Montana State University
Northern Colorado
Bobcats Look Ahead to Road Trip Through Greeley and Flagstaff
2/7/2024 1:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State aiming for season sweeps over both Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona this weekend
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Montana State men's basketball's wins at Worthington Arena over Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado on January 11 and January 13, respectively, helped signal to the rest of the Big Sky Conference that the Bobcats were not lowering their sights any lower than the championship standard of the last two seasons.
This weekend, the Bobcats (11-12, 6-4 Big Sky) have another opportunity to cement their place in the top-four of the league, facing the Bears and Lumberjacks on the road this weekend.
The first of three straight road games for the Cats gets underway Thursday night when they take on Northern Colorado (13-9, 6-3 Big Sky) at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, Colorado. Tip is set for 6 p.m.
Then on Saturday, the Cats rematch with Northern Arizona (10-13, 3-6 Big Sky) at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Arizona. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play from Voice of the Bobcats Keaton Gillogly airing on the Bobcat Sports Network.
Entering the second week of February, Montana State sits in fourth in the Big Sky Conference and owns wins over both the first and second place teams in the league, handing Eastern Washington their only conference loss last Thursday and defeating Northern Colorado back on January 13.
Montana State and Northern Colorado met in one of the more entertaining matchups in the Big Sky this season on January 13 at Worthington Arena, with the Bobcats pulling out a 90-81 win. Saint Thomas scored 27 points and pulled down eight rebounds for the Bears, while Brian Goracke scored 25 points (7-of-10 FG) and Brandon Walker added 22 for the Bobcats (8-of-11 FG). Both teams shot above 49% in the game, putting on an offensive clinic. Montana State scored 51 points in the second half after trailing, 41-39, at halftime.
On January 11, Montana State took down Northern Arizona, 79-50, to secure the Cats' most lopsided Big Sky win this season. The Cats held the Lumberjacks to 15-of-51 (29.4%) shooting to pick up their 11th straight win in the series over NAU. Robert Ford III collected a double-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Brandon Walker scored a game-high 17 points with six rebounds.
RUNNING OUT OF ADJECTIVES FOR ROB
Robert Ford III has found yet another level since the Cats restarted Big Sky play on January 11. Over the last eight games, the redshirt senior is averaging 19.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.4 steals per contest while shooting 54.3% from the floor and 50.0% (20-of-40) from distance. Last Thursday against EWU, the native of Portland finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, six steals, five assists, and just one turnover. Ford ranks second in the country in steals (69) and fourth in steals per game (3.00), and is top-60 in the nation in double-doubles (6). Ford has had at least one steal in all 23 games this season. The team captain is rated the third most valuable player in the Big Sky behind only Weber State's Dillon Jones and Northern Colorado's Saint Thomas.
A BIG HOME WIN
Montana State is coming off one of their signature wins in the first year under head coach Matt Logie, taking down Big Sky-leading Eastern Washington, 70-60, last Thursday night to snap the Eagles' nine-game winning streak and hand them their first conference loss. Montana State is the first non-Power Five team to defeat Eastern Washington this season, and held them to season-lows in points (60) and three-point shooting (2-of-18), while leading for 36 minutes of game action.
SHERIDAN SAM
Sam Lecholat recorded his first career double-double in last Thursday's upset over Eastern Washington, tallying 11 points and ten rebounds off the bench. The junior from Sheridan, Wyoming, snagged five offensive rebounds and made numerous hustle plays while on the court for a season-high 32 minutes. Over his last five games, the junior from Sheridan, Wyoming, is averaging 8.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while playing 26.7 minutes per game.
MILESTONE WATCH
With his 12 points last Thursday, junior Brian Goracke hit 1,000 points for his career (666 at Point Loma, 337 at Montana State), while Robert Ford III cleared 500 rebounds for his career (213 at Idaho State, 288 at Montana State). Tyler Patterson currently ranks seventh in MSU history for made three point field goals (187), and is two games away from breaking into the top ten for all-time games played for the Bobcats (116). Patterson is two more threes away from moving up to sixth all-time in Bobcat history for career three point field goals, needing to pass Pete Conway (1999-2003).
SHARPSHOOTER BRIAN
Brian Goracke ranks fifth in the Big Sky in scoring (15.3 ppg) and is seventh in made three point field goals (50), while shooting 36.5% from deep. The junior transfer from Division II Point Loma has scored at least 12 points in nine of his last ten games, and has eclipsed 20 points in five contests this season—including scoring 25 on 7-of-10 shooting the last time Montana State faced Northern Colorado
ROBCAT
Robert Ford III is currently second in NCAA Division I in steals and ranks third in MSU history for steals in a single season (69). Chris Conway had 94 in the 1987-88 season.
WALKING BUCKET
Sophomore forward Brandon Walker leads the Big Sky and is ranked 34th in NCAA Division I in field goal percentage (59.0%). The transfer from UT Arlington is third on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and is averaging 16.4 points per game over his last eight contests since Big Sky play restarted on January 11.
FREE THROW MAESTRO
Brian Goracke ranks 32nd in NCAA Division I in free-throw percentage (88.2%).
CAUSING HAVOC
Montana State leads the Big Sky in steals per game (8.2) and turnovers forced per game (13.7)
SERIES HISTORY (NORTHERN COLORADO)
Montana State and Northern Colorado will clash for the 78th time on Thursday. The Cats and Bears have met in the Big Sky Tournament each of the last two seasons on the way to two MSU championships. In 2022, Montana State defeated Northern Colorado, 87-66, in the championship game to book their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996. Last season, MSU defeated UNC in the quarterfinal, 84-73, en route to their second straight Big Sky tournament championship. Montana State leads the all-time series, 51-26, and has won six straight against Northern Colorado and three of the last four matchups in Greeley.
SERIES HISTORY (NORTHERN ARIZONA)
Montana State and Northern Arizona have met at least twice every season since 1970-1971. Montana State leads the all-time series, 62-49, and have won eleven in a row, the longest streak in the series' history. Montana State has won the last five matchups played in Flagstaff and seven of the last nine games at the Walkup Skydome—with two of those wins coming in overtime in 2016 and 2018.
OFFENSIVE BALANCE
Montana State has had five different players score at least 18 points in a game this season: Robert Ford III (30), Brian Goracke (29), Brandon Walker (26), Tyler Patterson (20), and Eddie Turner III (18)
POWER FIVE 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.)
MEMORABLE MARCH MADNESS MOMENTS
First year head coach Matt Logie would work for five seasons at his alma mater, Lehigh, before being promoted to associate head coach for two years. While there he recruited CJ McCollum, the 2013 NBA Draft pick and current member of the New Orleans Pelicans and helped lead the Mountain Hawks into the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The team whom Coach Logie helped to build at Lehigh before leaving for Whitworth in 2011 would go on to beat Duke in the 2012 NCAA Tournament in one of March Madness' greatest upsets.
MORE NBA CONNECTIONS
Logie watched from the sidelines as current Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder played for Logie's grandfather, Ed Pepple, at Mercer Island High School outside of Seattle. Snyder went on to star at Duke after a McDonald's All-American career at Mercer Island, before an NBA playing and coaching career. Logie was a ballboy and later played for his grandfather at Mercer Island, leading the Islanders to state championships in 1997 and 1999. Pepple was named the national high school coach of the year in 1998.
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.
#GoCatsGo
