Home » Conference Notes » Currently Reading:

Big Sky Notebook

February 22, 2007 Conference Notes No Comments



Big Sky Conference Notebook

by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: David Patten, Weber State

Conference standings
1. y-Weber State (18-10 overall, 11-4 conference)
2. x-Northern Arizona (14-11, 8-5)
3. Montana (14-13, 8-5)
4. Idaho State (12-13, 7-5)
5. Montana State (10-16, 7-6)
6. Portland State (16-12, 7-7)
7. Eastern Washington (13-14, 6-8)
8. Sacramento State (9-17, 4-9)
9. z-Northern Colorado (4-21, 2-11)
x-clinched a spot in Big Sky tournament
y-clinched at least a share of Big Sky regular season title
z-Not eligible for postseason tournament because of NCAA reclassification requirements

Tournament host scenarios

Weber State is in the driver’s seat. If the Wildcats beat Sacramento State on Feb. 26, the Wildcats will be the host for the Men’s Big Sky Conference tournament March 6 and 7.

But if the Wildcats lose, Weber State’s situation still looks good to host. The tournament will be hosted either by Weber State, Montana or Idaho State.

The Wildcats are guaranteed at least a first-round bye as they cannot finish any worse than second place in the standings.

In order for Idaho State to host, the Bengals must finish 11-5, as must Weber State. In addition, Montana must finish ahead of Northern Arizona. ISU and Weber State split the regular season meetings this season. But the Bengals, if they finish 11-5, will have swept Montana, while Weber split with the Grizzlies. Weber would host if NAU finishes ahead of Montana because the Wildcats swept the ‘Jacks and ISU was swept.

For Montana to host the tournament, the Grizzlies must also finish 11-5 if Weber loses to Sacramento State. But in addition, Montana State must finish ahead of Portland State as Montana went 2-0 against the Bobcats, and Weber State was 1-1. If Portland State finishes ahead of MSU, the Wildcats get the tiebreaker, having beaten PSU twice.

Eastern Washington Eagles (13-14 overall, 6-8 conference)
Last week’s result
At Santa Barbara, Calif., Feb. 17: Eastern Washington 71, UC-Santa Barbara 70 (ESPN BracketBusters)
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 vs. Idaho State
Feb. 24 vs. Sacramento State
Against UC-Santa Barbara, Kellen Williams hit two free-throws with four seconds remaining that gave EWU a 71-67 lead. Rodney Stuckey scored 30 points with five assists and two rebounds. Paul Butorac scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots.

Idaho State Bengals (12-13, 7-5)
Last week’s results
No games played
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 at Eastern Washington
Feb. 24 at Portland State
Feb. 26 vs. Montana
Feb. 27 vs. Montana State
Idaho State can still host the Big Sky tournament, but the Bengals must win out and get help from Sacramento State, and hope Montana beats Northern Arizona on Feb. 22. If ISU wins at least two of the next four games, the Bengals will just about wrap up their spot in the Big Sky tournament, a first since 2004.

Montana Grizzlies (14-13, 8-5)
Last week’s results
At Ogden, Utah, Feb. 14: Weber State 73, Montana 67
At Missoula, Mont., Feb. 17: Pacific 78, Montana 77 (ESPN BracketBusters)
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 vs. Northern Arizona
Feb. 24 vs. Northern Colorado
Feb. 26 at Idaho State
Bryan Ellis scored a team-high 17 points against the Wildcats as the Grizzlies fell out of first place in the conference. Andrew Strait was held to just five points and five rebounds. Against the Tigers, freshman Cameron Rundles scored a collegiate-high 20 points. Strait scored 15 points.

Montana State Bobcats (10-16, 7-6)
Last week’s result
At Sacramento, Calif., Feb. 14: Sacramento State 90, Montana State 82
Upcoming games
Feb. 21 vs. Northern Colorado
Feb. 25 vs. Northern Arizona
Feb. 27 at Idaho State
Against the Hornets, a 23-point, six-rebound and four-assist effort from Nick Dissly was not enough. MSU shot a blazing 64 percent from the field in the second half, and 56 percent for the game. But the Bobcats committed 26 turnovers, and Sacramento State scored 29 points off those turnovers.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (14-11, 8-5)
Last week’s result
At Flagstaff, Ariz., Feb. 17: Northern Arizona 78, San Jose State 67 (ESPN BracketBusters)
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 at Montana
Feb. 25 at Montana State
Feb. 27 at Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona’s Ruben Boykin Jr. recorded his 13th double-double of the season against the Spartans, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds to lead the way.

Northern Colorado Bears (4-21, 2-11)
Last week’s results
No games played
Upcoming games
Feb. 21 at Montana State
Feb. 24 at Montana
Feb. 27 vs. Northern Arizona

Portland State Vikings (16-12, 7-7)
Last week’s result
At San Luis Obispo, Calif., Feb. 17: Cal Poly 92, Portland State 87 (ESPN BracketBusters)
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 vs. Sacramento State
Feb. 24 vs. Idaho State
Against Cal Poly, the Vikings shot 62.5 percent in the second half, but still fell short. Paul Hafford scored 23 points to lead the way, hitting seven 3-pointers in the loss. Dupree Lucas scored 18 points and had eight assists. Cal Poly made 14-of-35 3-pointers for the game and hit 8-of-10 free-throws in the final 33 seconds.

Sacramento State Hornets (9-17, 4-9)
Last week’s result
At Sacramento, Calif., Feb. 14: Sacramento State 90, Montana State 82
Upcoming games
Feb. 22 at Portland State
Feb. 24 at Eastern Washington
Feb. 26 at Weber State
Sacramento State snapped a four-game losing streak against the Bobcats, forcing 26 turnovers, including 18 steals. Kris Groce scored a team-high 21 points. Haron Hargrave and Angel Alamo each scored 18.

Weber State Wildcats (18-10, 11-4)
At Ogden, Utah, Feb. 14: Weber State 73, Montana 67
Upcoming games
Feb. 26 vs. Sacramento State
Against the Grizzlies, Weber State clinched at least a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season championship with the victory. David Patten scored 21 points and grabbed a collegiate-high 11 rebounds. Montana shot 40.6 percent from the field. Weber State improved to 14-0 when holding its opponent to under 45 percent shooting. J.P. Silveira scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

     

Comment on this Article:







Phil Kasiecki on Twitter

Michael Protos on Twitter

Your Phil of Hoops

Not a season to remember for Wake Forest

March 8, 2012 by

wakeforest

Although it wasn’t quite as bad as last season, this was hardly one for the books for Wake Forest. After an 82-60 blowout loss against Maryland on Thursday, the Demon Deacons finished 13-18 overall. That doesn’t seem so bad, and a few teams had worse records, but look deeper and you see a team that, quite simply, was not good.

Ron Hunter a wonderful addition to the CAA coaching ranks

March 7, 2012 by

georgiastate

Ron Hunter is a terrific addition to the Colonial Athletic Association coaching ranks. That could have been said before the season given his track record and the impression he made on Media Day in October, but after the CAA Tournament it bears repeating because it was so obvious.

Bruiser Flint won’t be stressing out the next few days

March 6, 2012 by

drexel

In theory, the next six days should be quite stressful for Drexel and head coach Bruiser Flint. As the regular season champions of the CAA, they are guaranteed a bid to the NIT, but naturally hope the NCAA Tournament comes calling. Flint doesn’t seem stressed at all about it, however, and his experience is a key factor in that.

Northeastern has promise next season, but clear room for improvement

March 4, 2012 by

northeastern

Northeastern fought turnovers often this season, and had relatively mixed results with some streaks along the way. The Huskies should be better next season, but there is clear room for improvement and that was evident on Saturday night in the season-ending loss.

Despite the quarterfinal loss, the tournament is a positive ending for UNCW

March 3, 2012 by

uncwilmington

With UNCW’s season over, there’s a look toward a brighter future that was helped by this weekend in Richmond. The young Seahawks had some bright spots during the season in trying to rebuild, and capped it off with something else they can take with them.

James Madison fights the injury bug together and to the end

March 3, 2012 by

jamesmadison

James Madison came into the season as an interesting team to project. There was not a lack of talent, and it wasn’t a young team, but there were intangibles questions. In the end, injuries were the biggest problem, but the Dukes kept fighting right to the end no matter how demoralizing the injuries were.

2012 CAA Tournament – First Round Notes

March 3, 2012 by

colonial

Notes on the first round of the CAA Tournament, where the seeds held to form, the first 20-20 game in tournament history occurred and a team that went bowling to help get ready for the opening game of the day came out on top.

Quick Hitters – March 2, 2012

March 2, 2012 by

author_kasiecki

We check in with some quick hitters on a couple of America East teams, a contrast of freshmen from an earlier game, Georgia Tech’s defense against Boston College and the Missouri Valley.

Kyle Casey deserves a better ending

February 27, 2012 by

harvard

The last decisive play in Harvard’s 55-54 loss to Penn on Saturday night will stay in many people’s minds. For the Crimson player who was involved in it, one hopes the college basketball gods have a better ending in store later on.

Ivy League showdown looms between old rivals

February 18, 2012 by

ivy

The stage is set. Saturday night at Lavietes Pavilion will be a potentially epic battle with first place on the line after Friday night’s results. Old rivals Yale and Harvard will battle for the top, with Harvard hoping for a repeat of the result the last time these two teams met.

Conference Coverage

Idaho State makes a decision

March 15, 2012 by

Last Thursday, Idaho State finally made it’s choice, hiring Montana assistant Bill Evans as it’s head coach. So far, reaction has been mixed by at least one of the couple of forum posts dedicated to the decision as well as the local scribe’s feelings. Here’s the traditional “welcome to town” …

The Big Sky Championships: who’s gonna win

March 6, 2012 by

This is what the head honchos wrote on Monday: Big Sky (March 3) Top seed: Montana. The Big Sky regular-season championship came down to the final game, in which the Grizzlies avenged their only loss in Big Sky play by beating Weber State in Missoula. Tournament stakes: Although Weber State …

Playing catch-up: the Big Sky all-conference team & “first-round” analysis

March 5, 2012 by

bigsky

We take a look at the award winners, from the two-time conference Player of the Year to the Newcomer of the Year, as well as a couple of early tournament games.

What Was The Reason Behind Cleveland State’s Five Game Losing Streak?

February 26, 2012 by

clevelandstate

Why did the Cleveland State Vikings recently have a five game losing streak? It’s simple–whenever a team loses their most valuable player, they’re going to suffer. The Cleveland State Vikings have had their fair share of above-average talent on the roster over the past few years. Cedric Jackson played briefly …

Cleveland State Vikings Use Solid Contributions By Freshmen To Defeat Detroit Titans, 77-64

February 24, 2012 by

horizon

The Cleveland State Vikings and Detroit Titans squared off on Thursday evening at the Wolstein Center in a matchup with major ramifications for seeding in the Horizon League Tournament. Both the Vikings and the Titans headed into Thursday’s matchup riding drastically different five-game streaks. Picked by many preseason analysts to …

Much Is At Stake In The Final Week Of Horizon League Play

February 21, 2012 by

horizon

The last week of conference play has arrived in the Horizon League. Over the past few years, the battle for the top seeds in the Horizon League has not been decided until the final game of conference play. This year is no exception, with multiple teams having a legitimate chance …

Cleveland State Loses To Drexel Dragons 69-49 In ESPN BracketBusters Matchup

February 18, 2012 by

horizon

The Cleveland State Vikings and Drexel Dragons squared off on Saturday morning at the Wolstein Center as part of ESPN’s BracketBusters series. Saturday’s contest marks the second straight year in which the Vikings have participated in the BracketBusters series. Last season, the Vikings dropped a hard-fought contest to Old Dominion …

Butler Bulldogs Hang On To Defeat Cleveland State Vikings, 52-49

February 11, 2012 by

horizon

Although the rivalry between the Cleveland State Vikings and Butler Bulldogs may not be as nationally known as the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina, the intensity that is in the air whenever these two Horizon League rivals square off is just as strong. In fact, the animosity between these …

Valparaiso Crusaders Dominate Cleveland State Vikings 59-41

February 9, 2012 by

horizon

The Cleveland State Vikings and Valparaiso Crusaders squared off on Thursday night at the Wolstein Center in one of the most important games of the season for both teams. While the Vikings’ season-opening victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores may have been extremely important with regards to quality wins that are …

Big Sky Conference update – Jan 26, 2012

January 26, 2012 by

bigsky

JUST IN TIME FOR TONIGHT’S GAMES… All the news you ever wanted to know about the Big Sky, the weekly edition. YOUR WEEKLY DAMIAN LILLARD IS A STUD LINK-FEST: A Salt Lake Tribune story on his success. USA Today also jumped in sometime in the last week to talk about …

Cleveland State Vikings Overwhelm Milwaukee Panthers 83-57

January 22, 2012 by

horizon

In a game with major implications for the regular season Horizon League championship and seeding for the Horizon League Tournament, the Cleveland State Vikings dominated the Milwaukee Panthers by a score of 83-57 in a game in which the Panthers never led. The Vikings and Panthers began the day in …

Big Sky Conference update – January 18, 2012

January 18, 2012 by

bigsky

One team stands alone atop the standings for now, with another a little behind them and a logjam near the middle of the pack.

Cleveland State Use Barrages from Outside to Defeat Loyola

January 7, 2012 by

horizon

The Cleveland State Vikings started 2012 off on a winning note with a 69-48 victory at home on Saturday afternoon over the visiting Loyola Ramblers. In his pregame radio comments, Vikings coach Gary Waters stated that the Ramblers’ 5-10 record heading into Saturday’s matchup was deceiving and that the Ramblers were …

Big Sky roundup, week 1

January 5, 2012 by

bigsky

Opening weekend in the Big Sky Eastern Washington Record: 7-7, 1-1 Weekend: 1-1 Major superlatives: Won by 16, lost by 8; 76.5 ppg for, 72.5 against; plus-4 scoring margin; 52-112 FG; 20-53 3pt; 29-43 FT. Summary: One night, the lead stuck. The other, it didn’t. The Eagles made an early …

Your Big Sky Conference primer

December 28, 2011 by

bigsky

The Big Sky is about to dive in to conference play, and so far, the season has unfolded pretty much as expected, with Sacramento State looking like the one surprise.