Montana State University
Eastern Washington
Cats Seek Fifth-Straight Win, Face Eastern Washington on Thursday
1/7/2026 4:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana State looks to start Big Sky play 3-0 for the first time since 2017-18
GAME 16
MONTANA STATE (8-7, 2-0 BIG SKY) vs EASTERN WASHINGTON (2-12, 0-1 BIG SKY)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 8
Time: 7 p.m. MT
Venue: Reese Court
Location: Cheney, Wash.
TV: SWX/ESPN+
Radio: Bobcat Radio Network
MSU Records: Home 5-1, Road 2-6, Neutral 1-0
EWU Records: Home 2-1, Road 0-10, Neutral 0-1
Series: EWU leads, 50-51
Last Meeting: W, 64-54 (1/20/25)
STORYLINES
CAN THEY EVEN THE SERIES?: Montana State seeks its second-straight win over Eastern Washington when the two teams face off at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash., on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT (SWX/ESPN+). The Bobcats, who currently trail in the all-time series, 51-50, will look to even the series with a victory over the Eagles.
STREAK ON THE LINE: Montana State rides a four-game winning streak into Thursday night's contest, their longest since the Cats won four straight from March 4-13, 2024, to secure their third-straight Big Sky Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. MSU defeated Weber State in the regular season finale before running the table with three-straight Big Sky Tournament wins as part of that win streak. The 2025-26 Bobcats are seeking their fifth-straight victory with a win against the Eagles, which would mark the first time the Cats won five in a row since the 2022-23 season, when they won eight straight from Feb. 11-March 8, 2023 to clinch their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
UNDEFEATED IN CONFERENCE PLAY: Montana State enters Thursday undefeated in Big Sky play after picking up wins against Northern Colorado (Jan. 1) and Northern Arizona (Jan. 3) last week. The Bobcats defeated the Bears, 89-75, before picking up a 77-68 win over the Lumberjacks. Jed Miller led the team in scoring in both games, tallying a career-high 24 points against UNC followed by 22 against NAU. The performances marked his second and third career 20-point games. Christian King added 18 points and nine rebounds against the Lumberjacks to set new career highs in both categories.
MEN, WOMEN START STRONG: Montana State men's basketball is off to its first 2-0 start in conference play since the 2020-21 season. The women's team is also 2-0 for the second-straight year heading into Thursday's matchup with Eastern Washington, marking the first time both teams have opened Big Sky play 2-0 in the same season since 2019-20. If the men and women both win on Thursday, it will mark the first 3-0 start for both teams in the same year since the 2001-02 season when the men won five straight to open conference play and the women earned three-straight wins. The men's team's 3-0 start would be its best individually since winning four straight in 2017-18.
TOP OF THE LEAGUE: The Bobcats rank first in the Big Sky in the Jan. 6 version of the KenPom College Basketball Ratings, coming in at 157th in the country. Montana State also ranks second in the Jan. 6 NCAA Men's Basketball NET rankings with a No. 137 national ranking, coming in just one spot behind No. 136 Idaho State for the top two spots in the Big Sky.
MILLER'S MAGICAL YEAR: Jed Miller has enjoyed a stellar senior season, scoring in double figures in 11 of 15 games so far while joining Chris Hodges as one of two Bobcats to appear and start in all 15 contests in 2025-26. The Agoura Hills, Calif., native leads the Bobcats in rebounds (5.1), steals (1.6), and minutes (31.8) per game while ranking second on the team in points per game (13.1), assists per game (2.1), and three-point percentage (40.8%). He ranks fourth in the Big Sky in steals this season, tallying 24 swipes in 15 games, while ranking fourth in the conference in steals per game with 1.6 takeaways per contest. Miller surpassed the 400-point mark for his career with his first basket against Northern Arizona on Jan. 3.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: The Bobcats commit fewer turnovers than any other team in the Big Sky with just 10.3 giveaways per game while also leading the conference with a 1.9 turnover margin. Those numbers are good for 40th and 91st in the country. Defensively, Montana State leads the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 69.5 points per game while sitting in fourth in the Big Sky with 6.9 steals per game. The Bobcats are an impressive 7-1 when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent and are 1-6 when turning over the ball the same number of times or more than the opposing team.
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES: Eastern Washington heads into Thursday's matchup on a five-game losing streak dating back to Dec. 12. The Eagles have played just three home games and hold a 2-1 record on their home court but are 0-10 on the road. EWU's last win came on Dec. 6 against Kansas City in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. Isaiah Moses is the Big Sky's leader in free-throw percentage, making 88.1% of his shots from the stripe, and ranks sixth in the conference with 16.9 points per game. Historically, EWU holds a 32-13 series lead over MSU in Cheney.
LOGIE CONTINUES HIS WINNING WAYS: Montana State head coach Matt Logie is no stranger to winning, owning a 316-101 (.758) career head coaching record across all NCAA divisions. Logie's 316 victories rank second among active Division I head coaches 45 years old or younger behind first-year Iowa head coach Ben McCollum with 437.
THE MATT LOGIE FILE: Third-year MSU head coach Matt Logie has taken his teams to the NCAA Tournament in 12 of his 14 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 35th in NCAA men's basketball history in career winning percentage (.758) and is 14th 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.
CAT TRACKS
+ Montana State travels to Cheney, Wash., for a matchup with Eastern Washington on Thursday. The Bobcats are seeking their first win in a conference road opener since 2023-24 and their third in four seasons. Montana State has not played its first road Big Sky Conference game of the season in Cheney since 2016-17 when the Eagles defeated the Bobcats, 82-64.
+ The Bobcats are 4-6 in their last 10 games against the Eagles but have won three of their last five over Eastern Washington. The Cats won the last matchup between the two teams, 74-64, in Bozeman on Jan. 20, 2025.
+ The Bobcats continue to benefit from prolific production from multiple scorers, with four Cats scoring in double figures in 11 of Montana State's first 15 games to open the season. Patrick McMahon (14.1 ppg) and Jed Miller (13.1 ppg) have each tallied 10 or more points in 11 contests so far, and Christian King (11.5 ppg) follows just behind with nine double-digit scoring efforts. Davian Brown (12.4 ppg) has scored in double figures eight times. Jeremiah Davis has four double-digit performances this year, and Chris Hodges sits just behind him with three. Seth Amunrud, Cavin Holden, and Jaden Steppe have all scored in double figures twice. Howie Keene and Waka Mbatch have each surpassed the 10-point mark once.
+ Jed Miller tallied a career-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting to lead a group of impressive performances in Montana State's win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 1. Miller and Davian Brown (21 points, 6-of-9 FG) became the first Bobcat duo to score 20 points in the same game since Tyler Patterson (26) and Jabe Mullins (20) at Sacramento State on March 1, 2025. Jeremiah Davis added a career-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and Christian King posted 14 points for his eighth double-digit performance in 10 appearances to start the season. Those four players combined for 75 of the Bobcats' 89 points against the Bears.
+ The Bobcats improved to 7-3 in their last 10 conference openers, including wins in three of their last four Big Sky openers, with an 89-75 win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 1.
+ Five Bobcats scored in double figures for the second time this season in MSU's 93-54 win over Northwest on Dec. 22. Jeremiah Davis, Patrick McMahon, and Howie Keene all tallied 12 points in the victory while Jaden Steppe added 11 and Christian King chipped in 10. Keene's 12 points marked his career high, and Davis' 12 points paired with 11 rebounds were good for his first career double-double and MSU's first of the year. McMahon's team-leading scoring effort against the Eagles combined with his 26 points at Cal Poly helped him earn Big Sky Co-Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors, his first career Big Sky weekly award.
+ Patrick McMahon and Christian King both set new career highs in scoring in the Bobcats' 83-80 win over Cal Poly on Dec. 16. McMahon tallied 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting, and King posted 16 points in his return from an injury that sidelined him for four games. McMahon also set a new career high in assists with five against the Mustangs.
+ Davian Brown tallied 21 points against Oral Roberts on Dec. 6, shooting 6-of-13 from the field, including 5-of-11 from three. Brown also matched his career high in steals with four in a season-high 34 minutes of play. The native of Pasadena, Calif., is Montana State's third-leading scorer with 12.4 points per game (19th in the Big Sky) while shooting 41.1% from deep.
+ Montana State checked in at 153rd in the nation in the KenPom College Basketball Ratings on Dec. 4 following its 82-74 victory over St. Thomas the day before, placing the Bobcats one spot ahead of Northern Colorado for the highest ranking by a Big Sky team. The Cats posted a No. 144 NET ranking on the same day, good for fourth in the conference.
+ Bozeman native Seth Amunrud impressed in his Bobcat debut against St. Thomas, tallying 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three to help the Bobcats earn the victory over the Tommies. 14 of those points, including a go-ahead three, came in the second half. Amunrud also tallied four steals in the contest.
+ Patrick McMahon had back-to-back career performances against Utah State on Nov. 29 and St. Thomas on Dec. 3. Against the Aggies, the redshirt senior from Palmer, Alaska, tallied a career-high 26 points to go with season highs in rebounds (8), assists (3), and steals (1) in a career-high 40 minutes played. He followed up that performance with 24 points, seven rebounds, a career-high five assists, and one steal against the Tommies.
+ Five Bobcats – Jeremiah Davis (15), Chris Hodges (14), Davian Brown (13), Jed Miller (12), and Patrick McMahon (10) – tallied 10 or more points against Long Beach State on Nov. 21, the first time five or more Bobcats reached double figures in the same game since a 108-104 overtime loss to Eastern Washington on March 2, 2024.
+ Jeremiah Davis had the best game of his career so far against Long Beach State, tallying career highs in points (15), steals (3), and minutes (25). He shot an impressive 6-of-7 from the field to lead Montana State to a 78-72 victory and earned his first career start in the Bobcats' next game at Utah State. Chris Hodges also impressed in a breakthrough game that saw him achieve career highs in five categories with a stat line of 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 35 minutes against the Beach.
+ Graduate transfer Davian Brown eclipsed the 2,000-point milestone for his collegiate career during the Bobcats' win over Long Beach State on Nov. 21. The native of Pasadena, Calif., tallied 1,447 points during his four years at the NAIA level between The Master's University (2020-22) and Lewis-Clark State (2022-24) before pouring in 515 points in his lone season at Biola (2024-25). Brown has 2,101 career points and counting, including 186 over his first 15 games as a Bobcat.
+ Christian King and Waka Mbatch each tallied career highs in points against Nobel on Nov. 20. King matched his career high for the third time with 14 points to go with six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks to lead the team in each category against the Knights. Mbatch recorded his first double-digit scoring performance with 13 points while adding four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
+ Montana State limited Boise State to just 62 points on Nov. 15, the Broncos' lowest points total in a game so far this season. The Cats outrebounded the Broncos, 36-35, while holding Boise State to just 17-of-51 (33.3%) from the field and 8-of-28 (28.6%) from three-point range.
+ Three Bobcats reached career milestones in Montana State's 75-73 loss to Denver on Nov. 9. Junior Cavin Holden tallied the 700th point and 200th assist of his collegiate career, Patrick McMahon surpassed 500 career points with his opening bucket against the Pioneers, and Davian Brown played in his 150th career college basketball game.
+ The Bobcats rewrote the record books against Northwest Indian College on Nov. 5, posting the third-highest field goal percentage (64.7%) and third-most three-pointers made in a game in school history (21) while matching MSU's records for fifth-highest field goal total (44), eighth-highest scoring effort (114), and ninth-most steals (15) in a game.
+ Montana State's 21 three-pointers against Northwest Indian College marked the Cats' first time making 20 or more threes in a game since Dec. 16, 2023, when they drained 20 against SAGU American Indian College. It was also MSU's highest three-point total since the Bobcats made 23 against Northwest Indian College on Dec. 27, 2022 en route to a 144-59 win. 144 points is the program record for points in a game.
+ With the Bobcats' win over Northwest Indian College on Nov. 5, Montana State has now won seven-straight home openers dating back to the 2019-20 season. The Bobcats' last home-opening loss came against Utah State, 101-71, to open the 2018-19 campaign.
+ Three Bobcats made their first career starts in the season opener at Colorado on Nov. 3. Senior Jed Miller received the first starting nod of his 72-game Bobcat career while Christian King and Chris Hodges also started for the first time in their MSU debuts. Central Washington transfer Cavin Holden and Bobcat returner Patrick McMahon rounded out the Cats' new-look starting five against Colorado.
+ Montana State debuts a new-look lineup in 2025-26 with 10 newcomers joining five returning Bobcats on the 15-man roster. Redshirt senior Patrick McMahon and senior Jed Miller lead a crop of returners that also features redshirt junior Jeremiah Davis, who missed most of last season with an injury, redshirt sophomore Calum Rutherfurd, and redshirt freshman Grayson Gaddis. MSU's seven-member transfer class includes Davian Brown (Biola), Cavin Holden (Central Washington), Christian King (Washington), Seth Amunrud (Dawson CC), Chris Hodges (Wisconsin), Waka Mbatch (Florida State) and Jaden Steppe (Colorado State). Freshmen Howie Keene, CJ Purdie, and James Steward round out the 2025-26 Bobcat roster.
+ Montana State faces two teams coming off of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2024-25, including at-large selection Utah State (Nov. 29) and defending Big Sky Champion Montana (Jan. 17 & Feb. 14). Both teams fell to Big Ten opponents in the Round of 64 as the No. 10 Aggies were ousted by No. 7 UCLA, 72-47, and No. 14 Montana fell to current Bobcat Chris Hodges and the No. 3 Badgers, 85-66.
+ Three current Bobcats have played in at least one NCAA Tournament game, and two others were members of teams that reached the tournament while they were on the roster. Patrick McMahon scored seven points in eight minutes against Texas Tech during the 2022 Round of 64, Chris Hodges appeared in NCAA Tournament games for Wisconsin in three-straight years from 2023-25, and Jed Miller recorded an assist in MSU's First Four game against Grambling State in 2024. Jaden Steppe played in seven games a member of Colorado State's Mountain West Championship team in 2024-2025, and Calum Rutherfurd redshirted during Montana State's most recent Big Sky Championship year in 2023-24.
+ The Cats concluded the 2024-25 season with a 15-18 record, including a 9-9 mark in conference play. Montana State finished fifth in the Big Sky regular season standings and defeated No. 4 Idaho State in dominant fashion, 80-60, in the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals before falling to top-seeded Northern Colorado in the semis, 72-45. The defeat ended the Bobcats' run of three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2022-24, which marked the longest tournament streak by a Big Sky team since Weber State appeared in three-straight NCAA Tournaments from 1978-80.
+ Redshirt senior Patrick McMahon enjoyed a breakout year last season, tallying 18 double-figure scoring performances in 2024-25. He posted four 20-point performances off the bench in conference play, including a then-career-high 23 points in the regular-season finale vs Idaho on March 3, 2025. The lone starter returning from last year's team, McMahon averaged 9.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game last season and owns an impressive .509 career field goal percentage in 86 games and counting as a Bobcat.
+ Jed Miller entered his fourth year in Bozeman with 71 games under his belt, one short of Patrick McMahon's 72 for the most among active players in a Bobcat uniform. Miller led MSU in steals last season with 43 while also dishing 74 assists in 33 games.
+ Junior guard Cavin Holden was a prolific scorer at the Division II level for Central Washington, averaging 15.1 points per game on 47.6% shooting during the 2024-25 season, including a 43.8% mark from deep. Holden tallied 674 points in just two seasons at CWU and earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year honors during his sophomore season.
+ Davian Brown joins the Bobcats for his final year of collegiate eligibility in 2025-26, following in the footsteps of his older brother Darius, who played on MSU's Big Sky Championship and NCAA Tournament team in 2022-23. Darius played in 33 of 34 games and averaged 9.1 points on 46.5% shooting, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game en route to Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year honors and a Third-Team All-Conference Selection. Davian averaged 15.6 points per game last season at Division II Biola and enters the 2025-26 season with a total of 1,915 points scored across his five-year collegiate career at Biola (D-II), Lewis-Clark State (NAIA), and The Master's University (NAIA).
+ Chris Hodges provides 40 games of Big Ten experience for the Bobcats as a graduate transfer from Wisconsin. He was the Badgers' 2024 recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award during his third year in Madison.
+ Washington transfer Christian King adds another 20 games of Power Four experience from his time in the Big Ten, tallying 50 points and 31 rebounds during his redshirt freshman season in 2024-25. His father, Rich King, was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 14th pick in the 1991 NBA Draft.
+ Jeremiah Davis rejoins the Bobcats' rotation after missing the final 20 games of the 2024-25 season due to injury. During his eight-game stint with the Cats last season, Davis scored in double figures twice (vs. Northwest Indian, Nov. 11; at USC, Dec. 15).
+ Bozeman native Seth Amunrud returns home for his junior season after two years at Dawson Community College, where he was an NJCAA Second-Team All-American this past season after averaging 21.1 points per game and shooting 55.2% from the field, 46.8% from three, and 88.7% from the line.
+ Montana State was picked for a share of fifth in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll and sixth in the Big Sky Preseason Media Poll.
+ Logie's 316-101 career mark in 14 seasons is good for a .758 winning percentage, 14th-best among active coaches at four-year schools and the 35th-highest winning percentage in the history of all NCAA men's college basketball coaches. Logie's teams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 12 of his 14 years as a head coach at three different institutions, and his teams have won at least 21 games in every season save two he has coached in his career.
