Big Sky Conference 2007-08 Preview
by Nick Dettmann

For the first time in a long time, most of the Big Sky will look like the way it did at the end of last season.
Only Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado have new coaches this season. Therefore this year should be quite competitive now that everyone knows each [...]

Big Sky Conference Tournament Preview
by Nick Dettmann

Last year, the top seed for the Big Sky Conference tournament failed to make the NCAA tournament.
This season has a very good chance of repeating history.
Last season, Northern Arizona was clearly the most dominant team in the Big Sky – thus landing the hosting rights for the conference [...]

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 Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

ISU coach suspended
First-year Idaho State men’s basketball coach Joe O’Brien was suspended for one game by the Big Sky Conference, following comments he made about the officiating during the Bengals’ 67-65 loss to Portland State on Saturday.
“I don’t think you call a foul with 25 seconds left in the [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Players of the week: Carlos Taylor, Montana State and Dupree Lucas, Portland State
Eastern Washington Eagles (10-10 overall, 4-4 conference)
Last week’s results
At Cheney, Wash., Jan. 18: Northern Arizona 90, Eastern Washington 81
At Cheney, Wash., Jan. 20: Eastern Washington 91, Northern Colorado 79
This week’s games
Jan. 25 at Sacramento State
Jan. 27 at [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Memorial set for former Montana State player
Former Montana State center Al Beye was killed in an auto accident on Dec. 15 while visiting his brother in Dillon, Mont.
A memorial has been set to honor Beye, who was named the Big Sky Co-Defensive Player of the Year last season, and [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Player of the week: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington Eagles (3-3 overall)
Last week’s results
At Cheney, Wash., Nov. 21: Eastern Washington 106, Evergreen State 65
At Seattle, Nov. 24: Washington 90, Eastern Washington 83
At Cheney, Wash., Nov. 27: Eastern Washington 110, Cal State Fullerton 100
This week’s games
Nov. 29 vs. Eastern Oregon
Dev. [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Player of the week: Paul Butorac, Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington Eagles (1-2 overall)
Last week’s results
At Las Vegas, Nov. 14: UNLV 82, Eastern Washington 79
At Cheney, Wash., Nov. 18: Eastern Washington 85, Lewis-Clark State 70
This week’s games
Nov. 21 vs. Evergreen State
Nov. 24 at Washington
Nov. 27 vs. Cal State Fullerton
Against UNLV, Rodney [...]

Big Sky Conference 2006-07 Preview
by Nick Dettmann

Two things happened in the Big Sky Conference last season that made the 2005-06 season one to remember.
One was that Eastern Washington’s Rodney Stuckey became the first freshman to ever win the conference player of the year award. Stuckey averaged 24.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per [...]

Big Sky Conference 2005-06 Season Recap
by Nick Dettmann

For much of the season, especially once the conference season got started, it looked as if the Big Sky Conference was going to get its fourth different representative in four years for the NCAA Tournament.
Northern Arizona ran a 10-game winning streak early in the conference season and [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Jake Schroeder, Portland State

Conference to review Sacramento State/Montana game

The Big Sky Conference will review the Wednesday, Feb. 15 men’s basketball game between Sacramento State and Montana, Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton said in a statement released on Thursday.

Scoring issues have been brought to the [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington

No suspensions to be handed out

After reviewing video tape from the Montana/Idaho State game on Saturday, the Big Sky Conference announced Tuesday that no suspensions will be issued to Montana’s Dustin Dlouhy or Idaho State’s Logan Kinghorn.

Dlouhy was issued a flagrant foul [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Big Sky teams find out ESPN Bracket Buster opponents

ESPN announced on Monday and Tuesday the field for the fourth annual ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday.

With an event that started four years ago with just a handful of teams, designed to give mid-major teams an opportunity to improve their NCAA tournament [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Alex Bausley, Sacramento State

Eastern Washington Eagles (6-10 overall, 1-2 conference)
Jan. 14: Eastern Washington 89, Portland State 70

The Eagles snapped a five-game losing streak with its victory over the Vikings. Freshman Rodney Stuckey scored 31 points. Stuckey is making a very strong case to be the [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Scott Morrison, Portland State

Eastern Washington Eagles (5-8 overall)
Dec. 27: BYU 97, Eastern Washington 66
Dec. 29: Boise State 76, Eastern Washington 72
Jan. 1: San Diego 97, Eastern Washington 78

Rodney Stuckey scored 21 points with four assists and three steals in the loss at BYU. BYU shot [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Andrew Strait, Montana

Eastern Washington Eagles (4-5 overall)

Dec. 16: Washington 91, Eastern Washington 74
Dec. 19: Gonzaga 75, Eastern Washington 65

The Eagles could not have had a tougher week in terms of competition, but they can be very proud with how they played. They lost to last [...]

Big Sky Notebook
by Nick Dettmann

Player of the Week: Slim Millien, Idaho State
Eastern Washington (1-3)
Nov. 24: Marquette 83, Eastern Washington 73 (Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, Alaska)
Nov. 25: USC 69, Eastern Washington 51 (Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, Alaska)
Nov. 26: Southern Illinois 80, Eastern Washington 72 (Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, Alaska)
The Eagles participated [...]

Big Sky Conference 2005-06 Preview
by Nick Dettmann

As evidence of changing times in the Big Sky, Portland State Vikings will be guided by a new coach for the 2005-06 season, Ken Bone.

Bone comes to Portland State after serving as the assistant coach at Washington since 2002. Prior to that, he had a successful run at [...]

Big Sky Conference Championship Recap
by Nicholas Lozito

When a desperation half-court shot hits the floor before the buzzer even sounds, chances are the ball was heaved up a bit too soon. With an NCAA Tournament bid at stake, however, one can come to terms with why Jamaal Jenkins didn’t take an extra dribble or two [...]

Big Sky Conference 2003-04 Season Recap
by Nicholas Lozito

From his determination and intensity on the court, it’s obvious that Eastern Washington’s Alvin Snow is not a player who can tolerate much losing – which is why it must have been so difficult for the senior swingman to put up with three conference championship game losses [...]

Big Sky Conference Finals Recap

Recap by Nicholas Lozito

Eastern Washington 71, Northern Arizona 59
After falling in the Big Sky Championship Game each of the past three seasons, Eastern Washington advanced to the NCAA Tournament Wednesday night with a 71-59 victory over Northern Arizona. As the final buzzer sounded, Brandon Merritt fired the basketball into [...]

Big Sky Conference First Round Preview

Preview by Nicholas Lozito

Heading into the final weekend of conference play, only one game separated second-through-last place in the conference standings. The Eastern Washington Eagles, sitting all alone in first place, watched as every other team in the conference — Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, Sacramento State Hornets, Weber State [...]

Big Sky Conference First Round Recap

Recap by Nicholas Lozito

Idaho State 74, Montana 73
Montana forward Ryan Pederson’s desperation 3-pointer clanked off the rim, giving Idaho State a narrow 74-73 victory in the quarterfinal round of the Big Sky Tournament. The No. 3-seeded Bengals win avenges two regular season losses to the [...]

Big Sky Conference Notebook
by Nicholas Lozito

The Slammies

For two years I’ve been waiting to see Sacramento State’s dunking duo of Jameel Pugh and Joel Jones do their thing. And Saturday night against Montana, I finally got my wish.

Dunk No. 1: As me and my student-radio broadcast partner Danny [...]