Previewing Thursday’s Big Sky games

PORTLAND STATE at NORTH DAKOTA, 6:05 p.m. MST

Betting line: North Dakota -6.5

KenPom gives North Dakota a 74 percent chance to win

Last time: First meeting this season

What’s at stake: Portland State snapped a five-game skid last Saturday when it beat Eastern Washington and scored 1.30 points per possession (ppp). Don’t bet on the Vikings repeating that sort of performance, but will they have any carryover momentum?

North Dakota is currently in sixth place but has a realistic possibility of finishing as high as third with a strong finish. One thing to watch for: UND junior guard Quinton Hooker is 26 points away from reaching a 1,000 for his career. The Vikings have an athletic backcourt, so that’ll be a fun matchup.

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MONTANA at IDAHO STATE, 7 p.m. MST

Betting line: Montana -2.5

KenPom gives Montana a 59 percent chance to win

Last time: First meeting this season

What’s at stake: Most folks looking at the Big Sky this week are excited for Montana-Weber State on Saturday — understandably so. But I can guarantee you UM head coach Travis DeCuire and players are focused on the Bengals, even if they owned ISU last season.

The Grizzlies punished Bill Evans’ matchup zone in two matchups a year ago. They averaged 89 points and shot a combined 57.4 percent (58 for 101) from the field — while draining 27 3-pointers in two wins. Montana sharpshooter Brandon Gfeller knocked down 12 3-pointers just by himself.

The 3-point arc will play a huge role in Thursday’s matchup, too. In conference play, the Grizzlies lead the Big Sky shooting 41.9 percent from deep, and the Bengals are No. 1 in the conference defending the arc (holding opponents to 32 percent shooting).

Two more things: One, ISU’s Ethan Telfair and Geno Luzcando versus Montana’s trio of Walter Wright, Michael Oguine and Mario Dunn is going to be fun. Two, the Bengals are playing in Reed Gym as opposed to Holt Arena because of Idaho’s state high school wrestling tournaments. Holt is cold, drafty and holds 8,000 fans for basketball games. Reed’s capacity is 3,040 and should come close to selling out for this game. The atmosphere will be fantastic.

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SACRAMENTO STAT at NORTHERN COLORADO, 7 p.m. MST

Betting line: Sacramento State -1

KenPom gives Sac State a 51 percent chance to win

Last time: First meeting this season

What’s at stake: The Hornets, in conference play, are 11th in the Big Sky scoring .994 ppp. They haven’t shot the ball well from 3 or the free-throw line. Northern Colorado, however, hasn’t been particularly effective defensively, either. So whose weakness will be exploited? Will the Bears, who have dropped five straight, be able to outscore the visiting Hornets? Or will Sac defend well enough and find a way to manufacture the points it needs to pull out a win on the road?

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MONTANA STATE at WEBER STATE, 7:05 p.m. MST

Betting line: Weber State -11.5

KenPom gives Weber an 86 percent chance to win

Last time: First meeting this season

What’s at stake: How will Weber State respond to Joel Bolomboy’s absence? Montana State isn’t the kind of team with a player who will attack WSU in the post, but the Bobcats are third in conference action scoring 1.104 ppp. They have the weapons to challenge a Wildcats defense that’s No. 1 in Big Sky play holding teams to .947 ppp. We’ll get a gauge at how easily WSU coach Randy Rahe adjusts to life (for now) without his defensive anchor.

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— Kyle Franko

This week in Big Sky basketball -- Feb. 24

Check out the weekly Big Sky podcast in the video below. Host Scott Garrard interviews Sacramento State's Adella Randle-El, Northern Arizona coach Jack Murphy and Ned Hirsch, who is described as a college basketball "super fan."

5 Questions with Montana Grizzlies beat writer Kyle Sample

The Missoulian's Kyle Sample was kind of enough to join bigskybball.com to answer 5 Questions about Montana basketball as the Grizzlies head south for two huge games against Idaho State (Thursday) and Weber State (Saturday).

Find all of Sample's excellent work on the Griz here.

1) Senior forward Martin Breunig’s numbers are up across the board. He’s averaging more points (19.2 vs 16.7), rebounds (8.8 vs 7.3) and blocks (1.08 vs .8) per game. His efficiency numbers a better, too. Breunig is 11th in the country with an effective field goal percentage of 66.4 percent.

So, Kyle, how has Breunig improved after a fantastic junior season? Is it just natural maturity? Or did Breunig target anything in the offseason specifically to refine?

The biggest difference for Martin is that he is more aggressive this year and much more aware of where he is on the court and what the defense is trying to do to him. He is so smart against double-teams. If they chase him off the block, he's aware of where they are coming from and has been really smart — and willing — finding the open guy. But in the case where teams dig in on the block and then back away, he's been really good at feeling that and remaining patient.

He's also getting himself in better position to score. Unless teams run him off the block with a double, it's not often that they're able to force him out of the low post. Once he gets it on the block he's so explosive and has such great touch that, more often than not, he's either scoring or getting fouled.

2) I think because Weber State’s Joel Bolomboy is basically a walking double-double and has NBA scouts docked courtside at his games, Breunig’s play has gone a little unnoticed (outside of Missoula). If the Grizzlies beat the Wildcats this week and go on to win the regular season, is Breunig your pick for Big Sky player of the year? Why or why not?

There are a lot of good candidates for that award, but he would be my choice if Montana wins. We thought we were going to see Breunig and Bolomboy go one-on-one this weekend in Ogden, but now it seems doubtful that is going to happen. Martin is playing with a lot of good weapons, probably more than the coaching staff thought available when the season started, but he doesn't have another player who can score like Jeremy Senglin so he’s shouldering a lot of the load offensively. Also, the attention he demands when he is on the floor, even on a bad shooting night, is so great that it allows so much room for others to pick up the slack on those rare occasions. 

3) Kyle, you wrote a long profile on Montana head coach Travis DeCuire last week that I’d encourage any Big Sky fan to check out. As you’ve gotten to know DeCuire over the past two seasons, what are his strengths as a head coach? And from your perspective, what has DeCuire learned about coaching in the Big Sky that he’s incorporating in Year No. 2?

I don't want to say he's learned this, because he showed it last season with a roster that didn't exactly have the pieces to run the team the way he wanted, but he's really adapted to the strengths and weaknesses of this team.

As a product of the Montana coaching tree and former player at UM, he came with a dizzying array of half-court sets. The plan was to employ those throughout the season and then add in some sets that would spread the floor. But when foul trouble and some early issues grasping those ideas caused the offense some issues, he switched things up to take advantage of the skills Walter Wright and Michael Oguine brought to the team. It helped space the floor for Breunig and allowed the team to get in a rhythm as conference play opened.

4) It’s a big week for Montana Grizzlies basketball with road games at Idaho State and Weber State. But since the regular-season champion no longer hosts the postseason tournament,* it’s not like the Grizzlies are fighting for anything other than the No. 1 seed in Reno. How much of an emphasis is Montana placing on postseason seeding? Do you think DeCuire really cares whether his team is the 1 or 2 seed in a few weeks? And just to add on to that, how would you gauge how Montana Grizzly basketball fans feel about the move to Reno?

I don't think Travis cares if they are a 1 or a 2 seed, but he does care about winning the regular-season title. He wants that ring and he wants to hang a banner from the Dahlberg Arena rafters. Montana graduates just one senior and I think he wants to teach some of the guys who will be here in the future — five graduate next season — what it takes to run the table and close out the regular season. So in that respect it's important to the program, and if they don't do that these next four games will be seen as a disappointment.

The feeling I get from Griz fans is they really, really don't like this new set up. They were pretty content with watching the Griz host the tournament and many won't be able to take a week of work off to travel to Reno. So I think there is some real resentment in Missoula.

5) Montana wins a Big Sky championship and reaches the NCAA tournament for the fourth time this decade if … ?

This is going to sound really insightful so prepare: The win if they stay healthy and the frontcourt stays out of foul trouble. With Mario Dunn's wrist slowly getting better, the backcourt has depth, but the front court doesn't have a lot. If Breunig and Fabijan Krslovic are on the bench for long periods, Montana doesn't have much experience to turn to. Jack Lopez has been a revelation this season, but he can't play the 5 and is really best as a 3 unless the Griz go to a three-guard lineup and then he's a really good stretch 4. But they don't want to play that lineup for long stretches, so they need to be smart defensively. If that can happen, I think they're the odds-on favorite.

— Kyle Franko

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

The Most Powerful Power Rankings in Big Sky basketball -- Feb. 23

Inspired by ESPN NBA reporter Marc Stein, a committee (of one) ranks the Big Sky Conference’s 12 teams every Tuesday.

These are the Most Powerful Power Rankings in Big Sky basketball. Treat them as such.

1. MONTANA (17-8 overall, 12-2 Big Sky)

Last week: 2

RPI: 149

KenPom: 155

The lowdown: The Grizzlies rise to the top in the power rankings for two reasons. One, Weber State’s Joel Bolomboy has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee. Two … yeah, that’s about it.

The committee (of one) wasn’t so sure the Grizzlies shouldn’t have been No. 1 before Bolomboy’s injury. Montana’s defense, fifth in conference play allowing 1.008 points per possession, doesn’t match Weber State’s league-leading .947 points per possession. But the Griz, with Martin Breunig orchestrating down low and shooters spreading the floor, are scoring 1.152 per possession on offense (which only trails Eastern Washington).

2. WEBER STATE (20-7, 12-2)

Last week: 1

RPI: 155

KenPom: 134

The lowdown: First and foremost, the committee (of one) is rooting for Bolomboy’s return. Injuries stink. We want everybody to show up in Reno* with their rosters intact and ready to go.

Bolomboy is the central component of Weber State’s defense mentioned above. Twenty two percent of opponents field goal attempts are from 3 — the lowest percentage in the Big Sky and ninth in the country. It’s the kind of stat Bolomboy influences just by his presence on the floor. WSU guards aren’t worried about the player they’re guarding blowing past them for an easy layup. They can apply intense ball pressure because Bolomboy is patrolling the paint.

If Weber’s star center is going to miss a significant amount of time, we’re assuming junior Kyndahl Hill will shift into the starting lineup. Coming off the bench, Hill is one of the best reserves in the league. Playing 22 minutes a game on average, he’s third on the team in scoring (8.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.9 rpg).

Hill is capable of filling a bigger role, but WSU’s other forwards are exceedingly young. Weber coach Randy Rahe may decide to play smaller lineups with Hill as the center and Juwan Williams, Ryan Richardson or even Richard Gittens on the floor at the “four” along with three other guards.

Weber wouldn’t be the defensive juggernaut it is now if Rahe leans on the four-guard lineup, but maybe their offense would pick up the slack with an increased tempo.

3. EASTERN WASHINGTON (16-11, 10-5)

Last week: 3

RPI: 212

KenPom: 190

The lowdown: In his last four games, Eastern guard Austin McBroom has scored 35 points on North Dakota, 37 on Northern Colorado, 22 at Sac State and 36 at Portland State.

McBroom is eighth in the country in the percentage of possible minutes played (93.8 percent), and he’s somehow become arguably more important to Eastern’s championship hopes than preseason Big Sky MVP Venky Jois.

McBroom brings me to another point. The Big Sky has a number of guards who are just a joy to watch. The list includes Idaho State’s Ethan Telfair, North Dakota’s Quinton Hooker, Weber State’s Jeremy Senglin, the corpse of Northern Arizona’s Kris Yanku and Montana State’s Marcus Colbert. (Off the committee’s list is Montana’s Walter Wright and Idaho’s Victor Sanders and Perrion Callandret. Good players … just not as exciting as the others.)

4. IDAHO (17-11, 9-6)

Last week: 4

RPI: 228

KenPom: 218

The lowdown: Idaho held a 33-22 lead at Sacramento State with 18:38 to go in the game. At that point, the Vandals’ win probability hit 87.4 percent.

In the final 18 minutes or so, though, the Hornets outscored the Vandals 46-32, and Idaho missed out on a chance to vault into a tie with Eastern Washington for third place — both in the real conference standings and the Most Powerful Power Rankings in the Big Sky Conference. 

5. NORTH DAKOTA (13-12, 8-6)

Last week: 5

RPI: 233

KenPom: 207

The lowdown: I like North Dakota. The more I watch the Hawks, the more I like. They’ve got a solid eight-man rotation, a great guard in Hooker, they bring size and shooting off the bench … there’s a lot to like … yet … it feels like a roster a year away from true championship contention.

6. IDAHO STATE (14-12, 9-5)

Last week: 6

RPI: 276

KenPom: 264

The lowdown: At fourth place, the Bengals are right where they want to be in the league standings. Can they remain there? Their final four games are versus Montana (win probability = 41 percent) and Montana State (64 percent) and on the road at Eastern (21 percent) and Idaho (26 percent).

7. MONTANA STATE (12-14, 7-7)

Last week: 7

RPI: 266

KenPom: 260

The lowdown: A couple random thoughts on Montana State: It’s an improving program. Everything you hear emanating out of Bozeman about head coach Brian Fish is positive. Of all the teams crammed into the middle of the standings, we feel like Montana State has one of the highest chances of pulling off a couple stunning upsets ... or the Bobcats could get bounced in the first round. Nobody in the conference relies as heavily on the 3-point shot as the Bobcats. They’re a dangerous bunch if Tyler Hall and company find their groove — but if the 3 balls aren’t dropping can MSU do other things well enough to pull out a victory in a tournament setting?

8. PORTLAND STATE (9-16, 5-9)

Last week: 9

RPI: 284

KenPom: 250

The lowdown: The Vikings scored 1.30 points per possession against Eastern Washington. That’s ridiculous. So is this: Portland State scored 107 points in that game while attempting 12 (12!) 3-pointers. It makes the committee (of one) question Eastern’s No. 3 ranking.

9. SACRAMENTO STATE (11-14, 4-10)

Last week: 8

RPI: 267

KenPom: 270

The lowdown: The Hornets and Vikings are teams in interesting spots right now. KenPom slightly favors both to beat Northern Colorado and lose to North Dakota this week on the road. Then they’re favored to finish the regular season with back-to-back wins at home against cellar-dwellers Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.

If that scenario happens, it’s unlikely either would improve their seeding in the postseason tournament.* It would, however, be a serious burst of momentum for either team as they head to The Biggest Little City in the World.*

10. NORTHERN ARIZONA (5-21, 3-12)

Last week: 11

RPI: 310

KenPom: 334

The lowdown: Yanku has the league’s respect. He earned it with a stellar sophomore campaign. But it’s still shocking to watch the Lumberjacks and see Yanku as a junior coming off the bench in what has been a precipitous drop for the bad-luck Lumberjacks in 2016.

11. NORTHERN COLORADO (8-18, 5-9)

Last week: 10

RPI: 316

KenPom: 323

The lowdown: The committee (of one) probably shouldn’t have the Bears ranked this low. But in intense discussions, we just don’t like how they’ve lost five in a row and are one of the worst defenses in Division I basketball.

12. SOUTHERN UTAH (4-21, 2-13)

Last week: 12

RPI: 332

KenPom: 345

The lowdown: Quite literally, the only reason Northern Colorado isn’t the worst defense in college basketball is because of Southern Utah.

— Kyle Franko

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

NOTE: The KenPom rankings have been updated and are current through Tuesday at 3:15 MST.

Recapping the Big Sky: What happened, player of the week, game of the week

The updated standings are available right here.

In a glance, this is what happened last week …

Weber State (12-2) swept Southern Utah and Northern Arizona on the road.

Montana (12-2) extended its winning streak versus Montana State to 12 with a win at home.

Eastern Washington (10-5) split a pair of games, beating Sacramento State but losing to Portland State on the road.

Idaho State (9-5) split a pair of games on the road, losing at Northern Arizona but defeating Southern Utah.

Idaho (9-6) split two games, beating Portland State on the road and losing at Sacramento State.

North Dakota (8-6) beat Northern Colorado at home.

Montana State (7-7) lost at Montana.

Portland State (5-9) split two home games, losing to Idaho and knocking off Eastern Washington. 

Northern Colorado (5-9) lost its fifth consecutive game, this one at North Dakota.

Sacramento State (4-10) split home games, falling to Eastern Washington but beating Idaho.

Northern Arizona (3-12) split two games in Flagstaff, running away from Idaho State and losing to Weber State.

Southern Utah (2-13) dropped two games at home to Weber State and Idaho State.

Summing all of that up … HOME teams went 5-5. Weber State, Montana and North Dakota had perfect weekends with undefeated records. With Eastern’s loss at Sacramento State, the Wildcats and Grizzlies are in first place and have a 2.5-game cushion.

So who is going to finish at the top of the standing is clear. But seeds 3-7 are a jumbled mess. Eastern Washington, currently third, holds a half-game lead on Idaho State. The Bengals are clinging to a half-game lead on Idaho. North Dakota sits in sixth place but only a game back from fourth. And Montana State, seventh right now, is lurking and could maneuver its way up a few spots with some wins.

We’ve got two weeks and 22 games left in the regular season, and the Big Sky is going to need every one of them. Here are a few things we know …

1) Weber State was a big winner by pulling out two close road games, but the Wildcats received a scare when senior forward Joel Bolomboy appeared to injure his left leg in the first half at Northern Arizona.

Standard-Examiner reporter Brandon Garside Tweeted that Weber State had scheduled an MRI for Bolomboy’s leg, and he expects news as soon as Monday morning.

Assuming the Wildcats are a top-two seed, their first game would be March 10 — 17 days away. Let’s hope that’s more than enough time for Bolomboy to recover.

UPDATE ...

BREAKING: @Bolomboy21 diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee. No timetable for his return. #BigSkyMBB
https://t.co/boy5bBg06t

— Brandon Garside (@BrandonGarside) February 22, 2016

2) Idaho State is going to have one heck of a time holding on to fourth place. If the Bengals are going to do it, they’ll likely need to go 2-0 at home this week versus Montana on Thursday and Montana State on Saturday.

The Bengals finish the season traveling to Eastern Washington (March 3) and Idaho (March 5). On the road, they’ve done a fantastic Jekyll and Hyde impersonation.

In ISU’s last two road trips the variance in its performance has swung wildly from game to game …

at North Dakota on Feb. 4, ISU lost 76-60 and … shot 19-62 from the field (30.6 percent) … 7-30 from 3

at Northern Colorado on Feb. 6, ISU won 90-57 and … shot 32-55 (58.2 percent) … 13-20 from 3

………….

at Northern Arizona last Thursday, ISU lost 81-68 and … shot 19-48 (39.6 percent) … 8-22 from 3

at Southern Utah last Saturday, ISU won 89-71 and … shot 31-55 (56.4 percent) … 8-13 from 3

Obviously there were a number of other factors affecting the final results in those games. But it’s pretty remarkable how the Bengals’ offensive production can shift from one game to the next.

ISU head coach Bill Evans, in my time covering the team, was always great at having a feel for the morale of his players. If they play poorly one night, he seems to have a way to connect with his guys to get them to perform much better in the next game.

3) The Big Sky Conference* has taken some heat for expanding the postseason tournament to include all 12 teams. Since everybody is getting in, of course, there’s less of an emphasis on regular-season games. You could draw a line after the eighth team in the standings in the past and know anyone below that mark was in mortal danger of their season ending when it was time to dance.

In the old format, Northern Colorado, Sacramento State, Northern Arizona and Southern Utah wouldn’t qualify for the tournament (using today’s standings). NAU and SUU, in particular, wouldn’t have much to play for considering how far back they are.

But you can count me as a supporter of the 12-team tournament. Read quotes from the likes of Sac State coach Brian Katz or Southern Utah coach Nick Robinson. They’re preaching to their guys that, yeah, we haven’t been great, but if we keep working, getting better, we can show up in Reno* and battle — and who knows what the heck can happen?

If you’re a Montana or Weber State or Eastern Washington fan, I can see how you wouldn’t like the new 12-team look. For the programs that have consistently struggled, however, it’s a welcomed change of pace.

4) If you’ve been following Big Sky basketball long, how fun is it to see things like …

Think he's bothered by the All-Star snub? Damian Lillard balled out tonight, dropping a career-high 51 points. pic.twitter.com/3NSE2SG5bb

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 20, 2016

Don't try this at home. pic.twitter.com/7n3Vw8keNp

— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 22, 2016

Damian Lillard is the first player in NBA history to make 150+ threes in each of his first four seasons. pic.twitter.com/Rrmy99uqBK

— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 22, 2016

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Montana guard Michael Oguine. The freshman scored 27 points and had five rebounds against Montana State while shooting 7 of 13 from the field and 12 of 14 from the foul line.

GAME OF THE WEEK coming up: Montana at Weber State, 7 p.m. MST. They’re only playing once during the regular season, and it could decide who gets the No. 1 seed in Reno.* The Purple Palace is going to be rocking.

TEAM TO WATCH CLOSELY THIS WEEK: North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks are a very interesting team and someone I’d mark down as an under-the-radar championship contender. Junior guard Quinton Hooker is a bona fide stud. UND hosts Portland State and Sac State this week, and two wins have the potential to launch them up a couple notches in the standings.

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

Dunks!

Do you like dunks? The Big Sky Conference* does, and the league took to Twitter to show off a few from last week's slate of games.

Torry Johnson... 3... 2... 1... 🚀 #BigSkySlams #NAUSTRONG #RoadtoReno https://t.co/SIqjffePKi

— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) February 22, 2016

Bogdan Bliznyuk down the lane like a Mack Truck 🚚 #BigSkySlams #GoEags #RoadtoReno https://t.co/WYU3Y3kZvG

— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) February 22, 2016

Venky Jois auditioning for #NBAJam #BigSkySlams #GoEags https://t.co/lxH99Cdws0

— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) February 22, 2016

.@Bolomboy21 goes hard in paint. 🔨 #BigSkySlams #RoadtoReno #weberstate https://t.co/yNNUGVp4Ys

— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) February 22, 2016

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

Big Sky morning links -- Feb. 21

NORTH DAKOTA 74, NORTHERN COLORADO 73

The Grand Forks Herald game story

North Dakota nearly gagged away an eight-point lead in the closing minutes, but the Fighting Hawks held on and stayed a game behind Idaho State for fourth place.

Watch the archived game from Saturday afternoon as... https://t.co/m0oZewfcJm #BigSkyMBB

— UND Men's Basketball (@UNDmbasketball) February 21, 2016

WEBER STATE 77, NORTHERN ARIZONA 74

The Wildcats managed to avoid the upset and stay knotted with the Grizzlies at the top of the Big Sky standings.

Northern Arizona had a look from 3 that would have tied the game. Weber State holds on #BigSkyMBB https://t.co/RoiVZSlpRM

— Kyle Franko (@ByKyleFranko) February 21, 2016

The story to watch from this one, though, is Joel Bolomboy ...

Two different looks at Joel Bolomboy's injury vs. NAU. Never good when it's a knee. pic.twitter.com/pU0E95KeWc

— Nate Dowdle (@nmdowdle) February 20, 2016

Joel Bolomboy will have an MRI tomorrow. No further information is available at this time.

— Brandon Garside (@BrandonGarside) February 21, 2016

MONTANA 87, MONTANA STATE 78

Photos: Montana beats Montana State 87-78 in Brawl of the Wild

Oguine, Gfeller rise up to lead Montana to 12th straight win over Montana State

Oguine, Grizzlies get best of Hall, Bobcats (read this one)

MSU men drop 12th straight against Montana

Interesting quote from MSU Brian Fish (that can be found in the bottom link) in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle: “Let’s just cut to the chase: Montana and Weber (State) are the two teams in this league that are a little bit better than everybody else."

IDAHO STATE 89, SOUTHERN UTAH 71

I can't actually find any articles from this game. Sure, you could go to the athletic web sites of Southern Utah and Idaho State, read what's there and check out the box scores.

There's also this, a compilation of ISU highlights produced by Idaho State's athletic department ...

PORTLAND STATE 107, EASTERN WASHINGTON 91

Vikings' Shooting Barrage Buries Eagles, 107-91

This is a ridiculous box score. Nine combined players scored in double figures. Vikings forward Cameron Forte (32 points, nine rebounds) had an incredible dunk, which you can see for yourself at the 3:40 mark in the video below that was produced by the Portland State Vikings, and senior EWU guard Austin McBrooms put up 36 points on 22 shots.

SACRAMENTO STATE 68, IDAHO 65

MEN’S BASKETBALL BEATS IDAHO AT HOME, 68-65; SWEEPS THE SEASON SERIES

A photo gallery from the game is available here

The Sacramento Bee didn't staff the game, but this is a link to the AP article.

Highlights from Mens bball. Final score: Hornets 68 Vandals 65. Strings with 23pts 9reb, and Demps with 18pts. https://t.co/yR3bU7010u

— SacHornetsMBB (@SacHornetsMBB) February 21, 2016

Big Sky morning links -- Feb. 20

Great slate of games tonight ... the Big Sky bball blog previewed each of them and included links to video/audio/stats in a post you can find right here.

WEBER STATE AT NOTHERN ARIZONA, 4 p.m. MST

From the Standard Examiner: Weber State lacked defense against Southern Utah during Thursday's game

NORTHERN COLORADO AT NORTH DAKOTA, 6 p.m. MST

From the Grand Forks Herald: Another close game between UND, Northern Colorado expected

IDAHO STATE AT SOUTHERN UTAH, 7 p.m. MST

From The Spectrum & Daily News: A conversation with former coach Bill Evans

If you know Evans at all or have followed his career, make sure to check this one out. Here's one interesting quote from the article.

"There’s a lot of up and downs in coaching. There are some highs and there are some lows. So I try not to get too high and not to get too low. It still doesn’t feel good to lose games. So I still got a lot of edge to me and a lot of fire, and we've got a game on Saturday against a team that just took one of the best team’s in this league right down to the wire."

From the Idaho State Journal ... Bengals try to avoid another trap at S. Utah

After Idaho State lost Thursday to Northern Arizona 81-68, head coach Bill Evans said on the ISU postgame radio show: “I don't think we played with the energy and toughness tonight that we have been playing with prior to this game. We did not guard the arc well and we couldn’t make baskets. We weren’t very good offensively and defensively. That is a bad combination.”

MONTANA STATE AT MONTANA, 7 p.m. MST

From the Missoulian: DeCuire follows long, winding road back to Montana ... this is one you're going to want to read.

Also from the Missoulian earlier this week: Former Griz Gregory signs with Australian club

From Skyline Sports: GAME PREVIEW: Grizzlies look for 12th straight win over rival Bobcats 

Skyline Sports weekly podcast: Big Sky Breakdown: Around the Big Sky, February 19 ... Colter Nuanez interviews EWU guard Austin McBroom, Idaho's Chris Sarbaugh, Montana State head coaches Tricia Binford and Brian Fish and Montana head coaches Robin Selvig and Travis DeCuire.

One more from Skyline Sports: Rivalry holds sense of pride for Montana’s Bradshaw

From the Billings Gazette: Rejuvenated Hall leads Montana State into rematch with Grizzlies

From the Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Bobcats men begin tough finishing stretch with rival Grizzlies

From the Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Defensive toughness starts with stopping ball for MSU men

And one more from the Chronicle: Neumann leads recent uptick in bench production for MSU men

Previewing Saturday’s Big Sky games

WEBER STATE AT NOTHERN ARIZONA, 4 p.m. MST

Betting line: Weber State -12.5

KenPom gives Weber a 84 percent chance of winning

Last time: Weber State 76, Northern Arizona 66. WSU used a 10-2 run in the closing minutes to pull out a tightly contested game

What’s at stake: In his last three games, Joel Bolomboy put up 22 points and 23 rebounds versus Sac State, 19 and 11 against Portland State and 34 and 10 Thursday at Southern Utah. If the Wildcats, currently tied with Montana at the top of the Big Sky standings, can win the regular season, Bolomboy is a virtual lock to be named the league’s player of the year.

Watch

Listen

Live stats

NORTHERN COLORADO AT NORTH DAKOTA, 6 p.m. MST

Betting line: Norther Dakota -11

KenPom gives North Dakota an 89 percent chance to win

Last time: Northern Colorado 71, North Dakota 70. Freshman guard Jordan Davis nailed a floater with 18 seconds left to help UNCO upend UND.

What’s at stake: Davis’s floater pushed Northern Colorado’s winning streak at the time to four games. The Bears, however, haven’t won since — they’re winless in the month of February. North Dakota is part of the glut of teams battling for fourth place. A win keeps the Hawks on pace.

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IDAHO STATE AT SOUTHERN UTAH, 7 p.m. MST

Betting line: Idaho State -4

KenPom gives Idaho State a 63 percent chance to win

Last time: Idaho State 87, Southern Utah 68. The Bengals shot 59.6 percent from the field and the Thunderbirds shot 41.8 percent. That’s all you need to know.

What’s at stake: We’ve seen this story before. In Idaho State’s last road trip, the team performed poorly at North Dakota (a 76-60 loss) and then rallied to play exceptionally well at Northern Colorado (a 90-57 victory).

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MONTANA STATE AT MONTANA, 7 p.m. MST

Betting line: Montana -10.5

KenPom gives Montana an 83 percent chance to win

Last time: Montana 80, Montana State 72. In front of a raucous crowd, the Grizzlies clamped down defensively in the second half and held the Bobcats to 36 percent shooting.

What’s at stake: Montana has won 11 in a row against Montana State. The Grizzlies can stretch that to an even dozen and guarantee they’ll remain at the top of the table with win No. 12. If MSU pulls the upset, head coach Brian Fish has the first monumental victory in his tenure.

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Do you have a pulse? Do you like hype videos? If so, then check out this hype video produced by Montana athletics.

And here's some good analysis from Montana State beat writer Parker Gabriel ...

Wrote about keys for Montana State defending UM on Saturday: Stop the ball and defend screens: https://t.co/59ZkugHgyd

— Parker Gabriel (@pgabriel15) February 19, 2016

Here's a couple of examples of defending screens. First, a push-up on Breunig: https://t.co/dZsRoXUHgX

— Parker Gabriel (@pgabriel15) February 19, 2016

Next, a cup on Krslovic that still yields a basket. https://t.co/IXHhWh8QJv

— Parker Gabriel (@pgabriel15) February 19, 2016

And, finally, a hedge that stops the ball and gives time to recover. https://t.co/RNgCc0z2Xp

— Parker Gabriel (@pgabriel15) February 19, 2016

Notice all the screens start at the top. UM did it a ton. MSU was more aggressive with bigs besides Breunig. Chess match continues Saturday.

— Parker Gabriel (@pgabriel15) February 19, 2016

EASTERN WASHINGTON AT PORTLAND STATE, 8:05 p.m. MST

Betting line: Eastern Washington -2

KenPom gives Eastern a 53 percent chance of winning

Last time: Eastern Washington 112, Portland State 83. Despite 37 points from Cameron Forte, PSU was embarrassed in Cheney. The Eagles were unconscious offensively, going 37 for 58 (63.8 percent) from the field and led by as much as 36 points.

What’s at stake: Portland State is in a free fall. Eastern is surging. Either the Eagles will continue to overpower opponents with their potent attack, or the Vikings are going to manage to contain them and find a semblance of stability before their season careens off a ledge.

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IDAHO AT SACRAMENTO STATE, 8:05 p.m. MST

Betting line: Sacramento State -1.5

KenPom gives Sac State a 53 percent chance of winning

Last time: Sac State 65, Idaho 63. The Hornets didn’t shoot well (22 for 53), but they made 10 3-pointers and survived a big night from Vandals sophomore guard Chad Sherwood (22 points, six 3-pointers).

What’s at stake: Idaho is third in the Big Sky in defensive efficiency (.997 points per possession) and fourth in effective field goal percentage defense (49.9). The Vandals haven’t been stellar offensively and have had to rely on a league-best 36.5 percent offensive rebounding percentage. How much of their lackluster offense has been the injuries? And how much will the return of Perrion Callandret and Victor Sanders affect their offensive production as they work back into the fold?

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Big Sky morning links -- Feb. 19

NORTHERN ARIZONA 81, IDAHO STATE 68

NAU stifles Telfair, Idaho State in 81-68 victory

How did the Lumberjacks knock off the Bengals? A big reason was their superb defense on ISU junior point guard Ethan Telfair. In 37 minutes, Telfair, hampered by foul trouble, scored 12 points on 2-of-11 shooting. He went 1 for 5 from 3 and had two assists compared to seven turnovers.

“We knew Telfair was the head of the snake for the team,” Torry Johnson told the Arizona Daily Sun. “We knew we had to put all of our concentration into stopping him first and then making other people make plays. We did a good job, especially on the ball screens.”

WEBER STATE 87, SOUTHERN UTAH 83

Weber State escapes with an 87-83 win over Southern Utah

Wildcats top T-Birds in thriller

With the victory, Weber State pulled into a tie with Montana for first place in the Big Sky Conference standings. It wasn't easy against the T-Birds. Senior forward Joel Bolomboy needed to pour in a career-high 34 points as SUU rallied from down 11 in the second half.

Two roster updates for Southern Utah, according to SUU beat writer Ryan Miller. Trey Kennedy's suspension for a citation of marijuana suspension has been lifted after the charges were dropped. Kennedy, the team's second-leading scorer, did not play versus WSU. That's great news for the Thunderbirds, but junior guard Race Parsons went down with an apparent leg injury late in the game Thursday. His status moving forward is unknown.

IDAHO 80, PORTLAND STATE 74

Vandals win third straight

Vandals shut down Vikings in second half, come away with 80-74 win

With Idaho State's loss, Idaho moves up one spot in the standings and grabs sole possession of fourth place. Making the win even sweeter for the Vandals, Perrion Callandret returned to the starting lineup and scored 19 points, and Victor Sanders entered off the bench and recorded seven points following a seven-game injury absence.

EASTERN WASHINGTON 93, SACRAMENTO STATE 88

Sacramento State falls to Eastern Washington

Extending best winning streak in 12 years, sizzling start helps EWU win 93-88

The story of this one is how the Eagles made 15 of their first 19 shots and scored 58 points in the first half to lead by 18. The Hornets rallied but got no closer than 92-88 with 17 seconds left.

Eastern has a one-game lead on Idaho for third place. Those teams play Feb. 27 in Moscow.

Big Sky morning links -- Feb. 18

WEBER STATE AT SOUTHERN UTAH, 7 p.m. MST

The Standard Examiner's Brandon Garside put together a bracket for what the Big Sky Conference tournament would look like if the season was over right now.

Also from Garside, Weber State prepares to honor Jeff Smith with its play at Southern Utah

This is what Rahe had to say about Southern Utah: “The records don’t matter. When we go down, they’re going to play one of their best games of the year. They’re going to play hard, they’re going to be high energy and they’re going to be ready to fight somebody. If you don’t understand that, you will not be successful.”

From The Spectrum ... good news for Southern Utah junior guard Trey Kennedy ... Possession charges dropped against SUU basketball player

The Trey Kennedy marijuana saga continues. All charges have been dropped and athletic department is meeting regarding his suspension.

— Ryan Miller (@millerjryan) February 17, 2016

And here's Ryan Miller's Southern Utah-Weber State game preview ... T-Birds to welcome in Weber State on Thursday

This is what SUU coach Nick Robinson had to say about Weber: "They're good."

IDAHO STATE AT NORTHERN ARIZONA, 7:30 p.m. MST

Betting line: Idaho State -3.

From the Idaho State Journal ... Road test at NAU awaits red-hot Bengals

And I can't find anything from the Arizona Daily Sun on the game. AZDS sports editor Cody Bashore tweeted he'd have an article on junior guard Kris Yanku (15.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.6 apg). Check here later to see if it's popped up online.

UPDATE: That story on Yanku is right here

EASTERN WASHINGTON AT SACRAMENTO STATE, 8:05 p.m. MST

The Sacramento Bee's Bill Paterson wrote about ... Sac State gets senior leader back

Hornets coach Brian Katz says his team is "whole again" now that senior guard Cody Demps has worked back into the fold. In particular, Katz emphasized that he believes Sac is considerably better defensively with Demps on the floor.

The Spokesman Review has a couple articles you should check out. Find both of them here. Be warned, the Spokesman has a paywall. If you don't have a subscription, I believe you're limited to five free articles.

IDAHO AT PORTLAND STATE, 8:05 p.m. MST

Here's this from the Spokesman Review on Idaho-PSU ... Perrion Callandret expected to start at Portland State

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News ... Vandals adjusting to Callandret's return ($)

As far as Portland State coverage, I'm not going to bother looking for any — because I'm assuming there is none.

But, hey, here's some PSU-Idaho game notes. And check out the video below that's produced by Portland State athletics.

UPDATE: The PSU video is good. Interesting thoughts from Tyler Geving. Watch.

Previewing Thursday’s Big Sky games

WEBER STATE at SOUTHERN UTAH, 7 p.m. MST

Betting line: Weber State -15.5

KenPom gives Weber State a 90 percent chance of winning

Last time: Weber State 77, Southern Utah 50. WSU held SUU to 31.1 percent shooting (19-61) and the Wildcats roared to a 45-16 lead by half.

What’s at stake: With a win, WSU can move into a tie with Montana for first place in the league standings.

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IDAHO STATE AT NORTHERN ARIZONA, 6:30 p.m. MST

Betting line: Idaho State -3.5

KenPom gives Idaho State a 65 percent chance of winning

Last time: Idaho State 88, Northern Arizona 66. Bengals sophomore guard Geno Luzcando hit all three of his 3-point attempts, went 10 for 10 from the field and 7 for 8 from the charity stripe on the way to a career-high 30 points.

What’s at stake: Idaho State needs this game. Head coach Bill Evans and his players have won seven of eight and three in a row, but that’s only been good enough to give them a 1/2-game lead on Idaho for fourth place. A loss to Northern Arizona or Southern Utah on Saturday, and the Bengals could be in danger of tumbling in the standings. They finish the regular season at home against UM and MSU and on the road at EWU and Idaho.

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EASTERN WASHINGTON at SACRAMENTO STATE, 8:05 p.m. MST

Betting line: Eastern Washington -2

KenPom gives Eastern Washington a 52 percent chance of winning

Last time: Eastern Washington 74, Sacramento State 67. In a game EWU head coach Jim Hayford called “the worst shooting performance I’ve seen as Eastern’s head coach” the Eagles outscored the Hornets 19-5 from the foul line (EWU went 1 for 20 from 3). 

What’s at stake: The Eagles are 10-0 at home but 4-9 away from Cheney. Sac State, meanwhile, is trying to avoid its first four-game losing streak since January 2012.

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IDAHO at PORTLAND STATE 8:05 p.m. MST

Betting line: Portland State -3

KenPom gives Portland State a 60 percent chance of winning

Last time: Idaho 56, Portland State 55. The Vikings had their worst shooting performance of the season against a conference opponent (35.2 percent shooting), and the Vandals scratched out a close win thanks to 15 offensive rebounds.

What’s at stake: Portland State has lost five of six and is in desperate need of a feel-good win. Idaho is continuing to try and stay afloat while leading-scorer Victor Sanders recovers from injury.

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This week in Big Sky basketball -- Feb. 17

Check out the weekly Big Sky podcast in the video below. Host Scott Garrard interviews Montana sophomore Kayleigh Valley, Weber State coach Randy Rahe and Salt Lake Tribune columnist Kurt Kragthorpe.

Big Sky morning links -- Feb. 17

WEDNESDAY'S MORNING LINKS

WEBER STATE
From the Standard Examiner ... Damian Lillard debuts 'Baby Dame DOLLA' rapping in bizarre State Farm ad

(side note: On a scale of 1-10 how bad are the State Farm commercials depicting Chris Paul as "dad," DeAndre Jordan as "mom," Kevin Garnett as "grandpa," Kevin Love as a "brother" and Damian Lillard as a "baby?"

This is the scale ...

1-They're kinda funny, Kyle. Don't overreact to a Fortune 500 company thinking it's a good idea to turn Jordan, a 6-foot-11, 27-year-old center, into the housewife of Chris Paul, a moody, 30-year-old point guard.

10-They're awful. Exactly how much did State Farm pay Kevin Love for him to acquiesce to the idea of taking his bearded face and placing it on the body of a 10 year old? Every player involved in the commercials, with the exception of Lillard, should be forced to retire from the league immediately.

Me? I'd give the commercials a 9.6.)

IDAHO STATE

From the Idaho State Journal ... Court Confessional: ISU's stadium quandry limiting success? ... the Bengals have two different home arenas (kind of) and neither is the perfect solution.

MONTANA STATE-MONTANA

From Skyline Sports ... FIRST LOOK: Montana hosts Montana State for 2nd round of hoops rivalry

The Grizzlies have received their first commitment for the 2017 recruiting class, a 6-2 guard from Dublin, California.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle has this ... Big Sky: Officials got Green technical foul wrong

EASTERN WASHINGTON

From the Spokeman Review ... EWU’s Austin McBroom earns national honor

SOUTHERN UTAH

The Spectrum is selling hope ... Tournament gives chance to salvage seasons

Kyle Franko

The Most Powerful Power Rankings in Big Sky basketball -- Feb. 16

Inspired by ESPN NBA reporter Marc Stein, a committee (of one) will rank the Big Sky Conference’s 12 teams every Tuesday.

1. WEBER STATE (18-7 overall, 10-2 Big Sky)

RPI: 158

KenPom: 118

The lowdown: Head coach Randy Rahe ticked off two major milestones last Saturday. He won his 200th game at Weber State and became the Big Sky Conference’s all-time leader in league wins with 124.

But you want to know what’s great about Rahe? After the game, he told the Standard Examiner, “All I wanted to do was try to play well and win tonight. Thank God we were able to play well enough to get the win.”

The committee (of one) believes Rahe. The records, the wins, they’re important. In the middle of the season, however, the Wildcats and Rahe are focused on one thing: Trying to get back to March Madness. That’s what matters. That focus, the inner drive we’re talking about, it’s helped separate Rahe and Weber from the rest of the conference for the past decade (with the exception to Montana).

Oh … and it’s nice to have guys like Joel Bolomboy (17.5 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 1.28 bpg) and Jeremy Senglin (18.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.76 apg).

2. MONTANA (16-8, 11-2)

RPI: 155

KenPom: 155

The lowdown: The Grizzlies will be favored in four of their final five games. KenPom gives them a 26 percent chance to win at Weber State Feb. 27. Otherwise, though, UM’s lowest expected win probability is 58 percent Feb. 25 at Idaho State.

At the very least, going 3-2 should guarantee Montana a top two seed in the Big Sky tournament.*

3. EASTERN WASHINGTON (15-10, 9-4)

RPI: 215

KenPom: 189

The lowdown: In 13 Big Sky games, Jim Hayford’s Eagles are scoring a league-best 1.2 points per possession. That’s ridiculous. They’ve made the mosts 3s (135) and are second in 3-point field goal percentage (40.7 percent).

Senior Austin McBroom (21.3 ppg) has been superb, but Venky Jois (16.7), Felix Van Hofe (13.0) and Bogdan Bliznyuk (12.4) are all averaging double figures in points, too.

4. IDAHO (16-10, 8-5)

RPI: 219

KenPom: 225

The lowdown: After a nine-game absence, Perrion Callandret returned for the Vandals to play Saturday against North Dakota. Coming off the bench, the 6-foot-2 junior guard scored nine points in 24 minutes. That’s a quiet night by some measures, but it’s a key storyline to follow with the Vandals, a team that’s managed to wrestle its way into the upper-half of the Big Sky standings despite both Callandret and sophomore Victor Sanders missing time with injuries.

Sanders, according to Spokesman Review correspondent Sean Kramer, could return in a couple weeks. Those two average a combined 30.5 points. Idaho’s potential as a Big Sky championship team rises a couple notches if they’re both healthy and in rhythm in time for Reno.*

5. NORTH DAKOTA (12-12, 7-6)

RPI: 236

KenPom: 199

The lowdown: The Fighting Hawks haven’t won more than two games in a row this season. They’ll have a good chance of doing that in the next two weeks with home games against Northern Colorado, Portland State and Sacramento State.

6. IDAHO STATE (13-11, 8-4)

RPI: 274

KenPom: 259

The lowdown: Idaho State has won seven of its last eight games and it has ISU Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Steve Schaack sending out Tweets like …

The last time @IdahoStateBball was .500 or better through 20 games was the 2006-07 season. ISU is 10-10 now and 5-3 league. #GoISU

— Steve Schaack (@schaack319) January 31, 2016

The 2006-07 and the 2007-08 @IdahoStateBball teams were all 6-4 in league through 10 games, matching this year's mark. #GoISU

— Steve Schaack (@schaack319) February 7, 2016

The 13-11 overall record for @IdahoStateBball is the 6th best start in 39 years, dating back to 1976-77. #GoISU

— Steve Schaack (@schaack319) February 14, 2016

7. MONTANA STATE (12-13, 7-6)

RPI: 269

KenPom: 260

The lowdown: The Bobcats used a road grader to plow through their last three games, all wins — against the bottom three teams in the standings (Sac, NAU, SUU).

That’s good. Those teams have a combined league record of 7-31.

Next up: Montana State travels to Montana and then heads out for an I-15 road trip south to Weber State and Idaho State to finish the month of February.

That’s not good. Those teams are 29-8.

8. SACRAMENTO STATE (10-13, 3-9)

RPI: 264

KenPom: 269

The lowdown: At one point this season, Sac State was 4-0 and had wins against Arizona State, Seattle and UC Davis. Fast forward through December and Sac State eased off its torrid pace but was still 7-4.

Today, the Hornets have faded. Losers of three straight, Sac can find hope in having four of its last six games at home. There’s potential to jump one or even two spots in the standings. For that to happen the Hornets coaching staff has to figure out a way to manufacture offense. They’re 11th in the Big Sky in offensive efficiency (.979 points per possession) and 12th in effective field goal percentage (48.3) (those are conference-only stats).

9. PORTLAND STATE (8-15, 4-8)

RPI: 289

KenPom: 254

The lowdown: Offensively, the Vikings have two factors working against them, making the team’s margin for error ultra-thin.

PSU, in Big Sky games, is last in offensive 3-point field goal percentage and free-throw shooting. A conference-high 60.1 percent of Portland State’s points come from 2-pointers. The Vikings are having to rely on jump shots and bullying their way to the rim for baskets. That’s too easy of a game plan for opponents to defend.

10. NORTHERN COLORADO (8-17, 5-8)

RPI: 311

KenPom: 325

The lowdown: While Portland State can’t shoot, Northern Colorado can’t defend. In fact, the committee (of one) isn’t so sure UNC doesn’t belong at the bottom of the Most Powerful Power Rankings in the Big Sky because of its defense.

The Bears are allowing 1.188 points per possession defensively, the worst mark in the entire country. They’re 347th in effective field goal percentage defense (57.0), 344th defending the 3 (40.2 percent), 338th against 2-pointers (54.8 percent) …. you get the idea … defense is a problem in Greeley.

11. NORTHERN ARIZONA (4-20, 2-11)

RPI: 315

KenPom: 341

The lowdown: What’s worse? Northern Arizona giving up 25 made 3-pointers at Montana State? Or Northern Arizona letting the Bobcats jack up 43 3-pointers? Both are absurd.

12. SOUTHERN UTAH (4-19, 2-11)

RPI: 335

KenPom: 346

The lowdown: How tough is it in Cedar City right now? After the Thunderbirds lost 81-67 to Eastern Washington back on Feb. 6 at home, The Spectrum’s headline from the game was “T-Birds gain moral victory in loss to Eastern Washington.”

When 14-point home defeats count as moral victories, the committee (of one) is confident in its No. 12 ranking.

Kyle Franko

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

Recapping the Big Sky: What happened, player of the week, game of the week

Have you taken a look at the updated standings? Do so here.

In a glance, what happened this past week …

Montana swept Southern Utah and Northern Arizona at home.

Weber State swept Sacramento State and Portland State at home.

Eastern Washington averaged 96 points a game and swept North Dakota and Northern Colorado.

Idaho State swept Portland State and Sacramento State.

Idaho swept Northern Colorado and North Dakota.

North Dakota lost to Eastern Washington and Idaho.

Montana State swept Northern Arizona and Southern Utah.

Northern Colorado lost at Idaho and Eastern Washington.

Portland State lost at Idaho State and Weber State.

Sacramento State lost at Weber State and Idaho State.

Southern Utah lost at Montana and Montana State.

Northern Arizona lost at Montana State and Montana.

Summing all of that up … HOME teams went 12-0. UM, WSU, EWU, ISU, U of I and MSU all had perfect weekends with back-to-back wins. This late into the season, that’s crucial. With six games remaining (a few teams have five games left) in the conference season, the Grizzlies and Wildcats have a two-game lead on the rest of the conference in the loss column.

Looking down a little further in the league standings, a two-game gap has developed between the Big Sky’s “middle of the pack” (EWU, ISU, Idaho, UND, MSU) and the Big Sky’s “soft underside” (UNC, PSU, Sac).

That’s why I’ll call the past few days of Big Sky basketball SEPARATION WEEK. It’s very dramatic. But in reality, things have started to fall into place. With three weeks left in the regular season, we know …

1) Either Montana or Weber State are going to take the overall No. 1 seed in the postseason*.

2) Eastern Washington is a threat to repeat because it has the conference’s best offense. The Eagles (conference-only stats) lead the league in OE (120.6), eFG% (59.9), TO% (16.0) and 2P% (59.0).

3. After a taking a big step forward a season ago, the Thunderbirds are back at the bottom of the standings this year because they stink on defense. In conference games only, SUU ranks last in the Big sky in DE (120.6), eFG% (59.4), OR% (32.5), 2P% (55.7) and 3P% (44.7).

4) Montana doesn’t lead the Big Sky in a single KenPom conference-only statistic. The Grizzlies, however, are starting down at the rest of the league in the standings because they’re good at just about everything. UM defends well (third in eFG% defense at 49.3) and, led by Martin Breunig’s 19.6 points a night, the Griz can score at a high rate (second in eFG% offense at 57.5).

5) This is still the single-greatest moment of the season (avert your eyes, Wildcats) …

Telfair is ISU's first Big Sky POW this season. Here's Saturday's game winner. #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/yspAw5naV0

— Madison Guernsey (@MGuernsey_ISJ) January 25, 2016

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eastern Washington guard Austin McBroom. In two wins, the senior transfer averaged 36 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 19 off 33 from the field, 12 of 20 from 3 and 22 of 25 from the free-throw line.

GAME OF THE WEEK coming up: Montana State at Montana, Saturday, 7 p.m. MST. It’s Cat-Griz. ’Nuff said.

TEAM TO WATCH CLOSELY THIS WEEK: Idaho. The Vandals finish the season with three straight games in Moscow, but before that they head to Portland State and Sac State. Win both and Idaho is suddenly thrust into serious consideration for a top-four spot in the postseason (and the perk of a first-round bye*).

Kyle Franko

*obligatory #RoadtoReno
*obligatory #RoadtoReno

The Big Sky basketball blog is back!

Jonathan Reed did a fantastic job blogging about Big Sky Conference basketball for years. It was always clear Jon loved basketball, watched games and paid attention.

When he decided to step away after last season, though, following Big Sky hoops wasn’t the same. Bigskybball.com was always a great place to check out for coverage of the entire league, and Jon cranked out quality material week after week to keep us coming back.

Luckily, Jon has been kind enough to let me step in for the next month or so to write about the Big Sky as teams battle for postseason positioning in the conference’s first postseason tournament at a neutral site (less than a month away*).

It’s been a sensational season so far. Weber State’s Joel Bolomboy is an NBA-draft prospect, the Wildcats and Montana have established themselves as the frontrunners (nothing new there), Eastern Washington is the hottest team in the league and then we’ve got fourth-place Idaho State … what the heck are the Bengals doing two games above .500 in the middle of February (three words: hello, Ethan Telfair)?

What exactly can you expect on bigskybball.com while Jon has left me in charge?

— Come here for links to coverage from across the Big Sky. There are a number of beat writers doing awesome work you should check out.

— I love rankings. Really, I love ‘em. I’m going to rank the Big Sky 1-12 every Tuesday, and I’ve got a couple other lists I’m excited to put together in the next month or so.

— On Thursdays and Saturdays, I’ll have a short preview of each game that night, plus links to the local news coverage, video and audio streams.

— And then just other stuff … we’ll figure it out as we go.

Let’s have some fun.

Kyle Franko

*obligatory #RoadtoReno

Happy to announce that @ByKyleFranko will be taking over at https://t.co/Whs19iucIm for the rest of the season! #BigSkyMBB

— Jonathan Reed (@bigskybball) February 15, 2016

Kyle is a former Idaho State beat writer who is overqualified and will be fun to read the rest of the way. He is very knowledgeable.

— Jonathan Reed (@bigskybball) February 15, 2016

My wife & I have been traveling the world, so it will be great to have the Big Sky blog going again, in even more capable hands than before!

— Jonathan Reed (@bigskybball) February 15, 2016

Introducing Kyle Franko

Some of you, especially Idaho State fans, may remember Kyle Franko. Kyle is the former Idaho State basketball beat writer as well as sports editor of the Idaho State Journal, and he had kindly volunteered to take the reins of the Big Sky basketball blog for the rest of the 2015-16 season!

If you aren't familiar with him, you'll come to know Kyle as a sharp basketball mind who will be able to blend different styles, formats, and ways of presenting the story of the Big Sky. Over the last bit of the season, I think you'll probably find that he'll wind up as your favorite writer ever on this site!

Kyle can be found on twitter here, and also feel free to email him - kyle.franko3@gmail.com. I'll do my best to check in on the comment section as well, so hopefully we can make this into a nice community again as the season winds down.

Let's give Kyle a nice welcome!

Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball