Games w MT St and MT this week- this board is so-o-o quiet?

[heyoh22]

The Wildcats are off to snowy Montana to start Conference play Wednesday night. Predictions? Thoughts?

This first week will tell a lot about how the Big Sky may unfold: NAU is going to Montana, both are 8-4 and are thought to be the top contenders since Damian is out. We play at State then go for a New Years Eve game at 1:00 on Friday.

I like our chances at State, we will be able to get the "W" if we play like we did against BYU. Montana is a greater concern, they seem to have found a balance between front and back court this year....but the Cats have a score to settle from last year's tournament.

My prediction for the week
Weber comes out 2-0 beating MT St by 10 and winning in OT at mt
MT and NAU end the week 1-1, with MT St at 0-2.

Your thoughts Weber fans?

 

[montgomeryruss]

i hope heyoh is right, but i predict 1-1 on the road trip.not necessarilly winning at state and losing at montana.after all is said and done, weber will be there at the end of conference play.we dont fare the best at home in the playoffs,maybe someone elses court would be better for a change. go cats!

 

[weberwildcat]

Three Big Sky road wins is a lot to ask for especially to start things off but it is possible. Winning at the Montanas and at NAU are basically the 3 hardest places to get a road win so we shall see. If our team brings the intensity we saw for BYU then 3-0 can happen. 2-1 would be great. I am just hoping we don't go 1-2 so we can be in contention very early on. School not being in session up North will be an advantage.

 

[Old Skool Cat]

Woo-hoo!! BSC hoops time! Bring it Wildcats!

Okay -- first game of the conference, and my beloved Bobcats draw one of the most perennial toughest teams in the conference -- Weber State. With that said, let's break it down:

MSU -- young, inexperienced, small. Our fortunes go with how well Bobby Howard plays. Outside of Erik Rush and Danny Piepoli, there's not a lot of scoring and, more importantly, not a lot of experience. This team is SMALL! We have two guys that go 6'-10"; one plays but thinks he's a point guard and the other is a red-shirt freshman that is going to take a couple years to develop. So for the most part, you are looking at a team that is basically 3 guards, two forwards (with the forwards only going 6'-7"). We are in the bottom half of most statistical categories in the Big Sky except for 3-point baskets made, where we are first. We are strictly a perimeter team; no inside game at all. Cody Anderson could make an impact inside, but chances are good that he won't. The Cats have started games well this year, but get cold in the second half. We just can't seem to finish we start. We've lost some games we should have won (UC Riverside, Seattle, Illinois State).

WSU -- fairly young as well. With Lillard out, it seems that Bamforth and Hughey are now the go-to guys. This is a game where Trevor Morris could step up and really shine inside. WSU is not overly big as well, but can give teams fits with the inside play of Bullinger and Fulton. Fulton appears to be a guy that we are going to talk a lot about in the coming years.

These are two teams that on the surface are very similar. The records are similar (WSU - 6/5. MSU - 6/6), team size is pretty similar, and coaching styles are pretty similar. If Lillard was healthy, I would take WSU in a landslide. With out Lillard, I think WSU is going to be hard pressed to finish in the top 3 in the BSC. With that said, I am not real confident that MSU can beat WSU, even without Lillard. Coach Huse gets the most out of his team that he can get, but this Bobcat team may be the least talented I have seen in quite some time, but that is probably more a factor of how young we are - 9 freshman on the roster! I think we can make it to the BSC tourney this year, but it will come as either a 5th or 6th seed. My heart says the Bobcats pull one out at home, but my gut is taking the Wildcats by 10.

 

[n.ogdencat]

I always love playing the bobcats. For some reason the game is always a Cat fight!!LOOOOL...sounds like an OLSON joke.

 

[n.ogdencat]

Nice analysis Old Skool...

I think the Bobcats have a great deal of talent, except, like you've said, its very rough right now. The youth of the Bobcats will eventually become a serious strength. I really like Huse. He is a tough nosed coach who pushes his players and gets them to over achieve. I think he is a decent recruiter, this years class has a great deal of talent give them time. As of right now, though, the Bobcats are somewhere in the middle of the pack. However, if they could ever get an inside game going they could make a push to contend for the conference title. With PSU being ineligible for post season play, MSU is a virtual lock for the tourny.

As for Weber...I think Weber will be very tough to beat this year, even with the loss of Lillard. Damian plays a huge role for this team, even on the bench, but he isn't a one man team. Weber is very talented. The Wizard has done an excellent job recruiting players and has created a very deep team. Against the Y, you could tell that the team started to mesh and gained a great deal of confidence. What makes Weber so dangerous is that any player can score 15pts on any given night. Weber has a decent inside game and a very strong perimeter game. Also, if they get going, the Cats defense is very stingy.

 

[WILDCAT]

The Cats (wild that is) are a very stingey team, they have a never quit attitude that we have seen over and over again (Seattle, Drake, Arizona State, Tulsa, BYU) our inside out game is pretty effective, our 3 point shooters are definetely an improvement from last season, especially for Bullinger. Scotty B has a great shot and Hughey has really stepped up. another Wildcat i have been very impressed with lately is Byron Fulton, the kid knows how to play.

This is the Big Sky, and everyone in the Big Sky knows how difficult it is to win on the road and starting out with thier first 3 on the road vs the better competition in the Sky is rough. Any win on the road is a victory.

Im predicting 1-1 this week, we will beat one and lose to the other one. But to who on both I cant say.