MBBALL Big Sky – Jan 18-20

[IdaGriz01]

While the Montana schools prep for their showdown, some interesting games in the rest of the BSC.

To start with, NoColo beat Sac State in a close one (77-75). Depending upon the Weber game, the Bears could be tied for the conference lead by the end of the day. Weber leads EWU by 8 points at halftime. With WSU at home, a win for them is likely ... but hardly a given.

Idaho and ISU are close (±2) early in the 2nd half.

NAU won their first conference game and gave PSU their third conference loss.

 

[IdaGriz01]

Wow! Eagles came out of halftime with their hair on fire. They now lead by 4 points.

Idaho-ISU is still close.

 

[IdaGriz01]

... With WSU at home, a win for them is likely ... but hardly a given.

Nope, not a given at all. EWU won, 80-78.

 

[oldrunner]

... With WSU at home, a win for them is likely ... but hardly a given.

Nope, not a given at all. EWU won, 80-78.

We shot well in the first half, but couldn't hit the broad side of the barn in the second half. We are not playing well right now. Hope we can get it turned around and peak at the right time.

Looks like we will be at your place Monday.

 

[BelierPeaux]

Nope, not a given at all. EWU won, 80-78.

We shot well in the first half, but couldn't hit the broad side of the barn in the second half. We are not playing well right now. Hope we can get it turned around and peak at the right time.

Looks like we will be at your place Monday.

Ahhh, good, an Angry Weber team coming to town bodes well for us...

 

[Grizfan-24]

I was going to address the Weber issue on Twitter today, but I will put it here...

Dillon Jones is by far and a way the best individual player in the Big Sky Conference and to be honest it isn't particularly close. He might be the best BSC player since Lillard and for all the effort that Jones has put into improving his game, it is having negligible impact on his team as a whole. I've watched WSU probably a half dozen times this year, and at times there seems to be a deference to getting Jones touches and shots to show case those newly developed skills. When Jones is getting the basketball offensively organically, he's so fun to watch. But like last year, there are times where he's a volume shooter and it doesn't help them offensively. I don't think he's a me first player, he works so hard on both ends, it just seems off in some way especially on the offensive end. Felt that last night a bunch.

The weird thing is, I felt like before the season started that personnel wise Weber was the first BSC in many a year that I felt had the right personnel to cause problems in the NCAA. They have size, length, individual talent to take over a game, and an ability to score at three levels. What I recognized last night, is that in their current state Weber State isn't, and the team that at least in current form might be the best BSC representative resides in Cheney.

But back to Weber State.

They however have had three consecutive games where for large stretches they look very much like a disorganized YMCA pick up game. Maybe they figure it out, but that 10 minute stretch in the second half was a tough watch from a WSU perspective. Eastern is a tough guard for 40 minutes. They have so much movement, ball reversals, and guys who can score from multiple levels that you can't afford defensively to switch off for large chunks of time. Eastern shot better in the second half, but it sure seemed like that WSU became defensively indifferent and was more interested in getting down to the other end of the floor to put up an ill-advised shot early in the possession. That is overly simplistic, but that was the feel I got watching WSU in the second half. WSU was assertive and composed for the first 15 minutes of the game, and then sort of lost touch/focus for 15, and then just got beat by an Eastern team who just executed better offensively in the last 5-10 minutes.

 

[oldrunner]

I agree with most everything you are saying. This Wildcat team can be very good in stretches. They can also be very mediocre. Even in some of our good wins, we haven't put a full game together. The potential for this team is really good, but they have a long ways to go. EWU deserved to win that game. They were more consistent throughout.

I'm a bit worried about how we are playing right now, but feel there is still time to turn it around. I feel like you want to be hitting your peak in late February and early March. With that said, I feel that we should be seeing improvement soon or it could be a lost season.

Ironically, the most complete game we have played so far was against the Griz. I don't expect our game on Monday will be quite the same. I'm sure that your coaaching staff have been going over that video and will have new ways to attack what we were doing against you. I feel that EWU got a look at that game and prepared accordingly.

There aren't going to be any easy games in the BSC this year, IMHO. :thumb:

 

[AllWeatherFan]

I’ve been disappointed with Montana’s performance thus far, but:

The beauty (or the curse, depending on how you look at it) is that none of this matters. All that matters is how you play between March 9 and March 13 on a neutral floor in Boise. A lot can happen before March 9 to influence that.

So, as they say, “stay tuned!”

 

[grizzlyjournal]

I’ve been disappointed with Montana’s performance thus far, but:

The beauty (or the curse, depending on how you look at it) is that none of this matters. All that matters is how you play between March 9 and March 13 on a neutral floor in Boise. A lot can happen before March 9 to influence that.

So, as they say, “stay tuned!”

I'll take your word that "none of this matters," AllWeatherFan! Otherwise the scenario is as topsy-turvy as I've seen in Big Sky Conf. games. Take this string of games, for instance: Predicted Big Sky front-runner Weber State crushes Montana by 30 but then loses to SAC (by 2) and PSU (by 3) before stumbling to a 2-pt loss to EWU. Meanwhile, Montana chokes in an OT loss at home to UNC, but recovers for a 43-point win over NAU which then sneaks back to Flagstaff & beats PSU by 19. Meanwhile MSU, which had lost in Bozeman to NAIA Rocky Mountain is looking like a Big Sky contender, especially if it beats Montana tonight in Bozeman. If things continue, I wouldn't be surprised if ISU wins it all in the post season tourney (which, by the way, they've already done once as a last-to-first underdog... in 1987. ).

 

[AllWeatherFan]

I know, I know, journal! As soon as I posted that I started pondering various scenarios that might prove me wrong (such as the importance of a first-round bye). But honestly, I’m not even sure THAT matters all that much!

 

[IdaGriz01]

BSC still topsy-turvy ... cellar-dweller Northern Arizona about to knock off Sac State.

 

[MissoulaMarinerFan]

I’ve been disappointed with Montana’s performance thus far, but:

The beauty (or the curse, depending on how you look at it) is that none of this matters. All that matters is how you play between March 9 and March 13 on a neutral floor in Boise. A lot can happen before March 9 to influence that.

So, as they say, “stay tuned!”

I'll take your word that "none of this matters," AllWeatherFan! Otherwise the scenario is as topsy-turvy as I've seen in Big Sky Conf. games. Take this string of games, for instance: Predicted Big Sky front-runner Weber State crushes Montana by 30 but then loses to SAC (by 2) and PSU (by 3) before stumbling to a 2-pt loss to EWU. Meanwhile, Montana chokes in an OT loss at home to UNC, but recovers for a 43-point win over NAU which then sneaks back to Flagstaff & beats PSU by 19. Meanwhile MSU, which had lost in Bozeman to NAIA Rocky Mountain is looking like a Big Sky contender, especially if it beats Montana tonight in Bozeman. If things continue, I wouldn't be surprised if ISU wins it all in the post season tourney (which, by the way, they've already done once as a last-to-first underdog... in 1987. ).

Nah. With everybody getting into the tournament regardless of what happens and the Big Sigh Conference getting a trash seed no matter how many wins your team has….all that matters is what happens in Boise.

 

[IdaGriz01]

...
Nah. With everybody getting into the tournament regardless of what happens and the Big Sigh Conference getting a trash seed no matter how many wins your team has….all that matters is what happens in Boise.

Small (very) side point. Winning the regular season does mean that a team is guaranteed a post-season tournament ... even it it's only the NIT. Not much "prestige" in the NIT any more (for a long time), but it is still worth a bit.

Also, I believe it does mean coaches are allowed more direct practice hours with the team. That's always a plus.

 

[IdaGriz01]

Close games right now in the Big Sky: 4 points in the PSU game, 2 in the EWU.

Side query: What's up with Tinkle at Oregon State? They can't beat anybody decent, now on a losing streak, and are getting pounded by Colorado. Will he survive the season ... or even the next few games?

 

[IdaGriz01]

NoColo and EWU winning handily. WSU pulling closer after being down big.

 

[MissoulaMarinerFan]

...
Nah. With everybody getting into the tournament regardless of what happens and the Big Sigh Conference getting a trash seed no matter how many wins your team has….all that matters is what happens in Boise.

Small (very) side point. Winning the regular season does mean that a team is guaranteed a post-season tournament ... even it it's only the NIT. Not much "prestige" in the NIT any more (for a long time), but it is still worth a bit.

Also, I believe it does mean coaches are allowed more direct practice hours with the team. That's always a plus.

I thought the NIT was moving away from Regular Season Champ auto-invites? Editing to add, they did. Top 12 seeds go to P5 schools. Link: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/nit-changes-format-no-automatic-bids-for-regular-season-champions-power-conferences-to-get-first-12-spots/

Agreed on the practice time. I’d also say it means something to the players because they want to win. The regular season does matter a tiny bit I guess because earning a top seed in the tournament means you have to win 3 games in 3(4?) days instead to 4 games in 4 days.

So…I guess I still land on that the regular season conference play is a meaningless as it has ever been.

 

[IdaGriz01]

...
I thought the NIT was moving away from Regular Season Champ auto-invites? Editing to add, they did. Top 12 seeds go to P5 schools. Link: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/nit-changes-format-no-automatic-bids-for-regular-season-champions-power-conferences-to-get-first-12-spots/

Agreed on the practice time. I’d also say it means something to the players because they want to win. The regular season does matter a tiny bit I guess because earning a top seed in the tournament means you have to win 3 games in 3(4?) days instead to 4 games in 4 days.

So…I guess I still land on that the regular season conference play is as meaningless as it has ever been.

Had not seen that. Can't say I'm surprised. Including teams from the powder-puff conferences who couldn't win their conference tournament after winning the regular season was always a formula for disaster. By and large, they seriously downgraded the field for the NIT. And, because of its history, the NIT championship does have a bit of luster ... this will help that. Also, if it heads off expanding the Big Dance field even further ... that's a good thing too, as far as I'm concerned.

But your point is valid. Except for a possible bye (or two, or three) in the conference tournament and possibly better seed in the NCAA championship, winning the regular season now means even less in the "larger scheme of things." Still, winning the regular season is a solid accomplishment worth celebrating. It is not just a participation trophy.

 

[footballdood]

I'd like to see the tournament return to the regular season champs. Attendance was usually pretty good (at least for the championship game) and it would add a lot more meaning to winning the regular season.

And with the NIT no longer offering auto bids to regular season champs, would EWU have made it in last year? They did beat a "power" conference school in WSU last year in the opening round...

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

Small (very) side point. Winning the regular season does mean that a team is guaranteed a post-season tournament ... even it it's only the NIT.

This is no longer true.

 

[IdaGriz01]

I'd like to see the tournament return to the regular season champs. Attendance was usually pretty good (at least for the championship game) and it would add a lot more meaning to winning the regular season.

And with the NIT no longer offering auto bids to regular season champs, would EWU have made it in last year? They did beat a "power" conference school in WSU last year in the opening round...

As to point one: I totally agree (I assume you mean returning the tournament to the season champ's home court). Tournament(s) for conferences like the Big Sky are not really being "broadcast" any more – just being streamed. I could be wrong, but I see no $$$ advantage to a "neutral" site. It's just a matter of ESPN paying for a few more streaming hours, which I'm sure is less than for hours that are actually broadcast on TV.

Short answer on point two: No, EWU would not have received an NIT invite, given how few slots would have been available after the big boy skimmed off the top. The Eag's NET was well over 100-ranked, and the SOS was 310. No way in Hell that would get them in, despite their 20+ wins.