Best Team to Visit Pocatello

[Skippy]

Idaho may be the best men’s team we’ll see in Pocatello this year when they visit Reed Gym tonight. They are second in the conference in FG percentage and three-point shooting, first in FG% defense, second in 3-point defense, and first in the league in rebound margin (+6.6).

Vic Sanders is a rugged stud of a two-guard, and F Brayon Blake, who leads the league in rebounding while shooting 48 %from 3, is my pick for league MVP. The Vandals are coming off an OT win over first-place Montana Saturday night. Should be a fun one, join us at Reed tonight at 7.

 

[Vandal03]

Are ISU fans excited for the game and do you expect a good crowd? I am excited, it is a match up between two good teams. I know a few ISU alums that I will give a hard time to if Idaho wins and I will avoid if ISU wins.

 

[Skippy]

Are ISU fans excited for the game and do you expect a good crowd? I am excited, it is a match up between two good teams. I know a few ISU alums that I will give a hard time to if Idaho wins and I will avoid if ISU wins.

It’s hard to tell what kind of crowd we’ll have, but the atmosphere in Reed Gym is usually much better the Dome. Looking forward to a good matchup. ISU’s M-O this year has been to play well for a half against good teams, then fade down the stretch. We’ll see if they can overcome that tonight.

 

[Vandal03]

Are ISU fans excited for the game and do you expect a good crowd? I am excited, it is a match up between two good teams. I know a few ISU alums that I will give a hard time to if Idaho wins and I will avoid if ISU wins.

It’s hard to tell what kind of crowd we’ll have, but the atmosphere in Reed Gym is usually much better the Dome. Looking forward to a good matchup. ISU’s M-O this year has been to play well for a half against good teams, then fade down the stretch. We’ll see if they can overcome that tonight.

Congrats on the win. ISU short very well from behind the arc. Good luck against Eastern.

 

[Skippy]

Thanks it was a fun night to be a Bengal with both the men and women winning. Brandon Boyd was an absolute stud tonight — 6 of 8 from 3, including the game winner after playing all 40 minutes. Stutzman and Moscan were great from 3 as well, and Novak played one of his better games of the season, with 11 rebounds (5 offensive), and four assists. It was a very enjoyable evening.

 

[sasquatch]

Nice win by the men - and the women tonight. Glad it didn't go into OT for the team's sake. Let alone mine!

Why has the bench shrunk so much at this point of the season? Glad for the win, but there is zero depth. Could there be a bench overhaul after the season?

 

[Spudhead]

It was awesome to see the team win after Idaho erased the ten point lead. Hopefully that will boost the team's confidence going into the last few games.

If you look at the men' standings after tonight, it's kind of unique. Each team has won exactly 1 game more than the team behind. No ties, no teams in bunches. Montana at 13, Weber at 12, Idaho at 11, Eastern at 10, Northern Colorado at 9, ISU at 8, Portland State at 7, Montana State at 6, North Dakota at 5, Southern Utah at 4, Sacramento State at 3, and Northern Arizona at 2.

Question for Jerry. I understand the scoreboard/schedule for Big Sky and Top 25, but why also WCC teams? Why not regional team scores/schedules? It just seems odd that he always gives Big Sky and WCC scores and schedules. Is it because of BYU? Why not also Pac 12? MWC? WAC? Or better yet, just regional teams (USU, BSU, U, BYU, UVU and so on). Just curious.

 

[Skippy]

Nice win by the men - and the women tonight. Glad it didn't go into OT for the team's sake. Let alone mine!

Why has the bench shrunk so much at this point of the season? Glad for the win, but there is zero depth. Could there be a bench overhaul after the season?

I asked Bill about the bench tonight and he said, in essence, I probably should play them more. But he’s not getting much production out of them, so I understand why he’s reluctant to use them for long stretches. Having Gary C sick really hurts. Last night’s rotation is not sustainable, though, and I think Bill knows that.

As to next year, I visited with Bill a little about that last night. He confirmed that Austin Smellie, the guard from Preston, will be back from his mission next year. Parker, the 6-8 F from Preston, will likely be with the program next year. And he plans to scholarship Lyle Sutton. That leaves room for one recruit in the off-season, as things stand now. But we know kids leave programs every year, so we’ll see who comes back next year.

 

[bill_idaflls]

Great game for a Bengal fan to watch. I was not expecting the Bengals to control the game as they did last night. This team had really improved throughout the season in terms of their confidence and their belief that they can win. They just don't give up, and they don't get enough credit for that. We don't rely on just one player for scoring. It's nice to see 4 or 5 players scoring in double figures. I can't recall the last time that had happened. Good game Bengals! I thought the crowd numbers were down for this game. They missed one of the best games of the year. I hope there's a better turn out for Senior night on Saturday. Go Bengals!

 

[50 yr fan]

Good win for Bengals and great game for Boyd. As far as the crowd goes fans and donors don`t show up for 58 wins and 119 loses over the last 6 years. It`s time to fix this Mr. A.D. GO BENGALS

 

[PBP]

Best line of the night came from Brandon Payne the ISU women's b'ball trainer. He said, "the Battle of the Domes. Yet neither game was played in one!" (Mic Drop)

PBP

 

[votb]

It was awesome to see the team win after Idaho erased the ten point lead. Hopefully that will boost the team's confidence going into the last few games.

If you look at the men' standings after tonight, it's kind of unique. Each team has won exactly 1 game more than the team behind. No ties, no teams in bunches. Montana at 13, Weber at 12, Idaho at 11, Eastern at 10, Northern Colorado at 9, ISU at 8, Portland State at 7, Montana State at 6, North Dakota at 5, Southern Utah at 4, Sacramento State at 3, and Northern Arizona at 2.

Question for Jerry. I understand the scoreboard/schedule for Big Sky and Top 25, but why also WCC teams? Why not regional team scores/schedules? It just seems odd that he always gives Big Sky and WCC scores and schedules. Is it because of BYU? Why not also Pac 12? MWC? WAC? Or better yet, just regional teams (USU, BSU, U, BYU, UVU and so on). Just curious.

Thanks for the question Spud. You're referring, of course, to the scoreboard segment that I include in the broadcast. Big Sky scores are obvious. I do include the WCC because of interest in BYU so I also try and hit the WCC's ranked teams, too. I always try to include the Mountain West but it has a crazy schedule, almost never playing on Thursdays. For instance this week MW teams had games on Tuesday, Wednesday, tomorrow, Sunday, next Monday Tuesday and Wednesday. If they don't play I have nothing to add. I also structure the scoreboard segment based on time availability. It's segment #2 in the pregame and halftime shows, but first in the postgame show to give the coach time to address team before coming out. If I know other segments will be longer I abbreviate the scoreboard segment...playing it by ear. For the postgame Bill is sometimes so quick coming out for his interview that I either have to cut it short or eliminate it altogether. Bill's interview is the priority. One of the problems with a scoreboard is that I use ESPN, so I have four different ESPN tabs open on my laptop (one for each conference), then I have to click from tab to tab looking for the scores all while live on the air. I like to think I'm okay working a computer, but I haven't found a program that allows me to get the scores of just the regional teams I should cover all on the same tab. And you're right, I need to include the U. of Utah, so I need to have a Pac-12 tab, too. Sorry if my response was too long.

As for the "Battle of the Domes" comment, the annual competition (new) between ISU and UI (sponsored by Idaho Central Credit Union) is titled such because both schools have a dome. Here's the official explanation:
"For the next three years, Idaho Central Credit Union will be fully engaged as presenting partner for the Battle of the Domes, which will operate on a point system in which each school can earn a maximum of sixty points per year based on head-to-head competition between the Vandals and the Bengals in the following athletic events: football, men's basketball, women's basketball, soccer and volleyball. Football will be the only sport not counted in 2017 as the two schools do not meet until the 2018-19 season.

The athletics program accruing the most points overall will be recognized at the completion of the 2017-18 academic year. In addition to being awarded the Battle of the Domes traveling trophy, the winning university each year will receive a specified donation to their athletic scholarship fund by Idaho Central Credit Union."

ISU should win the honor this season as Idaho won the soccer match, but ISU won 3-0 in volleyball and now has won the only matchups in men's and women's basketball (I don't know if potential tournament games will count or not). The football teams won't meet until next season.

 

[sasquatch]

As to next year, I visited with Bill a little about that last night. He confirmed that Austin Smellie, the guard from Preston, will be back from his mission next year. Parker, the 6-8 F from Preston, will likely be with the program next year. And he plans to scholarship Lyle Sutton. That leaves room for one recruit in the off-season, as things stand now. But we know kids leave programs every year, so we’ll see who comes back next year.

A little surprising, since we haven't seen much of Sutton this year. I've heard Evans say Sutton is pretty tenacious on defense, so is he looking at him to fill Luzcando's role? Will he be playing the 1? So if, and that's a big IF, there is only one scholarship to give, what's the need? A 1 or a 4? I can foresee another thin bench next year.

Good win for Bengals and great game for Boyd. As far as the crowd goes fans and donors don`t show up for 58 wins and 119 loses over the last 6 years. It`s time to fix this Mr. A.D. GO BENGALS

The losing is a big reason why attendance is down. Thursday night games are a challenge, too, when school is in session, parking is tight, and it's cold to walk to Timbuktu to/from your car. The older fan base is what is being catered to with this athletic administration. The problem I have with that is nothing is being done to bring younger members of the community to games. The games are way overpriced. There is zero marketing. The game atmosphere is lacking, but part of that has to do with the senior citizen crowd. During the first half, the students sitting behind the Vandals basket basically sat on their hands. Whatever happened to jumping up and down and screaming when they shoot free throws?

Last night, the 3 domed schools (ISU, UI, and NAU) all had to move to a gym because of other events in their domes. I remember a discussion a while back where some "in the know" said ISU is the only school who has to vacate their dome during the season. That's not the case, nor has it ever been the case, and last night is a good example. Nonetheless, NAU and UI have booth had some recent success despite their dome.

 

[50 yr fan]

Sasquatch is right the die hard fans are getting old. People under 50 don`t know the joy of ncaa basketball births of which I.S.U. has many and a national football title. I believe the downfall came with poor leadership from the presidents and a.d.s since the mid 80s.I think Holt is great for football and adequate for basketball and large enough for major winning programs in basketball and football. The failure of these programs is on the administration in my opinion. GO BENGALS