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For those on here that aren't from the Big Sky...

Unless you remember the 1995 or 1999 NCAA Basketball Tournament you might not be familiar with the Wildcats...until this year's WSU football team, the best season in school history.

Weber State University is located in Ogden, Utah (30 miles from Salt Lake City).

Students: 21,674

Weber State's men's basketball team (847-493, 526-112 at home), long hails as a powerhouse in the Big Sky Conference. WSU men's basketball team has the 24th highest winning % in NCAA Division I history. The basketball team owns nearly 40% of all Big Sky championships since the conf started in '64.

In 2005, Street and Smith magazine complied a list of the greatest basketball programs in college basketball history, WSU made #51. The men's basketball team won its 17th overall Big Sky Conference championship in 2007.

WSU men's basketball is also famous for 1st Rd NCAA Tournament upsets. In 1995 Weber beat #3 seed Michigan State, in '99 WSU beat #3 seed North Carolina.

Weber is currently 9-1 in the Big Sky with 2 big games this week at home - EWU and Portland St. WSU is 6-0 on the road in conference play and has won 6 straight games overall.

More WSU basketball history:


In 1962 Weber Junior College became the first junior college in the country to move from the juco ranks straight into NCAA Division I basketball.

WSU has won 17 Big Sky Conference basketball titles and have made 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Both of these numbers are conference records. Of the 14 appearances, the 'Cats have advanced to the second round 6 times.

WSU has finished 5 seasons ranked in the nation's top 20.

Since 1982 no Big Sky team has ever finished a season ranked in the top 25. The closest team since '82 was the 2003 undefeated Weber State team who finished 30th in the AP poll.


Notable coaches:

Weber State has had 2 of its former coaches go on to careers in the NBA and both coaches earned NBA Coach-of-the-year honors. Former Chicago Bulls, Washinton Bullets, Dallas Mavericks, and Sacramento Kings coach, Dick Motta patrolled the WSU sidelines from 1960-1968. Motta left WSU to become head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1969 and in 1970 he was Coach-of-the-Year.

Current Utah Jazz assistant coach, Phil Johnson, was NBA Coach-of-the-Year in 1974 with the Kansas City Kings. Johnson coached WSU's 15-0 (27-3 overall) 1969 team. Only 2 teams in the history of the Big Sky have ever gone undefeated, both were WSU - 1969 and 2003. Johnson has the highest winning percentage (84%) in Big Sky history.

Current UCLA head coach, Ben Howland, graduated from Weber after a two-year career as a player from 1977-1979. Howland still has the record for the most games played in a season - 34. At UCLA he has taken the Bruins to 3 consecutive Final Four's, and he's the only coach in the NCAA to do so since John Wooden.

Joe Cravens served as head coach at WSU from 2000-2006. He led the 2003 team to an undefeated 16-0 in the Big Sky and 26-6 overall. The 26 wins were the second most wins in WSU history for a single season. Also, Weber had the second longest winning streak in the nation in 2003 with 17 straight wins. Only Kentucky had more that year with 23.

WSU in the NBA
Year Name Team
1966 Jerry Trice Baltimore Bullets
1966 Gene Visscher Baltimore Bullets
1968 Dan Sparks Cincinnati Royals
1969 Larry Bergh Chicago Bulls
1969 Justus Thigpen San Diego Rockets
1971 Willie Sojourner Virginia Squires
1972 Bob Davis Portland Trail Blazers
1976 Al DeWitt Portland Trail Blazers
1977 Stan Mayhew Indiana Pacers
1980 Bruce Collins Portland Trail Blazers
1980 David Johnson Dallas Mavericks
1980 Richard Smith Philadelphia 76ers
1983 Tom Heywood Golden State Warriors
1985 Shawn Campbell Phoenix Suns
1995 Ruben Nembhard Portland Trail Blazers
2000 Eddie Gill New Jersey Nets
2008 Lance Allred Cleveland Cavaliers


WSU All-Time Records vs Big Sky Schools
Team - WSU vs Opponent - In Ogden
Eastern Washington - 34-19 - 23-3
Idaho State 66-40 40-9
Montana 62-43 38-13
Montana State 68-33 43-10
Northern Arizona 62-26 39-6
Northern Colorado 5-1 3-0
Portland State 23-9 14-1
Sacramento State 26-4 14-1

Well, if they win the Big Sky (WSU has two game lead with 6 games to go) they will host.

Weber has 4 home games left, with only road games against the Montana schools left.

dbackjon wrote:Well, if they win the Big Sky (WSU has two game lead with 6 games to go) they will host.

Weber has 4 home games left, with only road games against the Montana schools left.

PSU and EWU will be tough at home and going to the Montanas will be difficult road games.

I see 4 of the 6 games being tough to win and only 2 "easier" games - sac/nau - which are both at home.

weberwildcat wrote:

dbackjon wrote:Well, if they win the Big Sky (WSU has two game lead with 6 games to go) they will host.

Weber has 4 home games left, with only road games against the Montana schools left.

PSU and EWU will be tough at home and going to the Montanas will be difficult road games.

I see 4 of the 6 games being tough to win and only 2 "easier" games - sac/nau - which are both at home.

You only need to split the Montana schools, split EWU/PSU, and sweep sac/NAU - very doable

If Weber is able to win the regular season title it will be the first time to win a Big Sky title in football AND basketball since 1968.

Teams in Big Sky history to win a football AND basketball regular season title in the same season:

1964 Montana State
1967 Montana State
2002 Montana State

1965 Weber State
1968 Weber State

2000 Montana

2004 Eastern Washington

weberwildcat wrote:If Weber is able to win the regular season title it will be the first time to win a Big Sky title in football AND basketball since 1968.

Teams in Big Sky history to win a football AND basketball regular season title in the same season:

1964 Montana State
1967 Montana State
2002 Montana State

1965 Weber State
1968 Weber State

2000 Montana

2004 Eastern Washington

You know....with our 47 Football conference titles in a row (or something like that, not sure of the real number), you'd think Montana would have accomplished this feat more than ONCE.

AZGrizFan wrote:

weberwildcat wrote:If Weber is able to win the regular season title it will be the first time to win a Big Sky title in football AND basketball since 1968.

Teams in Big Sky history to win a football AND basketball regular season title in the same season:

1964 Montana State
1967 Montana State
2002 Montana State

1965 Weber State
1968 Weber State

2000 Montana

2004 Eastern Washington

You know....with our 47 Football conference titles in a row (or something like that, not sure of the real number), you'd think Montana would have accomplished this feat more than ONCE.

Happens a lot with the Ladies.

grizzaholic wrote:

AZGrizFan wrote:
You know....with our 47 Football conference titles in a row (or something like that, not sure of the real number), you'd think Montana would have accomplished this feat more than ONCE.

Happens a lot with the Ladies.

Big Sky offers Women's football?

dbackjon wrote:

grizzaholic wrote:
Happens a lot with the Ladies.

Big Sky offers Women's football?

HAHA

grizzaholic wrote:

dbackjon wrote:
Big Sky offers Women's football?

HAHA

Since I never see any Bengals on here....


Yes, the UM womens football team is Idaho State!!

AZGrizFan wrote:

weberwildcat wrote:If Weber is able to win the regular season title it will be the first time to win a Big Sky title in football AND basketball since 1968.

Teams in Big Sky history to win a football AND basketball regular season title in the same season:

1964 Montana State
1967 Montana State
2002 Montana State

1965 Weber State
1968 Weber State

2000 Montana

2004 Eastern Washington

You know....with our 47 Football conference titles in a row (or something like that, not sure of the real number), you'd think Montana would have accomplished this feat more than ONCE.

That's because the Griz basketball team seems to only win the Big Sky Tournament, not the regular season title. The Griz have won the tourney three times ('02, '05, '06) since their last regular season title ('00). They haven't won both the tournament and regular season since 1992.

Mvemjsunpx wrote:

AZGrizFan wrote:
You know....with our 47 Football conference titles in a row (or something like that, not sure of the real number), you'd think Montana would have accomplished this feat more than ONCE.

That's because the Griz basketball team seems to only win the Big Sky Tournament, not the regular season title. The Griz have won the tourney three times ('02, '05, '06) since their last regular season title ('00). They haven't won both the tournament and regular season since 1992.

And thats a good point about hosting...doesn't guarantee anything.

With WSU hosting...I still will be worried about UM and PSU just as well if UM or PSU hosted they will have to worry about the other 2. And we still have 6 games to go...

WSU has hosted 8 times. Only once did they not win the tournament championship and I know MSU, NAU, PSU can all remember recently hosting and not making it...it really sucks seeing the team host not make it even if my team is in the mix on the road.

Especially since we always want to be sending our best team possible to the dance.

dbackjon wrote:

weberwildcat wrote:

PSU and EWU will be tough at home and going to the Montanas will be difficult road games.

I see 4 of the 6 games being tough to win and only 2 "easier" games - sac/nau - which are both at home.

You only need to split the Montana schools, split EWU/PSU, and sweep sac/NAU - very doable

I am going to laugh my ass off if and when Weber St. counts their chickens before they hatch and blow their chances to host the tourney. First football, now this.

grizzaholic wrote:

dbackjon wrote:
You only need to split the Montana schools, split EWU/PSU, and sweep sac/NAU - very doable

I am going to laugh my ass off if and when Weber St. counts their chickens before they hatch and blow their chances to host the tourney. First football, now this.

What? We did host the Big Sky Tournament in football. Where were you?

Ask anyone who is familiar with Big Sky basketball since the day the conf started. They will tell you its never wise to bet against Weber.

Though I can guarrantee the WSU team and coach aren't talking about hosting. They don't even know they are playing PSU on Saturday. They are only thinking about EWU.

Us fans are the ones that get to have the fun of speculation! Just go on eGriz...

weberwildcat wrote:

grizzaholic wrote:
I am going to laugh my ass off if and when Weber St. counts their chickens before they hatch and blow their chances to host the tourney. First football, now this.

What? We did host the Big Sky Tournament in football. Where were you?

I think he is referring to Weber choking against EWU, thus forcing the Wildcats to go on the road to Montana in the second round

dbackjon wrote:

weberwildcat wrote:

What? We did host the Big Sky Tournament in football. Where were you?

I think he is referring to Weber choking against EWU, thus forcing the Wildcats to go on the road to Montana in the second round

I didn't expect a Weber fan to get it.

grizzaholic wrote:

dbackjon wrote:
You only need to split the Montana schools, split EWU/PSU, and sweep sac/NAU - very doable

I am going to laugh my ass off if and when Weber St. counts their chickens before they hatch and blow their chances to host the tourney. First football, now this.

The only team that count thier chickens too early was PSU, they were cocky, and look where it got them, 3rd place. Weber State just needs to win their games at home and the tourny will be in the best facility in the Big Sky. The Dee.

Counting chickens in the bomb!!

I often go to Kentucky Fried just to count how many chickens be ready to serve!

Idaho St beating Portland State was huge for Weber.

Weber's next 2 games are Portland State and then at Montana.

WSU 10-1
UM 9-3
PSU 8-4

grizzaholic wrote:

dbackjon wrote:
You only need to split the Montana schools, split EWU/PSU, and sweep sac/NAU - very doable

I am going to laugh my ass off if and when Weber St. counts their chickens before they hatch and blow their chances to host the tourney. First football, now this.

Are you laughing now?