Montana State University
Oral Roberts
Bobcats Host Mid-Major Power Oral Roberts on Wednesday
1/2/2024 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Matchup of two teams with four combined NCAA Tournament appearances in last three seasons highlights Big Sky-Summit Challenge
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- After splitting a pair of games during the opening weekend of Big Sky Conference play, the Montana State men's basketball team now prepares for one the most highly anticipated home games on their schedule, a date with Oral Roberts on Wednesday night at Worthington Arena as part of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge.
Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., following the conclusion of the Montana State women's team's game against North Dakota State.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play from Voice of the Bobcats Keaton Gillogly and Brian Priebe airing on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network.
Tickets are available here.
This year marks the first edition of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge, which features a home-and-away non-conference game for each men's and women's basketball program in the two leagues.
Oral Roberts has been one of the best mid-major college basketball programs in the country over the last three seasons, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 2021 and punching their ticket again to March Madness this past year, going 30-5 and winning the Summit League before falling to No. 5 seed Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Montana State has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons, going 27-8 in 2021-2022 and 25-10 in 2022-2023, winning the Big Sky Tournament both years before falling to a pair of No. 3 seeds in Texas Tech (2022) and Kansas State (2023). The back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances are a first in program history.
BIG SKY PLAY BEGINS
Montana State got Big Sky play started this past weekend on the road, defeating Idaho State, 74-66, on Thursday in Pocatello before falling, 86-64, to Weber State on Saturday in Ogden. Montana State is the two-time defending Big Sky Tournament champion, and embarks on their 60th season in the Big Sky Conference. The Bobcats were picked seventh in the preseason coaches' poll and fourth in the media poll.
SHARPSHOOTING TYLER
Tyler Patterson knocked down four 3-pointers in Saturday's loss to Weber State, moving him into 9th place all-time at MSU for made 3-point field goals (171). The junior from Snoqualmie, Wash., is now five behind Scott Hatler (1992-96) and Marcus Colbert (2012-16) who each hit 176 triples. Tyler Hall (431) is the program's all-time leader.
ROB-CAT
Robert Ford III is enjoying his best college season in his last year in a Bobcat uniform, averaging career-highs in points (13.5ppg), rebounds (7.8rpg), and 3-point percentage (41.5%) among other categories. The redshirt senior from Portland, Oregon, ranks sixth in the country in steals in per game (2.85) and 8th in total steals (37). On Nov. 20, Ford recorded a career-high seven steals against Green Bay, the second-most in a single game in program history and the most by a Bobcat since 2013. Among players 6-foot-2 or shorter, the Portland native ranks second in NCAA Division I in rebounds per game (7.8).
ED, ED, AND EDDIE
Eddie Turner III started Big Sky action with a bang, scoring a career-high 18 points Idaho State and following up that performance with another 18-point outing against Weber State. Thursday's game against the Bengals was Turner's first since ditching a protective face mask that he had been wearing since coming back from a face injury that had caused him to miss five games. Turner played four games in the mask before being cleared to play without it and proceeded to pour in 36 points across the two conference games on 13-of-25 shooting (52%) and 6-of-10 from deep (60%).
BALLING BRIAN
Brian Goracke exploded for 29 points and eight rebounds in last Thursday's win over Idaho State, the second time the junior transfer from Division II Point Loma has hit the 29-point mark. Goracke finished the game 11-of-15 from the field, nailing big shot after big shot. The native of Monroe, Oregon, ranks fourth in the Big Sky in points per game (15.7) and second in made 3-pointers (32), and is tenth in NCAA Division I in free throw percentage (94.7%).
GORACKE GAME-WINNER
With the Bobcats trailing 88-86 to Southern Utah with 2.5 seconds on Dec. 19 in Worthington Arena, Brian Goracke nailed a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to hand the Cats a thrilling win. From the sideline, Tyler Patterson inbounded to John Olmsted, who delivered a perfect touch pass to Goracke on the wing. Goracke faked a shot, then delivered the buzzer-beater which checked in at No. 5 on the SportsCenter Top 10 plays segment that night.
B-WALK HEATING UP
Brandon Walker has scored at least 13 points in three of his last four games, with 17-point outings against both Southern Utah (Dec. 19) and Weber State (Dec. 30). The sophomore forward is in his first year as a Bobcat after transferring from UT Arlington, and is third on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg) and first in field goal percentage (52.5%). Walker, a native of Oak Cliff, Texas, dropped a career-high 26 points with three rebounds and four assists in an upset win on the road over California on November 16, the Cats' first win over a Power Five team since 2018.
BIG SKY-SUMMIT CHALLENGE
This season marks the first edition of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge, a non-conference series between the two leagues. The matchups for the series are determined annually using data from past seasons, including NET rankings and regular-season conference finishes, along with consideration for the prior season matchups. Montana State faces Oral Roberts at home on Wednesday night and will travel to Brookings, S.D., to face South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon.
AUTOMATIC AT THE LINE
Brian Goracke ranks 10th in NCAA Division I in free-throw percentage (94.7%). The junior is 36-of-38 at the charity stripe this year. Montana State's single-season record-holder for free throw percentage is Tyler Hall, who shot 90.7% during the 2017-18 season.
CLASH OF STRENGTHS
Montana State leads the Big Sky in steals per game (8.3) and turnovers forced per game (14.1), while Oral Roberts has been one of the best teams in the country at protecting the ball. The Golden Eagles are 19th in NCAA Division I in turnover percentage (14.1%)
SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS
Oral Roberts is 6-7 overall and 1-1 in Summit League play, but faced one of the toughest non-conference slates in the country, falling to No. 13 Texas A&M (74-66), Kansas State (88-78, OT), Texas Tech (82-76), and Oklahoma State (81-60). The Golden Eagles lost three-time All-American Max Abmas to the transfer portal (Texas) this past offseason, and are led this year by Isaac McBride, a senior guard averaging 18.9 points and 2.9 assists per game. Graduate student guard Kareem Thompson is fifth in NCAA Division I in minutes per game (38.5) and 15th in three-point percentage (44.9%). Oral Roberts was picked second behind South Dakota State in the Preseason Summit League Poll
LIGHTING IT UP FROM DEEP
Montana State has three of the top-ten players in the Big Sky for made 3-point field goals: Tyler Patterson (t-2nd, 32), Brian Goracke (t-2nd, 32), and Robert Ford III (9th, 27)
OFFENSIVE BALANCE
Montana State has had four different players score at least 19 points in a game this season: Brian Goracke (29), Brandon Walker (26), Robert Ford III (26), and Tyler Patterson (20)
SIGNATURE WIN
Before beating Cal on Nov. 16, Montana State had last taken down a Power Five opponent on December 9, 2018, defeating Washington State, 95-90 in a neutral site game in Kennewick, Wash. Montana State is 54-101 against schools currently making up the Pac-12 (including Colorado, Utah, etc.)
GOLDEN AGE OF BOBCAT BASKETBALL
The Bobcats are coming off of their two best seasons in the modern era. In 2021-22, Montana State went 27-8, which included a 13-1 record at home and a program-record 16 wins in conference play. In 2022-2023, Montana State went 25-10, collected a 12-1 record at Worthington Arena, and went 15-3 in conference action. Montana State has played in three straight Big Sky Tournament championship games, gone 37-7 against Big Sky opponents over the last two seasons, won at least 25 games in two straight seasons for the first time since 1927-1929, and are coming off consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history.
WELCOME TO THE LOGIE ERA
First-year head coach Matt Logie comes to Montana State after four seasons at Point Loma in California, where his teams rolled up an 82-23 record with three conference championships. His 12 seasons as a head basketball coach includes eight at Whitworth University in Spokane (2011-19), where his Pirates compiled a 194-35 record. Logie's 276-58 career mark in 12 seasons is good for an .826 winning percentage, the third-highest winning percentage in the history of all NCAA men's college basketball coaches.
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