They were picked to finish first in their conference. They were a tournament team each of the last three seasons, and are one of the most experienced teams in the country. They have a lot size.
Don’t Sleep on Montana State
- Thread starter Hungry Jack
- Start date
They're all between 6'4" and 6'8", which is good because little quick Guards kill NU. I'll take NU's chances with guys the same size.
And That's the NJCat kiss of death.....
And That's the NJCat kiss of death.....
Montana State played Univ of Denver this past weekend. I didn't see the game but heard it on streamed audio. For most of the game Denver was safely ahead. But in just the last nine minutes the Bobcats evidently put on a monster full-court press and nearly overcame a 19 point lead. (Final score: a 79-78 win for the DU Pioneers.) In whatever practice time NU's coaching staff will have had by game time in Evanston, I trust they're working on press break. I don't think it's the team's strength so far.
I have it on good authority he will play tonight.
I have it on gut feeling that I agree.
Just remember that last year early in the season he was leaving a lot of his shots short. It may happen again until the rest wears off.
If you remember, Barnhizer suffered a hand injury in December and it affected his shooting for awhile, I was at the Depaul game where he missed numerous open shots, but as the hand healed so did his shooting,
Lacks the normal in depth analysis I have come to expect out of “scouting the opponent” savant such as your self.
If you subscribe to Hungry Hoops Weekly you can get all the depth you need.
MSU shoot a LOT of 3's (29/game, 47th in the nation) but not particularly well (31%, 250th). If they get hot in any given game they can be dangerous.
NU has averaged 18/game and 35%.
NU has averaged 18/game and 35%.
I think @CoralSpringsCat posted it on the premium basketball board.
Oddly, they have 10 guys averaging at least 13 minutes a game, and nobody averaging over 25 minutes. Their leading scorer, Brandon Walker, is averaging 13.5 points in 17.8 minutes. He has the #2 usage rate in the nation per KenPom.
They had a big lead over Grambling in the 2nd half of a First Four game in Dayton back in March, then lost in OT.
A preview of tonight's opponent:
Starters
G - 6'6" Jabe Mullins. A two-time transfer, first from St. Mary's and then Washington St., two years at each place. Has really only had one season when he was a contributor throughout the whole season, his first year at Wazzu. Has shown flashes of 3-point skill in the past, and seems to primarily shoot from distance so far this season, but also fills up the stat sheet all around. Has struggled with turnovers so far, so hopefully we can pressure him into some mistakes tonight.
F - 6'8" Tyler Patterson. His 5th year at Montana St, and has been a starter every year. Also primarily a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter, last year shot 37.8% from distance while taking the most 3s of anyone on the team. Doesn't turn the ball over, doesn't pass it to anyone either - if he gets it, it's likely going up.
F - 6'7" Patrick McMahon. His 4th year at Montana St., looks like he has suffered season-ending injuries the past two seasons after just 13 and 2 games, respectively, and didn't play much his first year. Will try to create his own shot, either at the rim or midrange, not really a three point threat, though he made 1 against Wisconsin. One of their better rebounders, and is another guy who generally doesn't give up the ball when he receives it. His biggest issue is fouling too much, limiting his minutes.
F - 6'9" Max Agbonkpolo. In his 6th season of college basketball at his 4th school. A former 4-star top-100 recruit that has never lived up to his potential. Spent 3 years at USC, mostly as a reserve, before transferring to Wyoming, having a terrible season, then transferring to Utah St., where it looks like he took a medical redshirt after 10 games, and now to Montana St. He takes a lot of shots despite not being a great shooter, is a decent defensive rebounder and shot blocker, but also fouls too much. Takes over half his shots from 3 despite a career percentage of 26.5%.
C - 6'7" 265lb Brandon Walker. His 2nd year at Montana St. after transferring from UT Arlington. When this guy is on the court, the Bobcats get him the ball as much as possible. He takes the 9th-most shots of any player in the country as a percentage of time on the court. Last year he was 7th in the country. He draws a ton of fouls using his bulk, though he's not a great FT shooter. He's their best rebounder as well. Wisconsin held him to just 9 points and 3 boards with 3 turnovers.
Bench
G - 6'4" Bryce Zephir. The only true PG on the team, he splits time at the position evenly with Mullins. Spent one season at North Texas before going the JUCO route the last two seasons. Appears to have quick hands on defense, but also gets in foul trouble due to his aggression, and has been turnover-prone so far. Looks to be a good shooter on very small sample size.
F - 6'6" Brian Goracke. Former JUCO who's in his 2nd season at Montana St. Was a starter last year but has seen reduced minutes so far this season and his role has been more of a primary outside shooter, vs last year he was more balanced. Very good 3-point and FT shooter and decent rebounder.
F - 6'7" Sam Lecholat. 4th year at Montana St. Had developed into a solid reserve in their rotation, but seeing a reduced role so far this season due to foul trouble. Seems to be a solid offensive rebounder and blocked a good number of shots last year while in the game. Has a passable distance game and was very efficient inside the arc as well.
F - 6'5" Chika Nduka. 2nd year at Montana St. after two years at Portland. Was in the rotation more as a reserve last season until fell out of favor/got injured later in the year. Is not a 3-point threat at all. Doesn't appear to really do anything well.
G - 6'2" Jed Miller. 3rd year at Montana St. Lightly used reserve the last two seasons, didn't do much against the Badgers.
Starters
G - 6'6" Jabe Mullins. A two-time transfer, first from St. Mary's and then Washington St., two years at each place. Has really only had one season when he was a contributor throughout the whole season, his first year at Wazzu. Has shown flashes of 3-point skill in the past, and seems to primarily shoot from distance so far this season, but also fills up the stat sheet all around. Has struggled with turnovers so far, so hopefully we can pressure him into some mistakes tonight.
F - 6'8" Tyler Patterson. His 5th year at Montana St, and has been a starter every year. Also primarily a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter, last year shot 37.8% from distance while taking the most 3s of anyone on the team. Doesn't turn the ball over, doesn't pass it to anyone either - if he gets it, it's likely going up.
F - 6'7" Patrick McMahon. His 4th year at Montana St., looks like he has suffered season-ending injuries the past two seasons after just 13 and 2 games, respectively, and didn't play much his first year. Will try to create his own shot, either at the rim or midrange, not really a three point threat, though he made 1 against Wisconsin. One of their better rebounders, and is another guy who generally doesn't give up the ball when he receives it. His biggest issue is fouling too much, limiting his minutes.
F - 6'9" Max Agbonkpolo. In his 6th season of college basketball at his 4th school. A former 4-star top-100 recruit that has never lived up to his potential. Spent 3 years at USC, mostly as a reserve, before transferring to Wyoming, having a terrible season, then transferring to Utah St., where it looks like he took a medical redshirt after 10 games, and now to Montana St. He takes a lot of shots despite not being a great shooter, is a decent defensive rebounder and shot blocker, but also fouls too much. Takes over half his shots from 3 despite a career percentage of 26.5%.
C - 6'7" 265lb Brandon Walker. His 2nd year at Montana St. after transferring from UT Arlington. When this guy is on the court, the Bobcats get him the ball as much as possible. He takes the 9th-most shots of any player in the country as a percentage of time on the court. Last year he was 7th in the country. He draws a ton of fouls using his bulk, though he's not a great FT shooter. He's their best rebounder as well. Wisconsin held him to just 9 points and 3 boards with 3 turnovers.
Bench
G - 6'4" Bryce Zephir. The only true PG on the team, he splits time at the position evenly with Mullins. Spent one season at North Texas before going the JUCO route the last two seasons. Appears to have quick hands on defense, but also gets in foul trouble due to his aggression, and has been turnover-prone so far. Looks to be a good shooter on very small sample size.
F - 6'6" Brian Goracke. Former JUCO who's in his 2nd season at Montana St. Was a starter last year but has seen reduced minutes so far this season and his role has been more of a primary outside shooter, vs last year he was more balanced. Very good 3-point and FT shooter and decent rebounder.
F - 6'7" Sam Lecholat. 4th year at Montana St. Had developed into a solid reserve in their rotation, but seeing a reduced role so far this season due to foul trouble. Seems to be a solid offensive rebounder and blocked a good number of shots last year while in the game. Has a passable distance game and was very efficient inside the arc as well.
F - 6'5" Chika Nduka. 2nd year at Montana St. after two years at Portland. Was in the rotation more as a reserve last season until fell out of favor/got injured later in the year. Is not a 3-point threat at all. Doesn't appear to really do anything well.
G - 6'2" Jed Miller. 3rd year at Montana St. Lightly used reserve the last two seasons, didn't do much against the Badgers.
Also, they seem to play a very aggressive defense, predicated on limiting 3 point attempts and trying to force turnovers. As a result, they also foul a ton. On offense, they like to chuck up a lot of 3s, which worked well for them last year when they were #32 nationally in 3-point percentage, but less well this year when they are #209. They are also dead last in the country at FT defense, with opponents making 91% on the season (yes, I know this is not really controllable, just a funny aside).
I tried to watch some of their game against Wichita State and they looked really bad. WSU kept taking them to the hole for easy layups, while at the other end, Montana State kept chucking up threes whether they're open or not, but
Still, a team that shoots a lot of threes will sometimes MAKE a lot of threes. Just not tonight please.
Still, a team that shoots a lot of threes will sometimes MAKE a lot of threes. Just not tonight please.
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