Sacramento State Suddenly Carrying the Big Sky Torch

A week into the season, and Big Sky teams have just two victories against Division I opponents. Both of those wins are by Sacramento State.

After a thrilling, come from behind win last night over Utah, the Hornets are now 3-0. It is early, but they are looking a lot better than the seventh place team that the coaches poll predicted, the eighth place team the media predicted,or even the sixth place team that I predicted.

The Hornets had four players score in double figures, comprised of point guard Dylan Garrity (game-high 19), forward John Dickson (16), shooting guard Mikh McKinney (13) and swingman Joe Eberhard (10). Garrity and McKinney are both sophomores, and they combined for 15 of the team’s points during the 29-13 run.

In fact, Garrity had 11 of his 19 points during the final 9:07, including a high-arching jumper that gave the Hornets a 72-71 lead with 1:29 to play. That marked Sacramento State’s first lead since midway part of the first half when a Dickson three-pointer gave the Hornets a 21-20 lead.

A win over Utah doesn't quite mean as much as it used to, but it is still a road win over a Pac-12 opponent, which is far more than anyone else can put on their resume in the conference in this young season.

Utah led 58-45 at the 12:27 mark before the Hornets came back. Dylan Garrity was the star, scoring 19 points on 5/7 shooting (3/4 from downtown) and 6/6 from the charity stripe. He scored 11 of his 19 points in the final nine minutes. That man needs to shoot more!

The Hornets are 3-0 for the first time since 1999-2000, and this looks like their best team in ages. They will try to improve to 4-0 on Tuesday night, when they take on rival UC-Davis. At a time when it is arguably an insult by Utah if they put you on their non-conference schedule, this win has to feel great for the Hornets.

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Weber State Takes Care of Utah

Taking on Utah at home is a game the Wildcats needed to win big, as they are the much better and more talented team than the Utes. Fortunately, they did exactly that, winning 80-51 on Thursday night.

It was their biggest win over Utah in the history of the rivalry.

Damian Lillard led the team with the type of performance we have come to expect from him, scoring 22 points and dishing out 5 assists while taking good care of the basketball. Three other guys scored in double figures, as Scott Bamforth (10 points), James Hajek (10 points), and Kyle Tresnak (10 points) all contributed. It was a nice, confidence-building performance for the Wildcats heading into conference play.

The sad thing is that this could be the last game in Ogden between these two teams, as Utah will reportedly not be making the trip now that they are part of the Pac-12. It is sad to see that happen, as they in-state Utah rivalries always provide competitive, heated games. It is good for the state to have these types of games, and it is a shame they won't be coming to Ogden again.

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Montana State Topples Utah

I am guessing that a lot of teams are going to have the pleasure of beating Utah this year, but it still feels good to get a prediction right for a change. I said earlier today that the Bobcats were simply the more talented team, and they showed it on Saturday.

Montana State jumped out to a 9-0 run and never looked back, winning 70-64 in Utah. Rod Singleton led them with 18 points, while Tre Johnson contributed 15 points and 6 rebounds and JUCO big man Mohammed Fall showed he was worth the hype with 12 points and 6 rebounds.

The game recap said that the game was tied with just under a minute left when Christian Moon hit a bit 3, which helped jumpstart a 9-3 for the Bobcats which gave them the win. For all of the preseason talk about JUCOs Xavier Johnson-Blount and Jamie Stewart, Moon might be the one that has had the biggest impact. He is a great shooter and is a valuable role player for the Bobcats.

The Bobcats improve to 2-1 and own a win over a Pac-12 team. It's a solid start for Brad Huse, who is starting to settle into a bit of a rotation.

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Big Sky Weekend Primer

There are four games on tap for this weekend in the Big Sky Conference, so let us take a look at each one. Ranked in order from most compelling to least compelling.

1. Montana State @ Utah (Saturday)
This is a game that the Bobcats can win, and I believe they will win. Both teams are 1-1, and this one will be played at Utah, but the Bobcats are simply the more talented team this season. So far this season the Utes beat San Diego Christian at home by 3 and lost at Boise State by 21. The Bobcats lost by 6 at Arizona State, and beat Northern New Mexico by 50. Montana State is more athletic and deeper than Utah, who is simply not a solid basketball team right now. After watching this game, if you didn't know any better, you'd think Montana State was the Pac-12 team.

2. Montana @ San Diego (Sunday)
Montana is 2-1 and coming off of a win against WAC team Idaho, while San Diego is 2-0 but their best win is against Stephen F. Austin. As usual the Grizzlies are a solid defensive team, while the Toreros have struggled a bit offensively so far this season efficiency-wise. I think that combination will be the difference to help Montana win a close one to pick up a solid out-of-conference victory.

3. Northern Colorado vs. Northern Iowa (Sunday)
The Bears are 0-2 and coming off an ugly loss to Wyoming, and now will take on Northern Iowa in the first round of the South Padre Invite (they will take on Iowa State on Tuesday). The Bears desperately want to avoid leaving the tournament 0-4, but they will have their work cut out for them. The one thing you know about the Panthers under Ben Jacobsen is that they are very disciplined and sound defensively, and that can be frustrating for a young team like the Bears. I think Northern Colorado has enough talent to match up with Northern Iowa, but they aren't quite ready to win a game like this.

4. Weber State @ UC Irvine (Saturday)
Weber State is 2-0 after beating Utah State, while UC Irvine is off to an 0-2 with tight losses at California and at San Jose State. The Anteaters (what a great nickname) have not been very consistent this year, but they like to push the tempo a bit (they just haven't been able to shoot well this year). Weber State has been a little too reliant on the three-pointer this year, and they will need to get some inside scoring from guys like Kyle Tresnak and Byron Fulton, but they should have enough firepower to win this sneaky tough road game.

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Weber State Needs to Beat Utah State

Weber State thinks they are the best team in Utah, and the case could certainly be argued. They have a ton of returning talent, the best player in the Big Sky, and huge expectations heading into the year.

The good thing about college basketball is that these arguments are not simply academic, but they get settled on the court. The first test for Weber State comes Tuesday night against Utah State, who will be coming to the Dee Events Center. Last season, Utah State won 77-65 in Logan. This time, Weber State gets the chance to play them in Ogden.

If Weber State wants to be seen as the best team in Utah, they have three games to prove it:

- Tonight against the Aggies
- On December 7th they travel to Provo to take on BYU (who Utah State just beat)
- On December 10th Southern Utah comes to Ogden
- On December 22nd they get the Utah Utes at home

It is a big game for the Wildcats for a couple of reasons. One, it is always a big game agaisnt the Aggies, there is certainly no love lost between the schools. Two, Weber State's goal this year should not simply be to win the Big Sky, but to represent themselves in the postseason. To do that, it helps to have a higher seeding, and to do that, you need non-conference victories that stand out.

Beating Utah State less than a week after they took out BYU would be a huge first step. And it is vital for them to stake the claim to being the best team in the state. To do it, they will need to slow down Brockeith Pane, who might be the best player in the WAC. If they do that, they will have a great shot in this one

Game on.

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Jordan Loveridge Commits to Utah

I have commented a couple of times on Jordan Loveridge, the best recruit in Utah, and how Weber State was in his final four.

Loveridge announced today that he would play for the University of Utah, and it sounds like the fact that they are in the Pac-12 was a huge factor in his decision.

Jordan Loveridge, the 6-foot-7 forward who shot up national rating charts after a dazzling showing in the Adidas Super 64 last month in Las Vegas, will join the Utes in 2012 after playing his senior year at West Jordan High School.

"I have a great relationship with every single coach," Loveridge said. "I just want to be a part of the rebuilding we’re going to get the program back to where it was and we’re going to do it in the Pac-12 one of the biggest conferences."

Loveridge put Arizona in his final four, even though they had not made an offer.

If he is looking for exposure, Utah might be the best play to go, as they are in a power conference and so he has a better chance of being seen on national TV. Also, Utah is very down right now, so he could have a chance to play relatively early in his career.

However, he certainly would have had a better chance of being in the NCAA Tournament if he had gone to Weber State. The Wildcats have been contenders for the Big Sky title almost every season under Randy Rahe, and that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon. Loveridge is the type of player that would have been a star in the Big Sky.

But alas, it was not meant to be. New coach Larry Krystowiak recruited Loveridge hard, and in the end, it was enough. It will be interesting to see how early he is able to get on the court. He has been rising up boards quick, so this commitment could look even better for the Utes a year from now.

Looking In On Larry Krystowiak

Solid blog post by ESPN on new Utah (and former Montana coach and player) Head Man Larry Krystowiak.

But in two seasons as a college head coach before leaving for the pros, Krystkowiak twice led his alma mater, Montana, to the NCAA tournament. His last college victory came in the 2006 tourney, when his gritty 12th-seeded Grizzlies upended Nevada in the first round.

Current Montana coach Wayne Tinkle, then an assistant under Krystkowiak, doesn’t recall much of a celebration after the team’s upset win. Krystkowiak had instilled a sense of confidence that made it seem like just another victory.

“We expected to beat Nevada,” Tinkle said. “People that watched that game said, ‘Why weren’t you doing cartwheels?’”

If Krystowiak is going to have success early in his career, he will need some help from former Eastern Washington PG Glen Dean, who transferred to Utah and will be eligible in 2012-13. It will be interesting to see if Krystowiak is able to achieve success for a depleted Utes club.

An Early Look at Montana State's Schedule

Since we have already looked at Eastern Washington and Weber State's schedule, let's take a look at Montana St.

The Bobcats are coming off of a year where they finished 13-18 (7-9) in conference, and graduated three of their main contributors, including Bobby Howard (a 2nd team All Big Sky) and Erik Rush (a Big Sky Honorable Mention). They'll also be breaking in a large number of junior college transfers, so it is safe to say that it will be an interesting season in Bozeman.

The schedule will include a few challenges as well. According to coach Brad Huse:

“We've bit off another challenging non-conference schedule that should prepare us for league play,” Huse said. “Our league continues to be extremely tough and the best way to prepare for league play is by playing a difficult non-conference schedule.”

The Bobcats will start the season November 11 with a trip to play Arizona St. While the Sun Devils were down a bit last season, Herb Sendek is slowly building a solid program down in Tempe, so Arizona St. will certainly be the heavy favorites in the season opening tilt.

About a week later they will travel to take on Utah. Again, they are a bottom level Pac-12 team (for their first year in the conference), but their talent level will be higher than the Bobcats. Their other marquee game comes against New Mexico, which is a very tough place to play under Steve Alford. New Mexico will be in the chase for the MWC title, so that will be a good measuring stick for the Bobcats.

Other non-conference games include home dates with Northern New Mexico, Seattle, CS Bakersfield, Willamette, and UC Riverside. Not exactly games to get the home base excited about, but such is life as a bottom tier Big Sky team. Other road dates include trips to play Idaho, San Jose St, and Pepperdine.

It will be an interesting period for MSU as Coach Huse will need to settle on a rotation with a lot of new faces. If they can finish .500 and win one of the three high-profile games (Utah, New Mexico, Arizona St), I think they would have to consider it a very successful non-conference slate.

Thoughts?

[Note: If you are looking for another, perhaps even more thorough look at the Bobcats schedule, you should definitely check out Blue & Gold, who has some very good thoughts on it)]

An Early Look at Weber State's Schedule

A few teams have released their schedule for the 2011-2012 schedule, with Weber State being one of those teams. As they are the early favorite in the Big Sky, let's take a look at some of the notable games.

From head coach Randy Rahe:

"Once again we have a very difficult and challenging schedule this year," said WSU head coach Randy Rahe who will enter his sixth season with the Wildcats this fall. "We are always looking to play as tough a schedule as we can and this year is no exception. We have a great opportunity to play several teams from Utah which is always a difficult test. Our preseason schedule always prepares us for the Big Sky schedule and the Big Sky, just like in other years, will be very difficult this season."

Their first test of the season will come against Utah St at home, which should be an extremely intriguing matchup. The Aggies obviously had a huge year last season, winning 30 games before bowing out in the NCAA Tournament, but they lose all-everything Taj Wesley. The Aggies have traditionally had a weak schedule, but they have beefed it up this year, and Weber St. will be a big part of that.

The early to mid part of December brings two very good road games which will be a great test for the the Wildcats. First is a game at California on December 7, who should be a fringe Tourney team out of the Pac-12 (led by Jorge Gutierrez, who I think we will all get to know better this year). Then, on December 16 they head to Provo to take on BYU. BYU obviously loses Jimmer, but they will have plenty of firepower to make it an interesting game.

Other non-conference games of note include the St. Mary's Classic in Moraga, CA at the end of November. They also have home slates against future Big Sky member Southern Utah on December 10, and against Utah (coached by former Montana head man Larry Krystowiak) on December 22. Finally, they will get a chance near the end of the year with a home Bracket Busters game on February 18.

Weber State believes itself to be the best team in Utah, and they will have a chance to prove it this season. With a home game against Utah St and Utah, and a road game against BYU, they will have perhaps the most intriguing non-conference schedule in the Big Sky.