Big Sky Conference Notebook
Big Sky teams find out ESPN Bracket Buster opponents
ESPN announced on Monday and Tuesday the field for the fourth annual ESPN Bracket Buster Saturday.
With an event that started four years ago with just a handful of teams, designed to give mid-major teams an opportunity to improve their NCAA tournament resume come Selection Sunday in March, the field is now made up of 100 teams.
Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington, Montana and Montana State were selected at the beginning of the season to represent the Big Sky in the event, which will be held Feb. 18.
Northern Arizona will be the only team in the Big Sky that will play their game on the national stage. The Lumberjacks will play at Western Kentucky of the Sun Belt Conference.
Eastern Washington will play at Cal State Fullerton, Montana will host Oral Roberts and Montana State will host Idaho.
Next season, the teams will flip and play on the other’s home floor.
Around the Conference
Eastern Washington Eagles (8-12 overall, 3-4 conference)
Jan. 26: Montana State 82, Eastern Washington 70
Jan. 28: Montana 78, Eastern Washington 72
Rodney Stuckey scored 18 points and had eight assists as the Eagles fell to the Bobcats, despite leading 39-38 at halftime. Stuckey then scored 36 points in a loss to Montana. Stuckey has scored in double figures in all 20 games of his collegiate career. He leads the conference in scoring at 23.6 points per game.
Up next: The Eagles host Sacramento State on Thursday and Northern Arizona on Saturday.
Idaho State Bengals (9-10, 1-6)
Jan. 25: Idaho State 89, South Dakota State 72
Jan. 28: Weber State 66, Idaho State 61
The Bengals took a quick break from conference play and picked up a much-needed victory over SDSU. Kasey Winters scored a collegiate-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for ISU. The Bengals’ brief two-game win streak came to a halt in Ogden, Utah in a loss to the Wildcats. David Schroeder scored 18 points to lead ISU.
Up next: The Bengals host two tough opponents, Montana State on Thursday and Montana on Saturday.
Montana Grizzlies (16-3, 6-1)
Jan. 26: Montana 98, Portland State 77
Jan. 28: Montana 78, Eastern Washington 72
The Grizzles had all 12 players score in a rout of the Vikings. Kevin Criswell led the way for Montana as he scored 22 points. Andrew Strait added 15 points and eight rebounds. Strait would then add 19 points and nine rebounds in a victory over the Eagles. Criswell added 15 points.
Up next: The Grizzlies hit the road to play at Weber State on Thursday and then Idaho State on Saturday.
Montana State Bobcats (12-9, 5-2)
Jan. 26: Montana State 82, Eastern Washington 70
Jan. 28: Montana State 69, Portland State 68
Derrick Edmonds scored 24 points off the bench to lead the Bobcats past the Eagles. Marvin Moss scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Ja’Ron Jefferson scored 18 points and handed out six assists. Casey Durham hit a pair of free throws with 25 seconds remaining to give the Bobcats a narrow victory over the Vikings. Jefferson scored a game-high 16 points in the contest.
Up next: The Bobcats are at Idaho State on Thursday before heading down to Weber State on Saturday.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (15-6, 7-0)
Jan. 28: Northern Arizona 89, Sacramento State 83
The Lumberjacks made it nine wins in a row after knocking off the Hornets. The nine-game win streak is the longest in the country. Ruben Boykin, Jr. scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds, while Ryan McCurdy also added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. NAU was 34-of-43 from the free throw line.
Up next: The Lumberjacks are on the road this week as they are at Portland State on Thursday and then Eastern Washington on Saturday.
Portland State Vikings (8-12, 1-6)
Jan. 26: Montana 98, Portland State 77
Jan. 28: Montana State 69, Portland State 68
Anthony Washington scored 15 points and Jake Schroeder scored 14 points and had four assists in a loss to the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies scored 21 points off of 17 Vikings turnovers. The Vikings led for all but 49 seconds in a loss to the Bobcats. Schroeder scored 15 points in the loss.
Up next: PSU will host the red-hot Lumberjacks on Thursday and then host Sacramento State on Saturday.
Sacramento State Hornets (13-8, 4-3)
Jan. 28: Northern Arizona 89, Sacramento State 83
The Hornets lost their third straight conference game in a loss to NAU. The Hornets were out-rebounded 42-17 in the contest. Alex Bausley scored a collegiate-high 28 points in the setback. After a 4-0 conference start, the Hornets have lost the last three game by a combined 11 points to the top three teams in the conference.
Up next: The Hornets travel to Eastern Washington on Thursday and then Portland State on Saturday.
Weber State Wildcats (7-13, 1-6)
Jan. 28: Weber State 66, Idaho State 61
The Wildcats halted a seven-game slide in a conference victory over the Bengals. Nedim Pajevic scored a collegiate-high 17 points and had 17 rebounds in the game.
Up next: The Wildcats will host the Montana schools this week. First will be Montana on Thursday, then Montana State on Saturday.
