Montana State University
Northern Arizona
Southern Swing Next for Men’s Basketball
2/5/2025 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bobcats face Northern Arizona on Thursday in Flagstaff, league-leading Northern Colorado on Saturday in Greeley
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- One of the hottest teams in the Big Sky, Montana State men's basketball will take plenty of momentum on their first road trip of February this weekend, embarking on a southern swing through Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.
Montana State (10-13, 5-5) has won four of their last five games since starting conference play 1-4, with the lone defeat since January 16 coming on the road at second-place Montana.
The 'Cats face Northern Arizona (13-10, 4-6) on Thursday in Flagstaff, Arizona, at the Walkup Skydome at 6 p.m., then close out the weekend with a rematch against league-leading Northern Colorado (17-6, 9-1) on Saturday in Greeley, Colorado, at Bank of Colorado Arena at 6 p.m.
Both games will air on ESPN+, with live radio play-by-play from Voice of the Bobcats Keaton Gillogly airing on the Bobcat Sports Network.
On January 9, the 'Cats let one get away after leading by 20 in the second half against first place Northern Colorado. The Bears staged a massive comeback in Bozeman, stealing it 83-82 in the final moments. Brandon Walker scored 20 points to lead MSU, while Max Agbonkpolo added 16.
Two days later, Montana State erased a 16-point deficit in defeating Northern Arizona 58-53 in Bozeman when the two teams met on January 11 at Worthington Arena. Walker scored 17 points with seven rebounds and MSU got their first win in conference play.
THE TURNAROUND: Coming off a disappointing loss to Idaho State in Pocatello on January 16 that dropped MSU to 1-4 in Big Sky play, head coach Matt Logie made the decision to shake up the lineup ahead of their road game at Weber State on January 18, moving Jabe Mullins and Patrick McMahon to prominent bench roles and putting Bryce Zephir and Sam Lecholat in the starting five. Since then, all the Cats have done is won four of their last five games to move within a half game of third place in the Big Sky.
BIG IMPACT B WALK: Brandon Walker has been the most valuable player in the Big Sky according to KenPom.com's All-Conference metrics. The junior forward ranks eighth in the Big Sky in scoring (14.7 ppg) and sixth in field goal percentage (53.1%) while playing an efficient 21.0 minutes per game. Walker has scored in double-figures in eight of his last nine games, including a 17-point, 7-rebound outing in 20 minutes the last time he faced Northern Arizona on January 11.
ALASKAN ASSASSIN: Patrick McMahon has been the story of the Cats' turnaround, averaging 16.2 points per game off the bench on 60.9% shooting over his last five games to help MSU go 4-1 in that stretch. The redshirt junior from Palmer, Alaska, has scored career-highs in three consecutive games entering Thursday in Flagstaff, putting up 18 at Montana, 20 at home against Sacramento State, and 21 at home against Portland State. In the second half alone over the last five games, McMahon is averaging 13.2 points after halftime on 68.8% shooting.
IT'S MILLER TIME: Jed Miller's emergence as a reliable point guard off the bench has been a key to the Cats' recent success. Miller exploded for 20 points in a road win over Weber State on January 18, and is averaging 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists with only 1.2 turnovers per game over his last five outings.
WE MEET AGAIN: Montana State and Northern Arizona clashed in a rockfight on January 11 in Bozeman, with the Bobcats coming out on top 58-53 to start a 5-2 stretch in Big Sky play. Northern Arizona scored the first 16 points of the game as Montana State missed their first 13 shots from the floor, but the Bobcats chipped away and made enough plays in the final moments to get the win. MSU held Northern Arizona to 36.1% shooting from the floor and just 3-of-22 from beyond the arc, while Montana State shot just 39.0% and 6-of-23 from deep.
BENCH WORK: Montana State's bench came through in a big way last week on the way to a pair of home wins, scoring 79 points across the two contests. On Thursday against Sacramento State, the Bobcat bench contributed 36 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists in the 70-58 win. The quartet of Patrick McMahon (+19), Jed Miller (+20), Jabe Mullins (+14), and BJ Kolly (+11) led MSU in plus-minus in their minutes off the bench. On Saturday, the Bobcat bench outscored Portland State's bench 43-9, led by McMahon's 21 points.
BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK: Montana State is one of the most experienced teams in the country, boasting five players in the rotation who have each played in at least 122 games (Jabe Mullins, Tyler Patterson, Brian Goracke, Max Agbonkpolo, Sam Lecholat), and nine players who have at least four years in college basketball.
SERIES HISTORY (NORTHERN ARIZONA): Thursday marks the 114th all-time matchup between the Lumberjacks and Bobcats, with Montana State leading the all-time series 63-50. MSU has won 12 of the last 13 meetings overall, including five of the last six in Flagstaff.
SERIES HISTORY (NORTHERN COLORADO): Saturday marks the 80th all-time matchup between the Bears and Bobcats, with Montana State leading the all-time series 51-28 since 1923. MSU has won eight of the last 11 meetings overall, and is 21-18 in Greeley all-time. The two teams have evenly split the last 12 clashes in Greeley since 2013 (6-6). Last year, Northern Colorado won 73-70 at Bank of Colorado Arena. Entering Saturday, the Bears have won back-to-back games over the Bobcats since 2018-19, and are looking for a three-game winning streak over the Cats for the first time since 2010-11.
IRON MAN: Tyler Patterson missed a game against Eastern Washington on January 20 with an injury, his first career missed game in five years. It broke a streak of 147 games straight that Patterson had played in since arriving on campus ahead of the 2020-21 season. Patterson has started 139 games for MSU, a school record, and his 150 games played also represents a school record. The graduate student's 139 starts are the most at one school for any active player in NCAA Division l. Patterson is fourth in program history in made 3-pointers (253), trailing his former coach Danny Sprinkle (1996-99) who is third in MSU history with 263 made 3-pointers.
MR. 300: With the 'Cats win over Weber State on January 18, 2025, head coach Matt Logie achieved his 300th career victory in college basketball. Logie is the 20th-winningest coach all-time in men's college basketball history (.773) and ninth among active head coaches. Logie went 194-35 over eight seasons at Whitworth (Division III) and 82-23 over four seasons at Point Loma (Division II). Logie is currently 27-31 at Montana State, and led the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament last year.
BALL SECURITY: Tyler Patterson is third in the country in turnover rate, with only 4.7% of possessions with him on the court ending in a Patterson turnover. In 509 minutes of game action, Patterson has turned it over just five times this season. Patrick McMahon ranks 15th in NCAA Division I in turnover rate, with only 6.0% of possessions with him on the court ending in a McMahon turnover. In 544 minutes, McMahon has 10 turnovers.
GOLDEN AGE OF BOBCAT BASKETBALL: Montana State has played in four straight Big Sky Tournament championship games, gone 49-16 against Big Sky opponents over the last three seasons, and made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history. The Bobcats are the Big Sky Conference's first three-peat champion since Idaho from 1981-83. 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.
THE MATT LOGIE FILE: Second-year MSU head coach Matt Logie has taken his teams to the NCAA Tournament in 12 of his 13 seasons as a head coach, and is believed to be just the second men's coach in history to lead teams to the Big Dance at the Division I, Division II, and Division III levels (Tobin Anderson). Logie ranks 20th in NCAA men's basketball history in career winning percentage (.773) and is ninth among active head coaches. Logie came to Montana State after four seasons at Point Loma (Division II), where his teams rolled up an 82-23 record with three conference championships, and eight seasons at Whitworth (Division III), where his teams went 194-35.
#GoCatsGo
