Bobcats Picked Atop Big Sky Preseason Polls
10/26/2022 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Big Sky men’s basketball coaches and the media picked the defending Big Sky Champions atop the rest of the conference in preseason polls.
FARMINGTON, Utah — The Big Sky Conference men's basketball coaches and the media picked the Montana State men's basketball team atop the league in the preseason polls, as announced by the conference office Wednesday.
Coming off a season in which Montana State won a Big Sky regular season and a Big Sky Tournament Championship, the Bobcats received eight out of a possible 10 first-place votes from the rest of the Big Sky coaches. In the media poll, the Bobcats received 19 of the 26 first-place votes.
"It shows that this program has gotten some respect," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said of the preseason polls. "We weren't picked to win the league last year, yet we were the best team in the regular season and the conference tournament. The preseason ranking is great for the media and for the fans, but we have a long way to go before our ranking comes to fruition. We know what we have to do to get there."
The order of finish in the coaches and the media polls was nearly identical. Northern Colorado, Montana, Weber State, Eastern Washington and Sacramento State rounded out the top six in both polls. Portland State and Northern Arizona tied for seventh in the coaches' poll, then Idaho and Idaho State were picked to finish ninth and tenth, respectively.
The media poll had a sizable gap between Portland State at seventh with 118 points and Northern Arizona at eighth with 78 points. Idaho and Idaho State were also picked to finish ninth and tenth in the media poll.
The Bobcats return two starters and nine players overall from last season's 27-8 squad — including Big Sky MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Jubrile Belo and co-Big Sky Top Reserve RaeQuan Battle. Last year, Montana State made its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and its first in 26 years.
Montana State's season unofficially kicks off with the Blue and Gold scrimmage this Thursday at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at 5:50 p.m.
On Oct. 30, the Bobcats welcome Mick Durham's Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets for an exhibition game at 2 p.m. One hour prior to the game, six Montana State athletic teams will go trick-or-treating with kids who arrive dressed up in costume. Admission to the game for kids in costumes will be free. Single-game and season tickets can be found on msubobcats.com/tickets.
Coaches' Poll
1. Montana State — 80 points (8 First Place Votes)
2. Northern Colorado — 69 points (1 FPV)
3. Montana — 64 points (1 FPV)
4. Weber State — 55 points
5. Eastern Washington — 53 points
6. Sacramento State — 42 points
T-7. Portland State — 27 points
T.7 Northern Arizona — 27 points
9. Idaho — 17 points
10. Idaho State — 16 points
Media Poll
1. Montana State — 258 points (19 First Place Votes)
2. Northern Colorado — 231 points (6 FPV)
3. Montana — 204 points (1 FPV)
4. Weber State — 189 points (1 FPV)
5. Eastern Washington — 173 points
6. Sacramento State — 129 points
7. Portland State — 118 points
8. Northern Arizona — 78 points
9. Idaho — 64 points
10. Idaho State — 41 points
