Thursday, February 10
BOZEMAN
7 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Portland State
Photo by: Taylor Allen
Bobcats Back in The Brick to Host Portland State, Northern Arizona
2/9/2022 10:41:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Montana State is back home, after extending its overall winning streak to nine games and road win streak to seven, for two consecutive contests as the Bobcats prepare to face Portland State at 7 p.m. Thursday and Northern Arizona at 12 p.m. Saturday
| Montana State Bobcats (18-5, 10-2) vs. Portland State VIkings (8-13, 6-7) | |
| Saturday vs. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (8-15, 4-8) | |
| Date and Time | Thursday, Feb. 10 - 7 p.m. MT | Saturday, Feb. 12 - Noon MT |
| Location | Bozeman, Montana |
| Site | Worthington Arena |
| Television | N/A |
| Stream | ESPN+ |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | Varsity Network app |
| Live Stats | Statbroadcast (MSUBobcats.com) |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Game Notes (vs. NAU) | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Northern Arizona | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Portland State | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State is back home, after extending its overall winning streak to nine games and road win streak to seven, for two consecutive contests as the Bobcats prepare to face Portland State at 7 p.m. Thursday and Northern Arizona at 12 p.m. Saturday.
The Bobcats returned home following another undefeated road trip extended their program record away win streak. MSU defeated Weber State, 78-57, on Saturday for just its third victory in 14 seasons in Ogden. The 'Cats continued their success Monday leading from start to finish in a 72-54 victory at Idaho State. MSU shot over 50% in both contests while keeping their foes each under 37% from the field.
Montana State carries it 8-1 home record into a Thursday matchup versus the Portland State Vikings. The Viks own the second longest active win streak in the Big Sky having earned four straight victories. PSU currently has four players that are averaging double figures in league play in Ezekial Alley (13.1), James Jean-Marie (13.0), Khalid Thomas (11.8) and Damion Squire (10.0).
The Bobcats topped the Vikings in their first meeting this season in Portland on Jan. 22. The contest at Viking Pavilion featured a 35-32 margin favoring MSU, but the 'Cats stretched things out behind a 13-0 run and MSU remained up double digits the rest of the way. Four Bobcats scored in double digits in the victory.
"Portland State is playing as well as anybody in the conference right now," Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle said. "They're playing a lot of five guards, they're quick, they're athletic, they're playing a hectic style. You can't turn the ball over against them. We had some sloppy turnovers against them last time and they feed off that. You really just can't let them get their game going."
MSU defeated Northern Arizona, 89-84, in Flagstaff on Jan. 20. The two teams face each other Saturday with the Bobcats riding a six-game win streak of the Lumberjacks, their longest streak over NAU in the all-time series. MSU had just six turnovers in the teams' first meeting, the lowest total for the Bobcats in a game since 2013. Leading NAU in the contest was Jalen Cone who dropped 26 points on MSU. He's the team's leading scorer averaging 19.4 points per game. He's joined by Nik Main in double figures as he averages 11.8 per outing.
"They're one of those teams that can beat anybody in the conference because of their talent," Sprinkle said.
"Jalen Cone can go win any game for them. He's a dynamic player. It's fun seeing him and Xavier (Bishop) on the court because they're both about 5-foot-7, 5-foot-8, but they're dynamic. He's a guy we've got to definitely contain, and we did it for one half against them last time, but he got going and it came down to the last minute of that game."
MSU's nine-game stretch of victories ties its second longest span of wins during its Division I era. The 2001-02 and 1986-87 squads also recorded nine-game win streaks. The 'Cats' most consecutive wins is 12, done by the 1994-95 team, in the last 60 years.
MSU is currently 18-5 overall this season. That mark through 23 games is MSU's best since the 1986-87 season when that group began the year with a similar mark, eventually opening the season 20-5 overall.
The Bobcats' 10-2 start in Big Sky play is also one of their best this century. MSU also opened the 2001-02 ledger with the same record and closed out league play by finishing 12-2 to claim the conference's regular season title. That team went 20-10 overall.
Montana State has made its way into the conversation among some of the best mid-major teams in the country. The Bobcats were listed No. 21 in the Feb. 7 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
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 47 wins before the end of his third season in over 84 years. His 47-30 mark only trails Brick Breeden who from 1935-38 led the Bobcats to a 50-23 mark.
The Bobcats are being led by a variety of players this season. Jubrile Belo (13.7), Xavier Bishop (13.6) and Amin Adamu (13.1) are leading the way in scoring during BIg Sky play, while Belo also is averaging 7.4 boards per game in 12 contests. RaeQuan Battle, who is fourth in scoring for MSU in Big Sky play averaging 8.4 points, is 29-for-50 (58%) from the field and averaging 12.8 points over the last six games off the bench.
MSU is currently ranked 118th 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 Portland State and Northern Arizona will be 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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