Thursday, March 3
BOZEMAN
7 p.m.
Montana State University
vs
Sacramento State
Photo by: Garrett Becker
Bobcats Turn Attention to Hornets Thursday Evening
3/2/2022 5:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State continues its three-game homestand to close out its regular season on Thursday when the Bobcats host Sacramento State in Worthington Arena
| Montana State Bobcats (22-7, 14-4) vs. Sacramento State Hornets (9-16, 5-13) | |
| Date and Time | Thursday, March 3 - 7 p.m. MT |
| Location | Bozeman, Montana |
| Site | Worthington Arena |
| Stream | ESPN+ |
| Radio | KMMS 1450 AM | Bobcat Sports Radio Network |
| Listen Live | Varsity Network app |
| Live Stats | MSUBobcats.com (Statbroadcast) |
| Montana State | Game Notes | Men's Basketball Home Page |
| Sacramento State | Men's Basketball Home Page |
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State continues its three-game homestand to close out its regular season on Thursday when the Bobcats host Sacramento State at 7 p.m. in Worthington Arena.
The Bobcats are coming off a Tuesday 69-53 victory over Southern Utah that helped the Bobcats clinch a share of their first regular season Big Sky Conference title in 20 years. A win in one of their final two games would give Montana State an outright Big Sky crown and lock up the top seed in the Big Sky Tournament.
MSU locked down the Big Sky's top scoring team in Southern Utah from the get go Tuesday. The Bobcats held the Thunderbirds to less than 30% shooting as they took a 31-20 lead into halftime. Southern Utah cut the deficit to one on two occasions, but the Bobcats held off the T-Birds. Xavier Bishop matched his career high of 28 points while Amin Adamu (13) and Jubrile Belo (11) joined him in double digits to lead MSU.
Montana State is in the midst of a four-game stretch that spans every other day. The Bobcats fell at Montana, 80-74, but rebounded Tuesday to avoid their first losing streak of their Big Sky schedule. The matchups versus Sacramento State and Northern Colorado will be the second against each and the first since December.
The 'Cats face a Sacramento State team riding a season-high three-game win streak. The Hornets have scored 80-plus points in each victory after having only scored 80 points once against a Division I opponent this season. Sacramento State is led by Bryce Fowler who averages 18.1 points per game, which includes a career-high 32-point effort against Montana State in a narrow 68-66 defeat on Dec. 4.
The Bobcats stand at 22-7 overall and 14-4 in Big Sky play. MSU's 22 victories are the most for the program in a single season during its Big Sky era. The win total matches the 1951-52 squad and trails MSU's first NCAA Tournament squad of 1950-51 that went 24-12 under Brick Breeden.
MSU's 14-4 league 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 14 wins across its Big Sky slate are the most ever for the program.
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 victories before the end of his third season in over 84 years. His 51 wins within his third season are now the most by a Bobcat coach since Schubert Dyche won 66 contests in a span from 1928-31.
MSU has been led by the play of its previous all-conference performers as of late. Xavier Bishop has scored a combined 55 points over his last two games. Jubrile Belo had a double-double at Montana and nearly had another versus the T-Birds. Amin Adamu is nearing the 1,000-point club with 970 in his Bobcat career.
Montana State has already claimed a spot in the Big Sky Quarterfinals having automatically earned a bye in the league tournament. The spot in the quarterfinals marks the fourth consecutive season the Bobcats have appeared among the top eight teams in the Big Sky postseason tournament. It marks the first time the program has achieved the feat since a span of the 1996-99 seasons.
Montana State's game versus Sacramento State 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.
Players Mentioned
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
