Sunday, February 27
Missoula, Mont.
3 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Montana
Photo by: Garrett Becker
MSU Men’s Basketball Prepares for Tough Matchup at Montana on Sunday
2/24/2022 11:34:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Montana State, after a week off from action, returns to the court with four consecutive games coming during a week span
| Montana State Bobcats (21-6, 13-3) vs. Montana Grizzlies (17-10, 10-6) | |
| Date and Time | Sunday, Feb. 27 - 3 p.m. MT |
| Location | Missoula, Montana |
| Site | Dahlberg Arena |
| Television | ESPNU |
| Stream | WatchESPN.com |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | Varsity Network app |
| Live Stats | GoGriz.com (Statbroadcast) |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Montana | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State, after a week off from action, returns to the court with four consecutive games coming during a week span. The Bobcats begin that stretch to close out the regular season traveling west to Missoula to face Montana in Dahlberg Arena Sunday.
MSU and Montana are set to meet for the 303rd time. The Bobcats and Griz matched up for the first time this season on Jan. 9 in Bozeman. Montana built two six-point leads in the opening half, but MSU eventually held a three-point edge at halftime. The Bobcats went up by as many as 13 in the second half and held off any Griz comeback by holding Montana to just 30.4% shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes.
The Bobcats' victory over the Griz in early January ended a six-game win streak for Montana in the series. MSU's last win in Missoula came on Feb. 27, 2010, when the Bobcats earned a 73-67 win over the Grizzlies. That is also the last time MSU earned a regular season sweep over its rival. Since that contest, Montana has won 19 of 21 meetings between the two sides.
Montana State sits atop the Big Sky Conference standings with a 13-3 mark in league play. The Bobcats, currently 21-6 overall, are in the midst of three consecutive road games. They previously dropped an overtime game to Eastern Washington (88-86) on Feb. 17, but re-grouped to defeat Southern Utah 76-71 on Feb. 19.
Montana is set to to face the Thunderbirds at Southern Utah tonight prior to Sunday's matchup versus the Bobcats. The Griz, after a one game in 11-day stretch, are currently 17-10 overall and 10-6 in Big Sky Conference play. Montana leads the conference in scoring defense giving up 64.9 points per game. The Griz are led by Josh Bannan who averages 14.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He's joined in double digits scoring by Robby Besley (11.9) and Brandon Whitney (10.8).
"At this time of year there's no secrets," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. "They know what we do and we know what they do. It's going be a tremendous battle and we're going to have to play well. We're going to have to play a clean game. We've been turning the ball over a little too much lately, we're not going to be able to get away with that Sunday at Dahlberg Arena if we want to be successful.
"Obviously it'd be great (to earn a win). It's a rivalry game. We know we're going to have to play our best game of the season to do that."
MSU held an 11-game winning streak prior to its loss at EWU. That streak had been Montana State's longest overall span of wins in a row in 22 years, while the 11 served as the most in a row in conference play in program history. The Bobcats have won 17 of their last 19 games.
The Bobcats' 21 victories match MSU's most in a single season during their Big Sky Conference era. They previously have earned 21 victories in the 1995-96, 1994-95 and 1986-87 seasons. Prior to their Big Sky era, which began in 1963, the Bobcats' previous most wins of 22 came in the 1951-52 season.
MSU's 13-3 mark in Big Sky play is one of its best all-time. By winning percentage, the Bobcats' best records were the 12-2 league ledgers they posted in the 2001-02 and 1986-87 seasons. Both of those teams were Big Sky regular season championship squads. MSU's 13 wins across its Big Sky slate are the most ever for the program.
MSU held a six-game winning streak in true road contests before its overtime loss at EWU. That six-game stretch was the longest for the program during its Big Sky era. The Bobcats have already assured themselves a positive winning percentage in away games this year with their current 9-5 mark. MSU's only other winning away records since 1963 include the 2002 (6-1), 1995 (7-4) and 1988 (8-6) seasons.
Montana State 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, currently sits at No. 17. The Big Sky's highest rated team at this time, 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 50 wins before the end of his third season in over 84 years. His 50-31 mark nearly resembles Brick Breeden's 50-23 record from 1935-38.
Montana State's game versus Montana will air on ESPNU and is available through stream at WatchESPN.com depending on cable subscription. 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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