Thursday, February 17
Cheney, WA
7 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Eastern Washington
Abdul Mohamed
Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
Three-Game Road Stretch Begins for Bobcats at EWU Thursday
2/16/2022 10:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Montana State men’s basketball team, after two close victories at home, returns to the road for its next three matchups
| Montana State Bobcats (20-5, 12-2) vs. Eastern Washington Eagles (13-12, 7-7) | |
| Date and Time | Thursday, Feb. 17 - 7 p.m. MT |
| Location | Cheney, Washington |
| Site | Reese Court |
| Television | SWX Montana |
| Stream | ESPN+ |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | Varsity Network app |
| Live Stats | GoEags.com |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Eastern Washington | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Montana State men's basketball team, after two close victories at home, returns to the road for its next three matchups. The Bobcats open the span away from Bozeman on Thursday at Eastern Washington. MSU follows that with a contest at Southern Utah on Saturday and then a trip to Missoula to face Montana on Feb. 27.
MSU takes on EWU for the second time this season, previously earning a 69-65 victory over the Eagles in Bozeman on Jan. 27. EWU held a 43-41 lead with 11:15 to go in the first matchup, but Xavier Bishop hit a 3-pointer on MSU's next possession and the Bobcats never trailed again. MSU held EWU to a season low shooting percentage against Big Sky foes of 32.7%. Four Bobcats scored in double digits in the contest.
The win for Montana State ended a skid of six straight defeats to Eastern Washington. The Eags have won 15 of the last 18 meetings against the Bobcats. MSU has lost nine straight games in Cheney with their last win (60-56) coming on Feb. 24, 2011.
A Bishop layup with six seconds remaining propelled the Bobcats to a 72-70 victory over Northern Arizona their last time out on Jan. 12. The victory extended MSU's win streak to 11 games. That stretch is the second longest of MSU's Division I era, trailing only the 12-game streak done by the 1994-95 team. The 11 straight wins in Big Sky play is the longest in program history. It also is the fourth longest active winning streak in the country trailing Gonzaga, Murray State and South Dakota State (14).
MSU is currently 20-5 overall this season. That record through 25 games for the program is the best since the 1986-87 season when that group began the year with the same mark. Montana State's most overall wins since joining the Big Sky (1963) is 21.
The Bobcats' 12-2 start in Big Sky play is one of their best this century. MSU opened the 2001-02 ledger with the same record and closed out league play claiming the conference's regular season title. That team went 20-10 overall. Montana State has never had more than 12 wins in Big Sky Conference play.
MSU visits Eastern Washington riding a six-game win streak in true road contests. The six-game stretch is the longest away winning streak in the program's Big Sky era. Montana State is assured a positive winning percentage in away games this year with its current 8-4 mark. Its only other winning away records since 1963 include the 2002 (6-1), 1995 (7-4) and 1988 (8-6) seasons.
Montana State has made its way into the conversation among some of the best mid-major teams in the country. The Bobcats, originally listed No. 21 in the Feb. 7 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, now sits at No. 17. The Big Sky's highest rated team currently, the ranking is the first for the Bobcat program in recent memory.
Danny Sprinkle helped the Bobcats through a strong four-year run as a player and now he's doing it at a historical level guiding the program. Sprinkle is the first Bobcat coach to reach 49 wins before the end of his third season in over 84 years. His 49-30 mark only trails Brick Breeden who from 1935-38 led the Bobcats to a 50-23 mark.
MSU is currently ranked 132nd in the NCAA's Net Rankings. The ranking is the highest for MSU since 2002 and is among the best for the Bobcats ever, trailing their RPI at the end of the 1987 (63rd), 1996 (72nd) and 2002 (97th) seasons.
Montana State's games versus Eastern Washington will be televised on SWX Montana and streamed on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast on the Bobcat Radio Network on KMMS 1450 AM as well as on the Varsity Network app. Links for live streams, live stats and radio coverage are available on the men's basketball schedule page on msubobcats.com.
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