Saturday, January 4
Cedar City, UT
2 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Southern Utah
Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Bobcats & T-Birds Clash in Cedar City Saturday
1/3/2020 3:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State faces one of the top rebounding teams in the country when it takes on Southern Utah
| Montana State Bobcats (8-6, 2-1) at Southern Utah (8-5, 1-1) | |
| Date and Time | Saturday, Jan. 4 - 2 p.m. MDT |
| Location | Cedar City, Utah |
| Site | America First Event Center (5,300) |
| Television | Pluto TV app |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | msubobcats.com/watch | TuneIn app |
| Stream | Pluto TV | WatchBigSky.com |
| Live Stats | SUUTBirds.com |
| Tickets | SUUTBirds.com |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Southern Utah | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State continues its three-game road stand as the Bobcats get set to take on Southern Utah at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the America First Event Center in Cedar City.
Southern Utah enters Saturday's contest with a 4-1 mark at home, including three consecutive one-possession games. The T-Birds defeated Utah Valley (73-72) on Dec. 7 and UC Santa Barbara (62-61) on Dec. 14, but fell to Montana in their Big Sky home opener 60-58 on Thursday. Southern Utah is 8-5 overall during the 2019-20 season and have benefitted this season by outrebounding opponents by a margin of 9.2 boards per game, good for the 14th best mark in Division I basketball.
"Southern Utah is similar, but different to Northern Colorado," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. "They're super athletic, super talented. They play really hard and they fly all over the court. They're a great team on the boards."
The Bobcats have had success in recent trips to Cedar City. MSU has defeated Southern Utah in five of their last six meetings at the America First Event Center which includes a three-game winning streak. The Bobcats shot 53% in their last visit to the Thunderbirds' home confines en route to a 92-62 victory on Dec. 29, 2018.
Montana State dropped its first Big Sky game of the season at Northern Colorado Thursday. The 'Cats lost 68-59, but kept the Bears in check offensively. UNC failed to match its per game marks in points (75.2), 3-point field goals (10.3), 3-point field goal percentage (.374) and total rebounds (36.5).
Senior Harald Frey was held to five points in MSU's defeat at Northern Colorado on Thursday. Making his 110th consecutive start of his college career, Frey's streak of 24 consecutive games scoring double digits came to an end. That streak nearly matched the mark of former teammate Tyler Hall. Hall had a streak of 30 run from the seventh game of his sophomore season extend to the eighth game of his junior year.
Junior Amin Adamu set a new career-high with 26 points in Greeley Thursday. Adamu's 26 points were tied for second most by a Bobcat this season, trailing Frey's 34-point outburst at Utah State Nov. 5 and matching Frey's 26 at CSU Bakersfield Dec. 19. Adamu's 11 field goals made are the most by a Bobcat in a game this season.
MSU's improved defense has been evident since the start of the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats are 7-2 when holding opponents to less than 70 points, while a season ago MSU held foes to less than 70 only seven times over the 32-game schedule.
Montana State has held 12 of its 14 opponents this season to under 50% shooting from the field. The Bobcats are 8-4 in those contests. The 'Cats are 0-2 when teams shoot over 50% against them which includes a 98-72 loss to Green Bay (Nov. 30) and a 74-72 narrow defeat to CSU Bakersfield (Dec. 19). MSU's loss to the Phoenix on Nov. 30 is the lone game this season the Bobcats have been out-shot from the field.
Style of play over a year span has been noticeable for the men's basketball program. Last season's team averaged nearly 10 more points per game and ranked 50th in the country at 78.2 points per contest compared to its average of 68.3 this season. MSU's defense is giving up 14 less points to opponents per outing this season at 65.6. The 'Cats ranked 336th a season ago giving up 79.8 points to foes per game.
The Bobcats ended 2019 with a 63-61 victory over Northern Arizona in Worthington Arena on Dec. 30. The free throw line proved to be a difference maker for the Bobcats as they had season highs in free throws made and attempted by going 25-for-28 from the charity stripe. The Bobcats' season percentage has improved since to 74.4%, a mark that leads the Big Sky and is 61st best in the nation.
"Southern Utah has great players and one of the things they can do is really score the basketball," Sprinkle said. "It's another game we'll have to guard our yard and be physical. We have our work cut out for us in both games this weekend."
Saturday's matchup will be streamed on the Pluto TV app and on WatchBigSky.com. All Bobcat basketball games are available to listen to as part of the Bobcat Sports Radio Network and air locally on KMMS 1450 AM. All tickets for home games are available at msubobcats.com/tickets, by calling 406-994-CATS or by visiting the Bobcat Ticket Office.
Players Mentioned
Bobcat 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
