MBB Notes - Feb. 21
PDF of release
This Week’s Sky Highlights
Thirteen conference games remain in the 2010-11 season, and eight of them will be played this week. Five teams are in contention for the final three Big Sky Championship spots…Montana, Northern Colorado and Weber State have clinched postseason bids. Northern Arizona, Montana State, Eastern Washington, Idaho State and Sacramento State are vying for the final three positions. Weber State, which is still in the running to win the regular-season title, is at Idaho State on Tuesday and at Sacramento State on Saturday…Montana (11-3) is at Portland State on Thursday and at Eastern Washington on Saturday in the Altitude Game of the Week…Northern Arizona is at Sacramento State on Thursday and at Northern Colorado on Saturday…Montana State will look to snap its nine-game losing streak on Thursday at Eastern Washington. The Bobcats are at Portland State on Saturday…Northern Colorado has a non-conference game Monday night against future Big Sky member North Dakota.
This Week’s Sky Schedule
Monday, Feb. 21 Time
North Dakota at Northern Colorado (Big Sky TV) 7:05
Tuesday, Feb. 22
*Weber State at Idaho State (Big Sky TV) 7:05
Thursday, Feb. 24
*Northern Arizona at Sacramento State (Big Sky TV) 7:05
*Montana State at Eastern Washington (Big Sky TV) (SWX) 7:05
*Montana at Portland State (Big Sky TV) 7:05
Saturday, Feb. 26
*Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado (Big Sky TV) 7:05
*Montana State at Portland State (Big Sky TV) 7:05
*Weber State at Sacramento State (Big Sky TV) 7:05
Altitude Sports & Entertainment Game of the Week
*Montana at Eastern Washington (Big Sky TV) 5:05
Will be televised live on Altitude and Comcast Sports Net Northwest
Around the Big Sky
WEBER CLINCHES: Weber State became the third team to clinch a berth in the Big Sky Championship with an 80-58 home victory over Portland State on Wednesday. It was Weber State’s 21st consecutive regular-season conference home victory. The Wildcats will play in the Big Sky tournament for the fifth consecutive season. Weber State has failed to qualify just twice for the postseason championship – in 1981 and 2006. Weber State can finish no worse than fourth – guaranteeing the Wildcats a home game in the first round on Saturday, Feb. 5. Weber State could still finish first or second. If Weber State were to tie either Montana or Northern Colorado, or both, for first place, WSU could win the tie-breaking and the right to host the semifinals and championship. Montana and Northern Colorado had previously clinched postseason bids.
DOWN TO THE WIRE: Five teams enter the final 13 conference games vying for the final three spots in the postseason tournament. Only Portland State, which is ineligible for the postseason this year, has been eliminated from postseason contention. Northern Arizona, Montana State, Eastern Washington, Idaho State and Sacramento State are all still in the hunt for the final three spots. Just one victory separates fourth place from ninth place. Eastern Washington and Sacramento State are both seeking tournament bids for the first time since 2006. Northern Arizona and Montana State were in last year’s field. Idaho State last qualified in 2009. The top six teams qualify for the Big Sky Championship. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will host quarterfinal games on Saturday, March 5. The No. 1 seed will host the semifinals on March 8 and the championship on March 10.
Below are the remaining schedules for the eight teams in the championship hunt.
Team Record Home games Road games
Eastern Washington (5-7) MSU, UM at WSU
Idaho State (4-9) WSU, NC at MSU
Montana (11-3) at PSU, at EWU
Montana State (5-8) ISU at EWU, at PSU
Northern Arizona (7-6) PSU at SAC, at NC
Northern Colorado (10-3) NAU, SAC at ISU
Sacramento State (4-9) NAU, WSU at NC
Weber State (9-4) EWU at ISU, at SAC
200 FOR BEITZEL: Northern Colorado senior guard Devon Beitzel became the 12th player in league history to make 200 career 3-pointers. Beitzel enters this week’s play with 208 career 3-pointers, which ties him for 10th on the Big Sky’s all-time list with UM’s Ryan Staudacher. ISU’s David Schroeder is ninth with 211.
1,500 FOR: JONES: Northern Arizona’s Cameron Jones became the 29th player in Big Sky history to reach the 1,500-career point mark. Jones scored 19 points against Cal Poly, giving him 1,516 points in his career, just 34 shy of the NAU record held by Kelly Golob. Jones ranks 26th all-time in Big Sky history in scoring. Jones has 513 points this season and is the first player in NAU history to score at least 500 points in a season two times. .
RPI REPORT: The Big Sky moved up one spot in the conference RPI rankings this week. The Big Sky is now 26th, just behind the Patriot and just ahead of America East. Montana leads the Big Sky teams with an RPI of 113. Northern Colorado is at 121, followed by Weber State at 136 and Northern Arizona at 171. If Montana and Northern Colorado win all of the remaining conference games and finished tied for first at 13-3, the RPI will be used to determine who will host the conference semifinals and championship. Kansas is the top team in the RPI, followed by San Diego State, BYU, Ohio State and Georgetown. The Big East is the top-rated conference.
NCAA RANKINGS: Northern Arizona remained the national leader in 3-point field-goal percentage at 43.5 percent. Weber State is third at 42.2 percent. Northern Arizona is third in field-goal percentage at 49.3 percent. Montana has cracked the top 10 in field-goal percentage defense at 39.1 percent. NAU is seventh in free-throw percentage (77.5) and Weber State is eighth (77.2). NAU is ninth in assists per game (17.3). Scott Bamforth of Weber State is the national leader in 3-point field-goal percentage for the second straight week. Bamforth is hitting 53.5 percent of his treys. Montana’s Brian Qvale is third in field-goal percentage (63.4 percent).
Tip-ins: Montana’s Brian Qvale has 81 blocks this season, which ranks second on the conference single-season list. He needs 13 more to set a new single-season record…Home teams won all three of the conference games last week. Home teams are now 44-15 in conference games. Last year road teams won 25 of the 72 conference games…Montana State has lost nine straight games for the first time since the 1975-76 season...Portland State snapped its four-game losing streak with an 84-75 win over Loyola-Marymount on Saturday....Broderick Gilchrest hit six 3-pointers and scored 29 points in Idaho State’s 84-79 win over Cal State Fullerton...NAU made 72 percent (18-of-25) in the second half of its 83-74 win over Eastern Washington last Thursday.