CEDAR CITY, Utah -- With just three games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Thunderbird men's basketball team (14-12, 9-8 Big Sky) will head out on their final road trip of the season to take on the Montana Grizzlies (Saturday, March 2) and the Montana State Bobcats (Monday, March 4).
Last Time Out
After dropping two contests on the road, the T-Birds swept their last homestand over Eastern Washington (76-62) and Idaho (85-76).
Dre Marin was the catalyst for the T-Birds against the Eagles, finishing with a career-high 20 points and seven rebounds.
Against the Vandals, freshman Harrison Butler furthered his case for Big Sky Freshman of the Year with a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Opponent Preview: Montana (20-7, 13-3 Big Sky)
The Montana Grizzlies had a 10-game winning streak snapped in their last contest against the Northern Colorado Bears, as they fell at home to the current No. 2 seeded team in the Big Sky 74-72.
The Grizzlies have four players averaging double-digit points, with Ahmaad Rorie (15.5), Jamar Akoh (15.5), Sayeed Pridgett (14.2) and Michael Oguine (12.9) all hitting that bench mark.
The Grizzlies lead the Big Sky in scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and rebounding defense.
Last Time vs. The Grizzlies
Montana topped Southern Utah when the two teams met in Cedar City, 89-76 on New Years Eve.
Brandon Better led SUU's scoring effort against the Grizzlies, finishing the game with 23 points and shooting 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Cameron Oluyitan finished with 13 points, while both Butler and Marin had 12.
Akoh and Rorie both finished with 23 for Montana.
Opponent Preview: Montana State (12-14, 9-7 Big Sky)
The Bobcats of Montana State were riding a four-game winning streak before a sting against the Weber State Wildcats and Montana Grizzlies which both resulted in losses for MSU.
Tyler Hall and Harald Frey continue to carry the scoring load for the Bobcats. Hall is averaging 20 points per game, and Frey averages just over 16 ppg.
Last Time vs. The Bobcats
When the Bobcats paid a visit to the T-Birds the contest went in MSU's favor 92-62.
Jacob Calloway led SUU's efforts against the Bobcats, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds. Oluyitan finished with 14 points and eight rebounds as well.
Hall led MSU that night with 18 points.
Big Sky At A Glance
Before play begins on Thursday, the Montana Grizzlies sit on top of the Big Sky with a 13-3 league record. They have also clinched a first round BYE in the conference championship tournament.
Northern Colorado (12-4) and Weber State (10-6) sit in second and third respectively heading into the final weeks of competition.
The MSU Bobcats (9-7), EWU Eagles (9-7) and Thunderbirds (9-8) are all in a fight for the final two first round BYEs, along with Portland State (8-8).
Words From The T-Birds
Todd Simon on the upcoming road trip...
"Everybody's a different team when you don't play them for this long of a stretch," he said. "I do know our guys will be hungry to show, especially in that Montana State game, that we were not ourselves at that point in time. And Montana being the favorite to win the league will be a strong barometer of where we are."
Cameron Oluyitan on the rematches…
"We're a completely different team from then, we've got to rest up and know if we do what we do it will take care of itself," he said.
Harrison Butler on what he learned against these teams in January...
"They work harder than the other teams do, they run their stuff more crisp than the other teams do," he said.
Where To Watch / Listen / Follow Along
Tip off is set for 7 p.m. MT on Saturday against Montana and also 7 p.m. MT against Montana State.
Live streams for all of Southern Utah's home contests and Big Sky Conference matchups will be available on the PlutoTV App and WatchBigSky.com.
A link to livestats will be available at 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.
Tickets
Individual game tickets for the 2018-19 Season are available at www.tbirdtickets.com or at the America First Event Center Ticket Office.
