2011-12 Big Sky Basketball

[AZGrizFan]

Great win for the Jacks beating Arizona State!!

And ASU loses AGAIN on a last second trey, this time to Southern Miss.

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Men
  
  EWU 61-77 SMC; Eagles commit 29 fouls and put the Gaels at the line 44 times
  NAU 49-73 SHSU; The Bearkats get their first DI win by outshooting the Lumberjacks 53%-31%
  MSU 46-91 UNM; Bobcats outshot 66%-21% in the first half
  
  
  
  Women
  
  CSUB 84-87 SAC; The Hornets go on a 14-0 run to tie it, fall behind by 11 again, then finish on a 17-3 run
  DEN 66-70 PSU*; Undersized Vikings win the boards by 12
  UGA 63-49 MSU**; The Bobcats had their chances, but shot poorly from the arc & the free-throw line
  
  * - Rainbow Wahine Shootout (in Honolulu, HI)
  ** - Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic (in Las Vegas, NV)

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Women
  
  ID 61-76 EWU; Eagles get 27 assists to Idaho's 11
  SDK 66-54 ISU; Bengals shoot 19% in the first half
  UVU 72-65 WEB; Wildcats outshot 66%-36% inside the arc

[dbackjon]

Great win for the Jacks beating Arizona State!!

And ASU loses AGAIN on a last second trey, this time to Southern Miss.

And ASU loses again by three

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Men
  
  PSU 86-92 CSF; Vikings get six players in double figures, yet still lose
  SEMO 77-76 SAC; John Dickson scores 20 points in the second half, but also commits the game-losing foul
  WYO 80-56 ISU; Kenny McGowen scores 23 points, but no other Bengal gets more than 5
  UTAH 51-80 WEB; The Wildcats shoot 54% from the field and 48% from the arc against the hapless Utes
  UVU 52-65 UMT; The Griz outscored Utah Valley 27-5 over a 12:30 stretch in the second half
  CSU 92-78 UNC; Dorian Green goes 8/10 from the arc & scores 36 points on the defenseless Bears
  
  
  
  Women
  
  SCU 96-76 SAC; The Broncos end a 5-game losing streak by going 14/26 from arc
  UND 54-70 MSU; Rachel Semansky scores 19 points and leads the Big Sky in shooting at 56.1%

No more Big Sky games until next Wednesday (12/28).

[SDHornet]

SEMO 77-76 SAC; John Dickson scores 20 points in the second half, but also commits the game-losing foul

Dickson was called on a ticky-tack foul with 3.5 seconds to go...ironically enough it was ticky-tack fouls called on SEMO that sent the Hornets to the line in the last 5 minutes that allowed the Hornets to close a 7 point deficit. Another game that would have been a win had the Hornets actually played for a full 40 minutes.

[Wildcat Ryan]

Big Sky play starts this week, lets get it on baby.

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Men
  
  PSU 64-75 UMT; Charles Odum & Renado Parker combine to shoot 60%, but the rest of the Viks shoot just 22%
  EWU 82-66 MSU; Seven different Eagles hit three pointers
  
  
  
  Women
  
  corb 48-90 PSU; The size-challenged Vikings win the boards by 16

[biobengal]

Basketball can be a wild sport. Montana beats Idaho, Oregon State waxes Montana, but Idaho goes into Corvallis & beats the Beavers by double digits.

We dominate Idaho but get pummeled by WSU who beats Idaho on a last second shot.

Sounds good to me... Idaho loses two.

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Men
  
  ISU 64-78 WEB; Chase Grabeau scores 31 for the Bengals, but his teammates shoot just 28%
  SAC 64-73 NAU; The Lumberjacks make 6 more free throws on 4 fewer attempts
  
  
  
  Women
  
  MSU 73-79 EWU; Eagles get a school-record 22 steals while Chene Cooper gets to a school-record 218 career steals
  NAU 85-91 SAC (2OT); Three Hornets register double-doubles in a game that had 179 combined shot attempts
  bhsu 35-72 UNC; Bears win shooting 53%-22%
  USM 64-79 UMT*; Lady Griz put up season-highs in points & three-point shooting (8/20)
  
  * - Lady Griz Holiday Classic

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Men
  
  EWU 71-79 UMT; The Eagles shoot 64% in the first half… and 27% in the second
  PSU 73-86 MSU; After shooting poorly against EWU, the Bobcats make 53% against the porous Viking D
  
  
  
  Women
  
  ugf 42-86 ISU; Bengals roll thanks to five players in double figures and 26 assists
  UND 39-60 UMT*; The Lady Griz easily win their 24th. consecutive Holiday Classic game
  
  * - Lady Griz Holiday Classic

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Men
  
  SAC 63-74 WEB; Wildcats lose the boards by 8 but only commit 6 turnovers
  NAU 64-80 UNC; The Bears outshoot the 'Jacks 59%-35%
  
  
  
  Women
  
  MSU 95-83 PSU; Katie Bussey racks up 26 points, 4 steals, and 8 assists
  WEB 60-78 SAC; Kylie Kuhns picks up her 14th. double-double in 15 games
  NAU 71-77 UNC; D'Shara Strange scores a career-high 29

[Mvemjsunpx]

• • Men
    
    1. Weber State___________2-0_____10-3_____ W2/W4
    2. Montana ______________2-0______9-5_____ W2/W4
    3. Northern Colorado____1-0______4-8_____ W8/W1
    4. Eastern Washington___1-1______7-7_____ L1
    5. Northern Arizona _____1-1______5-9_____ L1
    6. Montana State ________1-1______6-7_____ W1
    7. Idaho State ___________0-1______2-10____ L4/L5
    8. Portland State_________0-2______6-8_____ L3/L4
    9. Sacramento State _____0-2______5-8_____ L6/L3

• • Women
    
    1. Sacramento State _____2-0______7-8_____ W3/W2
    2. Eastern Washington___1-0______7-7_____ W1/W2
    3. Northern Colorado____1-0______9-5_____ W1/W4
    4. Montana State ________1-1______9-5_____ W1
    5. Idaho State ___________0-0______8-5_____ L1/W1
    6. Montana ______________0-0______7-6_____ W4/W3
    7. Portland State_________0-1______8-5_____ L2/L1
    8. Weber State___________0-1______2-12____ L3/L4
    9. Northern Arizona _____0-2______5-9_____ L2/L5

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Men
  
  ISU 57-55 UNC; Bengals win turnovers by 10 and take advantage of an early injury to Tate Unruh
  
  
  
  Women
  
  UMT 53-46 EWU; Eagles race to a 15-6 lead, then make just 1 field goal over the next 19:30
  UNC 52-57 ISU; Two nights after putting up a career-high, D'Shara Strange goes 3/13 from the field

[Wildcat Ryan]

The Weber State/Eastern Washington game this thursday is gonna be sweet

[Mvemjsunpx]

This is more of a thought as to how things will end up and not an "in the moment" set of power rankings.



1. Weber - We know the Wildcats have the best player in Lillard, but the question is how much they'll get from the rest. Bamforth is dangerous, but not nearly as consistent as Lillard, and Weber's bigs are spotty & injured. I think Weber & UM will home split, so it comes down to who slips up the least elsewhere. With Lillard's consistency, I think the Wildcats are the favorites to do that.

2. Montana - The Griz have figured out their offense recently, and that vaults them into a solid second. The Griz do have Cherry & Jamar as well as the unique advantages (both tangible & intangible) of Derek Selvig, but a recent key to Grizzly success has been the emergence of Mathias Ward. Ward leads the league in shooting percentage and, despite playing down low most of the time, is the best pure shooter on the team (he's virtually automatic on baseline jumpers). I ultimately think Weber will win the league, but Montana has the best chance of stopping them because they're deeper & they have Will Cherry—the one player in the Big Sky that is capable of containing Lillard.

3. EWU - Talented & raw, that's how you describe the Eagles. I don't agree that they're more talented than, say, Montana across the board (as one of the Eagle forum fans claimed), but they do have a lot of athletic & shooting talent. The problem is a severe lack of discipline: they love to jack contested treys & commit a plethora of stupid, unnecessary fouls. A lot of this falls on Collin Chiverton—who reminds me stylistically of what I saw of Phil Nelson from PSU last year—but he's far from the only one guilty of selfish play. It's like Jim Hayford pulled off Earlywine's lid on their talent, but with that came a fair amount of unintended consequences. Still, the Eags look better than most of the league.

4. Portland St. - And now we reach "the rest of the conference." PSU has some talented players (Odum, Tapscott, & Parker are quite good), but I'm not sold on Tyler Geving as the coach. They have the best defense they've had in his three years, and it's still among the worst in the Big Sky. Their style is also a bit odd this year. The Viks have been known for perimeter shooting, but are last in the league in treys and 3-pt. %. On the other hand, they lead the league in rebounding, which is also unusual. PSU has enough good players to finish in the top half, but won't even sniff a title unless the D improves (the 0-2 start also hurts).

5. Montana St. - Brad Huse appears to have bet the farm (i.e., his job) on a bunch of transfers. As one would expect from that, the Bobcats have been inconsistent. They appear to have a bit more athleticism than in the past, but—like EWU and NAU—things are still a bit raw. The fact MSU has talent still waiting to come together suggests they'll finish strong, but MSU's looooonnnggg history of doing exactly the opposite tempers that a bit. Still, they are good enough to make the Big Sky Tourney.

6. Northern Colorado - If I was ranking teams for how they're doing at the moment, I'd put the Bears behind Sac (losing to ISU at home is, um, not good), but I think they'll be better at the end & sneak into the tournament. NoCo's problem seems to be that their talented players are all young and their veterans aren't that talented. There's no Devon Beitzel ready to will them to tough wins and I'm pretty sure there won't be at any point this year, either. UNC does lead the league in 3-pt. %, but they don't have a whole lot to fall back on if they have an off night from outside.

7. Sac State - I haven't seen the Hornets play this season, but—just like every other year under Katz—the stats suggest a bland, unimpressive team. Unlike prior years, however, there is hope for the future. The Hornets' top 3 scorers (Dickson, Eberhard, Veteto) are all juniors & their freshman point guard, Dylan Garrity, leads the Big Sky in assists. I do believe Sac will miss the Big Sky Tourney for the 6th. straight season (though I wouldn't be shocked if they got in), but I would be quite surprised if they missed out next year.

8. NAU - No Big Sky event this season was more surprising than Mike Adras's abrupt resignation on December 9th. I can't imagine he was forced out for performance reasons (they are in a rebuilding year, so they weren't supposed to be good), so it was shocking in a way the Joe O'Brien resignation at ISU was not (this departure also left Tinkle, Huse, Rahe, & briefly O'Brien as the longest tenured head men in the Big Sky, surprisingly enough). Former commentator (& long ago women's coach) Dave Brown is a respectable 3-2, but has been whipped in his two most recent road games. I think this change may have, like EWU, released a proverbial lid on NAU's talent, but the 'Jacks likely won't get enough polish to be a factor.

9. Idaho St. - Well… Joe O'Brien's gone, just a few months earlier than we thought (or maybe several months later, depending on how you want to look at it). Interim coach Deane Martin did manage a surprising win in Greeley, but they still look to be the weakest team in the conference. Chase Grabeau has put up some big numbers, and Morgan & McGowen have scored points at times, but they really lack down-low production—and that's despite the presence of 7'4" UCF transfer Jakub Kusmieruk. ISU has had some really good individual performances, but their team stats are weak across the board. Unless they can somehow build off the NoCo win, I don't see them challenging for anything at all.

[SDHornet]

7. Sac State - I haven't seen the Hornets play this season, but—just like every other year under Katz—the stats suggest a bland, unimpressive team. Unlike prior years, however, there is hope for the future. The Hornets' top 3 scorers (Dickson, Eberhard, Veteto) are all juniors & their freshman point guard, Dylan Garrity, leads the Big Sky in assists. I do believe Sac will miss the Big Sky Tourney for the 6th. straight season (though I wouldn't be shocked if they got in), but I would be quite surprised if they missed out next year.

You're not missing anything by not catching a Hornet game. The team is consistently inconsistent and continually fails to show up for a full 40 minutes. I hate to put a full conference slate dependent on the opening week of BSC play but this program really needed to knock off a reeling NAU team last week to get off on the right foot in hopes of a BSC tournament berth. I agree with you that this program won't see the post season, especially now with one of the more athletic players in Walter Jackson leaving the team.

Good write up on all the teams.

[Mvemjsunpx]

This is more of a thought as to how things will end up and not an "in the moment" set of power rankings.



1. Montana - This is probably a controversial result given the non-conference (UM was alright, but not as good as others), but I think things have changed over the last couple weeks. Before Christmas, the Lady Griz were running the offense well, avoiding turnovers, and playing as good of defense as I've seen from them over the last decade (aside from the embarrassing Bakersfield debacle)… they just couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from outside. It was quite frustrating, too, because the players are more talented shooters than they'd showed (& they reportedly weren't shooting that bad in practice) and they had tons of open looks from outside; there were a few games where shooting just 20-25% from the arc would have been enough to win & they couldn't quite get there. Since Christmas, however, UM has shown much more ability at making open shots and I believe that was the one missing piece for them. In addition, the Big Sky seems to be a lot less perimeter-oriented than the last several years and that plays to Montana's strength—interior defense. As long as they don't fall into a funk like we saw the first 6 weeks, I believe the Lady Griz will be hosting the tourney in March.

2. Montana St. - The Bobcats are probably the most balanced team in the league. They have the best inside scoring tandem in the league in Semansky & Banis and the fiery Katie Bussey on the outside. MSU also had arguably the best non-conference of any Big Sky team. The Bobcats appear beatable, though. They are solid across the board statistically, but not super good in any area aside from maybe assists. I'm also surprised they're only shooting 32% from the arc given the personnel they have. The Bobcats have a great chance at winning the regular season, but I think UM matches up well to them defensively & they did fade down the stretch last year after a great December & January. I think Montana will edge out MSU for the title, but I'd be surprised if the 'Cats finished behind anyone else.

3. Idaho St. - The Bengals are a bit surprising this year; not so much because of how good they are, but more because of their style. ISU started 4 guards that were no taller than 5'9" last season, but this year they appear—at least statistically—to be the most inside-oriented team other than the Lady Griz. ISU is the only Big Sky team that approaches UM in inside D, but they're also shooting an inexplicably low 26.5% from the arc (only above Montana). The Bengals also have 4 players averaging double-figures (though that includes Pickering, who missed 6 games), but are still just scoring 62.5 ppg. Speaking of Montana, Seton Sobolewski is 0-8 against the Lady Griz and his Bengals are the only Big Sky team that hasn't beaten Montana the last 2 years. That will have to change if Idaho State wants a chance at hosting.

4. EWU - The Eagles are only 7-8, but I believe their non-conference schedule was ranked in the top-20 in the RPI. Eastern showed their capabilities in beating MSU by 6 at home and continued that surge by taking a 15-6 lead early against Montana, but the Lady Griz switched to man and the Eags looked totally lost on offense after that. Brianne Ryan has been the best player in the Big Sky thus far, but her team —if the UM game is any indication—may lose their identity if she doesn't get the opportunity to jack some threes. Anyone who can't blanket Ryan, though, could really have trouble with the Eags. Eastern Washington could contend for the title, but I doubt they're consistent enough to win it.

5. Portland St. - I was quite surprised when PSU was picked to win the Big Sky in the preseason poll. I figured it would either be UM or MSU. The Viks had more questions at the start of the season and, despite a good non-conference resume, they appear to have more glaring personnel weaknesses than the teams in my top-4. PSU has best set of guards in the league—Jones, VanBrocklin, & Lanz (Lanz is arguably a G/F, but nonetheless undersized at the 4)—but really lack a post presence. As I pointed out on bigskyfans, the Vikings rank near the bottom of the conference in pretty much every stat that indicates size. Particularly concerning for PSU is that they're allowing teams to shoot 49% inside the arc, easily the worst mark of any Big Sky contender. Portland State has been more consistent than some of the other teams, but they also seem to have more easily exploitable weaknesses. They'll make the Big Sky Tourney without question, but other teams have a better shot at the title.

6. Northern Colorado - They were projected to contend for the championship & they still could, but it doesn't appear like they have enough to do so. The Bears' pace must be glacial, because they rank last in the Big Sky in scoring despite placing near the top in shooting % (they only average 53 FG att. per game; ISU is the only other team below 60). That surprises me given the presence of steal & pressure master D'Shara Strange. Watching almost every Montana game last season, NoCo pressed the Lady Griz more effectively than anyone else (including UCLA). However, despite Strange, the Bears are last in the league in turnovers forced this year & just 7th. in steals. UNC is a good inside scoring team & solid in most other areas, so they should win several games, but some questionable stylistic decisions make me believe they won't be as effective as they could be.

7. NAU - Good at home, lousy on the road; that sums up the 'Jacks perfectly. Northern Arizona is 5-1 at home with the only loss coming to 12-1 Nebraska in double OT, but they are also 0-8 on the road with an average margin of minus-15.4 ppg. Their stats are mediocre in most areas (steals & assists being their two good ones) and they are the second-worst free throw shooting team in the nation, but the home/road disparity is the real story. They've already lost road games to two of the three teams I have in the bottom-4, too, so Weber seems to be their only real chance to break that trend. A losing record for the Lumberjacks seems likely, since an 0-8 road mark is plausible and I doubt they'll run the table at home. Given how deep the Big Sky is this season and how things have looked the last couple years, a non-losing record may be necessary to make the Big Sky Tournament. Laurie Kelly has another year on her contract, but don't be surprised to see her gone in March because it would be 3 straight years out of the conference tournament and 5 straight years without a top-5 finish.

8. Sac State - It's one week in & the Hornets already have more league wins than all of last season, but keep in mind these wins were at home over the other two teams that figure to miss the tourney. In fact, it wouldn't be shocking for Sac to not get another two wins the rest of the season. Don't get me wrong, they're better than last year. Compared to two years ago when they had a winning record, however, the Hornets aren't quite as good and the rest of the Big Sky is better. Kylie Kuhns stunning consistency (14 double-doubles in 15 games) has been remarkable, and the return of Emily Christensen has helped, as well. Efficiency is where Sac State struggles, though. They rank poorly in both shooting % and shooting % D. They still love to jack up treys, too, but are shooting just 28% from the arc. Their high-flying style can be a problem, but any team that can deal with it will have no trouble with the Hornets.

9. Weber - It's Weber's first year without Carla Taylor since I was 4 years old, and things aren't going well. This isn't a surprise, of course, but I'm pretty sure it sucks to be the only particularly bad team in an unusually deep conference. There's very little that the Wildcats are doing well, right now, and there are things they used to do well that they now aren't. Under Taylor, Weber was consistently among the league leaders in free throw shooting. Now, a year after shooting 76% from the line, the Wildcats are now shooting 57%. I have no idea why that is, since they didn't lose a whole lot from last season, but it's definitely a concern. Even if the charity shooting turns around, though, this team just isn't good enough to make any noise & anything better than 2-14 would be shocking.

[frinq]

You're right on when it comes to the an analysis of Big Sky women, Mvem. At least as far as PSU is concerned. Your conclusion - not big enough - seems to be accurate. Either Murrell doesn't care about post play - hard to believe - or she's had no luck recruiting tall players. We've got one 6'3" coming in next year and that's it. Looks like we're doomed to middle of the pack for the next two years at least. Still, it's nice to see Lanz, Jones and VanBrocklin play.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Big Sky play starts this week, lets get it on baby.

Gonna be a good one tonight! Let's go Eags!

[Mvemjsunpx]

You're right on when it comes to the an analysis of Big Sky women, Mvem. At least as far as PSU is concerned. Your conclusion - not big enough - seems to be accurate. Either Murrell doesn't care about post play - hard to believe - or she's had no luck recruiting tall players. We've got one 6'3" coming in next year and that's it. Looks like we're doomed to middle of the pack for the next two years at least. Still, it's nice to see Lanz, Jones and VanBrocklin play.

I do think PSU will finish in the middle this year, but it's not quite as bad as it looks. The top-6 teams are all pretty good & all have at least a semi-realistic shot at hosting. In other words, PSU is my 5th. place choice, but they're much closer to the top than the bottom. They did surprise me in winning the regular season last year (after a bad start) and Murrell is 7-5 against the Lady Griz since arriving in Portland, so you never know…

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Men
  
  WEB 76-69 EWU; Damian Lillard scores 30 as the Wildcats hold off the Eagles
  MSU 73-69 ISU; Bobcats shoot 53% and get 23 points off the bench from Shawn Reid
  NAU 62-82 PSU; Vikings shoot 62% as they rebound at home
  
  
  
  Women
  
  EWU 72-60 WEB; Brianne Ryan gets a double-double with 32 points and 13 rebounds
  PSU 84-74 NAU; The Viks shoot 55% and Kate Lanz gets 29 points and 13 boards
  ISU 59-58 MSU; Bengals close the game on a 24-9 run over the final 8:30

[kalm]

• Men
  
  WEB 76-69 EWU; Damian Lillard scores 30 as the Wildcats hold off the Eagles
  MSU 73-69 ISU; Bobcats shoot 53% and get 23 points off the bench from Shawn Reid
  NAU 62-82 PSU; Vikings shoot 62% as they rebound at home
  
  
  
  Women
  
  EWU 72-60 WEB; Brianne Ryan gets a double-double with 32 points and 13 rebounds
  PSU 84-74 NAU; The Viks shoot 55% and Kate Lanz gets 29 points and 13 boards
  ISU 59-58 MSU; Bengals close the game on a 24-9 run over the final 8:30

Lillard...wow.

[Wildcat Ryan]

Eastern has the potential to be a very dangerous team, they have butt loads of talent, but thier 2 faults are fouls and a bad tendency to play a lot of one on one ball, if they cut down on fouls and start playing better team ball, they could be very good, scary good.

[Mvemjsunpx]

• Men
  
  NAU 59-76 EWU; Eagles win the second half 49-28
  WEB 88-81 PSU; Damian Lillard scores 38 while the Vikings cool off in the second half
  UNC 61-53 SAC; With Garnica out & Unruh hobbled, Tevin Svihovec scores a career-high 16
  UMT 68-44 ISU; Griz shoot 60% and get all 5 starters in double figures
  
  
  
  Women
  
  PSU 66-56 WEB; Katz Lanz continues her run with 21 points and 9 boards
  EWU 74-56 NAU; Amy Patton goes 11/12 and scores 27, but her NAU teammates go just 10/38
  ISU 58-51 UMT; Bengals win in Missoula for the 2nd. time ever
  SAC 58-68 UNC; Emily Christensen goes 0/10 and Kylie Kuhns is denied her 15th. double-double