CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird men's basketball team will play their final two regular season games of the 2017-18 campaign this weekend, as they'll travel to Eastern Washington and Idaho for a pair of contests before heading to Reno for the Big Sky Tournament.
Last Time Out
The Thunderbirds moved to 11-16 overall and 5-11 in the Big Sky this weekend as they knocked off the Sacramento State Hornets inside the America First Event Center 77-74.
Brandon Better led the Thunderbirds in scoring on Saturday, dropping in 20 points and finishing 7-of-8 from the freethrow line. He also pulled in five rebounds.
Dwayne Morgan and Jamal Aytes both finished with 13 points, and Christian Musoko finished with 10 points.
Musoko didn't play on Thursday against Portland State due to injury, but returned on Saturday and had a major impact.
Record Book Watch
With at least three games to play, with the potential for more, Thunderbird senior James McGee has amassed 1,264 career points. He is just 10 points away from becoming the fifth all-time leading scorer in school history, and 12 points away from claiming the fourth spot all-time.
1,275 - Skip Mead (1968-1970)
1,273 - Jackson Stevenett (2010-2013)
1,264 - James McGee (Active)
Opponent Preview: Eastern Washington Eagles (16-13, 11-5 Big Sky)
The Eagles of Eastern Washington have gotten hot at the right time, and will be riding a four game winning streak when the Thunderbirds make their way to Cheney on Thursday evening.
Dating back to February 15, the Eagles have beaten Montana, Montana State, Weber State and Idaho State. Montana and Weber State currently sit on top of the Big Sky Conference standings.
The back-to-back Big Sky Player of the Week Bogdan Bliznyuk bypassed the 2,000-point mark last weekend, and currently sits No. 5 on the All-Time Big Sky scoring list. Bliznyuk is currently averaging 205 ppg, and also leads the team in rebounding with an average of 6.8 rpg, assists with 113 and blocks with 25.
Last Time vs Eastern Washington
When the Eagles and Thunderbirds squared off in Cedar City, the Thunderbirds claimed a 66-62 victory.
In a relatively low scoring contest, Better led the Thunderbirds in scoring with 13 points. Jamal Aytes was second for the T-Birds, putting 11 points on the board. Jadon Cohee (9), McGee (8) and Morgan (8) all had a big offensive impact for the Thunderbirds as well.
Bliznyuk led the Eagles with 18 points, despite fouling out in just 27 minutes of play.
Opponent Preview: Idaho Vandals (20-8, 12-4 Big Sky)
Heading into their matchup with Idaho State last weekend the Idaho Vandals were riding a six game winning streak in the Big Sky, but they weren't able to get past the Bengals as ISU topped Idaho 86-83.
However, the Vandals were able to bounce back strong two games later when they knocked off Weber State 68-62.
The Vandals will host the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona before Southern Utah travels to Moscow.
Victor Sanders is leading the Vandals in scoring this season, averaging 18.9 ppg. Brayon Blake is also having a big offensive season for Idaho, averaging 16.2 ppg.
Last Time vs Idaho
In a tight contest, the Vandals topped the Thunderbirds in Cedar City when they matched up earlier this year 80-76.
McGee was the leading scorer for the Thunderbirds in the contest, finishing 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from the three point line. He also was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. In total, McGee finished with 17 points. Better and Aytes both finished with 12 points in the contest.
For the Vandals, Blake led the charge in Cedar City with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Big Sky At A Glance
As the Big Sky enters the final weekend of the regular season, there is still a lot to be decided as far as seeding the tournament is concerned.
Three teams can still claim the overall No. 1 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, with Montana, Weber State and Idaho all in the hunt for the spot. Those three teams, along with Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado can claim the No. 2 seed in Reno.
Montana and Weber are the only two teams that have already clinched a first round bye in the conference tournament.
Southern Utah can be seeded anywhere from 8-10 in Reno.
Words From Coach Simon
On what impressed him about the team last weekend...
"We played hard and we played together," SUU head coach Todd Simon said. "We figured out a way to close down the line, and I think that showed some growth and maturity."
On how to guard Bliznyuk...
"When he gets down hill we've got to have the ability to man up and take charge," he said. "He's so physical, he's kind of a bulldozer in there, so we've got to get in a legal guarding position and we've got to take it through our chest and make him finish over us."
On what they can do this time around against Idaho...
"We can't waste any possessions offensively," he said. "We took a lot of one pass, one shot possessions so we've got to share that thing and clean up all of our mistakes from that first time."
On how much the staff pays attention to tournament scenarios this time of year...
"We try to stay focused on what's right in front of us, but without question you take a peek at it," he said. "It's fun to see the different scenarios, but we're just prepping to get ready for that tournament and we'll do the best we can."
Tip Time
Thursday's game in Cheney will tip off at 7:05 p.m. MT and Saturday's game with Idaho is set to start at 8 p.m. MT.
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Both games can be streamed on the PlutoTV App or WatchBigSky.com.
A link to live stats will be available on www.suutbirds.com prior to tip off.
All games will be broadcast over the airwaves locally on KSUB 590 AM with legendary Thunderbird athletics broadcaster Art Challis on the call.
Follow Us
Follow the Thunderbirds all season @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.
Read all about the Thunderbirds on www.suutbirds.com.
Road To Reno
Tickets for the Big Sky Men's and Women's Basketball Championships can be purchased at
www.RoadtoReno.com.
