Montana State visits Central Michigan, who enters the contest with a 6-1 record and a championship in the Great Alaska Shootout. Tipoff is at 5 pm MT (7 pm ET) and is available on ESPN3, on msubobcats.com and across Montana on the Bobcat Radio Network.
While the Chippewas may be most noted for a player they lost – Marcus Keene, the nation's leading scorer a season ago – Central Michigan's attack is more diversified. Guard Shawn Roundtree leads the four Chips in double-digit scoring at 14.4 points a game and landed Great Alaska Shootout MVP honors, while forward Cecil Williams averages 12.4 point a game with a pair of double-doubles.
"They lost their two leading scorers, but the concepts are the same," Fish said. "The three, four and five guys are very good stretch players who can shoot it. Their scoring is down a little but they're substantially more balanced. They do a good job of getting into their five game, spacing the floor, and shooting it."
Montana State's defensive improvement this season has been steady. The Cats have held six of their nine opponents below 45% shooting, and seven of the nine below 50%. The team's staunch defense against three-point shooting – four straight MSU foes have shot below 29% from the arc – faces a stern test Tuesday. CMU averages a tick under 10 triples a game, and the team shoots 36% from the arc.
The Bobcats answer with a potent three-point attack, led by Tyler Hall and Harald Frey. Hall is among the nation's top long-distance threats, hitting 46.1% of his three-pointers, and is also among the country's top scorers at 21.6 points a game. Harald Frey shoots 41.7% from the arc.
Fish identifies success on the boards as one of the team's hidden keys. "I liked the toughness and resolve we showed rebounding" on Saturday, he said. Konner Frey snagged eight caroms in the win at Milwaukee, while Zach Green added four, both coming off the bench.
After Tuesday's game, the Cats return home to face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. Tipoff is 2 pm.
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