Ladan Ricketts
Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Bobcats Close Long Road Stretch Saturday Afternoon at Omaha
11/23/2018 7:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cats, Mavericks tip off at 12 noon in Baxter Arena
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State concludes a long early-season road Saturday in familiar environs, visiting Omaha for a 12 noon (MT) tipoff against the Mavericks.
The Bobcats (1-5) face an Omaha (2-3) team that has faced also faced a challenging November slate. While the Cats have dropped games at Indiana, Colorado State and Arkansas, and against Utah State, Omaha has lost at Minnesota and Colorado, and to Northern Arizona at home. Saturday's game marks MSU's fifth game against the Mavs in the past four seasons, the third in Omaha. The Mavs have won three of the four games since the series was revived, although MSU owns a 5-4 edge in the series which began in 1939.
Bobcat coach Brian Fish knows he'll find a well-drilled team awaiting his Bobcats in Baxter Arena on Saturday. "Omaha is always a well-coached team, and they have good size," Fish said. Omaha is led by guards Zach Jackson (19.6 points a game) and JT Gibson (13.0). Veteran forward Mitch Hahn averages 10.4 points a game, and at 6-8 is a proficient three-point shooter.
MSU continues to rely on forward Tyler Hall, who leads the Cats with 19.5 points. Since regaining health in recent games he has been hot. Keljin Blevins adds 11.3 points a game, but a pair of first-time starters have opened eyes lately. Newcomer Ladan Ricketts averages 11.0 points a game and shoots 45.0% from three-point range, while sophomore Devin Kirby shooting 72.0% from the floor and snags 5.3 boards a game.
While it hasn't manifested in the win column yet, Fish is pleased with his team's competitiveness. "I like the way they compete," he said, "I like the way they fight. These guys have played incredibly hard against a difficult schedule. If they keep working this schedule will prepare us for the conference season. I like the direction these guys are headed."
After Saturday's game, the Bobcats play their only home game in a 55-day span when they host North Dakota on Tuesday at 7 pm in Worthington Arena.
#GoCatsGo
The Bobcats (1-5) face an Omaha (2-3) team that has faced also faced a challenging November slate. While the Cats have dropped games at Indiana, Colorado State and Arkansas, and against Utah State, Omaha has lost at Minnesota and Colorado, and to Northern Arizona at home. Saturday's game marks MSU's fifth game against the Mavs in the past four seasons, the third in Omaha. The Mavs have won three of the four games since the series was revived, although MSU owns a 5-4 edge in the series which began in 1939.
Bobcat coach Brian Fish knows he'll find a well-drilled team awaiting his Bobcats in Baxter Arena on Saturday. "Omaha is always a well-coached team, and they have good size," Fish said. Omaha is led by guards Zach Jackson (19.6 points a game) and JT Gibson (13.0). Veteran forward Mitch Hahn averages 10.4 points a game, and at 6-8 is a proficient three-point shooter.
MSU continues to rely on forward Tyler Hall, who leads the Cats with 19.5 points. Since regaining health in recent games he has been hot. Keljin Blevins adds 11.3 points a game, but a pair of first-time starters have opened eyes lately. Newcomer Ladan Ricketts averages 11.0 points a game and shoots 45.0% from three-point range, while sophomore Devin Kirby shooting 72.0% from the floor and snags 5.3 boards a game.
While it hasn't manifested in the win column yet, Fish is pleased with his team's competitiveness. "I like the way they compete," he said, "I like the way they fight. These guys have played incredibly hard against a difficult schedule. If they keep working this schedule will prepare us for the conference season. I like the direction these guys are headed."
After Saturday's game, the Bobcats play their only home game in a 55-day span when they host North Dakota on Tuesday at 7 pm in Worthington Arena.
#GoCatsGo
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