Thursday, February 11
BOZEMAN
5 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Eastern Washington
Photo by: Garrett Becker
Bobcats Set to Face Big Sky Leading Eagles in Worthington Arena
2/10/2021 4:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State is set to host its first contests in nearly a month when the Bobcats take on Eastern Washington in Worthington Arena on Thursday
| Montana State Bobcats (9-5, 6-2) vs. Eastern Washington Eagles (8-6, 7-2) | |
| Date and Time | Game 1: Thursday, February 11 - 5 p.m. MDT Game 2: Saturday, February 13- 12 p.m. MDT |
| Location | Bozeman, Montana |
| Site | Worthington Arena |
| Television | SWX Montana (Check local listings) |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | TuneIn app |
| Stream | Pluto TV (Channel 1057) |
| Live Stats | MSUBobcats.com (Statbroadcast) |
| Tickets | N/A |
| Montana State | Game Notes Game 1 | Game Notes Game 2 | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Eastern Washington | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State is set to host its first contests in nearly a month when the Bobcats take on Eastern Washington in Worthington Arena. The Bobcats are slated to take on the Eagles at 5 p.m. Thursday and at 12 p.m. on Saturday.
The Bobcats fell in consecutive matchups in their most recent action against Weber State in Ogden. MSU had its seven-game winning streak, and six-game undefeated start to Big Sky play, ended on Feb. 4 by a 96-88 margin. Despite leading by three with just under six minutes remaining on Feb. 6 over the Wildcats, Weber State used a 15-4 run to eventually earn an 82-74 win in the Dee Events Center.
"We have a ton of growth still," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. "I don't think we're even close to where we could be as a team. We need to have everybody to be firing on all cylinders. I think we showed on Thursday what we can do offensively and we showed it against UNLV. Now my expectation is to play like that every game offensively. Defensively, we've shown at times what we can do. Once we put that all together and get that synergy, we'll be a dangerous team come tournament time.
"The next four weeks are going to be critical. We have to get a little better every day. Even though we lost both games at Weber State, we got better."
MSU's seven-game winning streak that ended last Thursday was the longest for the program since the 2001-02 season when that squad won nine straight contests. The Bobcats' 6-0 start to Big Sky Conference play was their best mark since the 1986-87 season. That team began its league slate with nine consecutive wins. MSU's current 6-2 start in conference play is still its best in recent years.
It currently matches the 2011-12 squad's opening to its Big Sky schedule.
The Bobcats haven't played at home since Jan. 16 when they completed a two-game sweep over Portland State. MSU's last scheduled home matchup on Jan. 30 versus Montana was canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Montana Grizzlies' program. MSU also had a series of home games versus Southern Utah canceled.
The Bobcats continue to be led by a trio of upperclassmen in Amin Adamu, Jubrile Belo and Xavier Bishop. Bishop recently went over the 1,250-point mark in his college career and is currently tied for 99th among all Division I players at 1,260. Adamu who is tied with Bishop for a team-high 11 double-digit scoring efforts this season, is 78th among all players in the nation with a 51.7 field goal percentage. Belo recently put together his third double-double of the season on Feb. 6 against Weber State, which is third most this season among Big Sky players.
While Montana State holds a 46-44 all-time record over EWU, the Eagles have held control of the series of late. The Bobcats have lost 12 of the last 14 contests against the Eags. MSU dropped both contests to EWU a season ago with its last win, a 74-66 outcome, coming at home versus the Eags on Feb. 7, 2019.
Eastern Washington entered this season as the reigning Big Sky Conference champion and was voted in the preseason poll as the league favorite for the 2020-21 season. So far, the Eagles sit atop the league standings with a 7-2 record to go along with their 8-6 overall mark. The Eags are in the midst of a five-game winning streak.
The Eagles are led by four double-digit scorers. Tanner Groves is recording team highs in scoring (16.5) and rebounding (8.6). Big Sky Preseason MVP Jacob Davison is averaging 12.6 points per game, Tyler Robertson is averaging 11.9 points and a team-best 2.71 assists per game, while preseason All-Big Sky selection Kim Aiken Jr. is scoring 10.1 points and grabbing 7.8 rebounds per contest.
"They're hard to simulate because they have five guys that can really score the basketball," Sprinkle said. "They're just as dangerous as Weber State offensively. Similar to Weber State, you can't let them get going. You can't turn the ball over and you can't take bad, quick shots, because they capitalize on them. They're too good offensively. We don't quite have the firepower they have offensively, so we got to kind of dictate the pace of play a little bit because they're too talented.
"They're the best passing team in this league this year as well. Their skill level is off the chart. They can really reel off 30 points in a hurry."
Both contests versus Eastern Washington will be broadcast on SWX Montana for those that carry the channel. The games will also be streamed on channel 1057 of the Pluto TV app. All Bobcat basketball games are available to listen to as part of the Bobcat Sports Radio Network and air locally on KMMS 1450 AM.
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
