Michael Dison and the Montana State Bobcats take on Sacramento State and Northern Colorado this week.
MBB Notes - Jan. 16
PDF of Notes
This Week’s Sky Highlights
Eight conference games are on this week’s schedule…League-leading Weber State looks to move to 7-0 in conference and run its winning streak to nine when it plays host to Northern Arizona on Thursday night in Ogden. It’s the only game this week for the Wildcats…Idaho State and Portland State open the week with a conference game in Portland on Monday night. Idaho State is coming off a win over Sacramento State where the Bengals rallied from a 22-point second-half deficit. Portland State is coming off a road win over Northern Colorado…Also on Monday, Eastern Washington travels to Seattle for a non-conference game…On Thursday, Montana State and Sacramento State meet on Altitude, while Montana plays host to Northern Colorado in a rematch of the 2011 Big Sky title game…On Saturday, Portland State travels to Eastern Washington, while Northern Colorado is at Montana State. Montana plays host to Sacramento State, and Northern Arizona is at Idaho State.
This Week’s Sky Schedule
Monday, Jan. 16 Time
*Idaho State at Portland State (Big Sky TV) 7:05
Eastern Washington at Seattle 7:10
Thursday, Jan. 19 Time
*Northern Arizona at Weber State (Big Sky TV) 7:05
*Sacramento State at Montana State (Big Sky TV) (Altitude) 7:05
*Northern Colorado at Montana (Big Sky TV) 7:05
Saturday, Jan. 21 Time
*Portland State at Eastern Washington (Big Sky TV) (SWX) 6:05
*Northern Colorado at Montana State (Big Sky TV) 7:05
*Sacramento State at Montana (Big Sky TV) 7:05
*Northern Arizona at Idaho State (Big Sky TV) 7:05
Game Times Local to Site/Subject to Change
*Big Sky Conference Game
Around the Big Sky
WILDCATS STILL PERFECT: Weber State moved to 6-0 in conference with victories over Montana State and Montana last week. It is the first time Weber State has won its first six conference games since finishing 14-0 in league play during the 2002-03 season. Weber State has won eight straight games overall. The Wildcats also got stronger last week with the return of All-Conference forward Kyle Bullinger and forward Frank Otis. Both players missed nine games with injuries. Bullinger returned from an elbow injury in the Wildcats’ 63-49 win over Montana State on Thursday. Otis provided a spark in the 80-64 win over Montana, scoring seven points in 11 minutes. Weber State is 10-0 at home. Montana entered the game 4-0 in conference.
CHART WATCH: Weber State’s Damian Lillard scored 38 points last week to push his career total to 1,583, which places him 20th on the Big Sky’s all-time scoring list. Lillard ins in position to move into 17th on the all-time list with 20 points on Thursday against Northern Arizona. Former Boise State and NBA guard Chris Childs is 18th on the all-time list with 1,602 points. Former Weber State great Jermaine Boyette is 17th with 1,613. Lillard also made four 3-pointers, giving him 211 for his career. Lillard is tied for 10th all-time in league history with Idaho State’s David Schroeder. Montana’s Will Cherry had four steals last week, giving him 178 for his career. Cherry is now tied for 12th place on the Big Sky’s all-time list with Weber State’s Eddie Gill.
NCAA RANKINGS: Weber State’s Damian Lillard continues to lead the nation in scoring. Lillard is averaging 25.5 points per game. Creighton’s Doug McDermott is second at 24.3 points per game. Lillard also ranks third in the nation in 3-piont field goals per game (3.4), ninth in free-throw percentage (90.8 percent) and 16th in 2-point field-goal percentage (45.7 percent). Weber State leads the nation in free-throw shooting, hitting 80.8 percent. The Wildcats are also seventh in turnovers per game. 21st in scoring offense, fifth in 3-point field goals per game, and ninth in 3-point field-goal percentage. Eastern Washington is second in the nation in 3-point field goals per game at 9.7. Florida is first with an average of 10.8. Northern Colorado is third in 3-poitn field-goal percentage at 45 percent.
IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER: Sacramento State appeared on the verge of cruising to its first conference win of the season on Saturday, as the Hornets led Idaho State by 22 points with just more than 10 minutes to play. Idaho State stormed back with a 36-13 run to win the game 68-67. Idaho State’s Kenny McGowan converted a four-point play with eight seconds remaining for the game’s final points. Sacramento State committed 21 turnovers – 12 in the final 11 minutes. ISU had just six turnovers in the game. ISU scored 25 points off of Hornet turnovers. Sacramento State still led by 10 points with 1:58 remaining. Sacramento State missed three free throws in the final 49 seconds. McGowan scored 11 of Idaho State’s final 18 points, and finished the contest with 19. Chase Grabau scored 20 in the win. Konner Veteto scored 25 points with eight rebounds for the Hornets, who have lost six in a row. ISU shot just 35.9 percent from the floor, while Sac State made 50 percent of its shots.
HORNETS, BOBCATS ON ALTITUDE: Sacramento State and Montana State will meet in the Altitude Big Sky Game of the Week on Thursday at 7 p.m. Mountain from Bozeman. Rich Winter and Jay McMillin will handle the call. Montana State is 3-2 in conference, while Sacramento State is seeking its first conference win.
RPI REPORT: Buoyed by victories over Montana State and Montana, Weber State’s RPI jumped 14 spots to 72nd. Weber State had an RPI of 103 two weeks ago. Montana is second in the Big Sky with an RPI of 138. Eastern Washington is at 158, followed by Portland State at 209. Syracuse is No. 1, followed by Duke, Baylor, UConn and Seton Hall. The Big Sky moved up one spot to No. 25 among Division I conferences. The Big Sky is just behind the Big West and just in front of the Northeast. The Big Ten is first, followed by the Big East, Big 12, ACC and SEC.
ROAD SUCCESS: Road teams won five of the eight conference games last week. In the last two weeks, road teams have won 11 of the 16 conference games. Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State and Portland State all won road games last week. PSU had lost its first eight road games of the season before beating Northern Colorado in Greeley on Thursday. In the 24 conference games so far, road teams have won 12 and home teams have won 12. Weber State (4-0) and Montana (2-0) have not lost conference home games.
LILLARD WINS NATIONAL HONOR: The U.S. Basketball Writers Association selected Weber State guard Damian Lillard as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for games ending the week of Sunday, Jan. 8. The USBWA’s weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and will be handed out each Tuesday through Feb. 21 this season. As the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week, Lillard was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week. Lillard is the first player from the Big Sky Conference to win this award. Lillard, a 6-3 junior from Oakland, Calif., averaged 34 points, six rebounds and five assists for the week
Tip-ins: Weber State remained 15th in this week’s College Insider.com Mid-Major top 25...Portland State shot 73.1 percent from the field in the first half of its 86-75 win over Northern Colorado...EWU’s Cliff Ederaine recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds in 71-70 loss to Northern Colorado. The Eagles made 12-of-34 3-pointers in the contest...Xavier Blount scored 21 points in Montana State’s 74-72 win over Northern Arizona. It was MSU’s first win in Flagstaff since 2002...WSU’s Byron Fulton recorded his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Montana State.