With consistent, influential home crowds and a confidence unmatched, the Montana State women’s basketball team was almost unbeatable at home this season.
The Big Sky Conference regular-season champions posted a 13-1 at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Montana State averaged 1,468 fans per game, an average that ranked third in the league. The crowd’s enthusiasm played significant roles in overtime wins over Northern Arizona and Idaho State as well as a rivalry win over the Lady Griz of Montana.
[restrict paid=”true”]For the 33 previous seasons, the Big Sky added women’s basketball in 1983, the winner of the league title earned the right to host the post-season tournament. Montana State would certainly enter this week’s Big Sky Tournament as the favorite if it were in Bozeman.
But in April, the conference voted to move the men’s and women’s tournaments to a neutral site: Reno, Nevada. The league also elected to ensure all 12 teams on both sides qualify for the postseason. The decision has garnered mixed reviews, with coaches praising the flexibility to develop young players while fans and media worrying if anyone will show up at the games.
Tricia Binford is in the midst of the best season in her 11 at the helm. Her veteran squad earned the first outright regular-season Big Sky title in Montana State history. Yet the Bobcats will not host its first tournament since 1993 and its second ever because of April’s decision.
“We try not to think along those lines because every coach was supportive of moving it to a neutral site to be a great experience for everybody,” said Binford, a former All-Big Sky point guard at Boise State who is 171-157 during her career at MSU. “We are excited about a . It would be great to have our community behind us right here in Bozeman but we are going to have a lot of community behind us there.”
Montana State sewed up the Big Sky title by backing into the tournament during a wild final weekend. Montana State lost at Northern Colorado and North Dakota. But Eastern Washington lost at Idaho State and Weber State. Idaho won at Weber State but lost at Idaho State, meaning EWU and UI finished 13-5 in league play, a game behind the 14-4 Bobcats.
“With the change, it is kind of a real bummer because we would have a chance to host it but Reno will be so much fun,” MSU senior center Jasmine Hommes last week. “We’ve already looked at the venue and it’s big. With that neutral court, games are going to be tough to play and people won’t have that home court advantage.”
“We want to win every game and we want to win the championship,” added MSU senior point guard Lindsay Stockton. “It doesn’t matter where the tournament is.”
Over the past three-plus decades, the Lady Griz have benefited from hosting the tournament more than any other team. UM has hosted the Big Sky Tournament on 22 different occasions, advancing to the NCAA Tournament 20 times. Montana is 20-2 in championship games in Missoula, the only losses in 1987 to Eastern Washington and 2007 to Northern Arizona. UM has advanced to six other Big Sky Tournament championships, winning just once.
Last season, the Lady Griz rode the momentum of its home crowd for all three of its tournament wins. Montana escaped a first-round upset bid by Idaho State with a two-point victory. UM rallied for a win over Eastern Washington before overcoming a 19-point deficit to point a 60-49 win in front of a sellout crowd over Northern Colorado.
For at least the next three years, neither the Lady Griz nor any other Big Sky squad will benefit from such a home court advantage. Montana opens the tournament on Monday as the No. 5 seed in the second game of the tournament against No. 12 Northern Arizona at 2:35 p.m.
“On a neutral court, I don’t think it makes very much difference where you are in this thing,” Montana 38th-year head coach Robin Selvig following UM’s 70-66 loss at MSU earlier this season. “A last-place team (Portland State) beat a first-place team (Eastern Washington) at one point. All those teams on top are on top because they’ve won some close games. The tournament will be a brand new day for not just us but for everybody.”
The new format negates home court advantage and provides postseason experiences for all the league’s teams. Idaho State, Southern Utah, Portland State and NAU will play one more game this season on the women’s side. Northern Colorado, Sacramento State, SUU and NAU, each team among the youngest in the men’s league, will get to experience a win-or-go-home situation instead of staying home.
“I think it’s fantastic for the league,” said Southern Utah head coach Nick Robinson , who’s team takes a 4-14 league, 6-22 overall record and the No. 11 seed into the tournament. “There are schools or individuals that may disagree but this is the way of college basketball. For us to have a city that wants us, for fans, communities, student athletes to understand that new tradition is being started, I think it’s great for the league and for the student-athlete experience.”
Northern Colorado’s roster features no seniors. UNC head coach B.J. Hill expected Cam Michael, a smooth-shooting Air Force transfer, to be his unquestioned leader. But Michael suffered a concussion four games into the season and hasn’t played since, leaving a void in the scoring column and in the locker room.
UNC has experienced losing streaks of four and five games but enter the tournament hot. The Bears knocked down 20-of-22 free throws and shot 55 percent after halftime in scoring 44 points to come back from a seven-point halftime deficit for a 78-72 win over Montana in Missoula. The win denied the Griz a second straight regular-season championship and secured the No. 9 seed for the Bears. UNC plays Portland State on Tuesday at 12:05 p.m.
“I think the Reno thing has given us a better overall brand,” said Hill said, who’s team went 7-11 in league play, 10-20 overall. “Nationwide, it’s better to have it on a neutral site. It gives us more of the eyes of the basketball landscape across the country. You couple that with the young talent in the league and the future of the league is really bright.”
Jack Murphy’s NAU squad lost five key seniors from last year’s semifinal squad. Murphy has started as many as four freshmen at one time during this trying rebuilding year. Murphy’s team posted a 3-15 and take the No. 12 seed into the tournament. But Murphy has been able to experiment as true freshmen like Mike Green, Torry Johnson and Marcus DeBerry have improved. Murphy brought Kris Yanku, a first-team All-Big Sky selection last season as a sophomore, off the bench the final seven games of the regular season.
“It gives the guys a chance to play for something,” Murphy said earlier this season. “We talk all the time about Reno, Reno, Reno. It gives them something to play for, something to look forward to.”
Throughout his second season, Montana State head coach Brian Fish has referenced that this feels like his second first season. The Bobcats returned just five players — seniors Marcus Colbert and Danny Robison, junior Steph Holm and sophomores Zach Green and Quinn Price — from last season’s 7-23 squad. Holm quit the team last week. Price had off-season surgery and missed the season. Freshman guard Mandrell Worthy also had knee surgery and redshirted. Junior center Shy Blake suffered a season-ending knee injury 12 games into the conference season.
The injuries were compiled with the fact that Fish added eight new players in the off-season. Despite having just one true big man — 6-foot-8 sophomore Tyson Kanseyo — the Bobcats have been able to stay competitive. Fish has played a slew of different lineups, prioritizing speed and shooting over bulk and brawn.
With a starting lineup that includes four guards, MSU still ranks fourth in the league in rebounding margin (+2.3). MSU’s 13 offensive rebounds per game top the league.
Because he is guaranteed to go to the tournament, Fish said he has been able to try out certain things and build trust among certain players. Junior point guard Nahjee Matlock and freshman forward Sam Neumann have seen elevated minutes as Fish’s rotation has shrunk to nine players. In Saturday’s 89-82 win over North Dakota, Neumann scored nine points and played 23 minutes of solid defense to help the short-handed Bobcats.
“I brought Sam along at a different pace because I knew at some point we would need that,” Fish said. “
“I knew we were going to play in March and I knew we were two guys short,” Fish said. “I am not sure if they would be playing the minutes they’ve played if we had to get a win. That’s why having a tournament is the right thing to do. It continues to develop your bench. Look at how many young freshmen are playing better between league game No. 1 and No. 18. It will make for an exciting tournament.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.
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