UW vs. Montana State
Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 3:10 pm
The Cowboys get back on the floor tomorrow night after a short break over the holiday. I expect them to be focused and looking to get back into the win column coming off a loss on the road. Larry Nance certainly had his best game of the season at OSU. I'm hoping he can take the confidence he gained from that game and turn it into a sustained higher level of play. Not that he was playing poorly prior to the OSU game, but he wasn't a dominating force. Am I alone in thinking Shyatt needs to give Hankerson a shot in the starting line-up over Sobey? To be frank, Sobey has been underwhelming this season. Sure, he has taken the ball to the basket more this season, but he hasn't been able to finish or draw the foul when he does. His biggest strength last season, his outside shooting, has also left something to be desired this season. I think Hankerson brings more to the table for the Cowboys at this point. Anyways, here's a little primer on the Montana State Bobcats.
Player(s) to Watch: Flavien Davis (F, 6'5, 225 lbs, Sr.); Marcus Colbert (G, 5'11, 180 lbs, So.)
Davis joined the Bobcats last season as a junior after playing two seasons at a junior college. He was a pleasant surprise for the Bobcats, earning honorable mention all-conference honors in his first season. His game is best described as a "stretch 4". He can play with his back to the basket, but possesses range all the way out to the 3 point line. He is another player to have struggled this season among high expectations, but he is the most well rounded player on the Bobcats roster. I expect the Bobcats to look for him early in an attempt to get Nance and/or Cooke in foul trouble early. I'd really like to see how Hankerson would fair defensively on him.
Colbert is a player who has taken a major step forward in his sophomore year. As a true freshman last year, he started the majority of games at the PG spot for the Bobcats. While he was a serviceable player last year, he has developed into one of the better players on the Bobcats roster in just one years time. Small and quick, he is very good at drawing help defenders and hitting the open man when they present themselves. That being said, where he is most dangerous is from behind the arc. He's shooting 52% this season from 3 and will not hesitate to pull the trigger if given the slightest look at the basket. This is going to be a tough defensive match-up for Grabau. I will be keeping an eye on this match-up to see how Grabau handles himself.
The Bobcats were picked to finish 5th (media poll)/6th (coaches poll) in the 11 team Big Sky Conference. The key for the Cowboys will be not letting the Bobcats get hot and take an early lead. The Cowboys have the better player at every position and should handle the Bobcats with relative ease. Given the more difficult end to the out-of-conference schedule and increased competition level the Pokes will see in the MWC, they absolutely cannot afford to drop games like this one.
Player(s) to Watch: Flavien Davis (F, 6'5, 225 lbs, Sr.); Marcus Colbert (G, 5'11, 180 lbs, So.)
Davis joined the Bobcats last season as a junior after playing two seasons at a junior college. He was a pleasant surprise for the Bobcats, earning honorable mention all-conference honors in his first season. His game is best described as a "stretch 4". He can play with his back to the basket, but possesses range all the way out to the 3 point line. He is another player to have struggled this season among high expectations, but he is the most well rounded player on the Bobcats roster. I expect the Bobcats to look for him early in an attempt to get Nance and/or Cooke in foul trouble early. I'd really like to see how Hankerson would fair defensively on him.
Colbert is a player who has taken a major step forward in his sophomore year. As a true freshman last year, he started the majority of games at the PG spot for the Bobcats. While he was a serviceable player last year, he has developed into one of the better players on the Bobcats roster in just one years time. Small and quick, he is very good at drawing help defenders and hitting the open man when they present themselves. That being said, where he is most dangerous is from behind the arc. He's shooting 52% this season from 3 and will not hesitate to pull the trigger if given the slightest look at the basket. This is going to be a tough defensive match-up for Grabau. I will be keeping an eye on this match-up to see how Grabau handles himself.
The Bobcats were picked to finish 5th (media poll)/6th (coaches poll) in the 11 team Big Sky Conference. The key for the Cowboys will be not letting the Bobcats get hot and take an early lead. The Cowboys have the better player at every position and should handle the Bobcats with relative ease. Given the more difficult end to the out-of-conference schedule and increased competition level the Pokes will see in the MWC, they absolutely cannot afford to drop games like this one.