CEDAR CITY, Utah -- With their non-conference slate now in the rearview mirror, the Thunderbird men's basketball team (7-4) will turn their attention to the Big Sky Conference as they'll play three games in six days to open up league play.
They will first travel to Portland, Oregon, to face off against Portland State (December 30), before returning home to host defending Big Sky Champion Montana (January 2) and Montana State (January 4).
Last Time Out
The Thunderbird men's basketball team wrapped up their 2019-20 non-conference schedule on Thursday evening with a big victory over Long Beach State, 84-63.
The T-Birds got off to a fairly slow start in the first half, and trailed by as many as seven. However, at that point, Maizen Fausett and Harrison Butler hit back-to-back triples to pull SUU back within one.
From that point on, the T-Birds rode their momentum to eventually take the lead and ultimately closed out the opening half on a 10-0 run. That gave them a 36-22 advantage after 20 minutes.
The run became 13-0 into the second half, as Dre Marin opened up the frame with a triple of his own. That gave SUU their largest lead to that point at 17.
To start the second half alone, the T-Birds went on a 20-4 tear to build a massive lead over Long Beach State with a good amount of time still on the clock.
SUU was able to cruise to their seventh non-conference victory from that point on.
Non-Conference Recap
The Thunderbirds found quite a bit of success throughout their non-conference slate, winning the most games the program has experienced since the 2006-07 season at seven victories.
SUU started their season 2-0 with a victory over Bethesda, before turning heads across the NCAA with an upset victory over Nebraska. That was Southern Utah's first road win against a Power Five opponent since they beat Colorado in 1996, along with being SUU's first win against a Big Ten opponent ever. The Thunderbirds also became only the second-ever Big Sky team to win on the road against a Big Ten opponent.
After losing a close contest to BYU and dropping another at UCLA on the road as part of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational Mainland slate, SUU traveled to Johnson City, Tennessee where they topped Charleston Southern before falling to East Tennessee State on their home floor.
After winning at home against West Coast Baptist and a loss on the road to LMU, the T-Birds returned home to knock off in-state foe Utah Valley in front of the biggest recorded student section the program has ever seen.
A week later the T-Birds beat UC Santa Barbara at home, before embarking on their final road trip of the non-conference to take out Long Beach State.
The T-Birds will enter Big Sky play with seven victories, the most they've had since joining the league ahead of the 2012-13 season.
Stat Leaders
Through the non-conference, Cameron Oluyitan has been the team's top scorer averaging 12.8 points per game, with a total of 141. John Knight III is currently second on the team with an average of 9.6 ppg. Currently, the T-Birds have seven players averaging over seven points per game, with five averaging over eight per contest.
Harrison Butler is the team's top rebounder, pulling down an average of 8.0 rebounds per game. He also averages 2.2 offensive rebounds per contest. Oluytian is the team's second-leading rebounder with an average of 5.3 per contest.
Oluyitan is also the team leader in assists with an average of 2.3 and a total of 25. Knight III isn't far behind with a 2.3 average as well, but 23 total. He also leads the squad in steals with 19 total and 1.7 per game.
Daouda (David) N'Diaye leads the team with an average of 1.3 blocks per game, while both him and Dwayne Morgan have eight total.
Opponent Preview: Portland State Vikings (6-6, 0-0 Big Sky)
Finishing the non-conference with a .500 record, the Vikings of Portland State will open Big Sky play with a contest against Northern Colorado before hosting the T-Birds.
In the non-conference the Vikings picked up big victories over San Jose State, CSUN and LMU.
PSU is led in scoring by junior guard Holland Woods, who is currently averaging 17.5 ppg. Woods is a former high school teammate of T-Bird Dre Marin.
Matt Hauser is the team's second leading scorer, averaging 16.1 ppg this year so far.
Barret Peery is in his third season as the head coach of Portland State, and led the Vikings to 20 victories last season. Peery is a former T-Bird himself, playing for the T-Birds from 1993-95 and serving as an assistant coach from 1998-02.
Opponent Preview: Montana Grizzlies (4-7, 0-0)
As the reigning champions of the Big Sky Conference, the Grizzlies of Montana won four games over their non-conference slate, winning just one of their final four games leading into Big Sky play.
The Griz have made two-straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, falling in the opening round to Michigan both seasons.
The 2019-20 edition of the Grizzlies are led in scoring by Sayeed Pridgett, who is currently averaging 19.4 ppg. He also leads the team in assists (35) and steals (24).
Travis DeCuire has five years as the head coach of the Grizzlies under his belt, and has made the postseason in some capacity in four of those years, with two NCAA Tournament trips, and visits to both the NIT and CBI.
Opponent Preview: Montana State Bobcats (6-5, 0-0 Big Sky)
The Bobcats of Montana State will head to Cedar City following home games against Sacramento State and Northern Arizona, and a quick trip to Greeley, Colorado to take on the Bears of UNC.
Harald Frey steers the ship for the Bobcats, averaging 17.5 points per game to lead the team. He also leads the team in assists by a wide margin, averaging 5.5 a contest.
Danny Sprinkle is in his first season as head coach of the Bobcats, after being hired last April. He was a former Bobcat player, and was on the coaching staff at Cal State Fullerton before making a homecoming in Bozeman.
State of the Big Sky
The Sacramento State Hornets will enter Big Sky play with the best record in the league, sitting at 7-2 after the non-conference. Northern Arizona is second in terms of percentage at 6-3.
Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado and Southern Utah will all enter league play at 7-4.
Weber State's Jerrick Harding is the league's leading scorer to this point, averaging 20.7 ppg. Montana's Pridgett is second in the Big Sky.
How To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
All Big Sky Conference games will be available to stream on both the PlutoTV App and www.WatchBigSky.com.
A link to live stats, live video and any available radio feeds will be available on www.suutbirds.com prior to tipoff.
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.
Ticket Information
Season Tickets for the 2019-20 season, as well as single game tickets, are available for purchase at the America First Event Center Ticket Office and online at www.tbirdtickets.com.
