Weber State Moves to CIT Finals

After initial reports suggested that Weber State would be at home for the CIT semifinal, they wound up traveling to take on Northern Iowa in the semifinals. It turns out, it didn't matter where the game was, because Weber State went into UNI and got the win to advance to the CIT Finals.

It was a back and forth game throughout the second half, with the Panthers leading 53-49 late in the second half, and then tying the game at 55. However, it was Davion Berry hitting a jumper with 4:12 to play to give the Wildcats the lead that they would hold the rest of the day, eventually winning 59-56.

“This was an extremely tough game against a really physical and talented team in a tough environment,” said WSU head coach Randy Rahe who returned to his home state of Iowa and picked up his 150th career win. “We played really tough and really hard and I was so proud of how we fought. We missed some shots but kept fighting and found a way to do it against a really tough opponent. I’m so proud of our team for not giving up. It’s been a remarkable run and 30 wins is a phenomenal accomplishment.”

Frank Otis led the way in this game with 13 points (on 5/8 shooting) and 11 rebounds, ensuring that he has one game left to play in his career. Scott Bamforth had 14 as well (including four more treys), and Davion Berry scored 15 points. The Wildcats held UNi to just 38% shooting, including 3/18 from downtown.

30 wins is a great accomplishment, as is the fact that they have continued to play hard even after the disappointment of the Big Sky tournament.  By my count, just seven other teams, gotten to the 30 win mark this year. Let's hope they can make it to 31!

The CIT finals will be in Ogden on Tuesday, where Weber State will take on East Carolina.

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Brad Huse Will Return as Montana State Coach

Throughout this season, Brad Huse for Montana State was squarely on the hot seat. He was entering the last year of his deal, and the results of his tenure had been mixed. Lots of promising finishes had ended with big collapses in the second half of conference play, and the fan base was getting a bit tired of him.

Apparently though, he did enough this season to extend his coaching career in Bozeman. The Bobcats finished the year 13-17 overall, but they were 10-10 in conference play (including a win over Weber State), and finished with the fourth seed in the conference before falling to Northern Colorado in the first round of the tournament. However, Gidal Kaiser reports that MSU and Huse are working on a contract extension of some type:

No deal has been struck, but Director of Athletics Peter Fields and MSU’s Board of Regents are discussing the parameters of a deal that would bring the men’s basketball coach back for an eighth year — and possibly longer, Bill Lamberty, the school’s assistant athletic director of media relations, confirmed Thursday.

Huse is 93-117 overall in his MSU tenure, including 55-61 in Big Sky play and 2-7 in the conference tournament in his seven years. Those are not terrible numbers by any means (heck, the 2-7 record means that they have been to the conference tournament every season), but it's not really enough to excite the fan base (just check out a message board for the team). This past season, MSU had an average attendance of 2,523 fans per game, which doesn't come close to filling the 7,200 person capacity in Worthington Arena (in fairness, that home attendance was the fourth highest mark in the Big Sky).

What this means is that there is a chance that all Big Sky coaches will return for next season. There are no other obvious candidates to be fired (I think Brian Katz and Tyler Geving should be safe for at least another year), so probably the only change would come from either Wayne Tinkle or Randy Rahe moving up. In an industry of lots of changes, that stability could be a really good thing.

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Weber State Beats Oral Roberts to Advance to CIT Semifinals

For the second time this season, Weber State has beaten Oral Roberts. The first time, it was during Bracket Busters. This time, it was to advance to the semifinals of the CIT. Weber State led the whole way, but it was close throughout, as the Wildcats won it by a final score of 83-74.

Weber State was led by a huge performance from Davion Berry, who finished with 27 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds. He had some help also from Kyle Tresnak (19 points, 8 rebounds) and Scott Bamforth (18 points). Those three guys have been playing at a high level lately, and Tresnak is showing more consistency as the excellent big man that his talent suggests he can be.

“I couldn’t be more proud of how our team fought and played together against a really good team,” said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. “The whole team really stepped up and we had lots of guys contribute. We came out with really good energy in the second half.”

Weber State moves to 29-6 on the year, which is pretty remarkable! They will try to reach the 30 win mark on Friday, as they head to take on Northern Iowa on the road in the CIT semifinals. If they win, they would play the winner of East Carolina and Evansville.


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Weber State Advances in the CIT

Weber State got another home game on Saturday night, as Air Force came into Ogden. Air Force was playing without Michael Lyons, its leading scorer at 17.7 points per game. Weber State took advantage, never trailing in the game. They led by 6 at the break before jumping out to an 11-2 run to kick off the second half, eventually winning 78-57 to advance in the CIT. They will play in Ogden again, facing the winner of the UC Irvine and Oral Roberts game on Wednesday night.

A couple of records were broken in this game as well:

The win breaks the WSU school record of 27 wins set by Phil Johnson’s squad in 1968-69 and is also a new Big Sky Conference record for wins in a season.

“Reaching that record is terrific for our program and I’m really happy for our players,” Rahe added. “I think it really speaks volumes for our players and how tough they have worked. It’s a great accomplishment and it’s something they will never forget.”

WSU also had another school record broken Saturday night. WSU senior Scott Bamforth knocked down five three-pointers and became the Weber State career leader with 247 three-pointers, breaking Damian Lillard’s previous record of 246. Bamforth is now tied for fifth in Big Sky history in career three-pointers.

Scott Bamforth finished the day with 21 points, and kudos to him for breaking that record (which Lillard held for one year). Bamforth came into the conference as just a great shooter, and he will leave it as an all-around great Big Sky player.

Kyle Tresnak also had 21 points (on 9/10 shooting) and finished with five rebounds.

No matter who they take on Saturday, it will be a rematch for Weber State. They beat UC Irvine 65-51 earlier this year (in Ogden) and beat Oral Roberts 70-66 in  Bracket Busters as well (that was in Tulsa).

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Montana's Season Ends With With Tournament Loss

Montana went 19-1 in the Big Sky this year, and won their second straight Big Sky regular season and tournament title. But the ending to their year is worse than any Montana player or fan's worst nightmare. We knew that, on paper, Syracuse was not a good matchup for Montana, with their length and athleticism. That said, I am not sure anyone was ready for the carnage that took place on Thursday night.

Syracuse got out to a fast start and never looked back, winning by a shocking final margin of 81-34. There are a lot of stats that could be used to point out how bad Montana's night was, but that will do no good. The Grizzlies got punched in the mouth at the beginning of the game, and they simply had no answer at either end of the court. They are obviously a lot better than they played against the Orange, but that is of little consolation to themselves or their fans. It was a bad night.

The bottom line is this - Montana had a great year. With the obstacles they overcame this year - from Marko Kovacevic losing eligibility before the year, to Will Cherry missing time, to Mathias Ward getting hurt - they had no business going 19-1, winning the Big Sky regular season and conference tournament. They simply didn't have the talent (again, with injuries and defections) or depth as they did last year, and that is combined with Weber State being an improved team. The fact that they accomplished what they did is a testament to guys like Will Cherry, Kareem Jamar, Wayne Tinkle, and the program that they have built.

One game does not define a season. Montana will look back on this game with some rough memories, but hopefully they don't let it take away what they accomplished this season.

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First Round CIT Action - Weber State Cruises

Two Big Sky teams qualified for the collegeinsider.com tournament, and both had their opening round matches on Wednesday night.

In one tilt, Weber State absolutely obliterated Cal Poly, despite some concern that they might not play their hardest due to being relegated to the CIT. The Wildcats jumped out to a 45-18 halftime lead en route to a 85-43 victory. Among Weber's dominance... they shot 60% from the floor (compared to 30% for the Mustangs), were 10/22 from behind the arc, and held Cal Poly to 3/14 from downtown.

There were many stars for Weber. Scott Bamforth was a ridiculous 7/9 from downtown, finishing with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kyle Tresnak was 10/11 from the field, finishing with a cool 20 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes. Off the bench, Joel Bolomboy had 10 points and 8 rebounds in 17 minutes. Iit was an overwhelming performance from Weber State.

It's not like Cal Poly is a pushover either. They were 18/13, finished 12-6 in the Big West, and lost a close game to Pacific in the conference tournament (Pacific is in the NCAA tournament now). Weber State just crushed them from the get go. I am not sure who Weber State will play in the tournament, but the second round game will be between March 22-24. If I had to guess, my thinking is they will play the winner of the Air Force vs Hawaii tilt.

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In the other game, North Dakota's season came to an end against Northern Iowa, as they fell to the Panthers for the second time this season. They trailed by 13 at halftime before losing 77-66.

In the final game of the year, Troy Huff was again stellar, finishing with an efficient 22 points and 4 steals. He will enter next season as one of the conference player of the year favorites. Jamal Webb also had a solid game, scoring 11 points (all in the second half) while getting 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

UND simply couldn't stop UNI in this game, as the Panthers shot 51% from the floor, made nine threes, and got to the stripe 25 times.

North Dakota finishes the year with a record of 16-17. Though they couldn't reach the .500 mark for the year, there was a lot of good things for them to build on for next season.

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Some Stats for Montana/Syracuse Matchup

Bob Meseroll and The Missoulian has put together a nice little piece looking at some of the stats on Montana and Syracuse. Some of my favorite nuggets from the piece.

– The eye test tells you that Montana has tightened its defense the past couple weeks. And at least one stat confirms it. The Grizzlies have held their past four opponents to less than one point per possession, their longest such streak this season.

– OK, forget numbers. There’s the Vermontana factor. The last time Syracuse faced a 13 seed in the tournament, it lost to upstart Vermont. And you can’t spell Vermont or Montana without “mont.” Just a thought.

Hopefully the "Mont" factor is working again!

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5 Questions With a Syracuse Blogger

If you follow Syracuse basketball, then you know the blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. It looks to me like the premier Syracuse blog out there, and fortunately the creator, Sean Keeley, was kind enough to answer a few of my questions about Syracuse. In turn, he has asked me some questions on Montana which will appear over there in the next couple days.

My questions are in bold, his answers in regular font.

1) Jim Boeheim is famous for his zone defense. Can you give us a quick rundown of what makes the Orange's zone so effective?
Like most things with Syracuse basketball, the zone is always only as effective as the athletes playing in it. Last year when Syracuse lost only three games all year, their zone defense was smothering from top to bottom. Quick guards up top neutralized transition, the wings took away the deep threat and the big in the middle changed the way other teams attacked the rim.

This year, the Orange haven't had all the tools most of the time. Rakeem Christmas and Baye Keita aren't the imposing threat that Fab Melo was and Brandon Triche & Michael Carter-Williams aren't quite as steal-happy as Scoop Jardine and Dion Waiters were.

That said, this team is still talented enough to cause havoc and force opponents to beat them with the three-ball or to try and overpower them inside. If you can't do either, it's trouble.

2) 10 seconds left, tie game. Who on Syracuse is getting the ball?
Good question. Michael Carter-Williams is probably going to get the ball and from there, he's going to do one of three things. He's either going to iso his man and drive himself, or he's going to create an opportunity for C.J. Fair or James Southerland. Southerland is our big-shot threat but Fair is the most consistent shooter and clutch player we have. If you're asking me who I WANT with the ball, it's Fair.

3) Syracuse started the year 22-4 before finishing 4-5. Is there a reason for the drop off, or was it just the grind of the Big East?
I think you can blame a little bit of it on the grind of playing some really top-tier teams but this Syracuse team has a lot of flaws that got exposed at the same time. There just hasn't been much consistency from the frontcourt, especially on offense. The shooters are very streaky and oftentimes guys like Southerland and Triche go ice-cold at the same time. Finally, the team really seemed rudderless at times. Brandon Triche was expected to be a bit more like Scoop Jardine was last year, lead the team on and off the court, and that just hasn't been the case. I think the team lost its identity mid-way through the season and is only now starting to find it again.

4) As a fan of college basketball, I see the name Michael Carter-Williams all the time on my twitter feed, more than anyone else on Syracuse. Can you talk briefly about his game?
You know how Michael Carter-Williams is having a good game? When he has more assists than points. MC-Dubz, as we call him, is a supremely-talented guy full of potential, which is probably why he'll be a lottery pick this year. However, it's hard to tell that from the stat sheets. But when he's focused on feeding his wings, creating plays for his offense and playing within himself instead of forcing the issue, he makes the Syracuse offense unstoppable. It's when he gets it in his head that we need him to score 15 points that he gets himself, and the Orange, into trouble.

5) If Syracuse makes a deep run in the Tournament, it will be because of _________?
Michael Carter-Williams took over, James Southerland continued to shoot lights out and Baye Moussa Keita/Rakeem Christmas kept their heads above water.

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ESPN Doesn't Like a Montana Upset

If you have read a lot about the NCAA Tournament over the past few years, you have probably read something from Peter Keating. He writes for ESPN leading up to the tourney, and has a series on Giant Killers, and teams chances for an upset. He does not like Montana's odds.

No. 4 Syracuse Orange (92.1) No. 13 Montana Grizzlies (4.6)

Upset chance: 4.6 percent

What's this? Montana has already become something of a trendy upset pick? How many ways do you want us to take apart that silly idea? First, while Syracuse isn't quite as strong as the squad that earned a No. 1 seed last season, it's built according to the same basic blueprint. Offensively, the Orange are highly efficient, scoring 114.2 points per 100 possessions, because they're monsters on the offensive glass (ORs on 39.8 percent of missed shots, fifth-most in the NCAA) and their 2-point shooting and turnover rate rank in the top third of the country.

On defense, Syracuse doesn't collect many rebounds, but who cares? The 2-3 zone has enabled the Orange to rank 10th in the country in steals (13.5 percent of opponent possessions) and 24th in turnovers (23.4 percent). They don't rely on free throws, and they've played Killer-like nonconference opponents for target practice. They're not only a very good team, they're a Giant wearing a bulletproof vest.

As for Montana, if you don't even attempt to grab offensive rebounds (25.1 OR percentage, 335th in the NCAA), you had better be trying to cook up some other recipe for adding possessions to your column, but the Grizzlies also force very few turnovers (18.5 TO percentage, ranking 253rd). Maybe you don't need extra possessions when you're playing the 283rd-strongest schedule in the country -- quick, where is Minot State? What about Carroll College? -- but trust us, a few more balls in hand would be handy in the NCAA tournament.

We will stipulate that Kareem Jamar is an exciting player who can post up or shoot from behind the arc, and that the Grizzlies have no fewer than four players shooting 40 percent or better on 3-pointers (in 55 to 93 attempts apiece). But come on. Syracuse outscored opponents by nearly 25 points per 100 possessions while playing in the second-strongest conference in the country. Montana outscored opponents by 1.9 points per 100 possessions while playing in the 27th-strongest conference in the country. (Read those last two sentences again.) They're not just a Killer lacking a second shot, they're a mediocre team.

P.S.: Including "secret sauce" points gained or lost for playing like past Killers and Giants, the average gap in overall strength between 4-seeds and 13-seeds is 19.8 points per 100 possessions this year, according to our spreadsheets. That's actually higher than the average for 2-15, 3-14, 12-5 and 11-6 matchups. Which means that even though a few 13-seeds have popped through in recent years, 2013 is precisely the wrong spring to be hunting for upsets on the 4-13 line.

Hopefully they can prove him wrong!

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Wayne Tinkle Is The Big Sky Coach of the Year

For the second straight year, Montana's Wayne Tinkle is the Big Sky Coach of the Year.

For the second consecutive season, Montana’s Wayne Tinkle has been selected as the Big Sky Conference Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year by his peers.

Tinkle guided Montana to 19-1 conference record and the program’s second consecutive regular-season conference title. The Grizzlies won their second straight Big Sky Championship last week, downing Weber State 67-64 in the title game.

Montana will take a 25-6 record into the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday as the Grizzlies face Syracuse of the Big East Conference.

Tinkle is the best coach in the conference, and this honor is well deserved. Grizzlies fans would be thrilled if he sticks around to try and make it a third straight award, as he is sure to draw some interest.

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Syracuse Scouting Report

After taking a quick look at Syracuse yesterday, let's dig in a little bit further.

The first thing it seemed that you notice about them is their length. Here is the height of their starters - 6'4'', 6'6'', 6'8'', 6'8'', 6'9''. They primarily run a zone defense, so this length comes in handy. The stereotype is that against a zone, you are going to shoot a lot of threes, and that is true against Syracuse. Typically, almost 40% of opponent's shot attempts are three-pointers, one of the highest rates in the country. However, that has not exactly been a successful strategy against the Orange. Opponents have shot just 29.8% from downtown against Cuse, the 19th lowest rate in the country.

If you go inside, you're not likely to have more success. Syracuse has the highest block rate in the country, led by guys like Rakeem Christmas (11.1%), reserve Baye Keita (8.2%), CJ Fair (3.7%), and James Southerland (3.7%). Cuse is also very good at forcing turnovers, as they have a top 25 rate in that department. If they have been susceptible anywhere, it is allowing offensive rebounds, as their opponents have a 34.4% offensive rebound percentage. Unfortunately, this is not the strong point for Montana, one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the country.

All of these things combine to make Syracuse the 23rd best defense in the country, according to KenPom's numbers.

The bad news for Montana is that as good as Syracuse's defense has been, their offense has statistically been even better, as they are 16th in the country. They are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, with their 39.8% rate ranking fifth in the country. It will be important to always get a body on Christmas and Keita.

Elsewhere offensively, they can hurt you in different ways. Forward James Southerland made headlines with his three-point shooting during the Big East Tournament, and he shot 41% from downtown this year (and 53.1% inside the arc). CJ Fair might be even better. He can hit the three (27/55 this year), but it also an aggressive offensive player that can get to the line often. He is their leading scorer and rebounder at 14.1 PPG and 7.1 RPG.

Their guards are adept at getting to the line (between them, Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche get to the line a combined nine times per game), and it so it will be important to stay in front of them and force jumpers. MCW shot just 28.2% from behind the arc this year, while Triche was at 28.5%.

Carter-Williams is one of the best passers in the country. He had an assist rate of 41.7, and tallied a third-in-the-NCAA 7.7 assists per game. He is a willing and creative passer, but he will turn it over too. His TO rate is 24.3 (Triche is 20.5), meaning there could be an opportunity for Montana to create some turnovers.

By average height, Syracuse is the second tallest team in the country, which will pose problems for Montana and their lack of frontcourt depth. Later this week, we will look at some of things Montana needs to do to combat the size of Syracuse.

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A Cool Story About Frank Otis

Saw this cool story about Frank Otis, by someone writing into the Standard-Examiner:

Editor,

I am a Montana Grizzly fan who traveled to see Weber State play the Grizzlies in the conference tournament championship. It was a great game by both squads, but that is not why I am writing. After the game, with the Montana team and students celebrating on court, I witnessed a classy act by Wildcat Frank Otis.

I know the loss must have been a bitter pill for Otis, who played ferociously along with his teammates. Despite his disappointment, he walked over to Grizzly senior Mathias Ward, who was standing off to the side with his foot in a cast from his heart-breaking and career-ending injury.

Otis shook Ward's hand and gave him a hug. It was a moment of grace in adverse circumstances that makes you proud to be a sports fan.

It's good to see that Otis is as good of a guy as he is a player!

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Montana vs Syracuse Logistics

Much thanks to the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician for compiling a lot of this info. We will try to ask him some Syracuse questions later this week to get a better feel for The Orange.

The tip-off time for the Syracuse Orange's second-round NCAA Tournament contest against the Montana Grizzlies has been announced, and the No. 3-seeded Orange will play the No. 13 Grizzlies at approximately 10 p.m. ET in San Jose, Calif. on TruTV.

If you are scoring at home, that makes it an approximately 10pm local start time for Syracuse, and 8pm for Montana. Throw in the fact that San Jose is a lot closer to Missoula than Syracuse, and it could be an advantage for Montana.

The announcers for the game will be Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner.

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North Dakota Earns Third Straight CIT Berth

The last two years, North Dakota earned a spot in the collegeinsider.com tournament based on their winning The Great West. This year, there was no guarantee, but they will be heading to the CIT once again. They will travel to take on Northern Iowa, in a game scheduled for Thursday night.

This will be UND's second trip to play in the McLeod Center this season as the Panthers (18-14, 11-7 Missouri Valley) knocked off the Green and White 72-47 on Nov. 17. That was the second of an eight-game stretch that UND (16-16) played without leading scorer Troy Huff, who returned to health to lead the Big Sky in scoring with a 19.2 ppg average.

UND head coach Brian Jones is a Northern Iowa grad, while Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson is a North Dakota graduate. The connection between these programs runs deep, so it is fitting that they will meet for the second time this year!

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Weber State Will Host Cal Poly in the CIT

Weber State has found out where they land in the postseason shuffle, and unlike last year, they will be hosting a first round game in the Collegeinsider.com tournament.

Weber State's season will continue. The Wildcat men's basketball team has accepted an invitation to play in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament for the second-straight season. Weber State host Cal Poly on Wednesday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.

Cal Poly is 18-13 overall and finished 12-6 in the Big West.

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A Quick Primer on Syracuse

There will be much more to come this week, but let's take a brief look at Syracuse and what they have accomplished this year.

In case you have somehow missed, Montana is a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they will be taking on Syracuse.

The Orange finished the Big East tournament with a record of 26-9. During the regular season, they went 11-7 in the Big East, which earned them the number five seed in the Big East tournament. Once there, they made it to the final of the tournament, before running into a buzzsaw in Louisville in the second half.

They are 16th in the country in offensive efficiency, at 114.2 (by comparison, Montana is 129th at 103.5). They are 23rd in the country in defensive efficiency at 89.8 (by comparison, Montana is 175th at 101.6). Syracuse is first in the country in block percentage, at 19.1%. They also excel on the offensive glass, which could be an issue for Montana.

Last, Syracuse is known for playing probably more zone defense than anyone in the country. The Grizzlies will have to be ready to play zone offense, and will need to be hitting their shots.

Much more as the weekend continues.

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Wayne Tinkle's Pregame Speech

That's how you get a team ready to play... love the chest bumping with the players!



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Montana is The Big Sky Champion

Stop me if you have heard this before - Montana has beaten Weber State to win the Big Sky Championship. It has to be like a bad, recurring dream for the Wildcats, who have now been ousted by the Grizzlies in the Big Sky tournament for four straight seasons.

It seemed like it was going to be the time that Weber State finally beat Montana and erased the demons. Montana was playing without Mathias Ward, their leading scorer. Will Cherry was not far removed from re-injuring his foot to the point where it was feared it was broken. Statistically, Weber State was the better team this year, with better offensive and defensive efficiency ratings. Matchup wise, it seemed like they had a huge edge upfront that would be tough for the Grizzlies to overcome.

None of it mattered. Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar simply would not let the Grizzlies lose.

Cherry struggled from the field in the first half, but made big play after big play in the second half. He finished with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. In a two point game late, it was Will Cherry hitting his only three pointer of the game to give Montana a five point lead. It was Cherry hitting the last two free throws to put Montana up four with 10 seconds left. Time and time again, it was Cherry going to the rim and finishing strong in traffic. He was not going to be denied.

Of course, he had help from Kareem Jamar, the Big Sky Player of the Year and Tournament MVP. He finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. He was aggressive time and time again, overpowering Scott Bamforth (an excellent defender) on the drive and in the post. He was 9/13 from the floor, and make countless big plays in the second half. Jamar and Cherry were the best players on the court.

As always, I am in awe of Wayne Tinkle. Last year, when Montana went 15-1, it was impressive. This year, going 19-1, battling through the injuries and the lack of depth and experience upfront, it was simply an incredible coaching job.All of the credit in the world to Montana. For the second straight year, they are going to the Big Dance. After picking Weber State to win the tournament, I have a lesson learned - never go against Will Cherry, Kareem Jamar, and Wayne Tinkle. Those guys just don't lose.

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Montana Extends Home Winning Streak to Advance to Title Game

Our dream Big Sky finals matchup awaits us: Montana vs Weber State, part 3. How did they get there? On Friday night, Montana took some punches from Northern Colorado, but wound up with a 14 point win.


Counting conference tournament games, make that 30 straight home conference victories for Montana. Behind a raucous crowd, they got off to an 11-0 start against Northern Colorado and never trailed in the ballgame. The Bears fought back all night, but the Grizzlies just seemed like they would not let them get closer than about six after the early stages of the second half, eventually winning 70-56 after extending the lead in garbage time.

Before the game, we talked about how the Bears might have the advantage down low, but they would need to slow down the quicker Montana guards. That did not happen in this game. Will Cherry (21 points, 3 assists) and Kareem Jamar (19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) seemed to go anywhere they pleased in this game, and they were just too quick and physical for Tevin Svihovec and Tate Unruh. On the other wise, Unruh and Svihovec couldn't get things going offensively.

Unruh did not play a bad game, his shots were just not falling. He finished 2/11 from the floor, including 2/10 from downtown. He is a guy that keeps shooting, and that is the gameplan. He still had six rebounds and four assists, but the fact that he wasn't hitting was big. Svihovec struggled all game. He was 1/9 from the floor, finishing with six points. He also had four turnovers, and was making poor offensive decisions all night. His development this offseason will be the key for UNC next season.

Connor Osborne played great in this game, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He was a force. Derrick Barden had 18 points and 7 rebounds, but it was a quiet 18 and 7. Montana's bigs played well enough to get the win, while UNC's guards did not. That was the difference in the game. Andy Martin had some productive minutes in the second half, while Eric Hutchison had some in the first half.

So, it all adds up to Montana hosting Weber State for the Big Sky championship. Again. 7pm mountain time on Saturday night - it is going to be a fun one, that is for sure.

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Weber State Wins in the Best Big Sky Game of the Year

Our dream Big Sky finals matchup awaits us: Montana vs Weber State, part 3. How did they get there? On Friday night, the road wasn't as easy as some might have expected, especially for Weber State.

In one of the most exciting games of the Big Sky season, Weber State clawed back from a 12 point second half deficit to beat North Dakota 76-74 and clinch their spot in the Big Sky championship. It was everything you would want in a game of this magnitute. North Dakota played their best game of the year, but just couldn't pull it out, thanks to Weber State making a ton of plays down the stretch, as you would expect them to do.

UND pulled up 52-40 at the 17 minute mark, though you need the Wildcats would not go away. That they did not was in large part due to the play of Davion Berry and freshman Joel Bolomboy. To me, Bolomboy was the player of the game. He had 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks, continually making an impact on both ends of the court. He showed more post moves than he has all season, and showed more of the potential that he has hinted at this year. He was outstanding.

Berry paced the Wildcats with 25 points, though he was just 7/19 from the floor. He attacked relentlessly, earning himself 12 trips to the free throw line. He also pulled down six rebounds.

In the last minute and a half, though, it was neither of those guys making the big plays for Weber State. Scott Bamforth had a quiet 10 points before hitting a corner three to tie the game late. That was just a senior making a huge shot when his team needed it the most. Then, on the Wildcats last possession, with the game tied at 74, they went inside to Kyle Tresnak, who had a nice baby hook for what wound up being the game-winner. Tresnak played 18 minutes because of foul trouble, but he was the man that Randy Rahe trusted with the final shot, and he delivered.

North Dakota certainly has nothing to hang their heads about, as they gave a really good team everything they could handle and then some. Troy Huff led the way with 22 points and 8 rebounds, getting a head start on his 2014 Big Sky POY campaign. He was seemingly everywhere. Guys like Aaron Anderson, Brandon Brekke, Mitch Willmer, and Jamal Webb also had solid games, but UND just wasn't able to finish it out. They turned it over just five times in the game, but struggled to get good looks at times in the second half, with a lot of credit for that going to WSU.

North Dakota finishes the year at 16-16, though there is a chance they could make it into a small tournament. Weber State moves to 26-5 as they prepare for the Big Sky title bout.

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