Big Sky RPI: 11-30-09

Into the third week of basketball play and the RPI number are once scrambled teams continuing play. One trend though that is emerging on the men’s side is that both polls really like Montana and Northern Colorado. On the women’s side though it is interesting that the women’s team with the best record in the Big Sky conference Montana State at 4-1 is only managing to land in the middle of the pack while four teams with one or none wins are ranked higher among Big Sky team. The main culprit in that is Montana State strength of schedule which sits at 334 (out of 347), while other schools like Montana, Idaho State and Portland State sit at 88th, 42nd and 81st respectively.

Real Time RPI (Men)

Big Sky
Over all ranking: #17 (up 4 spots)

National ranking – School – (Last Week)
#43 – Montana (182)
#59 – Northern Colorado (93)
#141 – Idaho State (158)
#201 – Weber State (344)
#208 – Eastern Washington (157)
#209 – Montana State (215)
#225 – Sacramento State (233)
#277 – Northern Arizona (301)
#278 – Portland State (276)

The Weeks Calendar: 11-30-09

After a week primarily made up of game on the road all four Montana D-1 programs return home this week to play all of their games on their home court. For the men though things get deadly serious as they start Big Sky play also this week hosting Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. I know it is cache to say it but in the Big Sky you must defend your home court and hope for road break through. As hot as the Griz Men are right now I think this weeks game come at an opportune time. For the Bobcat men, I just do not think this team has gelled yet so it is not as opportune.

This Weeks Calendar

Friday – December 4th

Bobcat Women host Gonzaga
Binford’s crew takes on a Gonzaga team that was rated as a top 40 team in the nation. This should be the toughest test so far the Bobcat women. It will be the opening game of a men’s and women’s double header so hopefully this will encourage a few more of you to get out and check out and support this team.

Bobcat Men host Northern Colorado
In the second game of the double header the Bobcat Men start conference play with the hottest team in the conference the undefeated Northern Colorado Bears. This is going to be a real tough game for the Bobcats, No. Colo. Is not the push over they were a few years back. By the way did I mention the first conference game is in the first week in December?

The week of 11-23-09 in Review

I am going to have to give the week to the Grizzly men’s program that went 1-1, over the Bobcat Women’s program that went 2-0 and won their own tournament. The Grizzly men took on two Pac-10 programs on their home courts and came away with a win at Oregon as well as a pushing #13th ranked Washington until the final seconds before Washington pulled out a 4 point win. While normally I tend to go with wins to judge who had the better week, the two teams the Bobcat Women won against were simply not that good.

Grizzly Men: The Grizzly men got back on the winning side of the column with a great win against Oregon, in Eugene. The Griz took an early lead and kept building on it. Anthony Johnson had an amazing 15 foul shots in that game and he capitalizes on them, but more importantly Oregon had no one who could answer Brian Qvale in the middle. On Sunday the Griz again got lead in the first half and built it up to a double digit lead early in the second half before Washington came back. Qvale was again a monster inside grabbing 14 rebounds and 13 points despite being in foul trouble much of the second half. Montana and Northern Colorado seem to be the two hottest team in the conference right now.

Commitments Page

I have created a new tab called “Commitments” that you will find on top of the page right below the Blog title and right next to the recruiting lists. The “Commitments” link will take you to a new page that features a list of all commitments / signings for all nine 18 Big Sky programs – Men’s as well as Women’s. I am pretty sure the Montana State and Montana are as current. The other schools, I believe, are complete, but I can not guarantee that I am not missing an athlete or two.

For the Montana State Men’s and Women’s programs as well as the Montana Men’s and lady Griz programs I have created individual pages for each Signee/Commit that can be accessed by clicking on that players name on the “Commitments Page”. The individual player pages each will feature a photo(s), player / high school team info, as well as schedule and current stats (as they are available) for the coming season. I am still playing with the format of the individual pages but I hope to also include newspaper articles and/or video as may become available.

Ref’s are not unbias?

I have to give Kevin McCarthy and his blog Parsing the WAC for bring this article to my attention.

The following article on ESPN.com takes a look at a recent study that concluded that basketball referee’s do not always call a game fairly or evenly for both teams in a college game. Now I realize most of us could have told them that with-out investing the money and time it took the study, but while most reasonable basketball fans would totally agree with the findings as a no brainer, it is amazing how many people believe while most home teams get a distinct advantage, but their own team not only does not get the home advantage but actually get hosed at home by the refs.

Griz Fans despite what you think the Griz are one of the biggest beneficiary of a home court advantage when it comes to refs calls in the Big Sky Conference, don’t take my word for it ask a former (non-Griz) player or coach. It has a lot to do with the “Pit design” of the field house.

 

Recruit list updated

With the Basketball early signing period ending about a week and half ago I have put some time into updating all of the recruiting list, as best I know.

In basketball all of the Big Sky teams pages have been updated with both the men’s and women’s letter of intent signees for each school as well as updating other players on each schools list that may have signed with other schools.

On the football side I got a little behind with football prospects but I believe they are all updated now. The one thing I have noticed since the last time I updated is how many more quartback’s seem to be popping up on the list this month. Montana State also seems to add quite a few Offensive line men to their list since the last time I updated the list.

Early signing period: Wrap up (Part 2)

In Part one of my wrap-up I looked at the four Montana program with a little bit of detail. In Part two, I do not intend to go over each program in the same mount of detail but rather more of a list of whom the other Big Sky clubs signed.

Big Sky Conference Recruiting Class (as best as I can tell)

Notes: I am not going to try to rank the Conference recruiting classes because it would be fruitless, but ESPN recently rated Portland State as having the #1 class based on only one recruit 6-9 Brandon Cataldo. They felt he was good enough alone to make an immediate impact on Portland State next year, and name him the #1 class.

Eastern Washington Men’s fall Letter of Intents

Jaylen Henry 6-7 Forward from Cheyenne high school in Nevada
Geoffrey Allen 6-5 Wing from Pacific Hills High School in California
Carter Warnock 6-9 Center from Seton Catholic High School in Arizona

Eastern Washington Women’s fall Letter of Intents

Laura Hughes 6-2 Center from Hanford High School in Washington
Morganne Comstock 6-0 Forward from Kentlake High in Washington
Meaghan Cichoke 5-7 Guard from Tualatin High School in Oregon
Aubrey Ashenfelter 6-0 Guard from Southridge High School in Oregon

Early signing period: Wrap up (Part 1)

I have been waiting for a few last Big Sky schools to announce their final recruits, but it just seems that Weber State and Northern Colorado are in not hurry to announce their Fall letter of intents. I am primarily going to look at the four Montana programs In Part 1, and then have a complete list of all the Big Sky program signees as I believe they now stand in Part 2. I will create a page called commitments in the coming days that I will keep a running and updated list.

Montana State Men’s fall Letter of Intents

Notes: This is by far Brad Huse’s best freshman class and maybe best class period, since he took over the program.

Chris McCall, G, 6-3, Fr, Las Vegas, NV (Cheyenne)
Notes: The prize of the early recruiting period. Has the ability to play all three front court positions and could help feel the immediately fill the voids left by Bynum and Navarre. I am not predicting a starter by any means but a solid contributor. The best guard prospect Huse has signed while at Montana State.

Shawn Reid, F, 6-5, Fr, Post Falls, ID (Post Falls)
Notes: The sleeper of the class, an injury last season and hidden up in the North West, has kept him under the recruiting radar. An athletic, big and skilled wing player who is primed for a great season. Physically a late bloomer the Coaches are hoping they found another Erik Rush.

Casey Trujeque, G, 5-8, Fr, Los Angeles, CA (Price)
Notes: The Kid with a chip on his shoulder. Trujedue was over looked by a lot of larger programs because of his size. Talented small guards have proven that they can excel in the Big Sky. He is a pure point guard, who could contribute early. I talked to a couple sources in California ( granted one with a Bobcat bias) and they both feel he will play significant minutes next year.

Blake Brumwell, F-C, 6-8, Fr, Big Sandy, MT (Big Sandy)
Notes: The Project, of the group he has the raw materials and skills to be a good post in the Big Sky conference but, will need some time to adjust from Montana Class C to the Division 1 level.

Early signing period: Northern Colorado

Neither Northern Colorado nor Weber state have released their official recruiting classes for early signing period at least not that I have been able to find, but I believe this the class that Northern Colorado will sign

Northern Colorado is expected to sign, 6-2 combo guard Tevin Svihovec from Kingswood Texas and 6-0 point guard Paul Garnica San Antonio Texas. Both these guards are very highly regarded and it would depend on who you talked to as to maybe the better pick up. Garnica was recruited by about half of the Big Sky and a whole lot of other team. He might be the Guy with most press. Svihovec is considered to be a little more of a sleeper with a very high up side. If he waited until spring he might have had a few mid-major offers.

Early signing period: Weber State

Neither Northern Colorado nor Weber state have released their official recruiting classes for early signing period at least not that I have been able to find, but I believe this the class that Weber State will sign.

From non-official sources it appears that Weber State has signed high school players center Kyle Tresnak, from Arizona and guard Jordan Richardson, from Tracey California, as well as Junior college guard Scott Bamforth, from Western Nebraska CC.

Bamford should be of instant help next year he is rated as a top 100 JC player in the country this year. I know more about Tresnek because he was one of the more recruited big men in the west by low to mid majors. Richardson though is a pretty highly rated (for a Big Sky level player), I so I suspect he will again be a great pickup for Weber State