Saturday, November 9
BOZEMAN
4 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Rocky Mountain
Photo by: Garrett Becker
Bobcats, Sprinkle Prepare to Make Home Debut Saturday Against Rocky Mountain
11/8/2019 12:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State competed and hung with a top-25 ranked team in a hostile environment to open its season. Now the Bobcats prepare to make their home debut looking to pick up their first win of the 2019-20 season.
| Montana State Bobcats (0-1) vs. Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears (2-1) | |
| Date and Time | Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019 - 4 p.m. |
| Location | Bozeman, Mont. |
| Site | Worthington Arena (6,772) |
| Radio | KZMY 103.5 FM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | msubobcats.com/watch | TuneIn app |
| Stream | Pluto TV app (ch 538) | WatchBigSky.com |
| Live Stats | BobcatStats.com |
| Tickets | MSUBobcats.com |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Rocky Mountain | Men's Basketball Home Page |
Montana State competed and hung with a top-25 ranked team in a hostile environment to open its season. Now the Bobcats prepare to make their home debut looking to pick up their first win of the 2019-20 season.
The MSU men's basketball team hosts Rocky Mountain in its first game inside Worthington Arena under head coach Danny Sprinkle at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9. The game holds meaning for the Bobcat alum as his first guiding the program he once played for, but what he's looking for from his squad is an effort level similar to what was evident in MSU's 81-73 defeat to No. 17/19 Utah State on Tuesday.
"I was proud of the way the guys competed," Sprinkle said. "I thought we played hard, we had a belief that we had a chance to go win, and as the longer the game went on, that belief became stronger. There were some self-inflicted wounds after we watched the film. We had some mixed box outs, free throws and turnovers. We got sloppy in the end, where in order to beat a team like that especially on the road, you can't have those mistakes."
While Montana State outshot Utah State from the floor by a 42.1-37.7% margin, Utah State took advantage of its trips to the free throw line. The Aggies went 35-for-45 from the charity stripe. The 35 free throws Utah State converted on were the most made by an MSU opponent since Weber State knocked down 34 in a contest on Jan. 6, 2007.
The Bobcats were led Tuesday by Harald Frey's career-high 34 points. That output was tied for the fifth highest across Division I following the opening games of the season. It also moved him past 1,400 career points and nearly into the Bobcats' all-time top 10 in scoring.
A mix of 12 players found the court for Montana State with seven making their first appearances at the Division I level in Logan against Utah State. Sprinkle is expecting the MSU group to now be prepared for Rocky Mountain coming into Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Battlin' Bears will be plenty rested with their last contest taking place on Oct. 29. Rocky Mountain travels to Bozeman led by 19th-year coach Bill Dreikosen who has won over 300 games leading the Bears.
"I want to compete at the same level that we did at Utah State," Sprinkle said. "Rocky is a good team, they're very well coached. I know coach Dreikosen and he does a heck of a job. They won a national championship not too long ago. He'll have his team ready to go.
"For teams like that coming in, that's their Super Bowl. Our guys got to realize that. I expect our effort and competitiveness to be at the same level as Tuesday night."
Tickets are available at the north or south entrances of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse the day of the game. They can also be purchased at msubobcats.com/tickets, by calling 406-994-CATS or by visiting the Bobcat Ticket Office. Saturday's game will be streamed live on the Pluto TV app and WatchBigSky.com. Montana State's home opener can be heard on the airwaves on KZMY 103.5 FM locally, on msubobcats.com/watch or on the TuneIn app.
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