Monday, November 7
Phoenix, AZ
7 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Grand Canyon
Robert Ford III
Photo by: Garrett Becker
Montana State Kicks off 2022-23 Season at Grand Canyon
11/5/2022 4:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Two of the best mid-majors west of the Mississippi will square off on opening night in GCU Arena on Monday night.
BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State men's basketball team's highly anticipated 2022-23 season starts Monday, Nov. 7 as the Bobcats travel south to take on Grand Canyon University.
The game is set to start at 7 p.m. MT and it will be livestreamed on ESPN+. Livestream and live stat links can be found on the Montana State men's basketball team's schedule page on msubobcats.com.
Monday's meeting will be the third ever between the two teams and the second time that Sprinkle has coached against GCU. The Lopes have a 2-0 advantage over the Bobcats in the all-time series, with the last meeting being a 69-56 GCU win in Phoenix on Nov. 19, 2019.
The season-opener is one of the better matchups between mid-majors across the country, as the Bobcats went 27-8 in their Big Sky Championship-winning season and the Lopes went 23-8. This season, GCU looked to the transfer portal to revamp its roster, which is led by Jovan Blacksher Jr. — a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference selection who averaged 15.8 points and 4.8 assists per game last season.
"Blacksher is one of the best point guards in the country," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle, who is entering his fourth year at the helm of the program, said. "He's played a lot of college basketball and has seen a lot, so we'll have our hands full trying to stop him. Presbyterian transfer Ray Harrison is a really dynamic player who can score off the dribble and shoot. They've got a lot of good pieces and they're a Pac-12-caliber team."
Montana State has one exhibition game under its belt: a 56-49 exhibition win over Mick Durham's Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets on Oct. 30.
"It was great for us to get in a close game," Sprinkle said. "You learn a little bit about your team when you play in a close game like that. I'd rather play that game than a 40- or 50-point blowout."
During the defense-heavy contest, several bright spots from the Bobcats were RaeQuan Battle's scoring, Darius Brown II's ball-hawking defense and nifty reads, plus Great Osobor's post play.
"We need to continue to have them lead, get better and be consistent every day," Sprinkle said. "We need that every day from Darius — for him to have a defensive mindset, make plays and be tough and gritty. And we'll need RaeQuan to use his athleticism to his advantage. But those guys have both improved."
This consistent play across the board will be critical if MSU wants to repeat as Big Sky Conference champions.
Last season, the Bobcats had arguably their best season in the modern era. MSU went 27-8, which included an undefeated stretch in January, a 13-1 record at home and a program-record 16 wins in conference play. The Bobcats' 9-6 road mark was the first time in several years the program had sat above .500 in the regular season, as Montana last had an above .500 record on the road in 2001-02 when that squad went 6-1.
Slice the Bobcats' 27-8 record in any way but the conclusion is the same — the 2021-22 season was a banner year.
And expectations for this season are sky-high.
Earlier this fall, MSU was picked to repeat as conference champions in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Media and Coaches' Polls. Additionally, senior forward Jubrile Belo was named the Big Sky Preseason MVP. Last season, the London, England native averaged one of three players in Big Sky Conference history to win the conference's MVP and Defensive MVP awards in the same season last year. Belo averaged 12.8 points (on 57.9% shooting) and 6.7 rebounds per game while also leading the Big Sky with 60 blocks. Going into his senior season, Belo has over 1,100 points, 500 rebounds and 120 career blocks.
The Bobcats will replace three starters from last season: First Team All-Big Sky point guard Xavier Bishop, Honorable Mention selection Amin Adamu and Abdul Mohamed. Bishop led the team with 13.9 points and 4.7 assists per game and earned Big Sky Tournament MVP honors after averaging 15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists during the Bobcats' postseason run. Adamu, a 1,000-point scorer, averaged 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for Montana State; whereas Mohamed was the team's second-leading rebounder at 6.5 boards per game.
Aside from Belo, the other returning starter from last season is Tyler Patterson, who averaged 7.1 points in 22.7 minutes per game last year. The sharpshooting wing connected on 37.6% of his three-pointers and he led the team with 64 made threes.
The Big Sky's Co-Reserve of the Year RaeQuan Battle will look to improve on his solid first season in Bozeman. The Washington transfer made the most of his 17.3 minutes per game, averaging a productive 8.5 points and 2.4 rebounds while coming off the bench in all 35 contests.
Other returners from the 2021-22 roster this season are Carter Ash, Nick Gazelas, Great Osobor, Sam Lecholat and Patrick McMahon. Osobor blossomed into an ideal backup for Belo by averaging 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game while playing at the five. Gazelas provided shooting off the bench, while Lecholat, a true freshman last season, saw time at power forward. Ash and McMahon both played reserve roles in the backcourt; both look to have more prominent roles this season.
The Bobcats have five newcomers on the roster, including true freshmen Jed Miller and Luca Colceag, plus three transfers who were key contributors on their previous teams: Darius Brown II (CSUN), Robert Ford III (Idaho State) and Caleb Fuller (UC Davis).
Brown II and Ford III will look to fill the void at point guard left by All-Big Sky selection Xavier Bishop, who graduated this past spring. Brown II averaged 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists during four seasons at CSUN, the most recent of which was curtailed due to an injury. Brown II was an All-Big West selection during the 2020-21 season, when he averaged 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
Ford III is a familiar face to the Bobcats after transferring from Big Sky program Idaho State. Ford III was an honorable mention all-conference selection as a junior in 2020-21; he played nine games last season before redshirting due to an injury. Fuller rounds out the newcomers after averaging 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game during his four years as an Aggie.
From here, the Bobcats will go on a challenging two-game road trip to Long Beach State (Nov. 13) and #21 Oregon (Nov. 15). The Bobcats won't play their first regular-season home game until Friday, Nov. 18 when they host Warner Pacific.
"Our schedule is brutal," Sprinkle said. "It'll be a great test for our guys to play in some of the best environments in the country against some of the best players in the country. We're going to have to be able to handle adversity. I'm interested to see how we respond and see what leadership steps up."
Single-game and season tickets for all home games can be found at msubobcats.com/tickets.
The game is set to start at 7 p.m. MT and it will be livestreamed on ESPN+. Livestream and live stat links can be found on the Montana State men's basketball team's schedule page on msubobcats.com.
Monday's meeting will be the third ever between the two teams and the second time that Sprinkle has coached against GCU. The Lopes have a 2-0 advantage over the Bobcats in the all-time series, with the last meeting being a 69-56 GCU win in Phoenix on Nov. 19, 2019.
The season-opener is one of the better matchups between mid-majors across the country, as the Bobcats went 27-8 in their Big Sky Championship-winning season and the Lopes went 23-8. This season, GCU looked to the transfer portal to revamp its roster, which is led by Jovan Blacksher Jr. — a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference selection who averaged 15.8 points and 4.8 assists per game last season.
"Blacksher is one of the best point guards in the country," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle, who is entering his fourth year at the helm of the program, said. "He's played a lot of college basketball and has seen a lot, so we'll have our hands full trying to stop him. Presbyterian transfer Ray Harrison is a really dynamic player who can score off the dribble and shoot. They've got a lot of good pieces and they're a Pac-12-caliber team."
Montana State has one exhibition game under its belt: a 56-49 exhibition win over Mick Durham's Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets on Oct. 30.
"It was great for us to get in a close game," Sprinkle said. "You learn a little bit about your team when you play in a close game like that. I'd rather play that game than a 40- or 50-point blowout."
During the defense-heavy contest, several bright spots from the Bobcats were RaeQuan Battle's scoring, Darius Brown II's ball-hawking defense and nifty reads, plus Great Osobor's post play.
"We need to continue to have them lead, get better and be consistent every day," Sprinkle said. "We need that every day from Darius — for him to have a defensive mindset, make plays and be tough and gritty. And we'll need RaeQuan to use his athleticism to his advantage. But those guys have both improved."
This consistent play across the board will be critical if MSU wants to repeat as Big Sky Conference champions.
Last season, the Bobcats had arguably their best season in the modern era. MSU went 27-8, which included an undefeated stretch in January, a 13-1 record at home and a program-record 16 wins in conference play. The Bobcats' 9-6 road mark was the first time in several years the program had sat above .500 in the regular season, as Montana last had an above .500 record on the road in 2001-02 when that squad went 6-1.
Slice the Bobcats' 27-8 record in any way but the conclusion is the same — the 2021-22 season was a banner year.
And expectations for this season are sky-high.
Earlier this fall, MSU was picked to repeat as conference champions in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Media and Coaches' Polls. Additionally, senior forward Jubrile Belo was named the Big Sky Preseason MVP. Last season, the London, England native averaged one of three players in Big Sky Conference history to win the conference's MVP and Defensive MVP awards in the same season last year. Belo averaged 12.8 points (on 57.9% shooting) and 6.7 rebounds per game while also leading the Big Sky with 60 blocks. Going into his senior season, Belo has over 1,100 points, 500 rebounds and 120 career blocks.
The Bobcats will replace three starters from last season: First Team All-Big Sky point guard Xavier Bishop, Honorable Mention selection Amin Adamu and Abdul Mohamed. Bishop led the team with 13.9 points and 4.7 assists per game and earned Big Sky Tournament MVP honors after averaging 15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists during the Bobcats' postseason run. Adamu, a 1,000-point scorer, averaged 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for Montana State; whereas Mohamed was the team's second-leading rebounder at 6.5 boards per game.
Aside from Belo, the other returning starter from last season is Tyler Patterson, who averaged 7.1 points in 22.7 minutes per game last year. The sharpshooting wing connected on 37.6% of his three-pointers and he led the team with 64 made threes.
The Big Sky's Co-Reserve of the Year RaeQuan Battle will look to improve on his solid first season in Bozeman. The Washington transfer made the most of his 17.3 minutes per game, averaging a productive 8.5 points and 2.4 rebounds while coming off the bench in all 35 contests.
Other returners from the 2021-22 roster this season are Carter Ash, Nick Gazelas, Great Osobor, Sam Lecholat and Patrick McMahon. Osobor blossomed into an ideal backup for Belo by averaging 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game while playing at the five. Gazelas provided shooting off the bench, while Lecholat, a true freshman last season, saw time at power forward. Ash and McMahon both played reserve roles in the backcourt; both look to have more prominent roles this season.
The Bobcats have five newcomers on the roster, including true freshmen Jed Miller and Luca Colceag, plus three transfers who were key contributors on their previous teams: Darius Brown II (CSUN), Robert Ford III (Idaho State) and Caleb Fuller (UC Davis).
Brown II and Ford III will look to fill the void at point guard left by All-Big Sky selection Xavier Bishop, who graduated this past spring. Brown II averaged 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists during four seasons at CSUN, the most recent of which was curtailed due to an injury. Brown II was an All-Big West selection during the 2020-21 season, when he averaged 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
Ford III is a familiar face to the Bobcats after transferring from Big Sky program Idaho State. Ford III was an honorable mention all-conference selection as a junior in 2020-21; he played nine games last season before redshirting due to an injury. Fuller rounds out the newcomers after averaging 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game during his four years as an Aggie.
From here, the Bobcats will go on a challenging two-game road trip to Long Beach State (Nov. 13) and #21 Oregon (Nov. 15). The Bobcats won't play their first regular-season home game until Friday, Nov. 18 when they host Warner Pacific.
"Our schedule is brutal," Sprinkle said. "It'll be a great test for our guys to play in some of the best environments in the country against some of the best players in the country. We're going to have to be able to handle adversity. I'm interested to see how we respond and see what leadership steps up."
Single-game and season tickets for all home games can be found at msubobcats.com/tickets.
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
