Montana State University
South Dakota State
Bobcats Head to Brookings for Saturday Afternoon Tilt With South Dakota State
1/5/2024 11:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MSU faces preseason Summit League favorite in final non-conference game of the season as part of Big Sky-Summit Challenge
BOZEMAN, Montana – Montana State men's basketball hits the road for one final non-conference game this season, traveling to Brookings, South Dakota, on Saturday for an afternoon date with South Dakota State at Frost Arena.
Tip is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. MT/4:15 p.m. CT following the conclusion of the Bobcat women's game against the Jackrabbits.
The game will be streamed on The Summit League Network Powered by Midco Sports, which requires a subscription. Live radio play-by-play from Voice of the Bobcats Keaton Gillogly will air on the Bobcat Sports Radio Network.
Montana State (6-8, 1-1 Big Sky) dropped a heartbreaker to Oral Roberts on Wednesday night at Worthington Arena, falling 82-76 in a game that featured 14 lead changes and 17 ties. Brandon Walker scored 20 points, Brian Goracke added 18, and Robert Ford III posted his third double-double of the season, chipping in 16 points and ten rebounds.
South Dakota State (7-8, 1-0 Summit) fell in the final moments to Weber State in Ogden on Wednesday night, 75-73, as Dillon Jones hit a game-winning jumper as time expired. The Jackrabbits were picked as the preseason favorite in the Summit League, with preseason league MVP Zeke Mayo headlining an experienced group that boasts the third-best home court advantage in college basketball. Since the 2015-16 season, the Jackrabbits have gone 105-8 (.929) at home, behind only Kansas and Gonzaga in home winning percentage.
NAILBITERS
The Cats have become accustomed to playing in close games, with eight matchups this year getting decided in the final minute of action. Over a two week stretch from Nov. 11 to Nov. 26, Montana State had five games decided by a total of 14 points, with narrow wins over California and UC Riverside. Wednesday's loss to Oral Roberts featured 14 lead changes and 17 ties, with the Golden Eagles edging out the Bobcats over the final 45 seconds.
SHARPSHOOTING TYLER
Tyler Patterson knocked down four 3-pointers in last 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 (13.7ppg), rebounds (7.6rpg), and 3-point percentage (42.3%) among other categories. The redshirt senior from Portland, Oregon, ranks fifth in the country in steals in per game (2.93) and fourth in total steals (41). 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 6-foot Portland native ranks second in NCAA Division I in rebounds per game (7.6).
ED, ED, AND EDDIE
Eddie Turner III started Big Sky action with a bang, scoring a career-high 18 points against both Idaho State and Weber State. Last 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 getting rid of it and exploding for 36 points across the two 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 (15.9) and first in made 3-pointers (36), and is 15th in NCAA Division I in free throw percentage (92.7%). Goracke has scored at least 14 points in five of his last six games, with a pair of 29-point outings.
WALK IT LIKE HE TALKS IT
Brandon Walker was outstanding in Wednesday's loss to Oral Roberts, delivering 20 points and five rebounds on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. Whenever the Bobcats needed a bucket, they got the ball to the sophomore forward in isolation, and the big man delivered. It was Walker's first 20-point game since exploding for 26 in an upset win over California on Nov. 16.
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.
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 fell to Oral Roberts at home on Wednesday night, 82-76, and will travel to Brookings, S.D., to face South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon. South Dakota State fell to Weber State in Ogden on Wednesday night, 75-73, on a Dillon Jones game-winning jumper.
AUTOMATIC AT THE LINE
Brian Goracke ranks 15th in NCAA Division I in free-throw percentage (92.7%). The junior is 38-of-41 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.
CAUSING HAVOC
Montana State leads the Big Sky in steals per game (8.4) and turnovers forced per game (14.1)
ISO BRANDON
According to KenPom.com, Brandon Walker leads NCAA Division I in percentage of possessions used (36.9%), and is third in percentage of shots taken while he is on the court (38.9%)
SHOOTERS EVERYWHERE
Montana State has three of the top-eight players in the Big Sky for made 3-point field goals: Brian Goracke (1st, 36), Tyler Patterson (4th, 32), and Robert Ford III (7th, 30)
BALANCED ATTACK
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)
RUN AND GUN
The Bobcats love to shoot the three-ball under head coach Matt Logie. The Cats rank in the top-25 in NCAA Division I in three-point attempts per game (24.7), and top-50 in made 3-pointers per game (9.4)
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.)
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the sixth meeting all-time between Montana State and South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits lead the series, 3-2. The two teams last met in 2021 as part of a home-and-home during the 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 seasons, with SDSU winning in Brookings, 91-74. Montana State's last win in the series came in Bozeman on Dec. 5, 2019, 77-70.
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