Monday, February 27
Cheney, WA
7 p.m.
Montana State University
at
Eastern Washington
Photo by: Bobcat Creative Services
Bobcats and Eagles Meet on Monday Night
2/26/2023 11:20:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The regular-season finale between the Big Sky Conference’s top two teams could be a sneak peek at the Big Sky Conference Championship game.
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Playing in a clash between the top two teams in the Big Sky Conference, Montana State will travel to regular-season champion Eastern Washington on Monday for a 7 p.m. MT game televised on SWX Sports.
ESPN+ will also live stream the game for out-of-market viewers and a free radio broadcast will be provided by the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. Links to live stats and a live broadcast can be found on the men's basketball team's schedule page at msubobcats.com.
Although both teams are locked into their respective rankings in the conference standings, the teams could get an early look at a potential Big Sky Conference Championship matchup on Monday. Interestingly enough, Montana State (21-9, 14-3 Big Sky Conference) closed its regular-season slate last year against Northern Colorado — the team the Bobcats met in the Big Sky Championship game.
Montana State has the longest win streak in the conference after winning its fourth-straight game against Portland State 91-78 on Senior Night on Saturday. Senior forward Jubrile Belo notched his 20th career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way in his final regular-season game in Worthington Arena, plus RaeQuan Battle added 20 points and Great Osobor chipped in 14 off the bench to help the Bobcats put together their highest-scoring night against Division I competition this year. Not to be overlooked, Darius Brown II flirted with a triple-double with 14 points, plus seven assists and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Eastern Washington (22-8, 16-1 Big Sky Conference) looks to bounce back from a 71-63 upset loss in Pocatello to Idaho State on Saturday, which snapped a nation-leading 18-game winning streak. The Eagles had a slow start and went cold from beyond the arc in the second half, connecting on only four of their 18 three-point attempts (22.2%).
Despite last night's result, Eastern Washington still boasts the best offense in the league by averaging 80.6 points on 51.7% shooting in conference games. The Eagles also boast the third-best three-point-shooting offense in the league at 37.6% — thanks to having five rotation players who shoot 35% or better from beyond the arc.
Eastern Washington has two of the conference's top 15 scorers in Angelo Allegri (13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds per game) and the aforementioned Venters, both of whom can get hot on any given night. Three different Eagles (Allegri, Venters, Cedric Coward) have earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors.
Monday's matchup will pit strength on strength, as MSU head coach Danny Sprinkle's unit has only allowed a league-leading 63.8 points per game in conference play while having the league leaders in blocks (Jubrile Belo, 1.4 per game) and steals (Darius Brown II, 2.5 per game).
The last meeting between the two teams was a close affair until a late drought from MSU and a clutch shot from Steele Venters (14.9 points per game, 45.8% shooting) hit a three with 19 seconds left handed the Bobcats their first home loss in nearly a calendar year. Darius Brown II was Montana State's leading scorer and rebounder with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double, plus MSU got double-figure scoring nights from RaeQuan Battle (13 points) and Caleb Fuller (10 points).
With its 2-seed clinched, the Bobcats will have nearly a week to prepare for their first game in the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Boise, Idaho on Sunday, March 5. Montana State will play the winner between the 7- and 8-seeds, both of which have yet to be determined.
ESPN+ will also live stream the game for out-of-market viewers and a free radio broadcast will be provided by the Bobcat Sports Radio Network. Links to live stats and a live broadcast can be found on the men's basketball team's schedule page at msubobcats.com.
Although both teams are locked into their respective rankings in the conference standings, the teams could get an early look at a potential Big Sky Conference Championship matchup on Monday. Interestingly enough, Montana State (21-9, 14-3 Big Sky Conference) closed its regular-season slate last year against Northern Colorado — the team the Bobcats met in the Big Sky Championship game.
Montana State has the longest win streak in the conference after winning its fourth-straight game against Portland State 91-78 on Senior Night on Saturday. Senior forward Jubrile Belo notched his 20th career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way in his final regular-season game in Worthington Arena, plus RaeQuan Battle added 20 points and Great Osobor chipped in 14 off the bench to help the Bobcats put together their highest-scoring night against Division I competition this year. Not to be overlooked, Darius Brown II flirted with a triple-double with 14 points, plus seven assists and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Eastern Washington (22-8, 16-1 Big Sky Conference) looks to bounce back from a 71-63 upset loss in Pocatello to Idaho State on Saturday, which snapped a nation-leading 18-game winning streak. The Eagles had a slow start and went cold from beyond the arc in the second half, connecting on only four of their 18 three-point attempts (22.2%).
Despite last night's result, Eastern Washington still boasts the best offense in the league by averaging 80.6 points on 51.7% shooting in conference games. The Eagles also boast the third-best three-point-shooting offense in the league at 37.6% — thanks to having five rotation players who shoot 35% or better from beyond the arc.
Eastern Washington has two of the conference's top 15 scorers in Angelo Allegri (13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds per game) and the aforementioned Venters, both of whom can get hot on any given night. Three different Eagles (Allegri, Venters, Cedric Coward) have earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors.
Monday's matchup will pit strength on strength, as MSU head coach Danny Sprinkle's unit has only allowed a league-leading 63.8 points per game in conference play while having the league leaders in blocks (Jubrile Belo, 1.4 per game) and steals (Darius Brown II, 2.5 per game).
The last meeting between the two teams was a close affair until a late drought from MSU and a clutch shot from Steele Venters (14.9 points per game, 45.8% shooting) hit a three with 19 seconds left handed the Bobcats their first home loss in nearly a calendar year. Darius Brown II was Montana State's leading scorer and rebounder with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double, plus MSU got double-figure scoring nights from RaeQuan Battle (13 points) and Caleb Fuller (10 points).
With its 2-seed clinched, the Bobcats will have nearly a week to prepare for their first game in the Big Sky Conference Tournament in Boise, Idaho on Sunday, March 5. Montana State will play the winner between the 7- and 8-seeds, both of which have yet to be determined.
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