Poll to the Right

Posted a new poll, asking who you think will win the Big Sky regular season. Really, there are only two possibilities. Thought it might be fun to see what everyone thinks, and if it's fun we can try some more polls out to see what the consensus is. So go vote!!

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Montana Beats Northern Colorado in Offensive Battle

 

On Saturday in Greeley, neither team was really able to stop the other. Montana shot 56% for the game, while Northern Colorado shot 50%. However, Montana was the team making the plays down the stretch in an 85-77 Grizzlies victory. It was a fun one to watch in person, as teams were making threes, putback dunks from UNC, and Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar doing their thing.

Kareem Jamar was his normal smooth self. He doesn't have athletic ability that jumps out at you, but he does everything well. He almost couldn't miss on this day, scoring 26 points on 9/10 shooting (including 4/5 from downtown). He also had six assists on the day. He was especially key late in the first half... with UNC up by as many as 15 points in the first half, Jamar was the spark Montana needed. In the last few minutes of the first half, he hit three threes, and drove in for an and-1.

Will Cherry also played a huge part in this game, scoring 21 points, while dishing out six assists and grabbing five rebounds. He is their emotional leader, and helped get them going in the second half, on a day when the crowd was a bit sleepy (attendance was 355, thanks to having the game opposite the Broncos game). It would have been an easy game to sleepwalk through, on the second leg of a road trip, but Cherry made sure the energy was there in the second half. Cherry and Jamar are fun to watch play together, because they know each other's games so well.

Not all is well for Montana, because they still struggle on the glass (UNC had 18 offensive rebounds), and they don't get hardly any post touches, but Cherry and Jamar can make up for a lot of other deficiencies.

For Northern Colorado, it was not a bad effort at all. Offensively, they played as well as they have all year against a quality opponent, turning it over just 7 times. BJ Hill said afterwards that it was about as well as they can play offensively. Tevin Svihovec was playing like he did last year, with 19 points. It was his best effort of the year. Derrick Barden was an absolute beast, with 21 points and 15 rebounds (8 of them offensive). I hope to write a little bit more on him in the near future, because he is a ton of fun to watch.

Defensively, though, the Bears still had a ton of issues. They have a tendency to lose guys (on a key possession late, with Montana up 78-73, Mathias Ward broke free near the end of the shot clock for an easy and-a, because the UNC defender lost track of him). They also struggle to help when the offense penetrates and gets past the first defender. The big men don't have great close outs, which is a problem against teams that can put four or five shooters on the floor, like the Grizzlies can. Add it all up, and it's a lot for the Bears on a day when the offense played well enough to win.

However, the game did showcase the talent that made me pick Northern Colorado to finish third before the year began. Barden and Tim Huskisson are the most athletic pair of forwards in the conference, and Tate Unruh and Svihovec provide plenty of spacing with their shooting ability. The pieces are in place, and they are getting better. The bad news is, at 1-5, they need to start winning some games quickly.

On the other side, Montana just continues to win. They move to 6-0 in Big Sky play. The scary thing for the rest of the conference is they already have a gaudy record, and Wayne Tinkle's teams always seem to get better as the season goes on.

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Quick Hit Saturday Predictions

Just some short predictions for Saturday, where we again have a full give game slate!

@ North Dakota 67, Montana State 64
I wanted to pick MSU here, but was convinced on Twitter that UND is the smarter choice. The Bobcats are coming off some tight, emotional comeback wins, and will go from Greeley on Thursday night to an early afternoon game in Grand Forks. That’s a tough stretch.

Montana 73, @ Northern Colorado 67
I wanted to pick the upset here, because I’m not sure who is going to stop Derrick Barden from pulling down a ton of rebounds. But at the same time, Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar should wreak havoc defensively on a UNC backcourt that is looking for a consistent ballhandler and playmaker.

@ Southern Utah 62, Idaho State 54
Only true Big Sky fans will be watching this game, as neither team has been all that aesthetically pleasing. But Nick Robinson is doing one of the best coaching jobs in the conference, and I think that will continue with a big home win here.

@ Eastern Washington 77, Sacramento State 67
The Eagles are finding their groove a little bit, while the Hornets are struggling. After seeing these teams respective performances on Thursday night, I like EWU to even their Big Sky record.

@ Portland State 78, Northern Arizona 69
Portland State has been tough at home, and I expect that to continue. DeWayne Russell is playing well for the Lumberjacks, but Gabe Rogers is struggling to provide efficient offense. PSU will be too much down low for NAU, with Aaron Moore’s game continuing to come on strong.

Thursday: 4-1
Season: 8-2

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Random Big Sky Thoughts on Thursday Night

I was at the Northern Colorado/Montana State game last night, so I didn't actually get to watch any of the other games... but here are some thoughts based on the box scores and things I read about them.

- It was a good night for freshmen. Joel Bolomboy for Weber State got perhaps his biggest role of the year in a win over Southern Utah, and he made the most of it. He had 13 points (on three FG attempts), 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Venky Jois for Eastern Washington is leading the conference in rebounding, and had another big day, going for 14 and 14 in a win over Northern Arizona. It wasn't DeWayne Russell's fault that NAU lost - he had 17 points on 5/11 shooting, and grabbed seven steals to boot. Did I mention these guys are all freshmen?

- On Monday night, Southern Utah's opponent (Sacramento State) shot 55 free throws. Yesterday, their opponent (Weber State) only shot 49 free throws. I guess that's progress?

- I said that if I had to pick a midseason all-conference team, Jackson Stevenett would likely be on it. He made that prediction look good, scoring an efficient 29 points in the Thunderbirds loss.

- Even with a 3-0 Big Sky start, I (and I'm not alone here) have been slow to buy in on Southern Utah this year. But, they were impressive in defeat. At this point, you have to say they are a very legitimate contender for the third spot in the conference.

- Gabe Rogers finished 3/15 for Northern Arizona, and is shooting 30.6% from the field. That is why, even though NAU is much improved from last season, they are going to struggle to make the Big Sky tournament in Jack Murphy's first season. You just wonder where they are going to get enough offense night in and night out.

- Collin Chiverton with 22 points in 20 minutes (and four rebounds, three assists, two steals, three blocks). When he is on, not many guys in the Big Sky are capable of matching his scoring prowess. It is good to see him fully back into things, and he makes the Eagles a dangerous team.

- He only played 13 minutes, but interesting to see that Andy Martin got the start for Montana in their win over North Dakota. You get the sense that Wayne Tinkle is open to anything up front. Mathias Ward was the star of that game, scoring 27 points on 11/16 shooting. I don't know that there is a better midrange shooter in the Big Sky.

- North Dakota looks really limited offensively with the exception of Troy Huff. They have their work cut out for them if they want to make the conference tournament, because they really are not playing good basketball right now.

- I will see Montana in person on Saturday and I am excited for that. Even though they are 5-0 there are questions. Who gets the tough rebound for them when it matters? Who can they count on for production other than Cherry/Ward/Jamar?

- Portland State has not exactly been known for their three point shooting the last couple years, but it was key for them in a home win over Sacramento State. They hit seven of them over a three and a half minute stretch, and finished the game 12/18 from deep. Combine that with the nice inside duo of Aaron Moore and Renado Parker, and slowly things are coming together for the Vikings.

- The Hornets have to be wondering what has happened to Joe Eberhard. He was quietly one of the best players in the Big Sky last season, but his scoring has dropped four points per game and his shooting has dropped 10 percentage points. They need him.

- As always, the logjam after Montana and Weber State is still there. I hope everyone at the Big Sky is familiar with the tiebreaker rules, because I have a feeling there will be a lot of logjams in the 3-11 spots at the end of the season.

Anything else you saw?

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Montana State With Comeback Road Win

 

Not long ago, Montana State was 3-7 overall, 0-2 in the Big Sky Conference, and losing two of their most talented players (Jamie Stewart was dismissed, Antonio Biglow was suspended). Things looked bleak. But then a funny thing happened. The Bobcats started playing like a team, becoming much better defensively, and attacking the rim more offensively. They became a little bit more than the sum of their parts.

After two home wins last week, MSU faced a test of coming into Greeley and playing a Northern Colorado team that was pretty desperate for a win. For most of the game, it looked like UNC was going to get it, as they led by as many as nine in the second half. But the Bobcats hung around, and made their move over the last four minutes.

They got some help to... as Northern Colorado seemed to get tight, committing turnovers down the stretch and missing some easy shots. Tevin Svihovec struggled with a couple bad turnovers, and Tim Huskisson threw a lazy pass in the last 30 seconds. Each time, MSU took advantage. When they had the ball, they were the aggressor, with guys like Xavier Blount and Mike Dison (who hit the go-ahead free throws with about 30 seconds left) taking the ball to the rim and getting fouled or getting easy baskets.

All of a sudden, the Bobcats are 3-2 in Big Sky play and playing good, team basketball. They have a nice rotation going, with Mike Dison/Marcus Colbert at the point, Christian Moon/Xavier Blount/Calen Coleman on the wing, and Paul Egwuonwu/Flavien Davis up front. They are confident and look like a team that will be playing in the Big Sky tournament.

Some other notes from the game:
- Derrick Barden was as good as advertised, finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He was fantastic on the glass, skying for offensive rebounds and using his big hands to come down with them. He looked like an all-conference player in this game.
- Tate Unruh is my favorite shooter in the Big Sky conference to watch (with all due respect to Scott Bamforth). He has a great release and smooth stroke. He led the Bears with 23 points, including 5/11 from downtown. Unfortunately, the rest of the team was 1/10 from deep.
- To call UNC unsettled at the PG spot right now would be kind. Tevin Svihovec was supposed to make the leap, but he has been making some bad decisions, especially down the stretch. Paul Garnica was probably the top backup option coming into the year... but he had his pocket picked by Christian Moon early in the game and didn't play the rest of the way. James Davis was their best PG in this game. He is still trying to find his way offensively, but he is their most sound perimeter defender.
- I thought the refs got it right on a flagrant-2 foul call (along with ejection on Blake Brumwell in the second half. With Unruh going for an uncontested layup, Brumwell gave him a full two-handed shove while Unruh was in midair. It was a dangerous play, and the refs were right to boot Brumwell.
- When Xavier Blount does not settle for threes, but goes hard to the rim, he is one of the more dangerous players in the conference. He is tough to defend because he is so strong and uses his body well.
- I am not sure it is what Brad Huse intended when the season began, but I really like the PG duo of Marcus Colbert and Mike Dison for the Bobcats. They are very unselfish and give maximum effort on both ends.

Anyone else watch the game?

*Photos taken by my lovely wife!

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Midseason All-Conference Picks

A site called College Hoops Daily put out their midseason all-conference picks for every conference in the country, so I thought it'd be fun to take a very brief look at what they are thinking for the Big Sky.

BIG SKY
G: Dewayne Russell (Northern Arizona)
G: Justin Crosgile (Eastern Washington)
G: Kareem Jamar (Montana)
F: John Dickson (Sacramento State)
F: Venky Jois (Eastern Washington)

They bolded Justin Crogsile of Eastern Washington as the best player in the conference so far, an award which he obviously wouldn't win since he is no longer on the team.

It's tough to take a crack at it without going too deep into it, but here is my quick selections for what I would say is the all-conference team at midseason.

G: DeWayne Russell (Northern Arizona)
G: Kareem Jamar (Montana)
G: Jackson Stevenett (Southern Utah)
F: Davion Berry (Weber State)
F: Venky Jois (Eastern Washington)

Ask me again tomorrow, and it's possible I have different picks!

I would love to hear where everyone agrees or disagrees...

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Thursday Night Big Sky Predictions

Once again there are five games on the Big Sky slate for Thursday night, so let's take a crack at some predictions!

Weber State 75, @ Southern Utah 59
The records (WSU 4-0, SUU 3-1) make this one seem like a marquee Big Sky matchup, but I'm not sure it's going to play out that way. Weber State has been really good lately, and they are in the top 90 in both offensive and defensive efficiency (put another way, Montana is second best in each, and they are 170th in the country in both adjusted offense and defense). Simply put, by the efficiency numbers, Weber State is the best team in the conference and it's not all that close. Southern Utah will struggle to score in this game.

Montana 67, @ North Dakota 65
You know the Grizzlies will be motivated, because they went into Grand Forks last season and got beat by North Dakota in OT. But I'm not sure North Dakota is as good as it was last year - it's Adj D has dropped from 209th last year to 300th this year. They just aren't getting stops. On the other side, the fact that Will Cherry has gotten to the line 21 times in the last two games is a good sign for the health of his foot - he is being aggressive going to the rim. The Grizzlies are slowly finding their groove.

@ Northern Colorado 74, Montana State 70
UNC looked very bad in their last outing, but it was their fourth straight road game. Of their 12 games this year, nine have been away from home, and two of those home games were against non-DI competition. So you have to figure they will be excited for this game. They had better be, because the Bobcats have showed a lot of scrappiness in the last two games. The key will be how well the Bears hold onto the ball - they are 306th in the country in turnover percentage, while MSU is 51st in the country at forcing turnovers. Tevin Svihovec, your team needs you. I think they will respond.

@ Portland State 67, Sacramento State 62
The Vikings have quietly played pretty good basketball lately. They lost to WSU at home in OT, and then went on the road and gave Montana State and Montana good games. Meanwhile, the Hornets played a slobberknocker on Monday night, a game that had to be mentally and physically draining. For PSU, Aaron Moore is starting to make a bid to be an all-conference player, as he has three straight double-doubles and is fourth in the Big Sky in rebounding.

@ Eastern Washington 81, Northern Arizona 71
 This one will be in Cheney, and could be the most entertaining game of the night. EWU simply has to start playing better defense - so far this season they have been the worst defensive team in the conference. For NAU, DeWayne Russell continues to lead the conference in scoring (16.6 PPG), but he has struggled a bit over the last six games. But at this point in the year, it's not farfetched to say he has an argument to be the player of the year. Another strong freshman is Venky Jois for EWU, who leads the Big Sky in rebounding (9.1 per game).

What are your thoughts?

Last Week: 4-1

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Bob Meseroll's Big Sky Power Rankings

Like I had last week (and would currently have), he's got Weber State at number one, followed by Montana.

Weber State (4-0, 9-3): The Wildcats are playing at a very high level right now, having beaten their last three opponents by an average of 40 points (University of the Southwest had a lot to do with that). Still, the Wildcats are a plus-20.5 in scoring margin in four league games. Weber is getting production from one through five and off the bench. Guard Scott Bamforth, who had a bum shoulder last season, is 15 for 26 from 3-point range in league games. Kyle Tresnak, Davion Berry, Jordan Richardson and Gelaun Wheelwright all join Bamforth in double digits in scoring and freshman Joel Bolomboy is second in the league in rebounding … off the bench. Weber will be tough to dislodge from this perch.

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Jamie Stewart Dismissed from Montana State

For the second straight season, Jamie Stewart will not be finishing the season on the Montana State roster. Last season, he had academic issues, this year, he has simply been dismissed from the team with no specifics being reported.

From Gidal Kaiser of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle:

While he did not divulge specifics Thursday night, head coach Brad Huse confirmed that Stewart “is no longer with the program.” Juniors Paul Egwuonwu and Flavien Davis both acknowledged Stewart’s capabilities as a player but would not comment further.

Stewart was a 6'4'' senior guard that gave them a lot of versatility with his ability to handle the ball. This year, he was averaging nine points and four rebounds per game, playing 23 minutes per night. They have the depth to make up for the loss, but still not something you want to have happen.

Coach Brad Huse is arguably coaching for his job, as he is in the final year of his contract and has a restless fan base, and this type of thing obviously never helps. As Kaiser notes in his article, it is becoming a trend for the Bobcats.

Since the start of the 2010-’11 season, 11 players have left the MSU program for various reasons, among them dismissal, academic ineligibility or NCAA rules violations. That includes at least four walk-ons.

We wish Stewart the best on whatever is the next chapter of his life.

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Sacramento State Misses 26 Free Throws... and Wins

Southern Utah traveled to Sacramento State on Monday night and the result was... well, ugly. The Hornets won 64-59, but they did it while missing 26 free throws and turning it over 17 times.

A sampling of the stats:

- In the first half, the teams combined for 23 fouls and 20 turnovers.
- By the end of the night, Sacramento State was 29/55 from the free throw line, and Southern Utah was 15/21. There were a total of 76 free throws shot, and 33 turnovers between the teams.
- Three Hornets were in the double digits in free throw attempts, and another player had eight attempts.
- Among some of Sac State's numbers - Dylan Garrity was 10/15 (91% FT shooter coming in) and Mikh McKinney was 7/14 (87%).
- In the final 3:19 of the game, Sacramento State shot 10/24 from the charity stripe.

If you weren't able to watch the game... congratulations. It was ugly, although Coach Katz and the Hornets will take it, as it evens their Big Sky record to 2-2. Southern Utah falls to 3-1.

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Justin Crogsile Leaves Eastern Washington For Personal Reasons

 

On Friday, I read and reported that Eastern Washington guard Justin Crogsile was dismissed from the Eastern Washington team. As it turns out, that was wrong, because Crogsile has left the team for personal reasons.

Crosgile, the leading scorer on the Eastern Washington University basketball team, cited a “need to be closer to home” for his surprise decision to leave the squad earlier this week.

“It’s been a great experience at Eastern Washington, and I have nothing against the coaches or players here,” Crosgile said in a telephone interview Friday night.

Crosgile said he plans to return to his native New Jersey to be near his mother and his 3-year-old son.

Crogsile was averaging over 14 points and five assists per game, so the loss is potentially big for the Eagles. However, Jim Hayford's club is not unprepared.

Freshman guard Daniel Hill is eligible, and I know he is a guy that the coaching staff likes a lot.Though he has yet to put up much numbers, there are signs that he will have a big role. He has played five games this year, with increasing minutes. Last night, he took the potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation, and the ball was in his hands as he drove to the hoop to try and tie the game (but was blocked by Flavien Davis). He will be one to watch.

In the end, Crogsile played 12 games for the Eagles after sitting out last season due to transfer rules. We wish him the best in his future, and EWU will look forward to the future with Daniel Hill and others at the PG spot.

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Saturday Night Headlines

Break up Idaho State!
After watching Idaho State last Thursday, I thought the possibility was at least better than remote that they wouldn't win a Big Sky game all year. They hadn't scored 60 points against a Division I opponent, and it was tough to say where they were going to get scoring from. Of course, then they drop 86 in a convincing 86-63 win over Northern Colorado. Melvin Morgan led the way, scoring a career high 27 points, but Chris Hansen (19), Sherrod Baldwin (11), and Tomas Sanchez (11 points, 8 assists) all pitched in with solid scoring nights. UNC shot the ball well also, but the difference was that ISU made 15/28 threes while the Bears shot 6/16, and ISU got to the line a bunch more as well.

For the Bears, there continue to be more questions than answers. They are struggling to get consistency from anyone, as they drop to 1-3. They have the individual talent it seems to be a top 4 team, but right now they are playing like a bottom 4 team. Simply put, offensively right now they are a team that turns the ball over a lot, doesn't create second chances on the offensive glass, and struggles to get to the FT line. When they get there, they're shooting 64%. At this point in the season, they are not a good basketball team.

Break up Southern Utah too!
After putting them fourth in my last power rankings, someone on twitter told me that was ridiculous.  After a road win over Northern Arizona, they are suddenly 3-0 in Big Sky play. Like Idaho State, they had an offensive explosion that wasn't exactly easy to see coming. Guard Damon Heuir was the main threat, as he had 30 points, including shooting 4/6 from downtown and 13/14 from the charity stripe in the second half. Jackson Stevenett also had 14 points for SUU, while Julian Scott (in his first game back from injury) had 13.

The final was 90-77 but it wasn't exactly a free-flowing game. The teams combined for 58 fouls, and shot 76 free throws. Northern Arizona evened their Big Sky record to 2-2.

Montana State's season-saving comeback
In the second half, MSU was trailing Eastern Washington by 15 points, it didn't look like they had many ways to slow down the Eagles offense, which was firing from the outside. With a score of 50-35, Montana State simply played fantastic basketball the rest of the way, shooting 10/19 and playing excellent defense. Eventually, it was the Bobcats with a 70-68 road win that brings their record to 2-2 in the Big Sky, and gives them a huge homecourt stand.

It looked like we might be headed for a second OT, but for a great block by Flavien Davis. With the score at 70-68, EWU's freshman guard Daniel Hill appeared to have a clear path to the basket. All of a sudden, Davis came from nowhere to swat the ball at the rim. After a three-pointer from Collin Chiverton missed at the buzzer, it was jubilation for the Bobcats. The block from Davis was as good of a defensive play as you will see all season

“Flavien, man, he came out of nowhere for that one,” Huse said with a smile. “Talk about an impressive play for a guy — I haven’t seen his career stats — but that might be close to one of his first blocks. But that’s just a guy making a play when he has to make a play.”

Weber State and Montana roll again
These are the two best teams in the conference, and they continue to show it. Weber State hasn't been challenged yet in Big Sky play (EDIT: As a commenter pointed out to me, this statement is incorrect... because PSU most definitely challenged the Wildcats), and they dominated on Saturday night. They led North Dakota 46-21 at the half, and finished ahead 95-63. There were many stars for Weber State, so just a quick look at them. Davion Berry (20 points, 6 rebounds), Kyle Tresnak (22 points, 6 rebounds), Scott Bamforth (19 points on 7/11 FG),  and Joel Bolomboy (11 rebounds, 3 blocks). Everything was going right on both ends for the Wildcats.

Meanwhile, Montana notched their 17th straight conference win with a 62-55 victory over Portland State. Will Cherry led the way with 16 points and 7 assists, as all of the Big 3 (Cherry, Mathias Ward, and Kareem Jamar) finished in double figures for the Grizzlies. Portland State was led by Aaron Moore's second straight double-double, as he had 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Grizzlies led by as many as 17 points in the second half, as they improve to 4-0 in Big Sky play. PSU drops to 1-3.

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Nice Throwdown by Weber State's Royce Williams

In last night's Weber State/Northern Colorado game, WSU reserve wing Royce Williams had a nice throwdown on a fast break. Check out the video at around the 28 second mark.



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Montana State and North Dakota Get Big Sky Wins

Just a couple quick notes on a couple of games...

North Dakota picked up their first Big Sky win in program history, beating Idaho State 66-53. If you follow UND, you know the fact that it was a road win is big for the program, which has struggled mightily away from Grand Forks in recent years. They were led by Aaron Anderson's 19 points, as he benefits as much as anyone from the attention Troy Huff receives when he is in the lineup. ISU is still looking to crack the 60 point mark, which they haven't done against a Division I opponent.

In Bozeman, Montana State used a big start in both halves to fend off Portland State 62-59, after PSU's last gasp three-point attempt didn't fall. The Bobcats led 52-38 with 7:35 to play, and were up 61-53 with under 10 seconds left in the game, but the Vikings had a chance thanks to some threes and an MSU turnover. Paul Ewgwuonwu had 14 points for the Bobcats, scoring some big buckets in the second half. Flavien Davis had 16 and was solid.

Montana State was playing without Antonio Biglow or Jamie Stewart, and Xavier Blount was hobbled and not at 100%. Aaron Moore was big for the Vikings, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds, 7 of them offensive.

It wasn't all cheery for the Bobcats, however, as word came that Jamie Stewart was no longer a member of the program. This makes the second straight year that he started the year for the Bobcats, but didn't finish the year due to off-court reasons.

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Northern Arizona Surpasses Last Season Big Sky Win Total

A season ago, Northern Arizona was 1-15 in the Big Sky. After three games this year, they are 2-1 and in the top four of the Big Sky. Well done, Jack Murphy and staff.

Victory number two came via grinding out a home win over Sacramento State, 57-50. The Lumberjacks overcame the fact that they were outrebounded and didn't shoot well, as they forced 20 turnovers and got an all-conference type of game from DeWayne Russell.

Russell had struggled a bit in the past couple of contests, but he was brilliant in this game. He scored 25 points, and seemed like he was one of the few sources of offense late for them. One thing I noticed was his aggressiveness going to the rim, which helped him get to the line often. He was 11/12 from the stripe, and it's something Coach Murphy noticed as well.

"DeWayne Russell getting to the foul line in the second half was huge and knocking down the free throws was even bigger," said Murphy. "We struggled shooting the ball once again but we had a lot of open looks at the rim."

Russell also had five assists, four steals, and just one turnover, keying them on both sides of the ball.

I thought Sac State's post players would be able to win the game for the Hornets, but NAU did a good job on them. John Dickson and Konner Veteto combined to shoot just 5/18 from the floor, finishing with 17 points between them. NAU will take that any day.

With the win, Northern Arizona improved to 2-1 in the Big Sky, while Sacramento State dropped to 1-2.

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Weber State and Montana Still Atop Big Sky Pecking Order

Like last year, there is one thing we know in the Big Sky - it's Montana and Weber State up top, and then everyone else below. We already knew this, but it was reinforced on Thursday night.

Weber State got the biggest win of the night, as Northern Colorado came to the Dee Events Center and got blown out by the Wildcats, 79-54. The Wildcats never trailed in the game, jumping out to an early 7-0 lead and never looking back.

The charge was led by Scott Bamforth, the senior guard who is really rounding into form. He scored 22 points in 22 minutes on 8/14 shooting, and is now looking like the guy that most projected to be an all-conference player. Beyond him, as is their key, there was a ton of balance. Eight other players scored, and they had 17 assists on 30 buckets. They have so many guys that can hurt you in so many ways, they must be extremely difficult to gameplan for.

Northern Colorado was hoping to be competitive in this game, but they came out like they were still thinking about how they lost at the end to Southern Utah. UNC turned it over 21 times and couldn't get stops, as Weber State shot 57% in the first half. They are a year older, but are plagued by the same issues that derailed last season.

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On the other side, Eastern Washington made things interesting for awhile, but Montana pulled away in the second half for an 81-66 win.

Showing that the Grizzlies have some depth of their own, they were led in scoring by Jordan Gregory and Spencer Coleman. Gregory had 17 points on 6/7 shooting, while Coleman had 15 points and 5 rebounds. Those two guys are huge for them, so if they can get consistent production from both, the Big Sky race will be very fun to watch.

Will Cherry struggled shooting the ball, but found other ways to contribute. He had nine assists, and sparked a defense that allowed EWU to shoot just 4/16 from beyond the arc.

“A big part of our focus was to take that away from them, their attempts and their makes,” Tinkle said. “I wish we would have shored it up on the inside a little bit because they kind of did whatever they wanted in there in the second half. A big key for us was to hold them under five or six threes and we did that.”

Eastern Washington was playing with starting PG Justin Crogsile, who is no longer part of the team. From Jim Hayford, via Bob Meseroll:

“Justin is not a part of our team but it’s too early for me to make any additional comment,” EWU coach Jim Hayford said of the transfer from St. Joe’s.

I will try to find out more, but safe to say that the loss of Crogsile is a big blow on the court. It must be a big blow off the court as well, as he sat out last year as a redshirt and is apparently off the team now as conference play is just beginning.

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Closer Look at Joel Bolomboy

I have written a bit about Joel Bolomboy for Weber State, both on this blog and on twitter. He is one of my favorite players in the Big Sky, as he has athletic ability that is rarely seen at this level, which he uses to be an excellent rebounder, shot blocker, and dunker.

Roy Burton of the Standard-Examiner takes a closer look at him:

“He’s got worlds of potential,” Weber State coach Randy Rahe says, “and it could be a lot of fun for him and what he could become. A lot of it is going to be based on how hard he works and how good he wants to be, but Joel is one of those kids that wants to be good.

“He’s got the potential to be a special player for us down the road once he gets a little stronger and everything starts to fall in place for him.”

He is already a pretty darn good player, as some stats from later in Burton's article show:

In 22.1 minutes per game off the bench, Bolomboy averages 7.9 points per game, is second in the Big Sky Conference in rebounding at 8.4 boards per game despite playing 12.5 fewer minutes per game than the league leader. He is also second in the league in field goal percentage (.638) behind teammate Frank Otis and sixth in blocked shots (1.5 bpg).

He will be very fun to watch over the next four years, especially for Weber State fans.

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Thursday Night Big Sky Predictions

With everyone but Southern Utah playing on Thursday night, it seemed like a good times to make some predictions on games!

SACRAMENTO STATE 74, @ NORTHERN ARIZONA 68
NAU is playing at home, but I am not sure that they will have a good answer for the Hornets down low. John Dickson and Konner Veteto are both capable scorers inside, and the Lumberjacks don't have the bulk to match up with them. NAU will need a good shooting night from either Gabe Rogers or DeWayne Russell, but they have been struggling a bit lately.

NORTH DAKOTA 57, @ IDAHO STATE 53
North Dakota hasn't played well on the road much, but going to Pocatello might be the cure for that. ISU doesn't really have any answers offensively right now, and Troy Huff is getting more into the flow after his return from a jaw injury. I think UND will have just a little more offensively to get the win.

@ MONTANA STATE 75, PORTLAND STATE 72
Both of them teams have been inconsistent this year, and I am picking MSU because this game is in Bozeman. PSU has not shown a lot on the road yet this year, and the Vikings defense should be good for Montana State's offense. The key for both teams will be taking care of the ball... if they can limit turnovers, they should get a good amount of easy buckets.

@ MONTANA 77, EASTERN WASHINGTON 67 
EWU has the personnel to pose a problem for the Grizzlies, who may struggle to match up with guys like Venky Jois and Martin Seiferth. At the same time, the Eagles haven't necessarily shown that they are capable of slowing down playmakers such as Kareem Jamar and Will Cherry. This will be an entertaining game, but I simply think Montana is just the better team, especially in Missoula.

@ WEBER STATE 83, NORTHERN COLORADO 71
This could be the highest scoring game of the night, because both teams are talented offensively. I like Weber State's depth to wear down UNC, who had a lot of trouble late against Southern Utah. The Wildcats have been an excellent defensive rebounding team (and shot blocking), so the Bears need to hit from the outside. After leading the country by shooting 45% from downtown last year, they are just at 30.5% this year.

Anything you think will go differently?

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Troy Huff is Big Sky POW

After helping North Dakota beat Bowling Green, Troy Huff was named the Big Sky Player of the Week.

Huff, a 6-foot-5 junior guard from Milwaukee, Wis., posted a double-double off the bench in his second game back from a broken jaw to lead North Dakota to a 56-53 win over Bowling Green in Grand Forks, N.D., on Dec. 28. Huff scored 14 points with a season-high 12 rebounds to record his fifth career double-double. Huff made 4-of-9 shots from the floor, was 1-of-3 from 3-point range, and was 5-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Needless to say, Huff is the first North Dakota player to ever be the men's basketball Player of the Week in the Big Sky.

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Start of 2013 Big Sky Power Rankings

Hope that everyone had a great New Year's! I figured there was no better way to ring in the new year than with some power rankings... These will be in flux for a while because spots three through eleven still seem to be really up in the air. It seems to me that we know less than we thought we did at the start of the season! Anyway.

1. Weber State (7-3, 2-0) - While their offense is a bit worse after losing Damian Lillard, their defense has taken a big step forward this season, and is top 100 in the country in efficiency (after being in the mid-200s last year). One interesting thing is that big man Kyle Tresnak has morphed into a solid shot blocker so far in his junior year. His block rate went from 2.9% to 7.8%, and he is blocking an extra shot a game. There is a sample size issue, but with him and Joel Bolomboy, it's a little tougher for opponents at the rim.

2. Montana (6-4, 2-0) - It's tough to get a read on the Grizzlies, because Will Cherry has played in just three games, and only sparingly in one of them. Rebounding continues to be an issue. They are the second worst team in the country in getting offensive rebounds, which means they aren't getting any extra possessions. They shoot the ball well, but with an average turnover rate and no second chances, their offensive efficiency has not been great this year. It will be interesting to see what Wayne Tinkle does to negate this.

3. Sacramento State (6-4, 1-1) - Last year, Dylan Garrity averaged almost seven dimes a game but was not a big threat to score the ball. This year, he is doing both. The assist numbers are down a little (5.5 per game) but he is scoring more, and doing it extremely efficiently. His ORtg is a blistering 128.6 so far, and he is playing at an all-conference level. If Joe Eberhard can start scoring and shooting like he did last year, the Hornets could be as good as almost anyone in the conference offensively.

4. Southern Utah (4-7, 2-0) - I still see them ending up in the bottom half rather than the top half of the standings, but you have to give them credit for the 2-0 start. They are a very bad offensive team, but Nick Robinson's bunch has managed to grind out a couple wins. Against UNC, they got some breaks, but capitalized on them at the end. One thing that needs to be shored up is turnovers... they are in the bottom five in the nation in turnover rate.

5. Northern Colorado (3-7, 1-1) - After last year, you got the feeling that their offense would be really good if they could just cut down on turnovers. Well, they barely cut them down, but their three-point shooting hasn't been nearly as good. I thought PG Tevin Svihovec would take a big leap this year, but that hasn't happened yet. His TO rate of 27.6 is worst on the team, and that needs to change if the Bears are going to contend.

6. Northern Arizona (4-8, 1-1) - DeWayne Russell has cooled down after a blistering start, which is tough for NAU because they rely on him a lot. Gabe Rogers is a willing shooter, but they don't have a lot of other guys that can create shots for themselves. They key to the team may be Max Jacobsen, who has been a pleasant surprise down low, shooting 61% from the field. They don't have many other inside scoring threats.

7. Portland State (3-6, 1-1) - Defense has again been an issue for the Vikings, as teams have shot over 55% against them inside the arc this year. Like many teams, they look like they will be tough at home (took Weber State to OT), but will struggle away from the Stott Center (and it's scoreboard). A road trip through Montana this week should tell us a lot more about the team,

8. Eastern Washington (3-9, 1-1) - The Eagles will welcome Collin Chiverton back this week, and it will be good to see him in action again. The real surprise has been freshman Venky Jois. We knew he would be good, but not this good, this fast. He is shooting 51% on the year, and looks to already be the best rebounder in the Big Sky, as he pulls down 9.4 per game. Their success will boil down to defense, as they have been poor in that area this year.

9. Montana State (3-7, 0-2) - Their defense so far this year has been dependent on forcing turnovers. They force them at a good rate, but bad things happen when the other team gets shots up, such as shooting 58% on twos against the Bobcats. They still look like a team to me that has some nice individual talent (with guys like Antonio Biglow, Xavier Blount, Calen Coleman) but they don't necessarily know how to play together yet.

10. North Dakota (3-8, 0-2) - It is good that they have Troy Huff back, because the offense really struggled without him.  He hasn't been great yet this year when he has played, but he draws some attention away from a guy like Aaron Anderson, who can be a really good offensive weapon as long as he isn't the main option. They have to shoot the ball better, it's that simple. Their effective FG% is just 42.2%.

11. Idaho State (1-10, 0-2) - Bill Evans came into a tough situation, because there just really isn't much offensive firepower on this roster. In 11 games, they have scored 50 points or more just four times. They combine the nation's sixth least efficient offense with the fourth slowest tempo, meaning their games aren't always a lot of fun to watch. They need some frontcourt help also, after being outrebounded 43-16 by Washington State in their last game.

Any thoughts?

*Image from Erin Hooley of the Standard-Examiner

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