Saturday, December 9
BOZEMAN
2 pm
Montana State University
vs
UC Santa Barbara
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
GAME #11: Bobcats Begin Homestand Against Strong UCSB Squad
12/8/2017 5:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State faces another highly-ranked opponent during difficult December
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State's gauntlet of early-season games against high-quality, under-the-radar opponents continues Saturday when UC Santa Barbara visits Worthington Arena. Tipoff is 2 pm.
The Gauchos (7-2) stand 43rd in the NCAA's current men's basketball RPI rankings, while Montana State (6-4) enters weekend play ranked 77th. That Saturday's matinee pairs two teams off to strong starts does not surprise Bobcat coach Brian Fish.
"They're not 7-2 by accident," Bobcat coach Brian Fish said of UCSB. "I'm very impressed with them on film. They know what they want to do, they play really, really hard, and they've picked up some good wins. They've played a lot of games that are close with four or five minutes left and they find a way to win."
Sharp-shooting guard Max Heidegger averages 23.9 points a game – he poured in 33 against North Dakota State earlier this season – and shoots 43% from three-point range, but his perimeter game is complemented by strength inside. "They're similar to Milwaukee in that they have two very good bigs," Fish said of Leland King II (18.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and Jalen Canty (10.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg). "The guard that averages 23 points a game is a very aggressive player, he's good at drawing fouls and good at getting into the lane."
Complicating Montana State's mission on Saturday is the status of leading scorer Tyler Hall, who has battled an ankle injury for nearly a month. "It'll be a game-time decision," Fish said of the junior forward who averages 19.3 points a game. He was held scoreless in MSU's last outing, a 73-49 loss at Central Michigan on Tuesday, Hall's first goose-egg as a Bobcat. "It's an ankle and we're just having a tough time getting the swelling down."
Fish said that the opportunity for a couple days of practice this week and a slower pace during MSU's upcoming finals week allows the Bobcats to return to a sense of normalcy. "We knew going into those trips that was going to be one of our hardest road trips," Fish said. "We played a game every 2.8 days, so we haven't had a break to get these things under control. We play Saturday and then again not until next Monday. We just need to practice, to give the young guys an opportunity to work on some things and some of the guys who are battling (injuries) a chance to heal up a little."
Montana State's next game is Monday, December 18, when MSU hosts Denver.
The Gauchos (7-2) stand 43rd in the NCAA's current men's basketball RPI rankings, while Montana State (6-4) enters weekend play ranked 77th. That Saturday's matinee pairs two teams off to strong starts does not surprise Bobcat coach Brian Fish.
"They're not 7-2 by accident," Bobcat coach Brian Fish said of UCSB. "I'm very impressed with them on film. They know what they want to do, they play really, really hard, and they've picked up some good wins. They've played a lot of games that are close with four or five minutes left and they find a way to win."
Sharp-shooting guard Max Heidegger averages 23.9 points a game – he poured in 33 against North Dakota State earlier this season – and shoots 43% from three-point range, but his perimeter game is complemented by strength inside. "They're similar to Milwaukee in that they have two very good bigs," Fish said of Leland King II (18.6 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and Jalen Canty (10.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg). "The guard that averages 23 points a game is a very aggressive player, he's good at drawing fouls and good at getting into the lane."
Complicating Montana State's mission on Saturday is the status of leading scorer Tyler Hall, who has battled an ankle injury for nearly a month. "It'll be a game-time decision," Fish said of the junior forward who averages 19.3 points a game. He was held scoreless in MSU's last outing, a 73-49 loss at Central Michigan on Tuesday, Hall's first goose-egg as a Bobcat. "It's an ankle and we're just having a tough time getting the swelling down."
Fish said that the opportunity for a couple days of practice this week and a slower pace during MSU's upcoming finals week allows the Bobcats to return to a sense of normalcy. "We knew going into those trips that was going to be one of our hardest road trips," Fish said. "We played a game every 2.8 days, so we haven't had a break to get these things under control. We play Saturday and then again not until next Monday. We just need to practice, to give the young guys an opportunity to work on some things and some of the guys who are battling (injuries) a chance to heal up a little."
Montana State's next game is Monday, December 18, when MSU hosts Denver.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballBobcat Insider TV Show
Thursday, March 03
Inside The Brick (Amin Adamu)
Friday, November 05
Inside The Brick (Nick Gazelas)
Monday, November 01
Inside The Brick (Abdul Mohamed)
Sunday, October 31
