The Official Conference Blog

Two for 40

2012-02-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Weber State's Damian Lillard, left, scored 40 points last night, while Montana State's Katie Bussey, right, scored 41.

Imagine the surprise on Damian Lillard's face when he was notified after a 40-point outburst that another player in the Big Sky Conference scored more points Thursday night.

"What?, Who?" Lillard asked.

When he found out Montana State's Katie Bussey scored 41 in a women's game about a 140 miles up I-15 in Pocatello, he thought it was cool.

Bussey tied the Big Sky women's single-game scoring record with 41 points as Montana State handed Idaho State its first conference loss with a 79-67 overtime win over the Bengals.

Lillard fell just one short of his career-high, netting 40 in a 92-79 home win over Portland State.

It marked the first time in Big Sky Conference history that a men's and women's basketball player each scored 40 points on the same night.

Bussey became just the fifth women's player in league history to score 40. She tied the single-game record with Montana's Shannon Cate and Portland State's Kelsey Kahle. Cate netted 41 on Feb. 23, 1991 against Weber State. Kahle scored 41 on Jan. 25, 2007, against Sacramento State. Edneisha Curry of Cal State Northridge scored 40 against Loyola Marymount on Dec. 1, 1998. Montana State's Cass Bauer scored 40 against Idaho on Jan. 14, 1994.

Lillard's 40-point outburst doesn't even rank in the top 30 in Big Sky men's single-game history. The all-time record is 53 set by Idaho State's Willie Humes, who also had two 51-point games, a 49-point game, a 48-point game, a 46-point game, a 45-point game, and two 42-point games. Humes averaged 31.5 points per game over two seasons at Idaho State in an era of no shot clocks and no 3-point shots. Some of Humes' amazing scoring games were played in Reed Gym, the same venue Bussey scored 41 Thursday night.

On Thursday, Lillard finished 13-of-18 from the field and was 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. Lillard connected on his first six 3-point attempts, and finished 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Lillard was two shy of tying the all-time Dee Events Center scoring record of 42 points. That record was set in March of 2010 when Montana's Anthony Johnson thrilled America as he led the Griz back from a 20-point deficit to beat Weber State in the Big Sky Conference Championship on ESPN2.

Bussey made 11-of-23 shots from the floor and was 15-of-18 from the free-throw line. She made 4-of-7 shots from 3-point range. Bussey scored six of her 41 in overtime.

Earlier this season, Lillard scored a career-high 41 points in a two-overtime win over San Jose State. Lillard is the only men's player in America to have two 40-point games this season.

We're not exactly sure how close a men's and women's basketball player have come to scoring 40 points on the same night before, because we can't find all of the box scores from some of the older seasons, nor do we have a complete list of all the 40-point men's games. We were, however, able to verify the 40-40 has never been accomplished before.

On the night Kahle scored 41 points for Portland State, current NBA player Rodney Stuckey scored 31 points for Eastern Washington in a 100-85 win over Sacramento State.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

A Look Back at the 2007 Signing Day Classes

2012-02-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

Conner Kavanaugh, left, and Drew Hubel, right, were both part of Portland State's 2007 recruiting class.

It is the one day where the fax machine is still relevant. Athletic departments across the nation will dust off the old fax machine, make sure there is plenty of paper, and have someone on alert in case of a paper jam.

ESPNU will devote an entire day to live coverage. Not sure if they’ll plant a camera on a fax machine or not.

Many .com sites will proclaim some recruiting classes as the best ever. The same .com sites will trash another institution’s class.

Welcome to National Signing Day 2012, the day when college football recruits across the nation can officially sign a National Letter of Intent.

Many believe it is one of the most over-hyped days of the year. Yes, it’s a chance to get fans and alumni excited for the upcoming season. But, statistics show roughly half of the players who sign on Wednesday won’t pan out. Some will never attend school, some will leave a couple of years from now. Only a handful will remain and become key players.

So, it’s time to take our annual look back at recruiting classes from five years ago. These are the players who were able to redshirt and play for four years.

Eastern Washington, the 2010 Division I National Champion, listed 18 high school athletes in its 2007 signing-day class. Turns out, it was a pretty good class. Taiwan Jones, who left school early and is now with the Oakland Raiders, was part of that class, as was All-American safety Matt Johnson and his twin brother Zach Johnson. Unfortunately, both had their careers cut short due to injury.

All-American defensive tackle Renard Williams, also signed in that class, along with All-American center Chris Powers. Powers, however, was listed as a defensive lineman when he signed. Wide receiver Tyler Hart and defensive back Joshua McOmber were also solid players from that class.

Idaho State inked 15 prep players in 2007. By our count, just four were on the roster at the start of the 2011 season. J.T. Albers, who amassed 85 tackles this past season, was the best of the bunch. The class included quarterback Mike Davenport and Evan Mozzochi, who appeared in four games in 2009. Davenport went on an LDS Mission, and we’re not sure if he ended up playing at all at another school.

Montana advanced to the FCS semifinals, won 11 games and a share of the Big Sky championship in 2011. The Grizzlies had nine senior starters on defense. You’d think the 2007 recruiting class, then, was phenomenal. Not the case at all. Montana signed just six high school players. Defensive end Ryan Fetherston was the only player who started on this year’s defense. In fact, he was the only one of the six who was a major impact player at his recruited position. Cornerback DeAngelo Starr was supposed to be the marquee signee. He never played for Montana.

Montana State enjoyed a very solid 2007 recruiting class. This class signed just months before Mike Kramer was let go at Montana State’s coach. It’s a credit to current coach Rob Ash that these players stuck around and became stars. Often times when there is a coaching change, there is a plethora of roster changes. MSU’s class included linebacker Clay Bignell, offensive linemen Conrad Burbank and Alex Terrien, tight end Shane Robison and linebacker Casey Dennehy. It also included defensive tackle Dan Ogden and safety Jordan Craney, who both finished play in 2010.

Northern Arizona signed 21 prep players in 2007. Among those was stalwart defensive end Isaac Bond, offensive tackle Alex Mott and guard Kris Poindexter, who exhausted his eligibility in 2010. Tight end Brian Riley and fullback Vinnie Paciulli also were part of the class. Paciulli was signed as a nose tackle. Unfortunately, the class also included a number of players who never materialized.

Northern Colorado had just completed its first season of play in the Big Sky when Scott Downing signed the 2007 recruiting class. The class consisted of 16 Colorado high school football players. Defensive lineman Amal Gumbs, safety Max Hewitt, defensive back Chuks Nweke Jr., quarterback Dylan Orms and offensive lineman Alex Shapiro ended up being the top players.

Then-Portland State coach Jerry Glanville signed 14 prep players in 2007. This class was interesting in the fact that it produced two players who ended up being very good quarterbacks. Drew Hubel, who shined in the run-and-shoot offense throwing for 623 yards in one game, and nine touchdown passes in another. The class also included Connor Kavanaugh, who took over when Nigel Burton brought in the pistol offense. Kavanaugh rushed for more yards than any QB in Big Sky history. The class also included DeShawn Shead, a four-year starter in the defensive backfield.
Sacramento State inked nine players in 2007. Of the nine just two became star players, but they were big stars. All-American and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Zack Nash inked that day, as did running back Bryan Hilliard. Nash finished his career with 29.5 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss. Hilliard rushed for 3,451 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Weber State inked 20 prep players in 2007. The gem ended up being four-year starter J.C. Oram, who anchored the Wildcats’ offensive line garnering numerous All-America and All-Conference honors during his career. The class also included the likes of Tim Farabee, tight end Brian Jankowski, Caleb Turner and Taylor Sedillo. Sedillo was signed as a running back. He finished his career in 2010 as a linebacker.

So, good luck to your schools today – and that includes our new schools Cal Poly, UC Davis, North Dakota and Southern Utah. The FCS season hasn’t even been over for a month, and yet fall camps will open in about six months.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Bengals Riding Perfect Wave

2012-01-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

With Idaho State sporting a 6-0 conference record it made me think of when the last time a team went undefeated in Big Sky women's basketball conference play. So I pulled out the record book to take a look back and saw that Montana finished undefeated in 2003-04.

As a matter of fact, I kept looking and found out UM has had five undefeated seasons dating back to 1988-89. The only other team that has had an undefeated conference record was Idaho State. ISU went 16-0 in 2000-01. That year, not only did the Bengals win the regular season, they are won the conference title and went on to compete at their first NCAA Tournament.

Now, ISU does have its work cut out for them this season. This is a tough league. But the Bengals do have one thing working for them this season and that is their team chemistry. I say that because they returned all five of their starters from last season.

Because the league is so balanced, winning all 16 games seems like a tall task. So, what is the history of one-loss teams in the league? Well that has happened six times. The last time a team lost one conference game was 2008-09 when Montana went 15-1. UM has had five years where they only lost one game. The only other team to join UM in the one-conference game loss was Montana State, which went 13-1 in 1992-93.

ISU will have its work cut out for them tonight (Thursday, Jan. 26) as they travel to Greeley, Colo., to take on Co-Big Sky Conference regular-season champion Northern Colorado. NC is 8-2 overall at home this season with its only two home losses coming to Denver and last weekend to Montana State.

The Bengals did beat the Bears earlier this month in Pocatello, Idaho, by a score of 57-52. The Bengals do have one thing going for them against NC, and that is history. Idaho State is 5-1 against Northern Colorado in Greeley and 12-1 overall against NC. ISU will then move on to play rival Weber State on Saturday in Ogden, Utah.

After this weekend though, ISU will have played every team in the Big Sky except Eastern Washington. The Bengals will not see the Eagles until the last two games of the conference season. And after this weekend, ISU will have five games at home where it is 7-1 this season, and play only three games on the road. The Bengals' road games are against Portland State, Sacramento State and EWU.

Do you think ISU will be able to go undefeated in conference play?

Megan Lobdell - Big Sky Conference

Answers to TV Questions

2012-01-18T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Big Sky's announcement regarding its new TV contract with DirecTV/ROOT SPORTS has generated a lot of buzz across the West. While most of it has been very positive, there have been some concerns. With change, comes questions.

Hopefully, we'll be able to answer some of the questions.

Q: What is the future of Big Sky TV?
A: Big Sky TV will continue. In fact, with the addition of Southern Utah, North Dakota, and Cal Poly and UC Davis for football, we'll bring you more games than ever in 2012-13. The games that ROOT SPORTS chooses to televise, however, will not be part of the Big Sky TV package. ROOT SPORTS may opt to video stream those games, or may not. We are also working with America One, our Big Sky TV provider, on mobile applications starting in 2012. Most conferences and universities charge to view games on the Internet. The Big Sky package has been FREE for the past four seasons, and will likely continue to be free.

Q: Is ROOT SPORTS a new network?
A: No. The network rebranded itself as ROOT SPORTS on April 1, 2011. Previously, the networks were under the Fox Sports banner. You might remember Fox Rocky Mountain and Fox Northwest. Those networks are now ROOT SPORTS . If you watched the Colorado Rockies or Seattle Mariners on cable this past summer, it was likely on ROOT SPORTS. ROOT SPORTS also has a network out of Pittsburgh that shows the Pirates and NHL Penguins.

Q: Can I see these Big Sky games only on DirecTV?
A: No. ROOT SPORTSSports is owned by DirecTV, but ROOT SPORTS Northwest and Rocky Mountain are available through many cable providers in the Big Sky footprint. If you are in Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington or parts of other Western states (South Dakota,Nevada, New Mexico, Kansas) then you most likely already get ROOT SPORTS through your provider. ROOT SPORTS is available nationally on Dish and DirecTV. If you are outside of their regional footprint, you'll need to order sports packages to get ROOT SPORTS. On Dish Network, it's called the Multi-Sports Pack. On DirecTV it's the Sports Pack. Those packages can be ordered month-to-month. I've had both DirecTV and Dish Network in my homes, and have ordered the sports packages to watch out-of-market games.
If you'd like to see if your cable provider offers ROOT SPORTS , I encourage you to visit ROOT SPORTS Web Site for information.
For ROOT SPORTS Northwest Channel Listings, click here
For ROOT SPORTS Rocky Mountain Channel Listings, click here
ROOT SPORTS Northwest is channel 687 on DirecTV, and 426 on Dish Network
ROOT SPORTS Rocky Mountain is channel 683 on DirecTV, and 414 on Dish Network

Q: How many games will ROOT SPORTS televise, and what will the production quality be?
A: ROOT SPORTS can televise up to 18 football and up to 12 men's basketball games. All games will be High Definition. DirecTV/ROOTSPORTS is investing in the Big Sky and plans to make our games marquee events. They provided this highlight video for us as a sample.

Q: Will ROOT SPORTS require our favorite teams to play on weekdays, or at strange times?
A: ROOT has indicated to us that they will not move games to nights such as Tuesday or Wednesday, as some conferences have done to accommodate national coverage. ROOT plans on making our primary slot 1:30 p.m. Mountain on Saturday, with the potential for a doubleheader some weeks. If a game were to be played on a Thursday, it would have to be by mutual agreement of the two schools involved. We know that many of our schools don't want to play on Thursday because of the large fan bases that travel on the weekend to attend games.

Q: How much will the new contract affect the television coverage that Big Sky fans are used to?
A: Our contract with ROOT SPORTS will enhance our television exposure, but the network can't televise all of the games. Once ROOT SPORTS has selected its games in mid-March, the remaining games will go on the secondary market. Television partners such as Montana's News Stations, Max Media, NAU-TV, and SWX have indicated they are willing to bid on games not selected by ROOT SPORTS. We fully anticipate that all Montana and Montana State conference games will be televised, as they have in the past. We also anticipate many of those games will remain on free over-the-air TV. With Southern Utah, North Dakota, Cal Poly and UC Davis joining for football in 2012, we also anticipate working with new TV partners in those areas.

Q: What about fans who don't have cable, and are used to watching games for free on over-the-air networks like Montana's News Stations and Max Media?

A: As we wrote before, our TV partners such as Montana's News Stations and Max Media have expressed an interest in continuing to televise Big Sky games. We anticipate many games to remain on free over-the-air TV. Unfortunately, some games will not be available on those networks. A goal our conference has is to provide greater exposure to all of our teams. This contract was written with the best interest of all of our programs. There will be percentage of viewers who will miss out on games. However, we are adding millions of potential viewers. My friends in Oregon and Colorado are very excited to have the opportunity to view Big Sky games on HD TV through ROOT SPORTS.

Q: Our Big Sky team isn't in the ROOT SPORTS footprint. What will this contract do for our schools?
A: ROOT SPORTS has a wide array of relationships with regional sports channels and cable providers across the country, so it's possible Big Sky games could end up distribution on other regional sports channels in your area.

Q: Will Football Championship Subdivision Playoff games be on ROOT SPORTS?
A: No. ESPN owns the rights to the NCAA Division I Football Championship, so those games belong to ESPN. In the past ESPN chose to syndicate certain games to other networks, but did not this past season.

Q: How does the ROOT SPORTS contract impact the Big Sky schools financially?
A: Certainly our schools will see a financial gain because of the ROOT contract, but it's not the type of money schools in the Pac-12, SEC or Big 12 get from their television contracts. This deal benefits all of our schools, and all of our institutions will see more money than what they currently receive in TV money. The Big Sky is unique among FCS conferences in that we make money through television. Many FCS conferences pay to have their games on TV. For us, the exposure this contract provides is vital. Our coaches and Athletics Directors are excited about this venture. It will expose our teams and universities to millions of homes.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Is Portland State Playoff Worthy?

2011-11-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

Portland State's Connor Kavanaugh has Portland State in the discussion for a playoff bid.

Nigel Burton and the Portland State Vikings hope they have a very good reason to rise early on Sunday morning to watch the Division I Football playoff selection show.

Heck, if the Vikings beat Weber State on Saturday at JELD-WEN Field, they might not sleep at all in anticipation of the telecast, which begins at 7 a.m. Pacific time on ESPNU. A win means Portland State will find itself on the bubble for one of the 10 at-large playoff bids.

Regardless, it has already been a tremendous season. In Burton’s second campaign, the Vikings have won seven games following a 2-9 year. If Portland State wins Saturday, the eight-victory season will be just one fewer than the Vikings produced during the three-year reign of Jerry Glanville. Burton deserves heavy consideration for the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the top coach at the FCS level.

A Portland State victory on Saturday would be the squad’s fifth-straight, an amazing feat considering senior All-Conference running back Cory McCaffrey hasn’t played since sustaining an injury on Oct. 15 in a 30-24 loss at Montana.

Usually, a team finishing 6-2 in Big Sky play and 8-3 overall would be a lock for a playoff bid. However, Portland State’s schedule could keep the Vikings out. Portland State has victories over NAIA Southern Oregon and Division III Willamettte. That means Portland State would be 6-3 against Division I teams.

No team with fewer than seven Division I victories has ever received an at-large bid to the playoffs. It’s not a rule, but a guideline for the playoff committee. We know that guideline was challenged last year, the first time the playoff field expanded from 16 to 20 teams. Squads like Montana and James Madison, which didn’t meet the seven-win Division I criteria, were in discussion for at-large bids.

With the expanded playoff field, it’s just a matter of time before a team without seven Division I wins gets the nod, and it could be the time. If the committee’s goal is to find the 10 best at-large teams in the country, then there is certainly no reason Portland State shouldn’t receive an at-large bid.

The Vikings are currently ranked 15th among FCS teams in the Sagarin Computer Rankings, and 21st in this week’s Gridiron Power Index, well ahead of some other teams that enter this weekend on the bubble.

Portland State’s three losses came by two points to top-ranked Montana State, seven points on the road at No. 7 Montana, and on the road at TCU, ranked 18th this week in the Sagarin Ratings and coming off an upset of Boise State.

Montana State and Montana will both be in the playoff field. The winner of their matchup on Saturday gets the Big Sky’s automatic bid to the playoffs. The loser is all but assured of an at-large bid.

It should also be noted that Portland State never intended to play two non-Division I teams. Burton said this week the Vikings were scheduled to play Colorado, but the Buffs had to drop the Vikings after going to the Pac-12 to accommodate their new conference schedule. Burton said the Vikings were very close to scheduling another FCS team, but it didn’t happen, leaving the Vikings virtually no option but to play another non-Division I team.

Let’s take a look at how the Vikings stack up against some of the other bubble teams:

A win by Wofford over Chattanooga on Saturday would make the Terriers 8-3, with seven Division I victories. The Terries have a marquee win over Appalachian State, with losses to Furman, Georgia Southern and FBS Clemson. A win over Chattanooga isn’t a guarantee. The Mocs are 5-5 with one-point losses to Georgia Southern and The Citadel, and a two-point loss to Appalachian State. Wofford plays in the Southern Conference, which has been rated as the strongest FCS conference this season. Wofford could be in even with a loss to Chattanooga.

There are three Ohio Valley Conference teams in the mix. One will gain the league’s automatic bid to the playoffs.

Eastern Kentucky is 6-4 overall, and would get to the seven Division I victory threshold with a win Saturday over Tennessee Martin. Eastern Kentucky is tied for 35th in this week’s GPI. Eastern Kentucky has a good 10-7 loss to Kansas State on its resume, as well as a bad loss to Austin Peay. EKU won five in a row before a loss to Tennessee-Martin last week.

Jacksonville State made the playoff field last season, but is on the bubble this year at 6-4. Jacksonville State has lost three of its last four, and beat a struggling Southeast Missouri State team by just one point last week. Jacksonville State is 48th in the GPI.

Tennessee Tech is also in the hunt for the Ohio Valley Automatic bid, and enters the final weekend 6-3 and is playing just 10 games this season. That, in my mind, should hurt more than playing 11 games.

The Ohio Valley is ranked eighth among FCS conferences in the Sagarin, while the Big Sky is fourth. The OVC is also eighth in the GPI, while the Big Sky is fifth behind the Southern, Missouri Valley, Colonial and Great West.

The Great West does not get an automatic bid to the playoffs, and it doesn’t appear like any of its five teams are in line for at at-large bid. Four of those Great West teams join the Big Sky in 2012. Neither North Dakota nor South Dakota, which play in the Great West, are playoff eligible this season.

The Ohio Valley has also not had any playoff success in recent seasons. Since 2004, Ohio Valley teams are 0-9 in the playoffs.

During that same span, Big Sky teams have played for four national championships, with Eastern Washington winning last season. Since 2004, Big Sky teams are 19-15 in the playoffs.

The very strong Missouri Valley has three teams on the bubble. Illinois State is 7-3 and Indiana State and Youngstown State are both 6-4.

Illinois State closes at home on Saturday against fourth-ranked Northern Iowa. Illinois State has won five in a row since a loss to No. 5 North Dakota State.

Youngstown State plays 1-9 Missouri State on Saturday. Youngstown State is coming off an upset of then-No. 1 North Dakota State. The Penguins losses are to Michigan State, Northern Iowa, Indiana State and South Dakota State.

Indiana State plays at home against Southern Illinois on Saturday. Indiana State has lost three of its last five all to teams likely to make the playoffs – North Dakota State, Illinois State and Northern Iowa. Indiana State does have an impressive 44-16 win over FBS Western Kentucky.

Portland State really needs both Youngstown State and Indiana State to lose, in our opinion.

New Hampshire of the powerful CAA brings a 7-3 record into its finale against Maine, which is going to make the playoff field.

New Hampshire has losses to playoff-bound Towson, FBS Toledo and William & Mary. New Hampshire’s resume lacks a sparkling win, but the same could be said for Portland State.

The CAA has normally been the top FCS conference in the computer rankings, but is down a bit this year. The CAA is third in the GPI and fifth in the Sagarin. Towson, Old Dominion and Maine are playoff locks from the CAA.

James Madison from the CAA could also be considered for an at-large bid. The Dukes would be 7-4 with a win over UMass on Saturday. James Madison has lost to Maine, New Hampshire and Old Dominion, and is 22nd in the GPI.

Delaware, which lost to Eastern Washington in last year’s championship game, is 23rd in the GPI. Delaware has beaten Towson and Old Dominion, but only has five Division I victories. The Blue Hens can get to six with a win over Villanova on Saturday.

Two teams from the MEAC – Bethune-Cookman (7-3) and Florida A&M (7-3) – will also likely on the board. The MEAC, however, is ranked 11th in the Sagarin and 12th in the GPI. Bethune-Cookman is 47th in the GPI, while Florida A&M is 72nd. Since 2004, the MEAC is 0-7 in playoff games.

Portland State has a chance, but the Vikings need help. Plus, Weber State is no slouch. Plus the Wildcats will be fired up to send retiring head coach Ron McBride out with a victory. A loss to the Wildcats, and there will be no reason at all for the Vikings to rise early on Sunday.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Family Ties In Volleyball

2011-10-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

When growing up you fight with your brother or sister, or even fight for the attention in your family. But you always got over it because it was family. With sister you would always get on each other’s nerves by borrowing each other’s clothes. But you will always be each other’s best friends.

The Big Sky Conference has two sets of siblings in volleyball. Garyn Schlatter is a sophomore setter at Portland State, and Kasey Schlatter is a freshman outside hitter playing for Montana State. ISU’s assistant coach Ali Gorny is the sister of Northern Arizona’s assistant coach Chris Gorny.

“Kasey and I don't fight,” said Garyn Schlatter about her sister Kasey. “There would be times where we would get on each other's nerves, though. She would get irritated with me because I would take her clothes. But she took mine too, so I thought it was fair. We get along really well. We are each other's best friend. I couldn't ask for a better person to have as my sister.”

“My sister is my best friend,” said Kasey Schlatter about her sister Garyn. “Like any sisters, we have had our share of fights, but they were never important. We would fight over mostly clothes since she would steal all of mine. We would be screaming at each other for maybe 10 minutes and then turn around and be like, ‘hey want to do something? I’m bored.’ We can't stay mad at each other. I’m so thankful to have a sister that is so supportive of me. Not many sisters have a relationship like mine and Garyn's.”

Not only are they sisters, but they also played the same sport in volleyball.

“Growing up and having Kasey to play with was probably one of the best things that has happened,” said Garyn. “It made it really easy to play with her because we both come from the same volleyball background.”

“It has been great having a sister that is involved in the same sport as I am,” said Kasey about Garyn. “It is one of many things we have in common. Since she is older, I got to watch what she went though in high school and her first couple years in college and learn from it to see what I was getting myself into.”

Well Garyn is older than Kasey and went on to play college volleyball at Portland State.

“I chose Portland State because I was very familiar with the campus,” said Garyn. “I pretty much grew up here so I felt very comfortable and welcome here. My mom coached here when I was a baby and I used to ride around in the ball carts during her practices. I really liked the coaching staff and the girls. Everything fit together and was what I wanted to be a part of. It is just a bonus to get to play at the same college that my mom did and that it is really close to home.”

So when it was Kasey’s turn to pick a school to attend, you’d think the sisters and best friends would pick PSU. Well that’s not the case. Instead, Kasey choose Montana State. Now the sisters get to compete against each other at least twice a season in the Big Sky Conference.

“I was never recruited by Portland State, so that wasn't really an option for me,” said Kasey about choosing MSU. “I got recruited to go to Montana State early in high school and came on a visit my sophomore year and immediately loved the school. I loved the campus and the town and of course the team. If volleyball were to fall through for some reason, I wanted to be at a university that I loved enough to just be a student. Montana State fulfilled those requirements.”

The sisters got their chance to play against each other on Sept. 24 when PSU traveled to Bozeman. The Vikings won the match 3-2.

“It was really awesome to get to play against Kasey,” said Garyn. “Until now, we had never had the chance to play against each other.”

“It was a lot of fun competing against Garyn,” added Kasey. “We have never played against each other until that night. It was interesting because I know everything she is going to do before she does it and she knows a lot about me. I would be yelling ‘dump’ before she would even set the ball.”

The Schlatter sisters grew up in Canby, Ore., and went to Canby High School. They played for the same prep and club teams. And now the two will face off in Portland in front of family and friends. PSU and MSU will meet Friday.

“I expect the game to be a battle, said Garyn about the match in Portland on Friday. “ I think it is going to be a fun match filled with intense and exciting moments. I think that both teams are going to compete and play every point like it’s the only one that counts.”

“After playing PSU in Montana and going to five sets with them, I am expecting a very close match again” said Kasey about the PSU match on Friday. “Both teams are continuing to get better and having the extra ‘sister rivalry’ will add to the competitiveness of each team.”

The Schlatter sisters aren’t the only sibling rivalry there is in the Big Sky Conference. There is a brother-sister duo. Idaho State’s assistant volleyball coach Ali Gorny and Northern Arizona’s assistant coach Chris Gorny are siblings.

Ali and Chris have been competing against each other for two seasons now. They see each other twice a season when they play each other either in Arizona or in Idaho.

Ali played at ISU, and Chris played for BYU.

“When we were kids our whole family played any sports we could and volleyball was definitely one of those,” said Ali about how she got into coaching. “I can remember spending hours either going to Chris's practices or club tournaments and matches with our mom and pop, thinking ‘boy this volleyball thing looks really fun!’ I guess after I saw that I wanted to play more and more.”

“It's ironic because Chris actually helped me get my first coaching gig with Gold Medal Squared camps and those have really been a great learning experience as well as a whole lot of fun,” added Ali. “Watching and helping players develop and learn is one of my favorite parts of the game.”

“I started coaching while I was in college,” said Chris. “I started coaching summer camps for Carl McGown and Gold Medal Squared. I’ve been coaching for them for 11 years now. My two greatest role models in coaching are Kathy Mendenhall (coached high school together. Lori, her daughter played for me in club and high school and now plays for my sister at Idaho State) and Jason Waton (ASU Head coach) have taught me everything I know about being a coach. I couldn’t imagine being where I am without them. The lessons I’ve learned from them are truly priceless to me. I love coaching and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

And that job at GMS led Ali to ISU. And soon her brother was also in the Big Sky.

“When I decided to take this job at ISU I was contemplating working at another school,” said Ali about coaching at ISU. “When I called Chris and told him about ISU his first comment was, ‘that'd be so cool if you worked there, that means we'd see each other at least twice a year!’ I have really enjoyed that aspect so far and it's been nothing but fun to be coaching in the same conference as him.”

Coaching against Ali has been really fun,” said Chris. “We always have a good time when we’re around each other. Our family comes in town and we eat with each other before and after games…… usually with one of our teams. It is fun and strange seeing Ali interact with her team because she is so professional and mature with them. It’s not like that when we are around each other.”

Ali and Chris coached against each other when ISU traveled to Arizona on Oct. 13, and ISU won the match 3-1. NAU will travel to Pocatello on Nov. 12 to take on ISU.

No matter where you are, family is always there for you. It doesn’t matter if you are competing against each other or coaching against each other.

- Megan Lobdell, Big Sky Conference

Soccer Postseason is in the Air

2011-10-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

With the last weekend of Big Sky Conference matches ahead for women’s soccer, things start to get a little clearer for postseason possibilities. Some teams start clinching tournament spots, while others will be eliminated from postseason. As an ex-college soccer player, I’ve been on both sides of this scenario.

For my freshman (2007) and sophomore (2008) years, I was playing in the Mountain West Conference with the University of Utah. While at the U of U, our team advanced to the Mountain West Conference both years. In 2007, we were the fifth seed out of six teams. Leading up to the last few weekends in conference play, we weren’t sure whether or not we’d even make it to the tournament. But lo and behold, things fell into the right places and we saw ourselves getting all the way to the semifinals of the tournament. In 2008, we were the No. 2 seed in the tournament. In 2007 when we didn’t know whether we’d make the tournament or not, practices seemed a bit more intense. Players weren’t getting along with each other, some players weren’t “trying” as hard as they should have been. Nothing seemed to be gelling like it was before all the stress of postseason came into the picture. Without the stress of wondering whether your team will make it to the tournament or not, the team seems a lot more relaxed, and even more up beat. It was never really a question whether we would make it to the tournament or not, the question was more, what seed are we going to be? And who are we going to play first?

After the 2008 season at the U of U, I transferred to Weber State for my last two years of college soccer. In 2009, the season didn’t go quite as expected and we found ourselves tied for last place with no shot at going to the Big Sky championship tournament. However, the 2010 season seemed to be a little brighter. We found ourselves in the race for a postseason spot coming into the final two weekends of conference play. When your team is in this spot, you find yourself much more interested in the outcomes of the other teams in the conference. The first couple of weeks of conference you don’t really pay attention to who is playing who, and who is winning. Yeah you might know who is currently in first, but you don’t really care about much more than that. The final weekends are much different. Since this was my senior season, I think I was extra attentive to other teams’ results. If I wasn’t playing in my own match, I was watching the other matches and checking the standings right when the games were over, trying to figure out what needed to happen for us to get into the tournament. Sometimes you find yourself cheering for another team in the conference so your team can move up in the standings. But of course, the result was almost always the wrong one. With that being said, the 2010 season didn’t end as I was hoping. We found our team tied for fifth place, one spot out of advancing to the tournament.

Alyssa Askew – Big Sky Conference

Practice. We're Talking About Practice

2011-10-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

Does the return of Damian Lillard make Weber State the favorite in Big Sky hoops?

Hard to believe, but men's basketball practice officially starts this weekend. The countdown to March is officially on.

When last we left Big Sky Conference basketball, Northern Colorado was making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament, and putting up a good fight against No. 2 seed San Diego State.

The Bears lost league MVP Devon Beitzel, along with fellow seniors Chris Kaba, Neal Kingman and Taylor Montgomery. Those four should long be remembered in Greeley. It was just a few short years ago that Northern Colorado was ranked dead last in the RPI and went 4-24.

So, do the Bears have what it takes to repeat? We'll have to see.

The preseason media and coaches' polls will be released next week, and I fully expect that Weber State will be a heavy favorite. Randy Rahe's Wildcats went 18-14 last season, winning 11 conference games, and making it to the league semifinals. The Wildcats, of course, accomplished most of this without 2009-10 league MVP Damian Lillard, who suffered a season-ending injury during the ninth game of the season.

Lillard is back - stronger than ever, and he has a very strong, veteran group around him. Senior Kyle Bullinger stepped up in Lillard's absence to earn First Team All-Conference honors. Guard Scott Bamforth, one of the most accurate 3-point shooters in the nation, played all of last season with a bum shoulder. He still garnered All-Conference honors and was the league's Newcomer of the Year. Throw in Freshman of the Year Byron Fulton, senior forward Darin Mahoney, reserve guard Jordan Richardson, and sophomore center Kyle Tresnak, and the Wildcats look real solid. Not to mention, the Wildcats will have 6-foot-6 forward Frank Otis in the lineup. Otis sat out last season after transferring from SMU. Freshman James Hajek, who redshirted last season, is another 6-foot-10 post player who gives the Cats' great front-line depth.

Montana also looks to be very strong. Wayne Tinkle's Grizzlies have played in the championship game each of the past two seasons - beating Weber State in 2010. The squad will be led by junior guard Will Cherry, who averaged 14.1 points, 4.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game as a sophomore en route to earning All-Conference honors. Big things are also expected of 7-foot senior forward Derek Selvig, senior forward Art Stewart and sophomore Kareem Jamar. UM won't have Brian Qvale in the post, scoring easy buckets and blocking shots. Montana must also find a legit 3-point threat. True freshman Kevin Henderson might be that guy.

It won't surprise me at all if Weber State and Montana are picked 1-2. After that, it's up in the air.

B.J. Hill has followed in Tad Boyle's footsteps of creating a program at Northern Colorado. We like some of the younger guys on the Bears' roster, who've been in the program. Players like Elliott Lloyd, Mike Procter, Connor Osborne, Emmanuel Addo, Paul Garnica and Tate Unruh will have to step up their games. I fully expect the Bears to be in the hunt once again.

Jim Hayford has a lot of success at Division III Whitworth. Now, he'll try to win at Eastern Washington. The Eagles have several talented players returning from last year's club, which advance to the postseason for the first time since Rodney Stuckey's freshman season. Cliff Ederain, Kevin Winford, Jeffrey Forbes, Tremayne Johnson, Laron Griffin and Cliff Colimon all saw lots of action last season. Big things are also expected from JC trasfer Colin Chiverton. The Eagles' lone key loss was junior guard Glean Dean, who transferred to Utah.

Guard play was expected to be the strength at Northern Arizona with the return of junior guards Gabe Rogers and Stallon Saldivar. Rogers, a second-team All-Conference pick last season, sustained a shoulder injury and will miss at least eight weeks. The Lumberjacks have a lot of newcomers on their roster, including freshman guard Danny Cheek.

Portland State is a team that could surprise. The Vikings weren't eligible for the postseason last year because of an APR penalty. The Vikings are good to go, and could make its way back near the top of the league standings. Guard Charles Odum and forward Chehales Tapscott return to the starting lineup. Transfers Michael Harthun and Lateef McMullan could make big impacts.

Brian Katz enters his fourth-year at Sacramento State, and is hoping this is the year the Hornets break through to the conference tournament. Junior forward John Dickson has started two straight seasons and was an honorable mention All-Conference pick last season. Katz is very high on true freshman guard Dylan Garrity.

Montana State must replace the likes of Bobby Howard and Erik Rush. Senior guard Rod Singleton is the only returning starter. JC transfer Xavier Johnson-Blout averaged 22 points and five rebounds per game last season. Jefff Bubinich, Jourdain Allou, and Shawn Reid are other returning players.

Idaho State has missed the postseason each of the past two seasons. Just two starters and five letterwinners return to this year's Bengal team. Chase Grabau is the top returning scorer. He averaged 6.3 points per game. Forward Abner Moreira also returns. Junior guard Melvin Morgan could be one of the top newcomers in the league.

- Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Best Start in Volleyball?

2011-09-28T10:50:00.001-07:00

With Northern Arizona having a 12-0 record so far this season, it made me think about what is the best start ever by a Big Sky volleyball team. So the staff at the Big Sky Conference office was talking about what we thought was the best start, and thinking back that Idaho or Sacramento State might have the best record.

So I got on the computer stats are started to look to see what the best record was. But the stats on the computer only go back to 2003. So that really didn’t help too much. So we pulled out the old media guides that we have on file.

Luckily enough the media guides go back until 1987. So what did I find out? Well, Idaho and Sacramento State don’t own the record for the best start in volleyball.

In 2001 Montana State started the season 12-0. But that isn’t the record.

The record was set in 2002. Do you know by what team? Well, it was Eastern Washington.

At the time EWU was under head coach Wade Benson, who led his 2002 team to a 29-2 overall record that season. They opened the season 20-0 before losing on the road to Sacramento State 3-0 on Oct. 19.

The other loss by Eastern Washington came in the Big Sky tournament. The Eagles defeated Weber State 3-1 in the semifinals before losing to Sacramento State 3-1 in the championship. Despite a 29-2 record and a national ranking, Eastern Washington did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It was a decision that dismayed Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton, not to mention the Eagle volleyball team and coaches.

EWU still holds the record for the best start at 20-0. Eastern also set the mark for best overal winning percentage by a Big Sky team at .935. The old record was set by Idaho in 1994 when the Vandals finished 31-3 (.912) to advance to the second round of the NCAA Championships.

In 1994, the Vandals opened the season with a 7-0 start before losing to Wisconsin at the Inntowner Invitational. Idaho then went on an 11-0 run before losing on the road to Montana then finished the season 13-0 run before losing to Hawaii in the second round of the NAA Championships.

The Eagles hold the regular-season record in BSC history with a 28-1 (.966) record in 2002. The previous best record was in 1994 when Idaho entered the Big Sky Tournament 28-2 (.935).

NAU will take their undefeated record on the road this weekend. The Lumberjacks will compete on Friday at Portland and then travel to play Eastern Washington on Saturday. Both matches begin at 7:00 p.m. Pacific time and can be watched for free on Big Sky TV.

- Megan Lobdell, Big Sky Conference

Our Interns Thoughts on Soccer

2011-09-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Alyssa Askew played soccer for Weber State for two seasons. She was then known as Alyssa Toomey. Now, she's the Big Sky Media Relations Intern.

Hey everyone! My name is Alyssa Askew and I’m the new media relations intern for the Big Sky Conference. I recently graduated from Weber State University with a Bachelor’s degree in communication. While going to college, I also played soccer for the University of Utah for two years and at Weber State for the last two years of my eligibility.
Which brings me to what I’m going to talk about in this blog. What is it like to be a student-athlete during the season? What should soccer teams look like at this point in the season? What are the feelings of the players on a team that isn’t winning?

Being a student-athlete is really like having a full-time job. If you’re not in class or at study hall, you’re on the field or in the weight room training for upcoming matches. On weekends when you have to travel, it makes school that much more difficult. When games are played on Friday, teams usually travel on Thursday so they have time to let the jet lag wear off before the game. After the game, it’s time to go to another location to play the second game of the weekend. Sometimes it’s close enough that teams can just bus from place to place but, more often than not, another plane ride awaits. While on the road, it’s the same story as when you’re home. If you’re not studying or doing homework, you’re training for or playing in your game. After the Sunday game, it’s time to take the trip back home. Most of the time this means getting back home between midnight and 1 a.m. And let me be the first one to say, it’s almost impossible to get up for the first class on Monday mornings. Once you get used to being home, you do it all over again the next weekend. It’s hard to keep up with what is going on in class. But if you stay in close contact with your professors and let them know exactly when you’ll be gone, it’s a lot easier to stay caught up in all of your classes.

At this point in the season (almost five weeks in), teams should now be used to all of the new freshman on their squad. Teams should also be used to playing without seniors that they lost from the previous season. Players should be fit enough to last an entire match, even an overtime match. At this point in the season, teams should have worked out all of the kinks. Really, the only thing that could possibly change how a team plays from this point on would be injuries.

For teams that aren’t winning, it’s tough to stay positive. It’s hard not get mad at other players on your team for every mistake they make. Things seem like they aren’t going your way no matter how hard you try or how hard you work at it. But don’t worry, there is a bright side. The only thing that matters for Big Sky soccer teams are conference matches. In order to get to the NCAA tournament, a team must win the Big Sky Championship. So for these teams that are having a rough preseason, the trick is to put those games behind you and start training and focusing on the conference matches (which start Sept. 30). This doesn’t mean giving up in the rest of the preseason games, it just simply means don’t worry about the results of the preseason games. Look at them as a way for your team to get better while playing against some quality opponents.

Alyssa Askew – Big Sky Conference

Talking Technology

2011-09-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

Prime sports viewing season is here. From TV, to the Internet to a smart phone, folks can watch events almost anytime and almost anywhere. As a passenger with a mobile Internet device, I've actually watched events on Big Sky TV while cruising down Interstate 15. Please, don't try this if you are actually driving.

We just want to get fans up to speed on some new things that our Big Sky TV to you are ready to watch your favorite volleyball, football and men's and women's basketball teams.

First off, you must create a new account this year. Even if you registered in previous years, you will have to create a brand new account.

You can do this roughly five minutes before the start of event, or when the game information box changes from blue to green. We encourage fans to check out an event prior to the event you really want to watch so you don't encounter problems and miss the game. This link takes you to the entire Big Sky schedule. There are some volleyball matches tonight, and that would be a great time to check out the system.

On the left side of the screen, you should see some boxes that tell you to download some software. Please read this, and download the software. You'll need the latest "Flash," and "Octoshape." It takes just a few seconds to download.

Once you have created an account and have "purchased" your free Big Sky package, you ll get into a new viewer. This year's viewer looks nothing like ones from previous seasons. This year, you'll have the option to watch multiple Big Sky events at one time, by placing boxes in the three picture-in-picture windows below the main screen. If you only want to watch one game, and like to have it on your entire computer screen, you'll still have that option. But, if you like to follow multiple games, you can click back-and-forth between them.

If you encounter problems, submit a support ticket to America One.

While Big Sky TV brings fans more than 400 events each season, there are events we can't video stream, and sports we don't stream. That doesn't mean you can't find events. We'd like to tell you about a great new web site called Lateral Sports.

This site is a directory for all sporting events across the country. It will also help you identify if athletes from a team are from your area. It's a great tool.

So you know, Big Sky TV will have two football games on Saturday. Northern Colorado meets Lindenwood at 1 p.m. Mountain. Portland State is at home against Southern Oregon at 1 p.m. Pacific. That game will also be televised on Comcast Sports Net Northwest.

Montana's game against Tennessee will be streamed on ESPN3, and available on ESPN Game Plan. Eastern Washington's opener against Washington is on Root Sports, what used to be known as Fox Sports Northwest. Northern Arizona's opener against Arizona is on Fox Arizona and Fox College Sports Atlantic.

Sacramento State's game against Oregon State will be streamed through Oregon State's Web Site. Idaho State's game with Washington State is available through Washington State's Web Site. Neither, however, is free.

Always remember to give yourself a little extra time if you are watching via computer. It normally takes a few minutes to get everything running smoothly.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

2011 Big Sky Gift Card Giveaway

2011-08-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend the Big Sky's Facebook page surpassed 4,000 "likes"! In order to celebrate the achievement we are going to be giving away four $25 gift cards to the Big Sky online store.

In order to be eligible to win one of the gift cards you'll need to pay attention to the Big Sky's news feed on Facebook. We will put out an official announcement and you will need to "like" that post. Once you have liked the post your name will be put in the drawing for one of the gift cards.

You will have 24 hours to "like" the post before registration is closed and a random winner is picked. These mini-drawing will happen periodically between now and the beginning of football season. So be ready to hit that "like" button!!

Five Burning Football Questions

2011-08-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

Can Bo Levi Mitchell lead Eastern Washington to another national title?

Football players across the Big Sky Conference will begin reporting for preseason camps within the coming days. It's hard to believe the first game is just one month away.

The 2010 season ended on the highest note possible for the Big Sky as Eastern Washington brought home the conference's sixth Division I national championship with a 20-19 win over Delaware.

The 2011 season looks very promising as Eastern Washington returns a plethora of talent, as does Montana State. Sacramento State might be the surprise team this year, and all eyes are on Montana to see if the Grizzlies can rebound from last year's 7-4 campaign.

Let's take a look at five burning questions I have as we get ready to kick off the 2011 season.

1. Is Eastern Washington still hungry?
On paper, Beau Baldwin's club appears to have the weapons to make a run at another national championship. Sure, the Eagles lost All-American running back Taiwan Jones and Buck Buchanan Award-winning linebacker J.C. Sherritt. But, the Eagles return the likes of QB Beau Levi Mitchell, All-American center Chris Powers, All-Conference wide receiver Brandon Kaufman, All-American DT Renard Williams, All-American safety Matt Johnson, as well as linebacker Zach Johnson.

But, do these guys have the drive to make a run again? How will they handle being the favorite? Did they get lazy and complacent during the off-season?

The schedule certainly isn't easy. EWU opens on the road at Washington, at South Dakota and at Montana. EWU finally returns home to "The Inferno" on Sept. 24 for a big showdown against Montana State, which beat the Eagles 30-7 in Bozeman in 2010.

Eastern Washington plays just four games at home and seven on the road. A very important non-conference game at Cal Poly looms on Nov. 12.

2. Will DeNarius McGhee have a sophomore slump?
The Montana State quarterback took the nation by storm as a freshman, sharing Co-Big Sky offensive MVP honors with Taiwan Jones. McGhee was sensational, finishing fourth in the nation with an efficiency rating of 153.8. He tossed 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions, throwing for 3,163 yards.

Can he improve on those numbers, or will he take a step back?

We've seen other quarterbacks play very well in their first season as a starter, and then struggle the following season. McGhee has a very talented group of receivers and a pretty solid starting offensive line. That should help. But, Montana State's running back remains a question because of the loss of Orenzo Davis.

3. Is Montana on the decline?
Many schools would be very happy with a 7-4 season. Montana isn't one of them. The Grizzlies failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1992, and they failed to win at least a share of the Big Sky championship for the first time since 1997.

So, was the 2010 season an anomaly under first-year head coach Robin Pflugrad, or is there reason for concern?

A lot of Montana's success will depend on the play at quarterback. UM enters the season without a proven commodity under center. Sophomore Jordan Johnson enters camp as the No. 1 guy, and he's got some good weapons like wide receivers Jabin Sambrano and Antwon Moutra. Montana, however, must replace three-year standout Chase Reynolds at running back.

With Trumaine Johnson leading the way on defense, we think Montana will be just fine on that side of the ball.

4. Is Sacramento State for real?
Marshall Sperback has done an outstanding job of building the Hornet program the right way. The Hornets are coming off a 6-5 campaign, 5-3 in conference. The offense rolled the second half of the season, averaging more than 40 points per game.

The Hornets return QB Jeff Fleming, RB Bryan Hilliard, WR Chase Deadder, WR Brandyn Reed, who missed last season, to the offenset. Zack Nash, a preseason candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, lads the defense, which has some questions.

The schedule could also eat the Hornets alive. Sacramento State opens at Oregon State, and then travels to Southern Utah. Sacramento State opens conference play on the road at Weber State before playing Montana at home and Montana State on the road.

To be considered for real, the Hornets need to beat Montana at home. Sacramento State is 0-16 all-time against Montana.

5. What difference will Mike Kramer make at Idaho State this season?
Kramer, who guided Eastern Washington and Montana State to Big Sky championships, will try to resurrect the Bengals, who have won a total of three games the past three seasons.

Kramer likely won't go from worst to first this season. These things take time. Kramer was 0-11 his first season at Montana State in 2000, but had the Bobcats in the playoffs in 2002 and 2003.

We know Kramer is excited about being back in the game, and he will get Bengal fans across the state of Idaho excited about the program again.

The Bengals have three All-Americans on the team in linebacker A.J. Storms, return man Tavoy Moore and punter David Harrington. It's a nice trio to build around, but the Bengals need so much more.

Kramer promises a fast-paced, pass-always offense. But he needs a quarterback and receivers to make it work.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Draft Talk

2011-04-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

The NFL Draft starts Thursday and continues through Saturday. At least two former Big Sky players should get the call from NFL teams during the three-day, seven-round extravaganza.

Eastern Washington running back Taiwan Jones and Portland State tight end Julius Thomas appear to be draft locks. A year ago neither was on the Draft radar for 2011.

Jones was still a sophomore finishing up spring drills for the Eastern Washington Eagles. Thomas, a four-year standout for the Viking basketball team, was enduring his first spring practice with the Vikings. Thomas hadn't played football since early in his high school day.

Jones enjoyed a sensational junior campaign before an injury late in the Eagles' quarterfinal win over North Dakota State sidelined him for the Eagles' final two games, including the national championship victory over Delaware. He decided to forgo his final season of eligibility and enter the Draft.

Jones attended the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February, but was still recovering from the foot injury. He finally worked out for scouts a couple of weeks ago in California, and delivered an impressive 40-yard dash time.

Jones is projected as a late second-round or third round selection. Had Jones played a major FBS program, he'd probably be a first-round pick. Jones' durability issues are a concern.

Thomas shined in his only season as a football player with the Vikings, earning First Team All-Conference honors. At 6-foot-5, 251-pounds, NFL teams love his size and athleticism. He's a bit raw as a football player. Look for Thomas to go in the fifth or six rounds, and maybe as high as the fourth.

Several other Big Sky players could hear their names called in the sixth or seventh round, but more than likely most of those players will end up as priority free agents, agreeing to contracts shortly after the draft ends.
Montana State offensive tackle Mike Person received a Combine invitation. If Person is drafted, he'll be the first Bobcat since Joey Thomas in 2003 to hear his name called.

Montana running back Chase Reynolds, quarterback Justin Roper, safety Erik Stoll and defensive back Jimmy Wilson also figure into the seventh round/free agent mix. ESPN's Chris Mortensen wrote a piece on Wilson's return to football and his draft prospects.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Talkin' Tiebreaker

2011-02-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

Montana's men's basketball victory over Northern Colorado on Saturday has resulted lots of inquiries into the Big Sky's tie-breaking procedure.

Below, you'll find the entire tiebreaking procedure, exactly as it appears in the Big Sky Conference Code.

Lots are people are wondering who will gain the No. 1 seed and the right to host the Big Sky semifinals and championship if Montana and Northern Colorado both win their remaining conference games.

Well, we'd have to decide that tiebreaker by RPI.

Northern Colorado and Montana split their regular-season meetings, so we can't break it that way. We also would not be able to break it by performance against the conference teams. Once again If Northern Colorado and Montana win out, the teams would have identical records against the other seven Sky teams. Both would have split meetings against Weber State and Northern Arizona, and both would have swept Idaho State, Eastern Washington, Montana State, Portland State and Sacramento State.

Now, if both were to lose again, we would be able to break the tie without going to RPI.

Weber State also isn't out of the hunt to host. If the Wildcats were to win out and tie Northern Colorado and Montana at 12-4, Weber State stands a good chance to win the tiebreaker thanks to a sweep of Northern Arizona.

Stay tuned. There is a lot of basketball to be played between now and the end of the season, and there are no easy road victories.

1. Head to Head Competition

a. Consider the head-to-head record during the Conference season. In double round-robin play, a team would have to sweep the
b. In the case of more than two tied teams, consider the conference regular-season record for head-to-head competition among all of the tied teams. This process is used to break ties between any of the tied teams with any remaining tied teams returning to the process at criteria 1.a.

Example: Teams A, B, C, and D have identical records from a double round robin season. In head-to-head competition, team A emerges with a 4-2 record against the other tied teams, team B and C have a 3-3 record and team D has a 2-4 record. Teams A and D can be placed in the final standings at that point, while teams B and C return to criteria 1.a. If B and C have split their regular Conference season games, they will move to criteria 2, performance against other teams in descending order.

c. In the case of three or more teams having identical win-loss records, the normal tie-breaking procedure would be used. When one or more of these teams is eliminated by using the tie-breaking procedure, the remaining teams involved would then return to the criteria listed in a. to break the tie. This will be done until a team is established for that particular seeding position.

2. Performance Against Conference Teams
This will be determined in descending order of finish, beginning with the No. 1 team. (Example: Teams B and C remained tied after head-to-head criteria from above. Team A has been declared the Conference champion based on the above criteria. Team B has split the conference season games with team A, and team C has lost both of the conference games to team A. Team B is now placed in second place ahead of team C.)

3. RPI rating

4. Coin Toss

Note: In all tie-breaking procedures, if more than one tie exists, the tie among/between the teams lower in descending order will be broken first, to facilitate the process of breaking the tie between/among teams higher in the order. (Example: Teams A and B are tied for first and second, and teams C and D are tied for fourth and five. All tied teams have split the regular conference season with their tied opponents. Teams C and D both have a 1-3 combined record vs. teams A and B. Team C has beaten team A, and D has beaten team B. Assuming all previous tiebreakers are the same, teams C and D will have their placing decided by their RPI ranking first (Criteria 3), and the teams A and B enter the tie-breaking procedures.).

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Signing Day 2006

2011-02-01T12:34:00.000-08:00

J.C. Sherritt

Five years ago the world was preparing for the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and Big Sky Conference schools were on the verge of signing their football recruiting classes.

Tomorrow, of course, is that big day. Almost every school will laud this year's class as "one of the greatest in school history.'' In reality, the verdict won't be known for a few years.

Let's take a look back at the Big Sky recruiting classes from 2006.

Eastern Washington just captured its first Division I National Championship, and several names from that 2006 list made big contributions. Eastern Washington, then under coach Paul Wulff, inked 27 high school athletes. Big Sky Defensive MVP and Buck Buchanan Award winner J.C. Sherritt ended up the marquee signee. At the time, he was listed as a fullback/linebacker. Guess he ended up working out at linebacker.

EWU also signed starting cornerbacks Jesse Hoffman and Dante Calcote. Defensive tackle Tyler Jolley was also part of the class.

Idaho State, which has endured three straight one-win seasons, signed 12 prep athletes. It was the final recruiting class for Larry Lewis, who was replaced following the 2006 season. Defensive end Sean Rutten and quarterback Russel Hill ended up being two of the better players from the class to stay at Idaho State. Maybe the best player of that class was defensive back Erik Stoll, who played as a true freshman in 2006 and then transferred to Montana. He ended up being an all-conference safety for the Grizzlies.

Speaking of the Grizzlies, Bobby Hauck's 2006 class included 11 prep players, including running back Chase Reynolds, QB Andrew Selle, defensive tackle Tyler Hobbs, defensive end Severin Campbell, tight end Steven Pfahler, and center Alex Verlanic. Pfahler didn't redshirt, so he graduated last year. Those players helped Montana appear in national championship games 2008 in 2009. Selle sustained a season-ending injury early in 2010. Campbell's senior season was also slowed by injury.

Montana State made the playoffs in 2010, but its 2006 recruiting class didn't have much to do with that success. The gem of the class ended up being All-American offensive tackle Mike Person. Mike Kramer signed 13 prep players that season. Running back Aaron Mason showed flashes, but always seemed to be slowed by injury. Linebacker Dustin O'Connell also had a nice career.

Northern Arizona inked just nine prep players five years ago. Linebackers Cody Dowd and Anthony Llanos were very solid players, as was Curt Sweeney, who finished his career in 2009.

Northern Colorado was on the verge of officially joining the Big Sky Conference. The Bears' first "Big Sky" recruiting class produced some very solid players, including CB Korey Askew, LB John Eddy, LB Matt King and center Tim McGraw.

Portland State's 2006 recruiting class was very heavy on JC and four-year transfers. Just seven prep players signed, and defensive end Travis Beckley was the only one remaining on the 2010 team.

Sacramento State's recruiting class - the last under Steve Mooshagian - didn't produce much. Wide receiver Ronald Richardson had a decent career. He was the only one of the 11 prep players from the 2006 class on the 2010 roster. Offensive lineman Brian Heath was a very good offensive lineman. He didn't redshirt, so he finished up on 2009.

Weber State's 2006 recruiting class ended up being pretty solid. Of the 19 prep players to sign that day, Cameron Higgins ended up being the major find. Higgins took over starting duties as a redshirt freshman in 2007, and guided Weber State to a Co-Big Sky championship in 2008, and back-to-back playoff appearances. Ron McBride's class also included the likes of wide receiver Mike Phillips, linebacker Sam Fenn, defensive back Faron Creighton and punter Mike Snoy.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

The Hunt for the 1,000-Point Sophomore

2011-01-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

Katie Bussey

If you remember from last week, the Montana State women’s basketball team beat Weber State 66-56, junior guard Katie Bussey broke the 1,000 career point mark. She currently stands at 1,028 and is the only junior who is among the active players to surpass the mark.

Amy Patton

When I was updating the active career leaders for this week’s notes I noticed that Northern Arizona sophomore Amy Patton is quickly approaching 1,000 points. She is the only active sophomore on pace to break the milestone this season, as she has 865 points. It was this incredible pace that inspired my post today.

I thought to myself, who was the last Big Sky sophomore to break the 1,000 point barrier? With scorers like Shannon Cate and Mandy Morales, you would think that the Montana Lady Griz would have produced at least one player who tallied 1,000 points by the end of their sophomore season. After scouring Montana’s record book, I found that none of their great players have scored over 1,000 points in their first two seasons.

Once I recovered from that setback I figured Occam’s razor would hold the key. Idaho State’s Natalie Doma, the conference’s all-time leading scoring, was the the simplest explanation and was more than likely the correct one, but alas Occam was wrong. I found that Doma’s scored a combined 869 points in her first two seasons at Idaho State.

Back to square one. Frustrated I discussed the topic with Assistant Commissioner of Media Relations Jon Kasper. He too was taken-a-back by the fact that Montana wasn’t the obvious choice. After explaining where I had already checked he brought up Cal State Northridge’s Edniesha Curry. For those who don’t remember Cal State Northridge was part of the league from 1996 to 2001, making for a slim margin for error in finding any player from the program who had tallied 1,000 points before their junior year.

Edniesha Curry

I broke out the old Big Sky media guides to see if Curry was the lucky winner. In my research I found that Curry lead the league with 17.0 points-per-game (477 total points) her freshman year. With a start like that we were on to something. It just so happed she improved her scoring prowess as a sophomore, finishing with 533 points. During the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons Curry put up a total of 1,010 points and with that I thought I had my answer.

I was all set to write this blog with Curry being the last sophomore to reach 1,000 career points. As I wrote my mind wondered and the names of former Big Sky scoring leaders started to float around in my head again. Inspiration eventually struck me and I had to check on one last player. In fact I still can’t figure out why her named didn’t jump out at me when I first started this journey.

During the 2005-06 season a 5-10 guard from Aurora, Ore. poured in 484 points as a freshman. She was named Co-Outstanding Freshman of the Year with aforementioned Morales. As a sophomore she improved her scoring, as she finished with 556 points. In those two seasons she totaled 1,040 points and then went on to finish her career with 2,049 points. She stands behind only Cate and Doma on the league’s career scoring list and 90 points ahead of Morales.

If you haven’t already guessed who it is I’ll break the case for you. The answer is Kelsey Kahle and she is the last Big Sky women’s basketball player to break the 1,000 career point barrier during her sophomore season. Here is some more reading about Kahle and Morales' careers. If basketball wasn't enough Kahle earned a spot on the Big Sky outdoor track & field All-Conference team when she finished third in the high jump at the 2009 Big Sky Championships. Her mark at the championship also earner her a spot in the NCAA Regional meet. You can read an interview the Big Sky did with here before the outdoor championships.

Kelsey Kahle

Now that we know who was the last sophomore to score 1,000 career points, the focus can return to Amy Patton and her assault on the milestone. As of Jan. 26, 2011 Patton has a total of 865 points. Northern Arizona has 10 more regular season games, so to be on the safe side let’s assume she will only get 10 more shots at getting to 1,000 points this season. Patton will need to average 13.5 points-per-game to accomplish the feat. Her first chance to get a good start will be Jan. 27th, as the Lumberjacks will travel to Greeley, Colo. to play the red-hot Northern Colorado bears.

- T. William Gooch
Big Sky Marketing/Media Relations

North Dakota Basketball History Lesson

2011-01-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

Odds are that Thursday night at Reed Gym in Pocatello, Idaho, Montana senior Brian Qvale will become the Big Sky Conference's all-time blocks leader.

Qvale enters Thursday's men's basketball conference game tied for the record with another former Montana big man, Daren Engellant, who amassed 212 carer blocks from 1988-92.

For those that don't know, Qvale is a 6-foot-11 center from Williston, N.D., a city currently experience a rebirth thanks to the Oil Boom in that part of the country.

Williston is located in the Northwest portion of North Dakota, not far from the Montana border. The University of North Dakota, which will join the Big Sky in 2012, is located in Grand Forks, roughly 335 miles East of Williston.

Those not familiar with North Dakota basketball history might think that Qvale must be the best big man ever produced by the Flickertail State, which boosts a population of less than 650,000.

Qvale, however, isn't even the best big man to come out of Williston High School. That honor belongs to Phil Jackson, winner of 11 NBA Titles as a coach with the Bulls and Lakers. Jackson, who was born in Montana, grew up in Williston. He played basketball at North Dakota, before a playing 12 seasons in the NBA and the ABA as a 6-8 forward.

Qvale was quite an athlete at Williston High School. He earned 12 letters - four in football, four in basketball, three in baseball and one in track. He was recruited in football and baseball. His father Sanford was drafted by the Buffalo Bills. His mom Carol played college basketball for UND-Williston. Brian's brother Brent is an offensive lineman for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, where another North Dakota legend also played football. 'Former Major League baseball player Darin Erstad, from Jamestown, N.D., moonlighted as the Cornhuskers punter when he wasn't starring for the baseball team.

Qvale blossomed at Montana as a junior last season, averaging 10.2 points and 7.1 rebounds. He capped the season with 26 points and 13 rebounds in a five-point loss to New Mexico in the NCAA Tournament.

Qvale is enjoying a monster senior campaign, averaging 13.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. Qvale leads the league in rebounds and blocks, ranks second in field-goal percentage and is ninth in scoring. With 60 blocks so far, he is on pace to break the single-season Big Sky record of 93. Qvale recorded back-to-back doubles in victories over Eastern Washington and Portland State last week. He also has double-doubles in wins over UCLA and Oregon State of the Pac-10.

Qvale's collegiate resume is certainly very impressive, and he might even get a shot at the NBA. If he does, he wouldn't be the tallest player from North Dakota to play in "The League." Les Jepsen, a 7-footer from tiny Bowbells, N.D. appeared in 52 NBA games over two seasons with Golden State and Sacramento. Jepsen played college ball at Iowa.

Qvale and Jepsen are two of just a handful of North Dakotans I can remember playing at the Division I level. Former Kansas point guard Jeff Boschee, from Valley City, might be the most famous. Richard Krajewski, a 6-10 forward from Grafton, played with Shaquille O'Neill at LSU, which at the time was coached by Dale Brown, from my birthplace of Minot, N.D.

Justin Anderson, a 6-6 forward from Valley City, also played at LSU for a time during that era. Kenny Younger, a 6-foot-8 forward from Minot, played at Houston. Nick Jacobson (Fargo) played at Utah. Glenn Hansen (Devils Lake) played at Utah State and LSU in the mid-70s.

That list has grown recently, with North Dakota and North Dakota State now playing Division I basketball.

Stilli, t's a pretty impressive list for one our our nation's least populated states. Let's not forget that North Dakota also produced legendary college coach Lute Olson (Mayville).

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Top 10 in Twenty Ten

2010-12-30T14:36:00.000-08:00

Lady Gaga and Lady Antebellum were among those who made it big in 2010.

Disney is probably regretting not releasing “Lady and the Tramp” on Blu-ray this year. Could’ve been huge.

For others – like Lindsay Lohan, Brett Favre, and Tiger Woods – well, 2010 wasn’t so hot.

Here at the Big Sky Conference, it was a pretty darn good year. During the summer, we got some new computers and some new office furniture. OK, it wasn’t new, but it was new to our office. The used desks, chairs and filing cabinets were purchased from a defunct-bank here in Ogden.

Thank you economic collapse!

Seriously, some big and exciting things happened for the Big Sky Conference, our teams, coaches and student-athletes. Let’s take a look back at what we feel are the top 10 stories of Twenty Ten.

1. Expansion.

No doubt conference upheaval is one of the top stories in the entire sports world. One minute the Big 12 was dead and it appeared the Pac-10 would become the Pac-16. Brigham Young opted for independence, while Boise State led a mass exodus from the WAC. TCU felt the Big East was a good fit. Nebraska loaded up and went to the Big Ten, which now has 12 teams. The Big 12 is now down to 10 thanks to the departure of Colorado to the Pac-10. Utah will run with Colorado in the Pac-10. Texas San Antonio, which has never played a down of football, will be in the WAC, along with Texas State.

Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton and an aggressive group of league presidents decided to make moves to solidify and strengthen the Big Sky.

In early September, the league announced the additions of UC Davis and Cal Poly as football-only members. On November 1, North Dakota and Southern Utah accepted invitations to join as full members in 2012.

The additions will bring the Big Sky to 11 full members and 13 football-only members in 2012.

Several Big Sky schools have been approached by the WAC, but so far our schools have remained committed to our league.

The expansion story isn’t finished. Expect more movement across the nation in 2011.

2. Eastern Washington Guns For Championship

This is a story, too, that isn’t yet finished. Eastern Washington, led by coach Beau Baldwin, takes on Delaware on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas for the 2011 NCAA Division I National Championship.

The Eagles have won 10 straight games since losing to Montana State 30-7 way back in September.

It’s been a storybook season for the Eagles, starting with the installation of red turf during the summer. EWU won all eight of its games at “The Inferno,” a streak that started with an exciting 36-27 win over Montana in front of a record crowd.

The Eagles’ season appeared over in the quarterfinals against North Dakota State. Trailing 31-24 with under three minutes to play, EWU faced a 90-yard drive with All-American running back Taiwan Jones on the sideline with an injury. Bo Levi Mitchell guided the Eagles all 90 yards, converting a pair of fourth downs, along the way. EWU pulled out a 38-31 overtime win, and then stunned Villanova 41-31 in the semifinals.

Hopefully, the magic hasn’t ended. We’ll find out next Thursday if All-American linebacker J.C. Sherritt brings home the Buck Buchanan Award, and we’ll find out the next night if the Eagles can celebrate their first national championship. Watch it live on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. Mountain, 4 p.m. Pacific.

3. A.J’s Night

Weber State appeared well on its way to claiming the 2010 Big Sky Conference Men’s Basketball Championship on March 10. The Wildcats led 40-20 at halftime on their home court . The Wildcats held Montana senior guard Anthony Johnson to eight first-half points.

Then, Anthony Johnson decided it was his night. Johnson poured in 34 second-half points and put the Grizzlies on his back. Montana outscored Weber State 46-25 over the final 20 minutes to pull out a miraculous 66-65 win, stunning the Dee Events Center crowd of 6,308. Johnson scored Montana’s final 21 points, 25 of the Grizzlies’ final 27, and made the game-winning shot with 11 seconds to play.

The game, which appeared live on ESPN2, made Johnson a national star. His story was chronicled on the front page of the USA Today sports section. His highlights became a staple that night on the ESPN family of networks.

Johnson’s 42 points set a school record, a Dee Events Center record, and a Big Sky Championship record.

Johnson was nominated for an ESPY and was drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters.

4. National Champion Twice
Northern Arizona senior running David McNeill captured national track and field championships indoors and outdoors.

McNeill captured the 5,000-meter indoor championship in March in Fayetteville, Ark., and the 5,000 outdoor championship in June in Eugene, Ore.

The Australian also competed for the national team in the Commonwealth Games in October, just before winning his third consecutive Big Sky Cross Country championship.

McNeill leaves Northern Arizona has one of the most decorated runners in Big Sky history, and has his sights set on the 2012 Olympics.

5. Vikings Dance

For the first time in school history, the Portland State women’s basketball team won the Big Sky Championship and earned a spot in the NCAA Women’s Championship.

Sherri Murrell’s squad beat Montana State 62-58 in the championship game behind a record eight 3-pointers from senior guard Claire Faucher.

Portland State, which lost the previous year in the championship, entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Vikings knocked off No. 4 Idaho State in the quarterfinals, perennial power and No. 2 seed Montana in the semifinals before beating the Bobcats.

Portland State lost to Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

6. All Good Things Must End

The world lost “Dandy” Don Meredith in 2010, a man famous for singing “Turn Out The Lights” at the end of Monday Night Football on ABC. Well, the party also ended for the Montana football team in 2010.

The Grizzlies finished a respectable 7-4, but failed to win at least a share of the Big Sky Championship for the first time since 1997. It’s 12-year string of conference championships trailed only a string of 14 straight conference titles by Oklahoma in Division I history.

Montana also saw its record streak of 17 straight playoff appearances come to an end. The Grizzlies qualified for every playoff from 1993-2009, winning national championships in 1995 and 2001, and finishing second in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2009.

7. Eagles Claim Cup

The first the first time in school history, Eastern Washington captured the Sterling Savings Bank Big Sky Conference Presidents’ Cup.

Buoyed by strong all-around athletic performances and stellar academic efforts, the Eagles edged Montana and Northern Arizona for the coveted trophy.

Eastern Washington’s women’s basketball program deserves a lot of credit for the Eagles’ bringing home the trophy. Wendy Schuller’s squad won the regular-season championship, picking up an important 24 points for the Eagles in the Cup standings. The Eagles were selected seventh in the preseason polls by the coaches and media.

EWU failed to win the Big Sky Championship, but earned a trip to the women’s NIT.

8. Good Times in Greeley

The Northern Colorado men’s basketball team won a school-record 25 games in 2009-10.

Led by guards Will Figures, Devon Beitzel and league defensive player of the year Yahosh Bonner, the Bears soared into the top 10 of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.

Northern Colorado participated in the Collegeinsider.com Postseason tournament, beating Portland at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The Bears’ season came to an end at home with a 63-59 loss to Pacific.

Northern Colorado won 12 conference games and went 13-2 at home. The success led to the departure of coach Tad Boyle, who is now the head coach at Colorado.

9. Diversity on the Sideline

Never in the 47 seasons of Big Sky Conference had an African American been a head coach of a league football program. That changed when Portland State hired Nigel Burton.

The 34-year-old former Nevada defensive coordinator coached his first game for the Vikings on Sept. 4, a 54-9 loss to Arizona State. Burton won his first game the following week, beating UC Davis on the road 41-33.

The year came to a close with the hiring of a second African American coach. On Tuesday, Dec. 28, Northern Colorado hired Earnest Collins Jr. to take over the Bears’ program. Collins, a former Bear standout and assistant coach, spent the previous two seasons as the head coach at Alcorn State.

10. So Long Dr. Dennison

Dr. George Dennison ended his 20-year tenure as the president of The University of Montana this past fall. Dennison was a leader amongst Big Sky Presidents, and during his tenure Montana athletics experienced unparalleled success.

Montana won 15 Big Sky Conference football titles, seven postseason and four regular-season men’s championships, 13 regular-season and 12 postseason women’s basketball championships, four regular-season and three postseason championships, three regular-season and one postseason volleyball championship, one golf championship and a Sterling Savings Bank Big Sky Presidents’ Cup.

Dr. Dennison was replaced by Dr. Royce Engstrom on Oct. 15.

Certainly there are many other stories out there. Let us know what you think of our list. What story is rated too high? Which was is too low? What did we leave off?

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

I Saw Red

2010-12-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

The Eastern Washington Eagles holding a walkthrough on Friday afternoon at "The Inferno."

Eastern Washington's football team plays host to North Dakota State in a Division I quarterfinal on Saturday in Cheney. The Eagles are looking for their first semifinal appearance since 1997.

Back in 1997, the Eagles made their playoff run about 20 miles away at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane. Tomorrow, it will be at Roos Field on the red turf. The Eagles are 6-0 at "The Inferno."

Beau Baldwin has done a tremendous job with the Eagles. The Spokeman-Review ran a great feature on the third-year coach in Friday's edition.

North Dakota State is coming off a 42-17 win over Montana State last week in Bozeman. Although the score ended up lopsided, the game was close for more than 45 minutes. In fact, Montana State led early in the fourth quarter.

The Bison might've been the last at-large team selection for the 20-team field. NDSU finished the regular season 7-4 with all four losses coming in Missouri Valley Conference play. NDSU opened the season with a 6-3 win over Kansas and closed the regular season with a 3-0 loss to Missouri State.

The Bison are very good on the offensive and defensive lines. NDSU has a very strong run game, led by D.J. McNorton, who rushed for 207 yards and four touchdowns against the Bobcats.

NDSU is a below-average passing team. Last week, the squad completed one pass the entire second half. Of course, when you rush for 376 yards who needs to pass?

Eastern Washington's defense stepped up big in the second half in a 37-17 win over Southeast Missouri State. Led by Buck Buchanan Award candidate J.C. Sherritt, the Eagles allowed just 26 second-half yards and zero points.

Walter Payton Award candidate Taiwan Jones led the offense with 168 yards and two touchdowns. Jones is something Montana State's offense didn't have. He's something that no one else at the FCS level has.

So, can Eastern Washington win tomorrow? Yes, and here are my keys to an Eagle victory.

1. Don't turn the ball over. You can say this every week, but turnovers are magnified in big games. Bo Levi Mitchell threw a very bad pick-six last week. He can't do that tomorrow.

2. If Taiwan Jones gets loose, he must score. Jones can score from 40, 50 or 60 yards. What the Eagles don't need is for his big runs to end at the 15 or 10-yard line. NDSU's defense is very strong in the red zone.

3. Sherritt and the rest of the defense needs to contain the NDSU run game. If EWU can get ahead in the game, and force NDSU to throw the ball I don't see the Bison being able to win.

4. Keep the Bison offense off the field. The Bison offensive line can own a fourth quarter. Best for the Eagles to make quick stops and get lots of rest.

Should be a great game. The winner gets either Appalachian State or Villanova.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

The Fight For Frisco

2010-12-01T11:14:00.000-08:00

Eastern Washington and Montana State both begin their quest for Frisco this Saturday with Division I second-round home games.
Weather probably won't be a factor. The forecast in Cheney on Saturday calls for highs near 30 and sun. In Bozeman, it is supposed to be slightly colder with a chance of snow showers.
Southeast Missouri State, located in Cape Girardeau, has experienced temperatures in the 30s this week. North Dakota State is in Fargo. The Bison play in a dome, but have been practicing outdoors this week. It's been in the teens with high winds in Fargo.

Eastern Washington finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak and took over the No. 1 ranking in both of the major FCS polls. Still, the Eagles drew just a No. 5 seed.
The Eagles welcome Southeast Missouri State to "The Inferno" on Saturday. Southeast Missouri State has never played a postseason game in the 104-year history of its football program. When the Redhawks step on the red turf on Saturday, it will be the teams' first game since Nov. 13. That could be a factor. The Redhawks didn't play on Nov. 20, the final Saturday of the regular season. That's 21 days without competing in a game.
The game features the top two all-purpose yardage leaders in the FCS. Eastern Washington features junior Taiwan Jones. Southeast Missouri State has Henry Harris. Jones averages 134.4 rushing yards per game. Harris averages 147.9. Harris also carried the ball 109 more times than Jones, who averages an amazing 7.6 yards per carry.
Eastern Washington brings more balance offensively to the table. SEMO throws the ball just 15 times a game and ranks 114th in the nation in passing offense. EWU ranks 22nd in passing offense at 245.64 yards per game.
EWU's defense, led by Buck Buchanan Award candidate J.C. Sherritt, has been great at forcing turnovers this season. The Eagles rank second in the nation in interceptions and third in turnovers forced. SEMO has thrown just one interception all season and ranks second in the nation in turnover margin.

Here are my keys for EWU to win on Saturday.
1. Contain Harris and the Redhawks running game. SEMO and Harris will certainly get yards on the ground, but the Eagles need to get the job done on third down. More important is first down. EWU needs to force SEMO into long yardage situations on second and third down.
2. Win the special teams. SEMO has allowed four kick returns for touchdowns. EWU's Jesse Hoffman has two kick returns for touchdowns.
3. Come out fast and furious. SEMO hasn't played in 21 days, and it is the program's first ever playoff game. Take advantage of playing at home, and take advantage of past playoff experience.
4. Don't turn the ball over. Odds are, the Eagle defense isn't going to intercept two or three passes in the game. The EWU offense needs to take care of the ball.

Over in Bozeman, No. 4 seed Montana State welcomes North Dakota State to Bozeman. The Bison of the Missouri Valley, beat Robert Morris 43-17 last week. Montana State enjoyed a week off following an emotional 21-16 win over rival Montana.
I really like Montana State's chances in this game. The Bobcats are well-rested and chompin' at the bit to make a run. North Dakota State opened the season with a 6-3 win at Kansas, but really had mixed results the rest of the season. That were a big road win at Youngstown State on Oct. 9, but also road losses at Northern Iowa, Illinois State and 3-0 to Missouri State in the final regular-season game of the year.
Montana State's offense has been pretty much unstoppable - with the exception of the Northern Arizona game. MSU ranks in the top 10 in the nation in passing, scoring and total yards. NDSUs is ranked ninth in the nation in scoring defense, but just 65th overall, and 86th against the run.
Montana State's defense went through a bad stretch midway through the season, giving up 61 points to Sacramento State, 31 to Portland State, 34 to Northern Arizona and 35 to Northern Colorado. The Bobcats righted that ship late, giving up 10 to Weber State and 16 to Montana.
North Dakota State has been very average on offense this season, thanks large in part to QB injuries. NDSU ranks 86th in the nation in total offense and 61st in total offense.
Running back D.J. McNorton is the top threat. He had 110 rushing and 110 receiving yards against Robert Morris. He ranks 19th in the nation in rushing and averages a touchdown per game. On the road, however, McNorton, has just one rushing touchdown and just one 100-yard rushing game.
Montana State QB Denarius McGhee is just a freshman, but I don't think that will factor. The guy just went to Missoula, Mont., and led his team to a win in front of more than 26,000 fans on a cold and windy day in Missoula. McGhee can handle the playoff pressure, which will seem like just another game following the rivalry game.

Here are my keys to a Bobcat win:
1. Don't let the Bison offense get comfortable. The Bobcat defense needs to set the tone early. Don't let the Bison offense gain confidence.
2. Orenzo Davis. The Bobcat running game needs to have a big day so that his team doesn't become a one-trick pony.
3. Turnovers. If there has been a problem with the MSU offense it has been fumbles. Don't give NDSU extra chances.

Here's hoping to an All-Big Sky quarterfinal game next Saturday in Bozeman.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Playoff Field Announced on Sunday

2010-11-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

In less than 48 hours, we'll know the 20 teams headed to the Division I football playoffs.
How many of those teams will be from the Big Sky? Without a doubt, the Big Sky will once again send multiple teams to the playoffs. Depending on Saturday's results, it could be more than two.
Sunday's selection show will air at 8 a.m. Mountain, 7 a.m. Pacific on ESPNU. The playoff committee, this year chaired by Montana AD Jim O'Day, has a lot of work to do between now and then.
Either Eastern Washington or Montana State will be the automatic qualifier from the Big Sky. The other is a lock to receive one of the 10 at-large bids. Montana State gets the automatic bid with a win over Montana or if Eastern Washington loses to Idaho State. Eastern Washington needs a victory over Idaho State and a win by Montana to earn the automatic bid.
Montana, which by this time has normally secured a playoff bid, finds itself on the bubble. The Grizzlies, who've made a record 17 straight playoff appearances, enter Saturday's "Brawl of the Wild" 7-3 overall, but with just six Division I victories. Six Division I victories doesn't knock UM off the board, but it may have a major impact in the eyes of the committee.
There could be a lot of 7-4 bubble teams out there, some with better resumes than the Grizzlies. Georgia Southern could be 7-4 with a win over then-No. 1 Appalachian State. That's just one example. Even a 6-5 James Madison team with a win over Virginia Tech could sneak in the field ahead of Montana.
If Montana beats Montana State, then we think the Big Sky is a lock for three teams.
Sacramento State also could make a very strong case for an at-large bid. The Hornets are hot right now, entering Saturday's "Causeway Classic" against UC Davis with a three-game winning streak. If Sacramento State wins, the Hornets will be 7-4 with losses to nationally-ranked Stanford, Montana, Montana State and Eastern Washington. The Hornets' three conference losses are a combined 10 points. But, the Hornets, will only have a maximum of six Division I victories. Sacramento State is very high in the computer rankings.
What about Weber State? Well, the Wildcats are 6-4 entering Saturday's game against Texas Tech of the Big 12. If the Wildcats were to pull the upset, then we certainly think Weber State deserves strong consideration. WSU beat Montana, but lost to Montana State, Eastern Washington and Sacramento State. The Wildcats, however, would have seven Division I victories.
Saturday should be a great day for college football. We will be following games across the country to see how things shake out. Will the CAA get five teams? How many from the Southern? Will teams like Jacksonville and Dayton be left out of the field despite 10-1 records? Who will get the auto bid from the Big South?
We'll find out early Sunday morning. Set your alarm clocks. It's not "Black Friday," but it is "Selection Sunday.''

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Back to the Blog

2010-10-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since our last blog, and we apologize. The last couple weeks have been very busy. Basketball is right around the corner, so we've been hard at work preparing for that. There's preseason polls, media guides, schedules, and BracketBusters stuff. Then there's all the football work. Plus, we've been attending a lot of meetings. All of the athletic directors, faculty athletic reps, compliance coordinators, and senior women administrators were in Park City a couple of weeks ago for our annual fall meetings. Then, this past Tuesday and Wednesday, the universities presidents gathered for some very productive meetings in Park City.
Normally, our presidents meet at a hotel near the Salt Lake airport. They fly in the morning, attend the meeting, and fly right back out. We did things differently this time, bringing them in on Tuesday afternoon and holding the meetings in Park City. It allowed the group some time to socialize with each other, something these very busy folks rarely get the chance to do. Plus, we've had a lot of new presidents take over the last couple of years. Royce Engstrom, Montana's new president, had been on the job just two full days when he arrived for our meetings.
Park City is absolutely gorgeous right now, and all of the presidents really seemed to enjoy themselves. A lot of work was done, and our staff left the meetings very excited about the future of our league.

Football this weekend
It's getting to be that time when teams are trying to get in position for playoff berths. Right now, four teams are tied in the loss column with one conference loss. Sacramento State, Weber State and Portland State each have two conference losses. Sacramento State is at Eastern Washington on Saturday in an intriguing game. EWU is 4-1 in league and 5-2 overall. The Eagles are 2-0 on the red turf. Sac State is 2-2 in league, having lost to Montana and Montana State by a combined six points. Sac State has also won its last two meetings in Cheney. The Hornet offense was firing on all cylinders prior to last week's bye week. Could be a shootout in Cheney.
No. 7 Montana plays host to No. 22 Northern Arizona. Is this the year Jerome Souers finally breaks through against the Grizzlies? Souers is 0-12 against Montana. NAU is coming off a 34-7 win over Montana State. NAU hasn't won in Missoula since 1986. Montana has won 19 straight conference home games. The turnover battle will be big in this one.
Souers and first-year Montana coach Robin Pflugrad go back about 40 years. In the ninth grade, they ran on the same ticket together for class president and vice president.
Montana State will try to get back on track against Northern Colorado, which almost knocked off EWU last week. The Bobcats are 15th in the nation.
Remember that all of the games can be seen live on Big Sky TV.

Basketball
The men's and women's preseason polls were released earlier this week. No big surprise to see Weber State picked first on the men's side. Maybe some surprise to see the Lady Griz first on the women's side.
Injuries are already an issue with the EWU men's team. If the Eagles can get healthy, they could surprise a lot of people.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Some Random Thoughts

2010-09-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

Conference action kicks into full gear this weekend in football volleyball, so make sure to check out the action on Big Sky TV. Remember, it's free.

The first red turf game is Saturday at 4 p.m. as Eastern Washington battles Montana. I'm excited to see the turf up close, but I'm very excited to see this game. How will Montana respond after losing last week? Will Taiwan Jones have a monster game for Eastern Washington? Craig Haley from the Sports Network is coming out for the game. Commissioner Fullerton and myself are both flying out in the morning for Cheney. EWU will also be accepting the Sterling Savings' Bank Presidents' Cup this weekend.

Last Saturday's four-overtime game between Weber State and Northern Colorado was wild. Of course it got real crazy when the lights went out at Stewart Stadium right at the stroke of 10 p.m. Weber State was about to run a third-down play at the 1-yard line, trailing 47-41 in overtime. Originally it was reported that the lights were set to go off at 10 p.m. because of the planned fireworks show. The true story is that the lights were set on a timer based in Iowa. The company was told turn the lights off at 11 p.m. Mountain. But instead, they went off at 11 p.m. Central.

Northern Colorado's offense is much-improved. I really like what Dylan Orms brings to the Bears' offense. Also, Andre Harris is running very hard. The Bears have scored 101 points through two games. In 2006, the Bears' first in the league, they scored a total of 129 points.

Congrats to Nigel Burton, who picked up his first career victory as Portland State beat UC Davis 41-33 last Saturday. Certainly nice to pick up a road win while in the midst of playing Arizona State and Oregon during its three-game road trip.

Can Sacramento State find a way to slow down Weber State's Cameron Higgins on Saturday? In three games against the Hornets, Higgins has completed 67 percent of his passes for 915 yards with 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Have you seen Montana State freshman QB Denarius McGhee yet? He's just a redshirt freshman, but I'll bet coaching staffs around the Big Sky are already counting down the days until this young man graduates. He almost led the Bobcats to a win over Washington State last week before some tipped passes that resulted in interceptions led to a 23-22 loss. He'll make some freshman mistakes, no doubt, but he will be grabbing headlines for a long time.

Another player I'm excited to see is Idaho State's Tavoy Moore. I've heard this JC transfer is electric.

Northern Arizona has a bye this weekend. The Lumberjacks better enjoy Flagstaff while they can. NAU was at Arizona State last week, and now hits the road for games against Idaho State, Southern Utah and Eastern Washington before returning home on Oct. 16.

It was awesome to see Sacramento State running back Bryan Hilliard with a 100-yard game last week. Hilliard, a star in 2007 and 2008, missed all of last season with shoulder issues.

Don't forget that Saturday's Idaho State-Northern Colorado game is on Altitude.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

One More Week

2010-08-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

The start of the 2010 football season is just seven days away - well at least for two Big Sky teams. Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington get a two-day head start on everyone else in the league, as both open next Thursday night.

Eastern Washington scrimmaged on Wednesday, but rested its starters. Eastern Washington, which opens at Nevada, will practice on the new red turf on Wednesday.

Northern Arizona plays host to Division II Western New Mexico. It will be the first football game of the season featured for free on Big Sky TV. The Lumberjacks. Here is a look at NAU's last scrimmage.

Montana State head coach Rob Ash has yet to make a decision on his starting QB. Will it be senior Cody Kempt, or freshman Denarius McGhee. The Bobcats open at home on Saturday against Division II Fort Lewis.

Heather Kennedy, the SID at Northern Colorado, has been running a positional series on the Bears. Here's a look at the linebackers. I would imagine the Bears are liking the new upgrades in the athletic center.

Portland State's first three games are brutal. The Vikings open at Arizona State, then travel to UC Davis before returning home to Oregon to face the nationally-ranked Ducks in Eugene. That's a tough road for first-year coach Nigel Burton. Here's a look at PSU's latest scrimmage.

Sacramento State held its first scrimmage last Saturday. The Hornets take on Stanford for the first time in school history next Saturday.

Sophomore running back Bo Bolen, who wasn't supposed to play this season because of his upcoming LDS mission, looked very good in Weber State's scrimmage on Saturday. According to this story, Bolen won't get the start in the opener against Boston College.

Here is a report from Montana's second scrimmage. Josh Harris, a rising start at DE, has been lost for the season.

Around the League
Volleyball teams open action on Saturday. All nine times are competing in tournaments on Friday and Saturday, so it will be non-stop volleyball action all weekend. None of the tournaments are being hosted by Big Sky schools. Northern Colorado, Sacramento State and Northern Arizona host tournaments next weekend.

Soccer enters its second weekend of action. Northern Colorado, which beat two Mountain West teams last week, takes on Idaho on Friday and Colorado on Sunday.

Foreign Hoops
ESPY-Nominated Anthony Johnson, a former Montana basketball player, is going to play in Greece. Former Montana State men's basketball player Divaldo Mbunga has been selected to represent Angola. Portland State coach Tyler Geving posted that Dominic Waters is headed to France to play. All the stories we found on the Internet are in French, so we're not going to bother to link. Former Idaho State star Amorrow Morgan will play in Holland.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Let's Go Camping

2010-08-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

Student-athletes are back at it, getting ready for the upcoming 2010 seasons in football, volleyball, soccer and cross country.
Here's a report out of Montana State. The Bobcats will be in full pads for the first time on Friday.
Weber State is providing a running blog with daily updates from camp.
Jay Heater has taken over as the sports editor at the Idaho State Journal, and will cover the Bengal football team. Jay wrote this story on the Hofstra transfers.
Matt Schuman of the Greeley Tribune takes a look at the Northern Colorado wide receivers.
New Arizona Daily Sun writer Jacob May takes a look at Northern Arizona, where expectations are high.
Aaron Fentress, who has taken over the Portland State beat at the Oregonian, looks at five questions facing Nigel Burton's new-look Vikings.
Crews have made substantial progress on the red turf at Eastern Washington.
Fritz Neighbor at the Missoulian looks at the 12-time defending Big Sky champions.

New Look
One of our favorite things about this time of year is seeing new uniforms and helmet designs.
Weber State unveiled its new uniforms last week during media day. The Wildcats scrapped their all-purple home uniforms in favor of black tops and bottoms. You can see the new tops in this Deseret News photo. Reporter Andrew Aragon wrote a great piece on WSU QB Cameron Higgins.
We know that Portland State will returning to a more traditional look, one that actually includes the prominent school color of green. We haven't, however, seen yet what the new duds will look like.
Our guess is something similar to this. So long to the all black of the Jerry Glanville era.
We guess that Eastern Washington will wear all red when they open on the red turf on Sept. 18 against Montana. If you remember, the Eagles wore a lot of black last season.
There are a lot of rumors that Montana will unveil new uniforms later this month. The Grizzlies made a slight change to their helmet color. It's now "Montana Granite," which we're told is a bit darker than the helmets they've worn in the past. In this Missoulian photo, you can see the new helmet. It's the first change to Montana's helmet since 1996, when the athletic teams underwent a major makeover.
We haven't heard of any major uniform or helmet changes at Idaho State, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado or Sacramento State.

Preseason Polls
The Big Sky preseason volleyball poll was released today. The soccer poll will be released on Thursday, followed by cross country next week.

Congrats, Chick
Legendary former Weber State track and field coach Chick Hislop is heading to the Hall of Fame!

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

College Colors Day!!

2010-08-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Sept. 3rd is College Colors Day? Well it is and if you’re not familiar with it here is a nice explanation of this wonderful day.

“College Colors Day is an annual celebration dedicated to promoting the traditions and spirit that make the college experience great by encouraging people across America to wear apparel of their favorite college or university throughout the day.” CollegeColorsDay.com.

We here at the Big Sky are very excited about this year’s College Colors Day and we think that everyone in the conference should get into the act. In order to promote people showing their college colors the conference will be running a contest. We want to see some photos of you in your best college gear. Those who we think did the best job of representing their schools will receive a $25 gift card to the Big Sky online store, this way you can get geared up for the 2010-11 athletic seasons.

In order to be considered in the contest you can only submit one photo that shows you in your school’s colors. We ask you to identify who you are, where you live, when you went to school at that particular university, or when you became a fan of that school.

Once you have decided on a photo email it to tgooch@bigskyconference.org by Monday Sept. 6th. The staff here in the conference office will then review all of the submissions and select four winners. Some of the best photos submitted will be included in a photo album on the conference’s Facebook page.

We are looking forward to seeing how creative Big Sky fans can be wearing their school’s colors.

- T. William Gooch

Heading to August

2010-07-30T11:05:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe, but the calendar turns to August this weekend, and that means that Big Sky Conference athletes will be reporting to camp. If you haven't seen the preseason football poll, or preseason all-conference team, be sure to check them out.
The preseason volleyball, soccer and cross country polls will be released in mid-August.

Two former Big Sky quarterbacks will go head-to-head tonight up in Canada. Former Montana State great Travis Lulay and his B.C. Lions take on Edmonton, led by former Sacramento State great Ricky Ray. The game can be seen on ESPN3.

Also, tonight on the NFL Network, Spokane takes on Jacksonville in an Arena League game. Spokane has several former Big Sky players, including EWU QB Erik Meyer and Eagle WR Raul Vijil. Meyer is a backup QB. Vijil has put up huge numbers for Spokane, considered the top team in the league. Former Idaho State WR Sale Key plays for Jacksonville.

Montana announced this week it will play Tennessee next season in its opener...Former Griz kicker Dan Carpenter signed a nice extension with the Miami Dolphins...Another former Griz is making news in Atlanta for his personal life.

Eastern Washington's red turf is slated to arrive on Tuesday.

Three Sky players have been nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

Portland State launched its new web site with Sidearm Sports. Idaho State's new site with Sidearm will be launched in the near future.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Summer News

2010-07-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since we posted. We've been pretty busy gearing up for the upcoming seasons, working on media guides, records books, updating the web site, attending conferences, and yes, even taking a little vacation.

Big news out of Missoula today as The University of Montana announced that Jimmy Wilson will play football once again for the Grizzlies. The decision is sure to create some waves. I encourage you all to read this profile done by the student newspaper earlier this year on Wilson.

Five Big Sky players have been selected to the initial Walter Payton Award Watch List. With Appalachian State's Armanti Edwards - winner of the last two Paytons - off to the NFL, I like the Sky's chances this year to pick up a seventh Payton.

Weber State's Stewart Stadium is getting a lighting upgrade this summer.

The new turf at Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium looks really nice.

The red turf hasn't arrived yet at Eastern Washington, but when it does, make sure to check out the live cam. Just a lot of dirt and trucks right now.

Phil Steele has some great stuff on the FCS. Today's preview is on No. 9 Northern Arizona.

The preseason football poll, as well as the preseason all-conference team will be released next week.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Quest For The U.S. Open

2010-05-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

David Sutherland, left, talks with Brooke Green at the Big Sky Championship last month in Arizona.

Just a couple of weeks ago, David Sutherland coached the Sacramento State golf team to a runner-up finish at the Big Sky Conference Championship in Chandler, Ariz.

Come Monday, the former PGA Tour pro will begin his quest to qualify for the U.S. Open. Sutherland is one of almost 9,000 golfers hoping to earn a spot at this year's National Championship at Pebble Beach.

Sutherland will play an 18-hole local qualifer Monday at the Serrano Country Club in Sacramento. If he scores low enough, he'll advance to a 36-hole sectional qualifier at Del Paso Country Club in June. Sure the odds of Sutherland earning a slot at Pebble Beach are slim, but he's not exactly a driving range pro from Salome, Texas.

Sutherland has spent the better part of the last 25 years playing on the PGA and Nationwide Tours. He won more than $2 million in his career. His older brother Kevin, who won the 2002 Accenture Matchplay Championship, is still an active PGA member.

How many other Big Sky coaches can say that after their season ended, they went out and attempted to compete on one of the sports grandest stages? Sure, Montana basketball coach Wayne Tinkle is 6-foot-10, but he didn't go from coaching in the NCAA Tournament to playing in the NBA playoffs. Sacramento State football coach Marshall Sperbeck appears to be in great shape, but he's not headed to an NFL tryout anytime soon.

Following Tuesday's round at the Big Sky Championship, Sutherland ended up poolside at the hotel, sharing some facinating golf stories. Sutherland spoke of playing in The Open Championship at St. Andrews. In 2000 - the year Tiger Woods ran away at the Old Course - Sutherland shot rounds of 75 and 72 and just missed the cut. He spoke of the standing on the 11th tee, looking back toward the direction of the clubhouse and seeing nothing but rows and rows of spectators crammed in the stadium seats. He said from that vantage point, you could see the dog-leg on the 17th hole, the famed "Road Hole.''

When asked about the "Road Hole," Sutherland had a bit of a bad flash back, as he recalled hitting a spectacular second shot to the difficult par 4. Well, at least he thought it was spectacular. His ball ended up on the edge of the road, just 15 feet from the hole. His difficult lie resulted in a bogey and ended his chances of making the cut.

Shoulder injuries led to Sutherland retiring from professional play in 2004, which eventually led him to Sacramento State.

For a kid who grew up in California, walked-on at Fresno State and became an All-American, it would be fitting to see Sutherland tee it up in June at Pebble.

There was one small issue Sutherland had to take care off while in Arizona for the Big Sky Championship. Sutherland didn't have a set of clubs that conformed to the new USGA regulations. So, he headed over to the PING headquarters to pick out some new sticks.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Draft Thoughts

2010-04-26T14:28:00.001-07:00

The 75th NFL Draft is in the books, and it was another good year for the Big Sky. Three Sky players were selected. Another nine have signed free-agent contracts.

Weber State's Tim Toone was likely the most written about player taken during Saturday's final rounds, as he was selected by the Detroit Lions with the final pick in the seventh round. Toone is this year's "Mr. Irrelevant." Here's one of many stories written about Toone. This blog discusses the fun Toone will have this summer in Newport Beach. Here's 10 facts about Toone.
Here's a link to the "Irrelevant Week" Web site.

Toone is the fifth Wildcat taken in the last five drafts. Prior to twins Pat and Paul McQuistan being drafted in 2006, no Wildcat had been selected since 1999.

Toone is the second Weber State player to earn the "Mr. Irrelevant" distinction. In 1998, tight end Cam Quayle was selected with the final pick by the Baltimore Ravens. Quayle never played a down in the NFL, but did catch one pass for the Barcelona Dragons in NFL Europe during the 1999 season.

Quayle was not the first Big Sky player to be "Mr. Irrelevant." That honor went to Montana State guard Lee Washburn, who was taken by the Dallas Cowboys in the 12th round of the 1978 draft.

Weber State cornerback Josh Morris signed a free-agent deal with Philadelphia. There were initial reports he signed with Baltimore.

Weber State center Kyle Mutcher is headed to Buffalo. If Mutcher can make the team, he'd be the fourth Weber State offensive lineman on an NFL roster. Pat McQuistan is listed as the Dallas Cowboys' starting left tackle. Paul is now in Jacksonville after a couple of seasons in Oakland. David Hale, a fourth-round pick in 2008, is still with Baltimore. I ran into Hale a few weeks ago in Ogden. Turns out we both enjoy lunch at Bagels & Buns here in downtown Ogden. Hale has an autographed photo on display in the restaurant. Me? Well, the owner knows my name.

The state of Montana has to be beaming with pride. Montana safety Shann Schillinger (Baker) and Grizzly wide receiver Marc Mariani (Havre) were both drafted. Baker, located near North Dakota in the Southeast part of the state, had a population of 1,695. Havre, located in North Central Montana, roughly 60 miles from the Canadian border, has a population of roughly 10,000.

Three more Treasure State natives signed free-agent contracts. Montana State's Dane Fletcher, of Bozeman, inked with New England. Bobcat center Jeff Hansen, from football powerhouse C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls, landed in San Diego. Montana tight end Steven Pfahler, who prepped at Frenchtown High School, will join Mariani in Tennessee.

No doubt Pfahler and Mariani were helped by the Montana connections with the Titans. Brandon Fisher, the son of Titans coach Jeff Fisher, played for the Grizzlies. Coach Fisher attended as many Griz games as his schedule allowed, and watched many more on Big Sky TV.
I know this because I spent many Saturdays chatting with Coach Fisher, helping him figure out Big Sky TV. Also, former Montana assistant and long-time NFL player Tim Hauck, is now an assistant with the Titans.

For its small population base, Montana is certainly churning out NFL players at a high rate. Former Grizzly Kroy Biermann (Hardin) is a rising star in Atlanta. The former Buck Buchanan Award winner will hopefully take Schillinger under his wing with the Falcons.

Kicker Dan Carpenter (Helena) ended up kicking in the Pro Bowl in January. The former free-agent has enjoyed two great seasons in Miami, where he is a teammate of running back Lex Hilliard (Kalispell). Hilliard saw extensive action late in the season for the Dolphins.

Let's not forget about Butte's Colt Anderson, who played in the same secondary as Schillinger, and was on the Minnesota practice squad last season. Oh, and I almost forget about former Grizzly Tuff Harris (Colstrip), who is on Pittsburgh's roster.

That's 10 native Montanans on NFL rosters. Not bad for a state with less than 1 million residents.

As a Dallas fan, I'm excited to see if Eastern Washington's Matt Nichols can stick with the Cowboys. Certainly, he'll have a shot to compete for the No. 3 spot.

The Cowboys' top two quarterbacks both entered the league as undrafted free agents from small schools. Starter Tony Romo wasn't drafted out of Eastern Illinois after winning the Walter Payton Award. Veteran Jon Kitna made the Seattle Seahawks in 1997 out of Central Washington. Kitna has thrown for 27,293 career yards with Seattle, Cincinnati and Detroit. He didn't play a single down in the regular season for the Cowboys in 2009.

Kitna is a former teammate of current EWU coach Beau Baldwin. Kitna was also the first QB Baldwin coached at Central Washington after his playing career.

Stephen McGee, a fourth-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2009, is the Dallas third-stringer.

Getting back to Mariani. He's the first Big Sky receiver drafted since Northern Arizona's Clarence Moore in 2004. Moore was a sixth-round pick by Baltimore, catching 24 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie.

So, who was the last Montana receiver drafted? Well, the Grizzlies have had some good once in the last 15 years, including the likes of Joe Douglass, Jimmy Farris and Etu Molden. None of those guys were drafted, although Farris earned a Super Bowl ring in New England and caught some passes in Atlanta and Washington.

The last Montana wide receiver drafted was in 1969 when the Buffalo Bills selected Ron Baines in the 10th round. Baines never played in the NFL, but he was playing football well into his 50s. We found this article about Baines, printed in 2000. Baines was the first pick in the 10th round. With the first pick in the 1969 NFL Draft, Buffalo selected running back O.J. Simpson.

Three picks after Baines, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected L.C. Greenwood. We think the Steelers got a steal there.

This writer from CBS Sports thinks Eastern Washington TE Nathan Overbay has a chance to make an impact in Denver. Overbay is the cousin of Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay. Lyle was drafted in the 18th round of the 1999 draft out of Nevada by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lyle played his first year of professional baseball for the Missoula Osprey of the Pioneer League. He drove in a record 101 runs, led the team to the championship, and was named the league Player of the Year.

The Big Sky league office wishes all of our former Big Sky players the best in the NFL. We also hope that if any of these guys hit it big like All-Pros Jared Allen (Idaho State) and Michael Roos (Eastern Washington), they follow their examples and give back to their schools.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Legends return to Portland State

2010-04-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

This story just came in our inbox from Mike Lund at Portland State. Very cool! Should be a lot of fun for Coach Read and Davis, two innovators of the run-and-shoot offense.

Portland State Head Coach Nigel Burton has reached back to the past as he looks to the future, naming Mouse Davis and Don Read as coaches for the 2010 Spring Football Game. Davis and Read, both former Viking Head Coaches, will serve as coaches for the preliminary Viking Alumni Game and the Spring Game as well.Davis, who was the Viking Head Coach from 1975-80 and offensive coordinator in 1974, 2007-08, is legendary for developing the Run-and-Shoot offense back in the 70s. That offense was a primary catalyst to the development of today's spread offenses. Davis was 42-24 in his six seasons as head coach. He spent nearly 50 seasons in coaching before retiring a year ago.Read had two stints as Head Coach at Portland State, 1968-71 and 1981-85. He led the Vikings to their first Division II Western Football Conference Championship in 1984. Read was also the Head Coach at Oregon and won a national championship as Head Coach at Montana in 1995."I've always had an appreciation for the tradition and history of Portland State football and it doesn't get much bigger than Don Read and Mouse Davis," Burton said. "Obviously, one day I would love to have Tim (Walsh, now the Head Coach at Cal Poly) come back as well - not necessarily to coach, but just to be around. I just think it is a huge deal to honor the tradition and history of the place."It will start with them coaching the two alumni teams in our alumni game. But, as long as we stay healthy, they will coach the two teams in the spring game as well. Though, I have restricted Mouse's play-calling. He must include a certain number of runs," laughed Burton.Read, who is retired and living in Corvallis, has a connection with Burton from his Oregon State days as well. Read's son, Bruce, is the special teams coordinator for the Beavers."Ahmed and myself, we worked with him at OSU and got to know Don at that time," said Burton. "We developed a great relationship with him, as well as Mouse. I talk on the phone with Mouse once or twice a week and he comes by practice."The Portland State Spring Game takes place on May 8 at Hillsboro Stadium. Gates open that day at 11 a.m. A free Youth Football Clinic begins at noon. The Alumni Game, coached by Davis and Read, will start at 1 p.m. The Viking Spring Game kicks off at 2 p.m.--

Women's basketball has been full of surprises

2010-03-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

The 2009-10 Big Sky women’s basketball season has been one of unpredictability. Many had thought there would be a changing of the guard at the top of the conference, but few saw the turnover that we are witnessing down the stretch of the regular season.

Both the media and the coaches voted Portland State as the team to beat, with Montana a close second. Most seasons Montana is a runaway favorite, but the Vikings were expected to surge to the top of the standings. Portland State has had some great wins this season and then followed that up with unexpected losses, including getting swept on the road against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.

The Lady Griz were considered to be rebuilding, but to remain in the top third of the conference. An injury to freshman standout Katie Baker early in the season did nothing to help Montana’s cause.

The biggest surprise of the season is not the teams that have fallen short, but those who have surpassed the expectations of the prognosticators.

Eastern Washington opened league play with seven straight wins and sits atop the standings heading into the final weekend. In the preseason polls EWU was picked to finish seventh by both the coaches and the media. The Eagles can clinch the right to host the Big Sky Conference Championship, with a win over Portland State or any loss by Sacramento State this weekend. The Eagles have consistently been ranked nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, assits per game, and turnover margin. Junior Julie Piper is the only Eagle who is averaging more than 10 points per game, but they have six others who post more than five a game, making it tough for opponents to focus on one offensive threat.

Sacramento State was picked to finish eighth by the coaches and fifth by the media, but with two games left the Hornets are in the running for a share of the regular season title. With two wins and an Eagles loss to Portland State, Sacramento State will move into a tie with Eastern Washington and will receive the hosting rights of the championship. The right will be delivered due to fact they split against PSU, while EWU was swept by the Vikings. Head coach, on an interim basis, Jamie Craighead has the Hornets playing tough down the stretch winning 10 of 11. Sacramento State is averaging 80.2 points per game this year. The conference record is 80.0 ppg by Boise State during the 1992-93 season.

This weekend goes beyond determining who will host the Big Sky championship, the seeding for the tournament has yet to be settled. Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Portland State, and Sacramento State have all secured a spot in the postseason. All the postseason teams, aside from EWU, could have risen as high as the second seed or fall as low as the sixth.

Heading into the last weekend there were 976 different combinations of results. Now with Montana beating Northern Arizona and Montana State losing to Northern Colorado, there are only 252 combinations of results. The two games have helped to clear the picture somewhat, but there still remains a scenario where we could witness a four-way tie for third place.

There are still plenty of surprises to come and we wouldn’t have it any other way here in the conference office.

- T. William Gooch

Breaking Down the Men

2010-02-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

This is the time of the year where my brain is normally mush as I work to figure out all of the different scenarios for teams leading up to the Big Sky Men's and Women's Basketball Championships.

Well, throw in the fact that my wife and I welcomed our daughter to the world on Saturday, and my head is really hurting and my brain is complete mush. Life is tough for first-time parents.

Anyway, we've reached the final weekend of men's play, and things are actually pretty easy on that side. I'm not looking forward to figuring out the women's mess once this weekend's action is complete.

Below, you will find breakdowns on the men's teams:

Here is what we know:

We know that Weber State is the No. 1 seed and will host semifinals and the championship on March 9-10.

We know that Northern Arizona is the No. 5 seed and will play a road quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 6.

We know that Northern Colorado, Montana and Montana State are also in the tournament field.

We know that Montana State will host a quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 6.

What we don't knowL

We don't know who the No. 6 seed will be. But we know it will either be Portland State, Eastern Washington or Idaho State.

We don't know who the No. 2 seed. It will be either Northern Colorado or Montana.

We don't know who the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds are. Montana State will be either the No. 3 or No. 4. Montana will be either the No. 2, 3 or 4. Northern Colorado will be either the No. 2 or No. 3.

We don't know when we will ever get another good night of sleep.

We don't know for a fact that all of this below is 100 percent accurate. We will continue to review throughout the weekend.

Weber State
Has clinched the No. 1 seed and at least a share of the regular-season title. Will win the title outright with one win or a Northern Colorado loss. Weber State will play in the second semifinal game from the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah, on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m.

Northern Colorado
Will clinch the No. 2 seed with a win over Sacramento State. Will also be the No. 2 with a loss and a Montana loss. If Montana and Northern Colorado tie at 11-5, Northern Colorado will be the No. 2 seed if Idaho State or Eastern Washington is the sixth seed. If NC and UM are tied at 11-5, NC will be the No. 3 seed if Portland State is the No. 6 seed.

Montana
Can be the No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4 seed. Montana will be the No. 2 seed with a win over Montana State, a loss by Northern Colorado, and if Portland State is the No. 6 seed. Will be the No. 3 seed if tied with Northern Colorado, and Eastern Washington or Idaho State is the No. 6 seed.

Montana State
Will be the No. 3 seed with a win over Montana, and will be the No. 4 seed with a loss to Montana. Montana State will host a quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 6.

Northern Arizona
Has secured the No. 5 seed and will play on the road in a quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 6.

Portland State
Will clinch the No. 6 seed with a win over Idaho State. Can also clinch the No. 6 seed with a loss to Idaho State, a win over Weber State and an Idaho State loss to Eastern Washington. Can finish no better than sixth. Will play a quarterfinal game on the road on Saturday, March 6 if it qualifies for the postseason.

Idaho State
The Bengals are eliminated with a loss to Portland State. Idaho State will earn the No. 6 seed with two victories, or a win over Portland State coupled with Weber State victories over Eastern Washington and over Portland State, and one Sacramento State loss to either Northern Arizona or Northern Colorado.

Eastern Washington
Needs two wins and two Portland State losses to gain the No. 6 seed. Can finish no better than sixth. Will play a quarterfinal game on the road on Saturday, March 6 if it qualifies for the postseason.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

The League races

2010-02-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

We're entering the home stretch in men's and women's basketball. Teams are fighting to gain postseason bids, guarantee first-round byes, or even host the conference tournament.
Right now, the race on the women's side is very tight. Surprising Eastern Washington is 8-3, holding a one-game lead in the loss column over Montana at 8-4, preseason favorite Portland State (7-4) and Sacramento State (6-4). No one has clinched a postseason bid yet, but Eastern Washington, Montana and Portland State are on the verge.
We tip our hat to veteran EWU coach Wendy Schuller. Her team was picked seventh by the media and the coaches in the preseason poll. The Eagles have missed out on the postseason tournament three straight seasons.
Sacramento State, which has won six straight conference games and seven straight overall, still has four home games remaining. The Hornets are at home this weekend against Montana State (Thursday) and Montana on Saturday. Sacramento State has never beaten the Lady Griz. Will Saturday be that day? First-year coach Jamie Craighead has done an amazing job with the Hornets this season. Entering January, her squad was 3-9. Sacramento State was selected fifth by the media and eighth by the coaches in the preseason polls.
Montana State and Idaho State are currently tied at 6-6, and if the season ended today would be the final two teams earning postseason bids. Northern Colorado is 4-7, followed by Northern Arizona (3-8) and Weber State (3-9). Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado face tough road trips this week, taking on Portland State and Eastern Washington.

On the men's side, we're down to the final 14 conference games.
Weber State, Northern Colorado, Montana and Montana State have clinched postseason berths, leaving two spots up for grab.
Weber State can clinch at least a share of the title and earn the right to host the semifinals and championship with a win over Idaho State on Saturday. With a win and a loss by Northern Colorado, WSU wins the title outright.
Randy Rahe has done an amazing job in his four seasons with the Wildcats. He's on the verge of earning his third regular-season title, and has guided his club to 47 conference victories over the past four seasons.
At 9-4, Northern Colorado is in position to earn the No. 2 seed and an automatic bye to the semifinals with three more victories. The Bears are at home this week against Eastern Washington and Portland State. Northern Colorado closes out conference play at Sacramento State.
If the Bears stumble even once, Montana has a good chance at the No. 2 seed. The Grizzlies (9-5) have home games against Sacramento State and Montana State remaining. Montana and Northern Colorado have both split with Weber State, and would have split with Montana State. That tiebreaker would likely come down to Portland State. Montana swept Portland State. Northern Colorado is 0-1 vs. the Vikings coming into Saturday's meeting.
At 8-6, Montana State is in position to host a quarterfinal game, but if the Bobcats win out and Montana and Northern Colorado stumble, the Bobcats could still be the No. 2 seed.
Portland State is currently in fifth place at 5-7. PSU has two road games and two home games remaining. PSU missed out on a golden opportunity last weekend, losing home games to Montana and Montana State.
Northern Arizona is in sixth at 5-8. The Lumberjacks play host to Portland State on Thursday in a key game. NAU takes on Eastern Washington on Saturday.
Eastern Washington stayed in the game with impressive home wins over Montana State and Montana last weekend. At 4-8, the Eagles still have a lot of work to do. If EWU's trio of freshmen continues to play well, EWU could ride last week's momentum to road wins this weekend.
Idaho State and Sacramento State are the longest shots to make the tournament. Idaho State is 4-9 with road games against Weber State, Portland State and Eastern Washington remaining.
Sacramento State is 3-9. The Hornets make the Montana road trip this weekend, before returning home to face Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

The Signing Day Winners

2010-02-05T11:19:00.001-08:00

All nine Big Sky Conference football teams announced their signing classes on Wednesday. Everyone feels like a winner on signing day - coaches, fans, alumni, boosters.
The truth is we won't know who really won this past Wednesday until a couple of years down the road when these players are ready. Sure, a few will play right away this fall, but the majority will redshirt, and see spot action as freshmen.
Lets rewind to 2005 signing day to see who ended up winning. Those players were seniors last fall. If they didn't redshirt, they played their last game in 2008.

Here's a look at what turned out to be the top four recruiting classes in the Big Sky in 2005.

Paul Wulff did an outstanding job at Eastern Washington with his 2005 class. The class included 22 high school players. Among those, four-year starting QB Matt Nichols, WR Aaron Boyce, WR Tony Davis, TE Nathan Overbay, DE Greg Peach, LB Kyle Wilkins, OL Chris Thomas, OL Ryan Forney, LB Makai Borden, and DL Jacob Kragt. Peach, who didn't redshirt, was the Buck Buchanan Award Winner in 2008 as a senior. Nichols became the Big Sky's all-time leading passer, was a two-time league MVP, and an All-American.
That's one heck of a class right there.

Montana, which has advanced to the national championship game each of the past two seasons, also had a very solid class. Bobby Hauck's class included 16 high school seniors. Among those were TE Daniel Beaudin, OL Chris Dyk, LB Brandon Fisher, OL Terran Hillesland, FB Kevin Klaboe, LB Shawn Lebsock, DL, Austin Mullins, DE Jace Palmer, WR Tyler Palmer, RB Thomas Brooks-Fletcher and safety Shann Schillinger. Twelve of Hauck's 16 prep recruits wound up playing vital roles on an historic four-year run for Montana which included just one Big Sky loss. Not included on that list was WR Marc Mariani, who walked-on and ended up an All-American.

Ron McBride's 2005 Class was the cornerstone of the Wildcats' success the past two seasons. Weber State made the playoffs in 2008 for the first time since 1991, and went back to the playoffs in 2009. McBride signed 24 prep players in 2005, including the likes of DL Kevin Linehan, RB Marcus Mailei, C Kyle Mutcher, RB Trevyn Smith, LB Nick Webb, WR Bryant Eteuati, DL Rio Stottler and DL Caldwell Taylor.

Montana State's 2005 class also produces several standout players, including DE Dane Fletcher, LB Chase Gazzero, OL Jeff Hansen, S/CB Kevin Retoriano, punter Eric Fisher, and TE Joe Schreibeis. The Bobcat class included 16 high school players.

It shouldn't come as a huge shock that Montana, Weber State, Eastern Washington and Montana State were the top four teams in the league standings in 2009. Montana, Weber State and Eastern Washington all advanced to the playoffs, with the Grizzlies going undefeated until a loss to Villanova in the national championship game.

The other schools didn't have as much success, but the class still turned out the likes of Sacramento State linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo, Northern Arizona running back Alex Henderson, NAU LB Cyrus Igono, and Portland State FB Bobby McClintock

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Injuries, Other News

2010-01-28T08:57:00.000-08:00

The Portland State and Northern Arizona men's basketball teams both lost players to injuries, and neither player will play again this season.
Portland State junior Phil Nelson suffered a broken bone in his left foot at practice. This is a big, big loss to the Vikings, who are currently 3-5 in conference. If the season ended today, PSU would not make the conference tournament. The two-time defending tournament champions face and uphill battle to win a third straight title, especially without Nelson.
Northern Arizona's Eric Platt broke a hand in practice on Monday and underwent surgery on Wednesday in Flagstaff. Platt, a transfer from Wyoming, missed 11 games earlier this season with shin splints. Platt averaged 11.6 points per game and was one of the Lumberjacks' top long-distance threats. Northern Arizona has won three straight games entering this week's play, and is tied for fourth in the league at 4-4.
The other big news this week in men's basketball came out of Idaho State, where it was announced the Bengals would play their remaining home games at Reed Gym and not Holt Arena. Idaho State was forced to play at Reed Gym last weekend because of an Ag Expo at Holt Arena. The Bengals won games over Eastern Washington and Portland State to improve to 3-5 in conference. Head Coach Joe O'Brien has never lost a game at Reed Gym in his three-plus years at the helm.

EWU Women Rolling
Eastern Washington's women's basketball team is rolling right now. The Eagles are off to a 7-0 start in conference and hold a two-game lead in the loss column over Portlnad State and Montana. The Eagles are getting it done with balance. Julie Piper averages 10.6 points per game, and she's the only player on the squad averaging in double figures. Six other players, however, average more than six points per game.
The Eagles face a stiff challenge on Friday, traveling to the Stott Center to take on Portland State. The game starts at 2 p.m. Pacific and can be seen for free on Big Sky TV.

From the Football World
Next Wednesday is the big day in the college football world, as prep football players can officially sign a Letter of Intent. No doubt all of the Big Sky football coaches will be working the phones and making last-minute trips in hoping to land prospects.
Eastern Washington might want to consider using Warrant's power ballad "I Saw Red" as its theme song next season. If you haven't heard, the Eagles announced they will be installing red turf at Woodward Stadium. Former Eagle great and current NFL All-Pro Michael Roos gave teh school $500,000 to get the ball rolling on the project. Former Big Sky member Boise State is known for it's blue "Smurf Turf." The University of New Haven also has blue turf.

Two former Big Sky players will play in Sunday's NFL Pro Bowl from Miami. Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings got the nod at defensive end. Former Montana kicker Dan Carpenter was a late addition to the AFC team. Carpenter, of the Miami Dolphins, has gone from an undrafted free-agent rookie to a Pro Bowler in his two seasons in the NFL. Not bad.

Former EWU Eagles Matt Nichols and Nathan Overbay both played in last Saturday's Shrine Game. Overbay hauled in a 41-yard catch, and Nichols was 3-of-6 for 42 yards and also picked up 15 yards on a run. In events like this, it's not just the game action that's important, but the practices leading up to the game. Scouts from NFL teams evaulate the practices, dissecting everything the player shows. Nichols' NFL stock appeared to rise during the week.

Montana safety Shann Schillinger will compete in the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star game on Feb. 7.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Weather Update

2010-01-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

The women's game between Sacramento State and Northern Arizona scheduled for Saturday in Sacramento has now been moved to Sunday at 1 p.m. Pacific. Because of the blizzard in Flagstaff and poor weather in Phoenix hindering air travel, the NAU women likely would not have made it to Sacramento on Friday.

Around the League

2010-01-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

We'll just take a quick spin around the Big Sky to get you all caught up on some things.
First of all, if you're going to spin around Flagstaff, you might want to do so in a Hummer or large 4x4 SUV. Flagstaff is getting leveled by a huge snow storm. The Northern Arizona campus was closed today, and we've been in contact throughout the day with the Lumberjacks to monitor the situation. We do know that Sacramento State's men's tennis team made it to Flagstaff before the roads closed, and are taking on Northern Arizona today. No, the matches aren't being played outdoors. There is some concern with the NAU women's basketball team, which is supposed to play Sacramento State on Saturday in Sacramento. The NAU team might not be able to get out of Flagstaff on Friday. The rain in Phoenix is forcing planes to be diverted. Montana State's tennis team is supposed to face NAU in Flagstaff on Saturday. The Sacramento State's men's basketball team is slated to play at NAU on Sunday in the Altitude Game of the Week. Right now, all games are a go.
If you are still in the mood for some college football, EWU's Nathan Overbay and Matt Nichols will play in the East-West Shrine Game on Saturday in Orlando. The game will be on ESPN2 at Noon Pacific.
Check out Portland State's Web site for a great story about volleyball player Jennifer Oney.
Sad news out of Ogden where former Weber State tennis coach Keith Cox passed away. Cox guided the Wildcat men to 11 conference titles and the women's team to 10 league crowns.
It's a big weekend for basketball. The red-hot Eastern Washington women try to move to 6-0 on Saturday against second-place Idaho State on Friday in Cheney. Hats off to EWU for its great start...Idaho State is at Portland State on Saturday in another key women's game. Also on Saturday, Montana State and Montana battle in men's and women's action in Bozeman.
We're excited to see the Weber State-Portland State game here in Ogden on Saturday. Portland State senior guard Dominic Waters took a lot of ribbing from Weber State fans last year. However, when WSU failed to make the championship game and the Vikings did, some of the Weber State fans cheered for Waters. Waters even spent some time chatting with the fans after PSU won the championship in the Dee Events Center.

Be safe out there, and enjoy the weekend.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Let's Talk Men's Hoops

2010-01-05T16:52:00.001-08:00

OK, it's been awhile since I blogged, but to be quite honest I was in dire need of a break following football season. After some time to relax and enjoy the Holidays, it's back to the grind.

It's time to talk a little men's basketball. The nine coaches partook in the midseason conference call with the media. OK, I'll be honest, we had two reporters ask the vast majority of the questions, and I thank them. Great job Will and Dan.

It's been a pretty successful season so far. The Big Sky has been ranked right around 17 among the Division I conferences in the RPI, a jump of seven or eight spots from last season. The Big Sky was 17th in 2005-06 when Montana upset Nevada in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It sure would be great to see another one of our teams get a win in the NCAA tourney this March.

Who will that team be?

We'll start over in Greeley, Colo.

Tad Boyle's Northern Colorado club has been one of the big surprises in the mid-major world. NC jumped out to a 7-0 start and are currently 13-3 heading into Thursday's showdown with defending regular-season champion Weber State. I'm excited to see how Weber State's Damian Lillard, the league's top scorer, matchups up with Northern Colorado super defender Yahosh Bonner. Northern Colorado has received excellent guard play from senior Will Figures and junior Devon Beitzel. The Bears are also very strong on the defensive end. Northern Colorado is 2-1 in conference right now with road wins over Northern Arizona and Montana. The loss came on the road to Montana State.

Randy Rahe's Weber State club has won 15 straight conference games, including 10 in a row on the road. That streak will be tested against the Bears on Thursday. Lillard is having an MVP-type campaign so far. The sophomore is coming off a career-high 30 points in a win over Montana. Rahe was asked Thursday to compare this year's team to the team that went 15-1 last season. Rahe said this year's Wildcats' aren't as good shooting the ball, but are a better rebounding team. Rahe needs newcomer Franklin Session to find his shooting stroke. The junior can rebound and dish out assists, but has struggled with his shot. Senior post Steve Panos also needs to assert himself in conference play. Weber State also needs its bench to score more. The reserves combined for 12 points in two games last week.

Brad Huse and his Montana State Bobcats surprised many by advancing to last year's championship game as the No. 6 seed. Pretty much everyone but center Divaldo Mbunga returned from that team. Mbunga is a big loss down low, but the Bobcats are doing just fine. MSU is off to a 3-1 conference start, including a road win over Idaho State. When Bobby Howard and Branden Johnson are hot, the Bobcats are tough to beat. Junior Erik Rush might be the X-factor on this team.

First-year coach Tyler Geving has Portland State off to a 2-0 conference start. The Vikings, who've won the last two conference titles, can score with the best of them. Senior guard Dominic Waters is playing well, as are junior guards Melvin Jones and senior post Jamie Jones. PSU leads the Big Sky in field-goal percentage, scoring offense, 3-point field-goal percentage and 3-point field goals made per game. This is a scary bunch when they are on. The question is can they continue to hit shots - especially on the road, and can they play enough defense.

Montana has been a tough team to read so far. The Grizzlies have 10 wins, including a victory over Oregon. UM also played nationally-ranked Washington down to the wire. But, UM is off to a 1-3 start in conference. Center Brian Qvale has really emerged and freshman guard Will Cherry provides a spark to the offense. Preseason MVP candidate Anthony Johnson, however, hasn't been playing his best ball recently.

Joe O'Brien's Idaho State club endured another brutal non-conference schedule playing the likes of Notre Dame, BYU, Bradley, Utah, Utah State, USC, Oregon and Iowa State - all on the road. The Bengals have also endured an injury to senior center Deividas Busma and an illness to forward Rolando Little. That's left a lot of pressure on Demetrius Monroe and Chron Tatum down low. Amorrow Morgan is playing well, as is junior guard Broderick Gilchrest. With just eight healthy players in the rotation right now, it could be hard for this talented team to handle the rigors of conference play.

Brian Katz talked in the conference call about how his Sacramento State club is getting "a little bit better" in all aspects of the game. Sac has six wins so far, including a stunner on the road over Oregon State. Freshman John Dickson and junior Sultan Toles-Bey have been two nice additions. Sacramento State hasn't won a conference road game since 2006. The Hornets will need to find a way to win on the road if it hopes for a spot in the postseason tournament.

Eastern Washington has had an up and down season so far. The Eagles were very competitive against the likes of Washington State, Portland and Nevada, but downright bad against Brigham Young, Gonzaga and in two games at the Las Vegas Tournament. Coach Kirk Earlywine said his team needs to shoot better. The Eagles are last in the league in field-goal percentage. Post player Brandon Moore has battled some injuries. True Freshmen Jeff Forbes and Glen Dean have turned heads.

Veteran Northern Arizona coach Mike Adras lauded the play of Big Sky teams so far. He thinks the league is very good. Of course, he also laughed and pointed out his team is currently 0-3 in conference with a lot of good teams in front of him. Newcomers Eric Platt and DeAngelo Jones were expected to provide some much-needed offense to go along with junior Cameron Jones. Platt has battled injuries, and now DeAngelo Jones could be out with an injury. The Lumberjacks face an uphill task to get back to the conference tourney. Don't count out Adras' ability to get this team there.

So, who will be playing in the championship game on March 10? My problem is I might not be there. My first child is due on March 10. I think the wife expects me to be there for that!

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Connecting the Big Sky Via Rail

2009-12-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have noticed a couple exciting Facebook groups pop up on my news feed. Both groups are dedicated to restoring old Amtrak lines here in the western states. The first I heard of this was in early fall, when Senator Jon Tester was traveling through Montana gauging sentiment on the endeavor restoring the North Coast Hiawatha route.

Being a Montana native I though of all the great possibilities of a rail line that ran through the southern part of the state! My first thought was all the possibilities for college sporting events. How cool would it be to have a group of alumni or students traveling to Missoula or Bozeman for the “Brawl of the Wild”? The second idea involved traveling for fellow Big Sky teams that travel to Montana for basketball and volleyball. They usually fly in and then charter a bus and take I-90 to get the next night's game. With a rail that connects the cities those teams could just use the train to get back and forth rather then driving on Montana’s harsh roads in the winter. The line would also make it easier for people in Bozeman and Missoula to travel to games in Cheney, Wash. (via Spokane), Portland, Ore., or even Sacramento, Calif.

The second group is dedicated to restoring the Amtrak Pioneer line that ran from Ogden, Utah through Pocatello, Idaho and on out to Portland, Ore. As it stands today Amtrak services Big Sky schools in Portland, Sacramento, Ogden, and Flagstaff. Also, it makes stops in Spokane and Denver, making travel to Greeley, Colo. and Cheney relatively easy. With the Pioneer line restored, along with the Hiawatha line in Montana, all the Big Sky schools would be connected via Amtrak. With some forethought and planning Big Sky fans could find some great ways to travel to sporting events.

I think out here in the west we forget about Amtrak and tend to think that flying is the only way to go, but honestly riding the rail is definitely cheaper. It might take you a little longer than flying, but remember that the journey is the reward not the destination. :)

There are no other north-south routes on Amtrak aside from the Coast Starlight line that runs from Los Angeles, Calif. to Seattle, Wash. So if you wanted to get from Spokane to Flagstaff you would have to go over to Portland and then down to L.A. then over to Flagstaff. Yes, that is some what of an out of the way route, so not every road trip would be feasible. That should not stop you from taking the Coast Starlight from Sacramento to Portland. Heck even take the California Zephyr from Denver through Ogden to Sacramento... there are still plenty of possibilities!!!

Below are the links to the Facebook groups, also a link to a map of all the current Amtrak lines.

Enjoy and feel free to let me know if you agree about my ideas on traveling to Big Sky events via rail.

Restore the North Coast Hiawatha (MT)
Restore the Pioneer (ID)

Amtrak Western Routes

Tanner Gooch
Big Sky Conference
Marketing/Media Relations

Good Things Across The Sky

2009-12-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

Maybe some of you haven't noticed, but there have been some very positive things happening across the Big Sky Conference in recent weeks, and it's not just at one school. There tends to be so much negative news in the world of athletics, so it's good to highlight the positives.

I'm just going to go through school-by-school and point out some of the great things that have happened. Obviously, I'm bound to miss a few things here or there, so don't hold it against me.

Eastern Washington

The Eagle football team received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs. This after the Eagles spent much of the season not knowing if it would be eligible because of NCAA probation.

EWU QB Matt Nichols was named the league MVP, finished fourth in Walter Payton Award voting, and became the Big Sky's all-time leader in total offense and passing yards.

EWU DE Jacob Kragt was named to the Academic All-America team.

Eastern Washington did a tremendous job hosting the Big Sky Volleyball Championship.

EWU's soccer team finished second in the soccer standings, enjoying one of their best seasons ever.

Idaho State

The Bengals received a $200,000 donation from NFL All-Pro Jared Allen to renovate the weight room.

ISU avoided a winless season by closing the football season with a win over Portland State.

ISU's soccer team advanced to the Big Sky Championship match, and senior defender
Annamarie Hofstetter was named to the Academic All-America First Team.

Montana

Montana finished the football regular season 11-0, gained the top seed in the FCS playoffs, rallied from a 27-point deficit to beat South Dakota State in the first-round of the playoffs, beat Stephen F. Austin 51-0 in the quarterfinals, and will host Appalachian State on Saturday in teh semis. The game will be televised live on ESPN.

UM's men's basketball team is off to a 5-3 start. The Grizzlies have wins over Oregon, Loyola-Marymount and Boise State.

Montana's volleyball team advanced to the conference tournament.

Montana State

MSU DE Dane Fletcher was named the Defensive MVP of the Big Sky, and is a candidate for the Buck Buchanan award.

The Bobcats finished 7-4 in football.

Trish Binford has the Bobcat women's basketball team off to a 6-2 start.

The Bobcats' men's basketball team handed Northern Colorado its first loss.

Northern Arizona

The Lumberjacks' men's cross country team finished fourth at the NCAA Championship, led by a second-place finish from David McNeill and a fifth-place finish from Jordan Chipangama.

NAU's soccer team won its second straight Big Sky Championship, and played very well against Stanford in the NCAA College Cup. Defender Kristi Andreassen was named to the Academic All-America Second Team.

NAU QB Michael Herrick threw for 574 yards against Eastern Washington, and was named the National Player of the Week by the Sports Network.

Northern Colorado

The Bears' volleyball team won the Big Sky Championship, the school's first team championship since joining the league. Northern Colorado lost to Washington 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Fort Collins.

Tad Boyle's basketball team is off to an 8-1 start. NC won a tournament at Hawai'i, beating the Warriors in a nationally-televised game on ESPN. The next week, Northern Colorado won the Air Force tournament, drilling the Falcons on their home court. Boyle's club then beat Colorado State in front of a standing-room only crowd at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. NC's seven-game winning streak

Northern Colorado is ranked 23rd in this week's College Insider.com Mid-Major Poll.

Northern Colorado hosted the Big Sky Cross Country Championship, its first chance at hosting a league championship.

Portland State

Portland State hired Nigel Burton as its new football coach. Burton is the first African American head football coach in the history of the Big Sky.

PSU's men's basketball team upset No. 25 Portland, marking the second straight season the Vikings have upset a ranked opponent.

Portland State's volleyball team won the regular-season conference title, and finished second at the conference tournament.

Sacramento State

The Hornet football team closed out its season with a win over rival UC Davis in the Causeway Classic in front of more than 17,000 fans at Hornet Stadium. It marks the first time since 1990-91 that the Hornets have beaten the Aggies in back-to-back years.

Sacramento State's men's basketball team ended the nation's longest road losing streak with a victory over Oregon State of the Pac-10. Sacramento State followed with a road win over rival UC Davis.

In early November, the soccer team upset No. 10 Cal 1-0.

Weber State

Ron McBride's Weber State Wildcats finished the regular season 7-4 and earned an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs. It marked the first time in school history the football team has advanced to the postseason in back-to-back years.

For the second straight season, safety Beau Hadley was named to the Academic All-America First Team.

The men's basketball team snapped an eight-game losing streak to Utah, upsetting the Utes at the Dee Events Center.

More than 9,000 fans packed the Dee Events Center to watch Weber State open its 2009 season against Utah State.

All of our schools, student-athletes, fans, alumni, coaches and administrators should be proud! Keep up the excellent work on and off the field!

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Big Sky Blog: We Deserve Three

2009-11-21T21:17:00.001-08:00

No doubt the 10-member Division I Football Committee is working hard right now in Indianapolis after a crazy final day of the regular season.
One thing is clear to us out here in the Big Sky: Our conference deserves three playoff teams this year. Montana is the automatic qualifier. Weber State and Eastern Washington both deserve at-large bids.
Northern Iowa suffered an upset loss to Illinois State on Saturday. Heading into Saturday, the Panthers were a lock to receive an at-large bid. But, the Panthers are 7-4 now with three conference losses, and no quality victories. Sure, they have a one-point loss to Iowa, but Weber State has a one-point loss to an FBS team as well. Bubble teams Lafayette and Liberty also lost. I believe this has opened the door for both WSU and EWU to earn at-large bids, and they both deserve it.
Weber State closed out its season with an impressive 47-14 win over Cal Poly. The Wildcats won five of their final six games. The Wildcats played a very difficult schedule, opening at Wyoming and Colorado State, and losing both by close scores (29-22 and 24-23). Weber State also lost a 26-21 decision to Montana State in a game the Wildcats fell 1-yard short. Ron McBride's club rallied, picking up big wins over Eastern Washington (31-13) on the road, and Northern Arizona at home before today's drilling of Cal Poly.
Weber State finished 7-2 against Division I FCS competition and 6-2 in the Big Sky. The Wildcats also finished strong, and have a head-to-head win over Eastern Washington, who was also 6-2 in Big Sky play and 7-2 against Division I FCS teams.
The committee seems to cringe at putting four-loss teams in the playoffs, but have done so the last two years. Weber State at 7-4 and playing a strong schedule deserves to be in.
Eastern Washington won a wild 49-45 game at Northern Arizona on Saturday. The Eagles closed the season by winning four straight games, and senior QB Matt Nichols is on a tear.
EWU has wins over top 25 Gridiron Power Index teams Northern Arizona and Montana State. The Eagles also beat a Southern Utah team in Cedar City last week. The Thunderbirds has been undefeated at home, including a beating of Texas State, a playoff team a year ago.
The Big Sky has been ranked as the second or third toughest conference in FCS this season. Heading into Saturday's play, the Sky was second in the GPI behind the CAA. The Great West Conference was ahead of us at some points, and is third this week in most polls. The Big Sky went 8-2 against the Great West this season.
Weber State's and Eastern Washington's schedules were much tougher than those of Liberty, Lafayette, and Northern Iowa. Colgate is 9-2 and could get a look, as could Florida A&M. However, both of these teams were so low in the GPI this week, that I failed to even include them in the information I sent to the playoff committee and to our schools.
Our sports information office spent hours this week pouring over the schedules of the teams in the running for at-large bids, trying to make a case for our teams to receive at-large bids. We also pointed out the Big Sky's success in the playoffs, and how one of our teams has knocked off either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the playoffs on the road four of the last six years. Our No. 2 playoff team has also advanced to the quarterfinals five of the past six years. The Patriot League, MEAC, Big South and Ohio Valley Conferences are a combined 0-20 the last five years in the playoffs.
We felt going into the weekend that we were deserving of two at-large bids, but might have to settle for one. Based on Saturday's action, however, we should get two. Colgate, Lafayette and Liberty, and Florida A&M all play in conferences not near as strong as the Big Sky - at least according to the computer rankings.
We'll see what the committee thinks.
The selection show is at 1 p.m. Mountain on ESPNews. We'll have brackets up soon after at www.bigskyconf.com.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Football and Basketball Talk

2009-11-13T15:27:00.001-08:00

As you can see from the picture to the left, it snowed just a little bit in Bozeman, Mont., last night. That can mean November football has really arrived and basketball season is upon us.

There are two weeks left in the regular season, and we're starting to get a bit nervous about getting at least two teams in the FCS playoffs. Almost every year, the Big Sky gets an at-large team. Right now, some teams need to take care of some business to have a chance at an outright bid. Any losses by Montana State, Northern Arizona, Weber State or Eastern Washington will end their playoff changes. All four I believe, are still in the hunt for an at-large bid, and Montana is set for a top seed if the Grizzlies can win their final two games. Of course if that happens, it would knock Montana State out of playoff contention.

Either Weber State or Northern Arizona could end up 7-4 with two losses to FBS teams. One of them will be eliminated from postseason contention tomorrow as the teams meet in Ogden. I've heard some across the country say that both are out of the playoff picture. Why? The last two years, the Division I Football committee has taken four-loss teams from the strong Colonial Athletic Conference as the FIFTH team from the league, or the fourth at-large bid from the league. If either WSU or NAU finish 7-4, they would be second in the Big Sky. The Big Sky is ranked either second or third among conferences in three major computer rankings (GPI, Massey and Sagarin). The Great West Conference is above the Big Sky in two of the polls, but the Big Sky is 5-2 against the Great West. So for arguments sake, let's say the Big Sky is the No. 2 conference since the Great West does not receive an at-large bid to the playoffs.

An 8-3 Eastern Washington team, or an 8-3 MSU team or a 7-4 WSU or NAU team, I believe is more than worthy to gain an at-large bid to the playoffs. First of all, the Big Sky has a strong track record. In five of the last six years, our No. 2 playoff team has won in the first round. In four of the past six years, a Big Sky team has knocked off either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the playoffs, and done so on the road.

A Big Sky team might be battling a Patriot League team, a MEAC team or Liberty for the final at-large bid in the field. Liberty plays in the Big South, which will have an automatic bid next year. Some felt Liberty was snubbed last year. Well, the Patriot, MEAC and Big South all ranked in the 8-11 range as far as FCS conferences go. In the Massey Schedule Strength index, Northern Arizona's schedule ranks No. 2 among teams in the playoff hunt. EWU's is ninth, WSU's is 10th and MSU's is 20th. For comparison, Liberty is 65th. Lafayette of the Patriot League is 72. Holy Cross is 80, and Florida A&M is 85. There's a lot of talk about the Southland Conference getting two teams in this year. However, if it were to come down to a Southland or Big Sky team, I still believe our team deserves the bid. Texas State is 43rd in SOS. SE Louisiana is 51. McNeese State is 56 and Stephen F. Austin if 58.

The Patriot League teams play a lot of Ivy League teams in the non-conference, as well as teams from the Northeast Conference. The MEAC teams had an awful record against non-conference teams, as did the Big South teams. Meanwhile, the Big Sky is 5-2 against the Great West, and our teams in the playoff hunt have lost to the likes of Cal, Ole Miss, Arizona State, Michigan State, Wyoming and Colorado State.

I could go on and on with data that I've researched to prove our case and submitted it to the committee members. Hopefully they will look long and hard at the depth of the Big Sky and realize we are more than worthy of at least one at-large bid, maybe even two.

Right now, I see three of the at-large bids coming from the CAA. The league should get four teams in the playoffs (Villanova, Richmond, William and Mary and New Hampshire). Delaware is 6-3 but has games against Navy and Villanova left. If Delaware wins those, expect four of the at-large teams to come from the CAA for the third straight season.

I see the Southern Conference getting two teams in: Appalachian State and Elon. The teams meet Saturday in what amounts to a game to determine the automatic bid.

The Missouri Valley looks like a three-team league with Southern Illinois, South Dakota State and Northern Iowa. Northern Iowa is 6-3 and doesn't have a big win on its resume. The Panthers have lost to Southern Illinois, South Dakota State and has a close loss to Iowa.

Based on that, we're up to six at-large bids taken. The Southland Conference will likely get one, but that league is a mess with two weeks to play. McNeese State and Stephen F. Austin look like the two teams that will get in.

That leaves one spot for a Big Sky team, a FIFTH CAA team, a Patriot League team, Liberty or a second MEAC team.

How could the committee take a team from a the Patriot, Big South or MEAC over a Big Sky team?

Bottom line, however, at least one of our teams needs to win out to get serious consideration.

OK, on to basketball. Things get rolling here shortly. Here in Ogden, Weber State is playing host to Utah State, and hopefully we'll get up to the Dee to check it out. It should be an exciting year, as I think we've got some very good players returning, and some very good teams. Weber, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado and Portland State all have a lot of good returning players.

As a league, we need to pick up some quality victories on the road during the non-conference part of the year.

Remember you can catch all of the men's and women's games held in Big Sky venues for free on Big Sky TV.

Have a good and safe weekend,

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Recap of the Week

2009-10-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

It was another busy week here at the league office. On Tuesday, we issued a statement regarding the officiating of the Montana-Eastern Washington football game. It created a lot of buzz from the media and fans. Commenting on officiating is not something we do often, but Commissioner Doug Fullerton and Doug Toole, our head of football officials, felt something needed to be said about it.
We weren't the only conference dealing with officiating issues. The SEC suspended a crew. Major League Baseball announced changes to the umpires who will work the World Series.
Folks, it happens on all levels from Little League to the pros.
Officials are human and make mistakes. Coaches make mistakes and student-athletes make mistakes. It's not an issue just in the Big Sky Conference. It's just a lot easier to take out frustration on the officials. Fans all across the nation think their conference has the worst officials in the nation. Believe me, I've talked to my conference colleagues, and they all get the same kinds of e-mails.
Our officials will get back to work on Saturday and try to get every call right.

OK, enough about that, because we are all ready to move on.

On Wednesday, the presidents of the Big Sky schools met in Salt Lake for their annual fall meeting. We were very fortunate enough to get NCAA Interim President Jim Isch to speak to our presidents. For those of you who don't know, Mr. Isch worked at Montana State many years ago. He was actually on his way to Bozeman for a wedding. Isch has served as the senior VP for administration and CFO at the NCAA since 1998. He gave a great presentation on financial matters to our presidents.

We released the men's and women's basketball preseason polls this week. Hard to believe that basketball season is almost here. Real games start on Nov. 13. Certainly a bit strange to see Montana not picked to win the women's basketball title. Picking these is always difficult, especially on the men's side. You just never know how big of an impact junior college transfers will have. I for one am excited to see the likes of Melvin Jones at Portland State, Franklin Session at Weber State, Alden Gibbs at Eastern Washington and the host of other new faces across the league.

Don't forget you can catch all of the football and volleyball action for free on Big Sky TV.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone at Sacramento State following the tragic events on Wednesday.

OK, time to head home, walk the dog, head to the gym for a workout, eat, and head back to the office to continue to work on the men's basketball media guide. It's getting close, and we're hoping to have the men's and women's guides on-line by the end of the next week.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Monday Update

2009-10-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd do a quick update this afternoon. Football Players of the Week were difficult to pick this week - at least two of the three. Special teams was pretty easy with Zach Brown of Portland State taking the honors. He made field goals of 50, 40 and 33 yards in the Vikings' 23-18 win in Greeley. He made those kicks in less than ideal conditions. There was snow covering the field the entire game.
Offense we went co. Both Montana's Marc Mariani and Northern Arizona's Michael Herrick had big games in leading their teams to victories over ranked opponents.
Mariani had six catches for 200 yards, scoring on TD catches of 84 and 68 yards. The 84 yarder sparked Montana, which to that point trailed 10-0 midway through the second quarter against No. 15 Cal Poly. The Grizzlies ended up winning 35-23.
Herrick had another outstanding effort in Northern Arizona's 23-10 upset of No. 24 Montana State in Bozeman. Herrick completed 75 percent of his passes for 388 yards and a touchdown. Herrick has been outstanding this season for the Lumberjacks and might soon find himself on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch list.
Defense was very, very difficult. Eastern Washington's J.C. Sherritt had another monster game, but his team gave up 31 points and more than 400 yards of offense. Sherritt was in on 24 tackles - 7 solo and 17 assisted - and intercepted a pass and returned in 36 yards for a score.
We opted to go with Weber State defensive tackle Ryan Eastman, who made a huge impact in the Wildcats' win over EWU. Eastman, who had missed three games with an injury, returned to record six tackles, three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. WSU, which allowed 210 rushing yards to Montana State last week, held the Eagles to just 35 rushing yards on 27 carries.
We always try to put a lot of weight in what a player's performance meant for his team's success on the field.
Northern Arizona's Stevon Thomas also had an outstanding game for the Lumberjacks, as did Northern Colorado's John Eddy in a loss. Four defensive players also returned interceptions for touchdowns on Saturday.

The Polls
The polls were released on Monday, and we were a bit disappointed not to see Northern Arizona among the top 25. The Lumberjacks are 3-2 with losses to Pac-10 Arizona and an overtime loss to then No. 4 Montana, who is now ranked third. Northern Arizona has victories over a much-improved Southern Utah squad, Northern Colorado, and a huge road win over a ranked Montana State team.
Northern Arizona was close to cracking the coaches poll, earning 42 points. The No. 25 team amassed 49. NAU was 29th in the Sports Network poll.
I find it a bit odd that UMass, a 43-27 loser to unranked Delaware, dropped just six spots from No. 12 to No. 18, and Delaware went from unranked to 23rd. The CAA now has seven teams ranked in the top 25, including four of the top seven. I honestly believe Northern Arizona and Montana State, who are both 3-2, could easily be ranked instead of UMass (3-2) and Delaware (4-2).
Holy Cross also remained in the top 25 despite a loss to unranked Brown. Eastern Kentucky (3-2) also stayed in the top 26, tumbling from 16 to 24 with a loss to unranked Tennessee Martin.
We just aren't getting enough respect out here, and part of it is there isn't enough games between Big Sky/Great West teams against the CAA conference.
Of the five top Big Sky teams in terms of overall record: UM, EWU, WSU, MSU and NAU, combined they have nine losses. Five of those losses have come to FBS teams (Cal, Wyoming, Colorado State, Michigan State and Arizona). Of the other four losses, two have come to ranked teams. NAU lost in overtime to Montana, Eastern Washington lost to ranked Weber State. Montana State has a win over a ranked Weber State squad, and NAU beat a ranked MSU team.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Friday Update

2009-10-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update before leaving the office for the day.
This is a pretty big weekend in football. Eastern Washington has a chance to start conference play 4-0 for the first time ever, but Weber State stands in the Eagles' way. Weber State is in dire need of a victory to keep its playoff hopes alive. It will be interesting to see how the Wildcats respond after last week's 26-21 home loss to Montana State. The game is on Altitude Sports & Entertainment. The forecast calls for highs in the mid-40s and sun.

Up in Bozeman, Montana State plays host to Northern Arizona in the Bobcats' homecoming game. MSU has cracked the top 25 and is 2-0 in conference. NAU will pose a stiff challenge. The Lumberjacks are playing very well on offense led in large part by junior QB Michael Herrick, who is third in the nation in pass efficiency. MSU gave up 337 passing yards to Weber State last week. Weber State hurt itself with turnovers in the red zone. The weather might play a factor in this one, as winter has set in early in Bozeman. Temperatures are kickoff are expected to between 19-22.

Weather might also play a factor over in Missoula where the fourth-ranked Grizzlies take on Cal Poly and the Big Sky's old friend Tim Walsh. No doubt the cool air in Missoula will feel even colder to the Cal Poly squad. The overnight temperature in Missoula is supposed to reach 10 degrees. Saturday's high is expected in the low 30s. It was close to 70 in San Luis Obispo on Friday when the Mustangs left for Missoula. Walsh, if you don't remember, coached Portland State for 14 seasons. He never won in Washington-Grizzly Stadium with the Vikings.
The big question in this game: Can Cal Poly, who averages more than 200 rushing yards per game, have success against a Grizzly defense which ranks second in the nation against the run, allowing 49.5 rushing yards per game.

Snow is expected in Greeley, Colo., when Portland State takes on Northern Colorado on Saturday. Both squads are gunning for their first conference victories. Weather will not be an issue in Sacramento when the Hornets play Idaho State. Idaho State's lone victory last season came over the Hornets. The Bengals haven't won since. Highs are expected to reach the low 80s in Sacramento on Saturday.

Remember, all of the games can be seen for free through www.bigskytv.org.

Around the league
Portland State and Eastern Washington meet in an important volleyball match tonight at 7 p.m. Pacific. EWU is 5-0 in league. PSU is 4-1. If you haven't watched an EWU volleyball match on Big Sky TV, check it out. EWU does an amazing job with its Big Sky TV coverage...Conference season has hit in soccer. EWU and ISU picked up victories on Thursday. EWU upset defending regular-season champion Weber State in Ogden, 1-0. EWU keeper Lisa Dimak saved a penalty kick with about 14 minutes to play. It was an amazing save...EWU announced this week that it will play Washington in football in 2011....Don't ask me why, but I tuned in for about 10 minutes of the first ever United Football League game on Thursday between California and Las Vegas. I scanned the rosters of the four teams and found three Big Sky alums. Former Montana safety Trey Young, former EWU cornerback Isaiah Trufant and former Portland State running back Joe Rubin are listed on rosters...Speaking of former alums in the pros, how good was Jared Allen for the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night against the Packers?

Enjoy the weekend. Keep warm and stay safe.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Busy Week

2009-10-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week here at the league office with football, volleyball, cross country and soccer in full swing, and basketball right around the corner. Also, we've got our annual fall meetings this weekend. All of the athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletic reps from the schools will gather in Park City on Sunday and Monday. The meetings are not quite as intense as the ones we have in May.

Some might have questioned the Player of the Week selections on offense. I went with tri picks. It's only the second time in the six seasons I've been here that I've selected a tri. Not something I like to do, but it was really difficult to seperate the three this week. I had input from three people, and they all picked someone different. WSU's Cameron Higgins threw for 410 and four touchdowns and led the team on a game-winning drive in the final minute. UM's Andrew Selle threw for a career-high 349 yards and three touchdowns, led his team on a go-ahead drive late in the fourth quarter, and then threw a 25-yard TD pass on the first play of overtime in Montana's win. He also completed 76 percent of his passes. Eastern Washington's Taiwan Jones had a monster game with 190 rushing yards on just 15 carries and four touchdowns. Jones finished with 279 all-purpose yards. Congrats to all of the players, and congrats to the players who put up huge numbers, but didn't make the cut. NAU's Michael Herrick threw for 440 yards and three touchdowns. Portland State's Drew Hubel was over 350 as well.

Around the league
Northern Arizona men's basketball coach Mike Adras will be speaking in Greece this weekend...EWU sophomore Zach Johnson will miss the season with a blood clot, but his brother Matt is changing to No. 10 for the rest of the season to honor his twin....Idaho State, which played at Arizona State and Oklahoma this season, will play Georgia of the SEC in 2010....Great feature story here on Montana cross country runner Brooke Andrus, the daughter of Toronto Argonauts coach Bart Andrus...Speaking of the CFL, former Sacramento State star Fred Amey made his debut up North for Winnipeg, finishing with six catches for 118 yards. Big Sky knows him as Fred. He now goes by Otis Amey.

This weekend
It's another busy weekend of action in all sports around the league...Eight of the football teams are in action with No. 4 Montana getting a week off. No. 11 Weber State plays host to Montana State. Hard to believe, but WSU hasn't beaten MSU in Ogden since 1996. David Coulson, executive director for FCS football football for the Sports Network will be on hand...Northern Arizona plays host to Northern Colorado...Sacramento State is at Portland State where one of the teams will pick up their first conference victory...Idaho State takes on Eastern Washington in Pocatello. Remember all of the games can be seen live for free on www.bigskytv.org.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Road Trip

2009-09-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting at the airport in Salt Lake City about an hour away from leaving for Denver for Saturday's Montana State-Northern Colorado football game in Greeley. The game is live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment at 1:30 p.m. Mountain.
It's one of four conference games on Saturday. Montana is at Northern Arizona, Weber State is at Portland State, and Eastern Washington is at Sacramento State. Idaho State is also in action against Division II power Central Washington.
It's been a busy week for me at the league office, so this is the first chance I've had to blog this week.
Going back to Monday and the Player of the Week selections. Special teams and defense I felt were pretty straight forward picks. EWU LB J.C. Sherritt tallied 16 tackles - three for loss - and recovered a fumble as the Eagles posted their first shutout at Woodward Field since 1983. EWU punter Cameron Zuber had a very nice game, booting one kick 64 yards and pinning NC inside its 20-yard line five times.
Offense was a difficult selection. There were three very strong candidates. We decided to go with co-players of the week with WSU's Trevyn Smith and NAU's Alex Henderson. Both had more than 200 all-purpose yards and scored multiple touchdowns.

News from the Week
Sad news out of Weber State as it was announced that stalwart tight end Cody Nakamura was lost for the season with a severe knee injury. Nakamura was off to a great start and well on his way to earning All-America honors...The news was better for all-conference DE Kevin Linehan, who left the Idaho State game with a shoulder injury. Looks like he will play...PSU offensive lineman Moses Punzal broke an ankle against Montana, and is lost for the season. A big blow to a PSU offensive line that has played well. Punzal was the leader of the group....Northern Colorado has suffered some big losses on its offensive line and receiving corps. We'll see if the Bears have developed depth at those positions...UM QB Justin Roper got knocked out of the PSU game. His status for Saturday is up in the air. UM coach Bobby Hauck said on Wednesday's conference call that Roper has taken snaps in practice this week. Look for Andrew Selle to get the start. Selle was solid last week against PSU.

Home, finally
We're four weeks into the season and Sacramento State and Idaho State have yet to play a home game. That changes Saturday as both are at home. Sac had a bye last week, after road losses to UNLV and Cal Poly. The Hornets upset EWU in Cheney last year. In a bit of an odd stat, the Hornets have never beaten EWU in Sacramento.
Idaho State is home after a brutal opening three weeks on the road at Arizona State, Oklahoma, and Weber State. The Bengals are at home against a Division II team, but don't think this will be a cakewalk. ISU is playing 4-0 Central Washington, which is ranked fifth in the nation. CWU lost at Montana 38-35 last season and has beaten EWU and MSU this decade.
At the very least, the Bengals will be able to enjoy their new lockerroom.

Random stuff
Some of you avid Big Sky fans might have noticed Will Holden's blog. Will is the beat writer for the Montana State Bobcats for the Bozeman newspaper. Holden embraces the new media, and is more than just a sportswriter. Here, he plays the role of Ron Jaworski, breaking down a couple of plays from Bobcat QB Mark Iddins. Excellent work...I read a story yesterday in the Chronicle of Higher Education about ESPN's TV deal with the SEC conference. ESPN is paying the SEC $2.3 billion over the next 15 years. The story claims that each SEC school's athletic department will receive $17 million a year because its TV contracts with ESPN and CBS. I'm not sure we have one school in our league with a $17 million athletic budget...We read that former PSU safety Jordan Senn has been resigned by the Colts. He was cut a day after he made the 53-man roster...Former EWU stars Dario Romero and Greg Peach have combined for eight sacks with Edmonton in the CFL...Former Sac State QB Ricky Ray is second in the CFL in passing efficiency...Former UM stars Lex Hilliard and Dan Carpenter both played well for Miami in the Dolphins' Monday night loss to Indianapolis. Hilliard made three special teams tackles. Carpenter made three field goals from 40-plus yards...This week's story with crazy Jared Allen quotes.

OK, getting close to boarding the the plane. For those traveling this weekend, be safe and enjoy the action.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Friday Ramblings

2009-09-18T13:33:00.001-07:00

We'll take a quick break from working on the men's basketball prospectus to check before another big weekend of action.
Saturday's Idaho State-Weber State game is live on Altitude at 6 p.m. Check out this story for information about the games and matches on TV and on Big Sky TV this weekend.

It's a big weekend in football and volleyball as conference action gets rolling. It's hard to get a read on some of the teams since there have been so many games against FBS teams thus far. Weber State and Idaho State are both 0-2, but those losses have all come to FBS teams. Northern Arizona, which plays non-conference Southern Utah this week, has a loss to Arizona in its only game.

Keep an eye on the Eastern Washington-Northern Colorado game on Saturday in Cheney. Northern Colorado is a much-improved team and could give the high-powered Eagles a big-time challenge.

Montana's conference opener against Portland State could also be very interesting. UC Davis moved the ball well - especially through the air - against the Grizzlies last week, but could only muster 10 points. The Grizzlies have yet to settle on a quarterback, the offense has been inconsistent so far.
Portland State has moved the ball very well with junior QB Drew Hubel leading the run-and-shoot.

If you haven't check out this story about Portland State defensive back Jordan Brown's return from an injury...Another classic interview with Jared Allen here....Here is a story on the Atlanta Falcons' site on Kroy Biermann.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Big Sky TV Tips

2009-09-11T08:22:00.001-07:00

Big Sky TV is up and running for the 2009-2010 season. We are thrilled to have a new partner in B2 Networks. The conference, our institutions, and B2 are proud to bring you more than 400 events this season. All football, volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball games held in Big Sky venues will be available free of charge.

The majority of our traffic comes during the exciting football season on Saturdays. To help you have an enjoyable experience on Big Sky TV, here are some tips:

If you haven’t yet registered for a free account, we encourage you to do so prior to the football games on Saturdays. Fans can register for their account any time a Big Sky event is live on B2. On Friday night, Sept. 11, three volleyball matches can be seen, allowing the perfect time for you to create an account, and make sure your computer has all of the necessary programs needed to display the video. Friday’s matches begin at 7 p.m. Mountain. Fans should be able to register from 7 p.m. Mountain until 10 p.m. Mountain while the matches are in progress.

You can find a schedule of upcoming Big Sky events on the following page: http://b2tv.com/upcoming_events.asp?q=v&value=bigsky

Our registration process is a snap, and should take less than a minute. It will ask you for some basic information, including the team you like to watch, and if you are a fan, alumni, or parent of a student-athlete. You will create your own log-in and password information. Once you have completed this process, you will only need your log-in and password to view and event the rest of the season.

You may begin to register or log-in to an event roughly 10 minutes before the start time. During expected high-traffic times – such as before a Montana football game – B2 will open up registration roughly 30 minutes before an event. During that time, video and audio from the event may not be available. Normally, video and audio will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to an event, but it could be a bit longer. Be patient. If there are technical difficulties, it will be noted on the screen.

B2 offers support through www.b2support.com. On this page, you will find downloads available, such as the Microsoft Silverlight. Depending on the settings of your computer, you might not be aware that you need this download. Through B2 support, you may also issue a support ticket. B2 will attempt to resolve your issues through an e-mail.

We hope these tips assist you and make your Big Sky TV experience a quality experience.

Thanks for watching!

The No. 9

2009-09-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

Back on 8/8/08 we wrote about some of the great No. 8s in Big Sky history. Yesterday was 9/9/09 so we need to pay homage to some of the great No. 9s in Big Sky football history.

At the top of the list you have to start with Northern Arizona's Archie Amerson and Eastern Washington's Erik Meyer. Both captured the Walter Payton Award with Amerson winning in 1996 and Meyer in 2005.

Amerson was a candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame last season, but didn't make it on his first try. Amerson played two seasons at Northern Arizona after transferring from Dixie Junior College (Now a four-year school). In 2006, he rushed for 2,079 yards on 333 attempts with 25 touchdowns. He scored seven rushing touchdowns against Weber State, and finished the season with 2,429 all-purpose yards. In two seasons, he gained 3,196 yards and scored 37 touchdowns.

No player has worn No. 9 at NAU since Amerson, but NAU Assistant AD for Media Relations Steve Shaff tells us the number is not officially retired.

Amerson played in the Canadian Football League from 1997-2004, mostly with Hamilton. Up North, he was a better receiver than runner. He caught 436 career passes for 6,298 yards with 37 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,654 yards and eight touchdowns. In 1998, he also threw a touchdown pass.

Meyer was a master at throwing touchdown passes and not interceptions in his career from 2002-2005. In his Payton season of 2005, he threw for 4,003 yards with 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He appeared 42 career games and threw for 10,261 yards, which ranks ninth on the Big Sky's all-time list. He threw just 17 interceptions in 1,097 career attempts. His interceptions to TD ratio of .015 is a league record.

Meyer was a solid baseball player and was drafted multiple times as a pitcher. He opted to stick with football, but hasn't been able to stick with a team. He was signed by Cincinnati out of college as a free agent, but released prior to the season. He was the starting QB for the Cologne Centurions of now-defunct NFL Europe. In 2007, he competed for a job with the Seattle Seahawks, but was released. He was with the Raiders for three months in 2008, but cut just before training camp. This past June he was cut by Hamilton, Amerson's old team in Canada.

Meyer's No. 9 was passed on to All-American wide receiver Aaron Boyce, the reigning Offensive Player of the Week in the League. Boyce has 189 career receptions for 2,822 yards and 24 touchdowns.

He's probably the best No. 9 currently in the league. Idaho State returner JD Ponciano is another solid No. 9, but he didn't begin his career as No. 9. Ponciano tied a single-season conference record with 48 kick returns in 208.

We didn't have a lot of time to research other solid No.9s in league history, but here are a few others who wore the number:

Andre Wilson, a running back from Northern Colorado. He was a very good running back, who played in the league in 2006, the Bears' first in the league.

Shedrack Okoebor, a wide receiver from Idaho State: Caught 56 passes for 803 yards and seven touchdowns in 2003.

Running back Kennedy Nkeyasen also wore the No. 9 for Idaho State, amassing 1,641 rushing yards in his career.

OK, your turn. Any other great No. 9s out there?

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Laboring on Labor Day

2009-09-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

It's Labor Day, but the Media Relations staff here at the Big Sky is laboring away on Players of the Week and Weekly Releases.
Just a bit ago we released the Football Players of the Week. It wasn't a real difficult week. Montana and Eastern Washington notched the only victories of the week. Of course, they were the only two teams that didn't play FBS teams. Had some of the FBS games been a bit closer, some of those players would have had better chances to win the awards.
We went with EWU wide receiver Aaron Boyce, who had six catches for 126 yards and a 52-yard touchdown, EWU DB Kevin Hatch, who had a pair of interceptions, two pass breakups and six tackles, and Montana's Sam Gratton, who blocked a punt and tackled the punter for a loss on another punt attempt. Both led to UM touchdowns.
We were a bit surprised that EWU nominated Boyce instead of freshman RB Taiwan Jones, who averaged 10.6 yards per carry with two touchdowns and ripped off a 87-yard TD run on his first carry. Boyce is a senior and had never won the award, and he's deserving.

Other stuff
We'll tape our first "This Week in Big Sky Football" radio show Tuesday down in Salt Lake. Montana coach Bobby Hauck and David Coulson of the Sports Network are confirmed guests. We're working on also getting an EWU student-athlete. The show will be up on www.bigskyconf.com on Wednesday....Football notes will be up there later today.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Decade of Dominance

2009-09-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that the first decade of the new millennium is coming to an end. Seems like just yesterday we were all worried about the Y2K scare and Cal State Northridge was playing football in the Big Sky.

As the decade comes to a close, it appears The University of Montana has a lot to brag about.

The Grizzlies enter Saturday's opener against Division II Western State with 105 victories in the decade. That's more wins than any other team at the Division I level. Oklahoma, which takes on Idaho State next week, has won 103 games. Boise State has 98 wins, followed by Texas at 97 and Southern Cal at 91.

Appalachian State has won 90 games - 15 behind Montana. Of course that means barring a winless season by the third-ranked Grizzlies and a 15-0 National Championship season by Appalachian State, Montana will finish the decade with the most victories by an FCS school.

Montana's winning percentage of .827 (105-22) also ranks first in the FCS. Dayton at .788 is second. Boise State has the best overall winning percentage of Division I schools at .852 (98-17), followed by Texas (.843) and Oklahoma (.843). Montana is fourth among all Division I schools.

Montana's 105 victories already ranks as the most in a decade in FCS history, which dates back to 1978. Youngstown State won 103 games during the 1990s. As far as we can tell, Marshall olds the Division I record for victories in a decade, picking up 114 in the 1990s. Most of those wins were picked up at the FCS, or in those days the I-AA level. Marshall jumped to I-A in 1997.

Montana certainly has a shot of bettering Marshall's 114 victories.

There will be a strong argument as to who is the actual "Team of the Decade" in FCS. Appalachian State won three national championships from 2005-2007, and had a chance at a fourth. Oh, and if you haven't heard, the Mountaineers beat Michigan two years ago.

Montana has made four appearances in the national title game, winning only once in 2001 and losing in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Montana has won or shared a record 11 straight Big Sky titles, and advanced to the FCS playoffs a record 16 straight seasons.

In case you are wondering how many victories the other Big Sky schools have this decade, here's the rundown: Eastern Washington 59, Montana State 53, Portland State 52, Northern Arizona 51, Weber State 47. Northern Colorado 41 (started the decade in Division II), Idaho Sate 40 and Sacramento State 34.

Other Stuff

If you are interested in hearing what the football coaches talked about today on their conference call with the media, you can do so here...Nice to see the Northern Colorado volleyball team sweep Colorado last night.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Quick Update

2009-08-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

I’m just checking in with some quick Big Sky updates. First up, former Weber State full back Marcus Mailei caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Donavan McNabb in the Philadelphia Eagles 33-32 preseason win over Jacksonville last night. Mailei was a Big Sky first team all-conference selection last year and was picked up by the Eagles as a free agent. To watch highlights from last night’s game, click here.

Volleyball starts up tonight with all nine teams in tournament play across the country. The first couple weeks of volleyball are very exciting, and a little crazy because our teams play so many matches. There are 27 matches alone on Friday and Saturday. Weber State is the only Big Sky team that is home this week. The Wildcats are hosting the WSU Invitational with Gonzaga, Utah State and Utah Valley.

The conference is stacked with returning starters and lots of talent again this season. Portland State was chosen to win the title in the preseason poll but I would definitely anticipate a tight race in the regular season. In all, 43 starters and 72 letterwinners are back this year. About 85 percent of last year's all-conference returns as well.

Big Sky teams have 13 matches scheduled against Top 25 opponents. Eastern Washington will have it's shot at a nationally-ranked opponent this Saturday against No. 14 Oregon.

Autumn Wehr-Big Sky Conference

The rankings

2009-08-24T14:38:00.001-07:00

The FCS Coaches' preseason top 25 was released on Monday. You can take a look here. The Sports Network poll will be released later this week. The FBS preaseason top 25 was released last week. Our Big Sky teams will certainly face an uphill challenge in many of the games against FBS teams this year.

Idaho State plays No. 3 Oklahoma on Sept. 12 in Norman.
Northern Arizona plays No. 8 Mississippi in early November.

Both Idaho State and Northern Arizona are playing two FBS opponents this season. Idaho State opens against Arizona State, a team that didn't receive any votes in the preseason poll. The Sun Devils, if you remember, were highly-touted entering last season, but endured a sub par season.

Northern Arizona opens on Sept. 12 against Arizona, a bowl winner over BYU last season. The Wildcats received 13 points in the preseason poll.

On Sept. 12, Eastern Washington takes on No. 12 Cal.

Northern Colorado also opens against a preseason top 25 team in No. 25 Kansas.

Big Sky teams will also face two teams who being the season just outside the top 25. Portland State opens next Saturday at Oregon State, which earned 122 points, the top team not in the top 25.
Montana State opens at Michigan State, which checked in with 100 points just behind Oregon State and Illinois. It will mark the first time Michigan State has played an FCS team.

There are three other Big Sky-FBS matchups that at least on paper figure to be closer games. Sacramento State takes on UNLV on Sept. 5. Sacramento State almost beat Colorado State last year in Fort Collins. The Rebels haven't enjoyed much success, but figure to be better this season. Sports Illustrated rated the Rebels No. 54 in their 1 to 120 rankings, just behind Michigan and just ahead of Colorado.

Weber State, who figures to be one of the top teams in the Big Sky if not the nation, opens at Wyoming and then Colorado State. Wyoming is rated 104 by Sports Illustrated. Colorado State is rated No. 77.

Of the 11 Big Sky games against FCS opponents, three come against teams ranked in the top 12, and another in the top 25. Three more come against teams that received votes.

Montana is the only Sky team not playing an FBS opponent in 2009.

As far as marquee matchups against non-conference FCS opponents, there aren't many on the schedule. Big Sky teams have a hard time scheduling teams from the Southland, Missouri Valley, Southern and CAA conferences because of the cost of travel, and the ability to play big-money games against regional FBS opponents.

Montana, Sacramento State and Weber State all play Cal Poly, which enters the season ranked 13th. Montana and Weber State both get Cal Poly at home. Sacramento State travels to Cal Poly on Sept. 12.
Cal Poly is now coached by former Portland State head man Tim Walsh. It will be interesting to see if the Mustangs stick with the option offense they ran under former head coach Rich Ellerson.

UC Davis is another quality non-conference opponent that three Big Sky teams face. Montana, Sacramento State and Portland State all take on the Aggies. UC Davis received 19 points in the preseason coaches poll.

Montana State and Northern Colorado both play home games against South Dakota, which is in its second season of competing at the FCS level. South Dakota is now a member of the Great West Conference, as are UC Davis and Cal Poly.

Another interesting matchup will take place Sept. 12 in Greeley, Colo., when Northern Colorado plays host to San Diego of the Pioneer League. San Diego has put together back-to-back 9-2 seasons. In 2007, San Diego beat Northern Colorado 49-13 at home. This will be a chance for Northern Colorado to see how far they've come in two years.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Let's Get it Started

2009-08-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

The 2009-10 college season starts today with soccer action. Northern Arizona, Weber State, Portland State and Idaho State are all in action today. Volleyball gets started next weekend, and football the weekend after that.

Some news from the football world
Eastern Washington might've found a replacement for Matt Nichols next season...The Deseret News out of Salt Lake City ran this feature on Weber State cornerback Josh Morris, a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award...Despite the loss of Bryan Hilliard to an injury, it looks like Sacramento State will be just fine at running back. ..Here's a look at Northern Arizona's secondary...Fritz Neighbor of the Missoulian writes about Montana's linebackers...Dave Cook, EWU's outstanding SID, writes about the Eagles' newcomers....Here's the Bozeman Chronicle's story about MSU's first scrimmage...The latest on Portland State .
here...The Ogden paper takes a look at the young coaches at Weber State.

Of course there will be lots of scrimmages on Saturday. Don't forget to look for Big Sky players in the NFL preseason games this weekend.

For what it's worth, the College Sporting News released its preseason All-America Team. The Big Sky has 15 players on the monster squad, but a grand total of zero on the first team. The College Sporting News found 47 players in the CAA worth of some sort of All-America honors. That's almost one in four players on the 196-player team. The Southern, Big Sky and Missouri Valley combined for 45 players.

It's amazing to me to see a preseason All-America first team without Trevyn Smith of Weber State. Smith was a second team All-America according to The Sports Network and Associated Press at the end of 2008. For those who might've forgot, Smith rushed for 1,585 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. He also caught 62 passes for 778 yards and seven touchdowns. His 28 touchdowns tied a Big Sky single-season record, and he tied for the national lead in scoring. Not to mention, he led his team to its first playoff appearance since 1991 and the a share of the program's first conference title in 40 years.

Oh well, it's the lists at the end of the season that matter.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Let's Go Camping

2009-08-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

NFL camps are in full swing, and all Big Sky football teams will be in full swing within the next couple of days. Taking a spin around the the web, here are some nuggets with Big Sky ties...Former NAU All-American cornerback KJ Gerard is rooming with fellow FCS All-American Lardarius Webb of Nicholls Sate. According to Webb, Gerard is a bit of a shower hog....Former Montana assistant coach Dave Schramm is now the offensive coordinator for the Utah Utes.....Some quick answers from All-Pro Michael Roos, a proud alum of EWU...Former Montana State Bobcat Mike Jefferson is sporting TO's old number in Dallas...This blog named former Sacramento State player Lonie Paxton to its 50th anniversary Patriots Team. Paxton is now in Denver...This Philadelphia Eagles' page contains a video of highlights by Marcus Mailei. Take a look at it and you'll see why many considered Mailei the top football player in the Big Sky last season...A look at five burning questions from Northern Arizona camp...Two former Wyoming players are now playing at Northern Colorado...The Sacramento Bee takes a look at the Hornets...Portland State's Jerry Glanville arrived at camp sporting a new hat. You can see video of the press conference here...Here's a photo of D.J. Clark (Idaho State) making an interception at Carolina camp....David Hale (Weber State) is making strides with the Ravens. The Greeley Trib takes a look at the Northern Colorado volleyball team. Here's a look at the Idaho State volleyball team.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Good News from the NCAA

2009-08-06T16:26:00.001-07:00

Fans of the Montana and Montana State football teams can rest easy now. The NCAA Executive Committee announced a gambling policy on Thursday that will allow the Treasure State schools to continue to host NCAA Championship events, including playoff football games.
Our release, with comments from Commissioner Fullerton can be found here.
The NCAA release is here.
Obviously had the committee ruled another way, things might've gotten really interesting between Montana and the NCAA. We're glad it didn't come to that.
Montana has hosted FCS playoff games for 10 straight seasons, and 13 of the last 15 dating back to 1993. Montana State beat Furman in Bobcat Stadium in 2006.
This ruling doesn't just allow the schools to host playoff games, which were viewed as non-pre determined sites, but also allows both to bid on other NCAA Championship events, or predetermined sites. In 2008, Montana State hosted NCAA Skiing. Three times, Montana has hosted NCAA women's basketball tournament games, bringing the likes of Sheryl Swoops and Texas Tech, and Kate Starbird and Stanford to Dahlberg Arena over the years. Almost all of those NCAA tournament games in Missoula were witnessed by sold-out crowds.
Montana, of course, has enjoyed a great homefield advantage at Washington-Grizzly Stadium throughout the years, winning three in a row at home in national championship years 1995 and 2001, and also winning three at home en route to championship appearances in 1996, 2000 and 2004. Last year Montana won two home playoff games before beating James Madison on the road in the semifinals.
After the 2006 playoff win, no doubt Montana State is thrilled to have the opportunity to earn a home game once again.
Our thanks go out to Weber State President Dr. Ann Millner, who served on the NCAA Executive Committee. No doubt she did a fantastic job with this matter.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Camps About Ready To Open

2009-07-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

Football players will be reporting to Big Sky schools next week. With the fall sports season just weeks away, there will be more news stories. So, let's get you caught up with what's going on around the league. Fritz Neighbor at the Missoulian wrote this story on Oregon transfer QB Justin Roper...Idaho State SID Frank Mercogliano shares some photos and video of the new "Spudvision" in Holt Arena, and also announces that the Bengal football locker room is getting a makeover. Tim Flagstad, of the Idaho State Journal, interviewed Bengal soccer coach Allison Gibson....Defending Big Sky women's basketball champion Montana announced a very difficult schedule. For those who haven't seen Montana State's new football uniforms, you can see them here...NAU launched its new Web site...Northern Arizona has also started an official blog.

Some of you might remember the country music band Confederate Railroad. Well, they group is playing right across the street from the Big Sky Conference office Saturday night in Ogden. Did you know that Portland State coach Jerry Glanville appeared in two Confederate Railroad videos? Check out Glanville in "Queen of Memphis" and "She Took it Like a Man.''

Have a great weekend,

- Jon Kasper, Big Sky Conference

For Your Summer Reading Enjoyment

2009-07-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

Montana coach Bobby Hauck took some time to talk about his recent visit with U.S. Troops....Here's a story about Northern Arizona QB Michael Herrick...Eastern Washington's Marc Hughes is no longer the golf coach, but he's not leaving the Eagles' athletic department...Portland State has made some adjustments to its football coaching staff....More bad news for PSU QB Tygue Howland...Ever wonder what happened to former ISU great Alfredo Anderson? Well, click here to find out...Good news for MSU Athletics Director Peter Fields...UM golf coach Joanne Steele is feeling great, and was recently inducted into the Montana Golf Women's Golf Association Hall of Fame...Big honors for a future NAU volleyball player...A former UNC Bear was honored at the ESPYs.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Hauck Visits Troops

2009-07-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

Montana football coach Bobby Hauck has been overseas visiting troops in the Middle East. Click here to see a story and some photos from the trip. One of the other coaches on the trip is James Madison's Mickey Matthews. Hauck and Matthews have met twice in big games in recent years. Montana beat No. 1 James Madison in the 2008 FCS semifinals. James Madison beat Montana in the 2004 National Championship Game. We hear that Coach Hauck will be returning to Montana soon. We hope to snag an interview with Coach Hauck about his trip.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

The Ballots Are Out

2009-07-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today, we sent out the ballots to the media and coaches to vote for the preseason football poll. Select media also received ballots to vote for the preseason all-conference team. I'd expect that Weber State and Montana will be the top two teams in the preseason polls. What are your thoughts. With the likes of Trevyn Smith, Tim Toone, Cameron Higgins, Kevin Linehan and Beau Hadley returning, I expect the preseason all-conference team to feature its share of Wildcats...Of course, the announcement of Oregon transfer QB Justin Roper heading to Montana makes things even more interesting.

Quickly
Montana is listed at No. 5 in the Sporting News preseason poll, while Weber State is seven. Eastern Washington (13), Montana State (17) and Northern Arizona (21) gives the Big Sky five in that preseason poll...Eastern Washington has a new Web site....NAU is also working on its new site...Congrats to the NAU student-athletes...You can now follow Portland State athletics on Twitter and Facebook.

Have a wonderful Fourth of July!

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

WBB Briefs

2009-07-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

Just checking in with some quick women’s basketball updates … Sherri Murrell received a contract extension today and will be at the head of the Portland State program till 2015. Murrell enters her third year with the Vikings and has a 45-19 record at PSU … Tricia Bader Binford also recently signed a three-year contract extension at Montana State. Binford has gone 49-66 in her four seasons at MSU. Its great to know that both of these coaches will still be in the Big Sky for a while … Northern Colorado learned today it will be one of 16 Division I teams playing in the 2009 Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament this fall. The Bears will take on New Mexico in the first round on Friday, Nov. 13

Autumn Wehr - Big Sky Conference

Quickly

2009-06-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update since it's been awhile. Most of the Big Sky staff has been attending meetings or taking a vacation the last couple of weeks.
Autumn Wehr and I attended the CoSida convention last week in San Antonio. We came back with some good ideas for the upcoming year. A lot of the seminars focused on things like Facebook and Twitter. Of course, we already have platforms on both, so make sure to follow us if you aren't already.
Commissioner Doug Fullerton will officially join the men's basketball committee in the next couple of months. He just spent a week with the committee in New Mexico learning the ropes.
Monday was the annual "Prevent Child Abuse Utah" golf outing. Commissioner Fullerton is a past president of the organization, and it's a cause we all believe in. Our Big Sky team had fun, although we didn't play all that well. The tournament was held at the Hill Air Force Base in Clearfield, Utah.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Big FCS Games Coming

2009-06-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

We just received official word that Montana has signed home-and-home football series with Appalachian State and McNeese State. This is great news for fans of the Football Championship Subdivision.
A Montana-Appalachian State matchup is something fans of both programs have been wishing for. Both are among the elite programs in FCS football. Both have extremely rabid fan followings, and both feature excellent stadiums.
The first game in the series will be played in 2012 in Boone, N.C., and Appalachian State will take on Montana in 2013. Montana's games against McNeese State, another traditional FCS power with a great fan base will take place in 2016 and 2017. Appalachian State and McNeese State will play a home-and-home in 2014 and 2015. That's six marquee matchups featuring three of the top programs in the FCS.
Let's hope that ESPN or another major media outlet gets involved in this, and works to nationally televise all six games.
Montana has played in the national championship game six times since 1995, winning it all in 1995 and 2001. Appalachian State won three straight national champions from 2005-07. McNeese State played in the national championship game in 2002.
It would be great so see more Big Sky teams involved in these type of games, but its difficult in this financial climate. Many teams are forced to take paydays from Bowl Championship schools, rather than play non-conference games against other FCS teams. Weber State opens this year against Wyoming and Colorado State. Northern Arizona will battle Arizona State and Mississippi this season.
There has also been some fear in scheduling tough non-conference games against FCS schools, especially for teams who figure to be in the playoff hunt. Why risk a potential loss to an FCS team, when a loss to a FBS team really doesn't hurt come playoff selection time? Let's hope the playoff committee rewards these teams for playing each other during the regular season, instead of punishing them if they finish with three or four overall losses.

Around the League
Don't forget that 14 Big Sky athletes are competing in the NCAA Track and Field Championships this weekend...The Big Sky doesn't sponsor baseball, but we tip our cap to Sacramento State baseball player Tim Wheeler, who was selected in the first round of the MLB draft....

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

It's Not Just Us

2009-05-29T09:34:00.001-07:00

Last week, the Big Sky Conference announced several changes in hopes of saving money.
We're not the only conference in America facing budget cuts in these difficult times. USA Today's Steve Wieberg wrote a piece breaking down some of the cost-saving measures. It puts things into perspective when conferences like the ACC, Big 10 and PAC 10 are making cuts.
One scary passage from Wieberg's piece is this: "A recent NCAA-commissioned study found that the average Division I athletics program operated at a $5.7 million loss in 2007, vs. a $4.1 million loss three years earlier, and that was before the nation's economy hit the skids.''
Some media have been very critical of the Big Sky's decision to play Friday-Saturday men's and women's conference basketball games. Steve Megaree of Rivals.com/Yahoo Sports, focused on the Big Sky's schedule change in this well-written, well-researched piece.
As he points out, the road winning percentage was better in 2001-02, the last year the Big Sky played back-to-back games.

Below is a breakdown of the road records in the Big Sky in the last seven years, along with the percentage of games won in the second games of road trips. Below that is the record in 2001-02.

Big Sky Conference teams on the Road
Record Percentage Back End Percentage
2008-09 24-48 .333 6-20 .231
2007-08 25-47 .347 10-17 .371
2006-07 29-43 .403 10-20 .333
2005-06 21-35 .375 7-15 .318
2004-05 14-42 .250 4-19 .173
2003-04 24-32 .428 11-13 .458
2002-03 21-35 .375 7-16 .304
Totals 158-282 .359 55-120 .314

Back-to-Back Schedule
Record Percentage Back End Percentage
2001-02 22-34 .393 8-14 .363

What has been frustrating for me is to see the lack of understanding my some media and boosters regarding these changes. Our country has experienced an amazing downtown over the past year, and I think it's safe to say we all know someone who has lost a job or even a home because of the economy in the last year.
Many are examining how they operate and are forced to make changes and sacrifices.
Maybe some of these changes aren't the best, but they need to be made. Hopefully they aren't long-term cuts, but just sacrifices to be made in the short-term.
Things must be really bad when schools like Michigan, Wisconsin and The Ohio State University announce that its sports information departments will no longer be printing media guides. I also talked to a friend who works at Oregon yesterday. He told me the Ducks will be doing the same.
Just so you know, the Big Sky stopped printing media guides last November, beginning with the men's and women's basketball guides. Instead, we put both media guides in PDF form on one "memory stick" and sent that to the media. All of our media guides are also available for viewing here. Several other Big Sky schools will either stop printing media guides, or greatly reduce its printing numbers. We saved on printing costs, as well as mailing.
I think in the near future you'll see NCAA legislation passed eliminating the printing of media/recruiting guides.
Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports wrote a column regarding the media guide decisions. I agree with him in regards to some of the multi-million dollar coaches not suffering, but I don't agree with him in all aspects. We don't have any multi-million dollar coaching contracts in the Big Sky, and the majority of Division I conferences don't, either.
Not all conferences hold their league meetings at swanky hotels. We didn't need to worry about hitting the beach last week in Salt Lake City. We used to rotate our annual spring meetings between schools. Pocatello and Idaho State were slated to host this year. A decision was made back in October to move the meetings to Salt Lake to save money. It was a central location, and meant that the seven or eight people that work in our office would not have to pay for hotel or the mileage to Pocatello. It also reduced travel costs for other schools that would have flown to Salt Lake and driven up to Pocatello.
We held the meetings at a hotel near the airport, saving our schools from having to rent cars. The hotel rate was under $100 a night. Our staff drove back and forth from Ogden to Salt Lake each night instead of spending money on hotel rooms.
In regards to the media guides, having been a sportswriter for 10 years I understand that writers use the guides. All of this information, however, is now available on Web sites, and sometimes is much easier to find. I've gotten in the habit of heading to the 'net for information, instead of reaching for a media guide. Plus, it's nice not having to lug media guides on road trips. It's just a matter of adapting.
If media wants to print certain pages of a media guide they use, they can do that. I have a copy of the men's basketball media guide, which I placed in a three-ring binder. Much of the information in media guides is outdated as soon as they are printed. Plus, much of the information needed by the media during a game-week, or during the course of writing a game story are available in weekly game notes, which the majority of schools print and give to the media each game. I can also find some of this information on through the Internet on my Verizon phone.
Our office receives hundreds of media guides from schools and conferences during the year. I place them in my office, many I never even look at. I cringe when its time to clean, thinking of all the wasted paper and money. In the past, I've taken them to elementary schools, thinking little kids would enjoy looking at them, or cutting out pictures.

Odds and ends
Former Weber State basketball player Lance Allred has released his autobiography. Here is a review. Sounds like an intresting read. For those who don't remember Allred's story, he became the first deaf player to appear in an NBA game last year. He grew up on a polygomist compound in Montana before leaving the sect and moving to Utah. He played for Rick Majerus at Utah before transferring to Weber State.
You can always count on EWU's Davin Perry to come up with something great. I'd love to find video of this...Some news regarding Idaho State's men's basketball program...For those dying for a preseason football poll, here's one that includes fourBig Sky teams in the top 25...Big Sky track and field athletes will compete in regional events in Norman, Okla., and Eugene, Ore., today and tomorrow.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Great Day for Track

2009-05-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Track and Field Championship concluded on Saturday in Missoula, bringing an end to the Big Sky Championships for the academic season. Seems like yesterday the first volleyball and soccer matches were being played, and the football season was just starting.

Northern Arizona's men won the men's championship, while Sacramento State won the women's title on a great spring day in Missoula. The sun was out and the temperature was just right for the athletes.

Northern Arizona won seven team titles this season, tying the Big Sky record. The Lumberjacks were first in men's cross country, men's indoor track and field, women's cross country, women's indoor track and field, golf, and won the postseason soccer championship. Excellent year for the student-athletes from Flagstaff.

Our track and field athletes don't get near the recognition as some other sports, but boy to they deserve it. I've never been much of a fan of the sport, but always admired the way the athletes train and compete.

I was so thrilled to see the camaraderie by our student-athletes. They cheered for their team, and cheered for their opponent. They urged each other on in events like the pole vault and high jump. What a great display of sportsmanship. I guess in some of those sports, they view the bar as their enemy more than the opponent.

As we were waiting to award medals for the women's long jump, I had a great chat with Portland State's Amirah Karim. She took third, and couldn't wait to have the bronze placed around her neck. Karim, from Seattle, said she loves school at Portland State. She serves as a residents assistant in one of the dorms, attempting to keep freshmen under control. She's been on the team for a couple of years, but didn't get to compete much under the previous coaches. Portland State doesn't have an on-campus track facility, so they practice at a local high school. In that sense, it's not surprising the Vikings finished last on both the men's and the women's side. Still, Karim's teammate Jernise Saunders claimed the title of "Fastest Women" in the Big Sky by claiming the 100 and 200.

There are so many great student-athletes in our league. Kids who train for hours and hours, achieve academic success, and go on to great things in life. It's one of the reasons I love collegiate athletics.

I tip my hat to all of the student-athletes who competed in Missoula at the Track and Field Championship, as well as all who made 2008-09 another special year in the Big Sky. Best of luck to those athletes who will compete in regionals in a couple of weeks, and those who qualify for the NCAA Championship.

I also must thank all of those who worked hard to make the event a great one. It takes an Army of volunteers to work a track and field meet, from judges to security, to timers and on and on. They do it for the love of the sport and the student-athletes. The meet went off almost without any hitches. I accidentally gave the 100 meter dash medals to the 100-meter hurdlers. Tanner Gooch had to track down the athletes and fix my mistake. Thanks for picking me up!

I won't name names because I don't want to leave anyone out, but all the folks who put the meet together did a tremendous job.

Also, thanks to The University of Montana President Dr. George Dennison, who took time out of his busy schedule of graduation ceremonies to attend a special ceremony on Saturday. Dennison shook the hand of every track and field athlete who graduated or will graduate this spring. Then, he awarded diplomas to the 13 Montana athletes who missed graduation ceremonies to compete on Saturday.

If you haven't checked out the photos on http://www.bigskyconf.com/ make sure to do so. My wife, Mackenzie, took some great shots over the past two days.

The only thing I can complain about on this trip is heading out to the rental car this morning to find it vandalized. The windshield was broken by what looked to be a softball, which was odd considering there isn't a softball field located near the Holiday Inn parking lot. Luckily whoever did it didn't break through the glass so we can still drive it back to Ogden. The passenger side headlight was also broken. I filed a report with the police department this morning.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

A Look At Men's Basketball Attendance

2009-05-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

The folks at the NCAA recently sent over the men's basketball attendance figures, broken down by conference and teams. The figures might be shocking to some, but to those really in touch with college basketball, probably not so much.
I read on message boards and in the media regularly about poor attendance numbers in Big Sky men's basketball arenas. In reality, our numbers are not much different than many of the other "mid-major" conferences in Division I basketball.
During the 2008-09 season, a total of 122 games were played during the regular season at Big Sky basketball arenas with an average attendance of 2,292. Weber State led the way, averaging 4,598 fans, followed by Montana at 3,713, Montana State at 3,387 and Idaho State at 2,755.
Eight Division I conference failed to average 2,000 fans at home games, and the Mid-Eastern (2,005) and America East (2,036) just surpassed that mark.
The Big West's home attendance average was 1,871 led by Pacific at 2,904. The Northeast Conference averaged 1,130 fans per home game. The Southland Conference, a similar conference to the Big Sky in terms of playing FCS football, averaged 1,568. The Southern Conference, also similar to the Big Sky, averaged 2,421 fans per home game.
Here's a sampling of other "mid-major conferences"
Patriot - 1,693
Ivy League - 1,792
Big South - 1,785
Atlantic Sun - 1,987
Ohio Valley - 2,500
Sun Belt - 2,533
West Coast Conference - 2,964
Summit 2,689
Mid-Eastern 2,005

Part of the reason many believe Big Sky attendance numbers lack when compared nationally is perception. We are inundated with televised basketball games on CBS, ABC, and the ESPN family of networks, many with sold-out arenas. The vast majority of those games feature teams from the six major conferences, featuring teams like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Syracuse, Louisville, and Kansas. It's no surprise that the six major conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Big East) and Pac-10 are the national leaders in attendance.
The Big 10 averaged 12,519 fans at its home games, followed by the SEC at 11,625. The ACC, Big 12 and Big East were all between 10,000-11,000. The Pac-10 averaged 8,541 fans per home game, just a notch above the Mountain West at 8,280.

Sold-out venues in men's college basketball is the exception, not the norm. The list if filled with teams who failed to average 2,000 fans, and many who failed to average 1,000. In fact, of the 328 counting Division I members, 104 (almost 32 percent) failed to average 2,000 fans. Just 60 (about 12 percent) averaged more than 10,000.
No team in the Northeast Conference averaged 2,000. St. Francis of New York averaged 477 and Fairleigh Dickinson, an NCAA Tournament team in 2005, averaged 533. Colgate of the Patriot league averaged 405. Tulane from Conference USA averaged 1,733. Eastern Michigan from the Mid-American averaged just 830.

Weber State's average home attendance of 4,598 topped such programs as Miami, Fla., Houston, SMU, Southern Mississippi, Central Florida, UW-Green Bay, Valparaiso, UW-Milwaukee, Ball State, Kent State, Northern Iowa, Colorado State, TCU, San Diego, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's, Boise State and San Jose State.

Former Big Sky member Idaho averaged 1,741 fans per home game, which was fewer than the 1,880 averaged by Eastern Washington. Boise State, another former Big Sky member, averaged 4,044. Nevada, which has been very successful in recent years, averaged 6,953.

Only one team from the West Coast Conference can say it averaged better attendance than a Big Sky team, and of course that's Gonzaga. The Zags, another former Big Sky member that has gained national prominence over the last decade, averaged 6,411 fans per game. Take away those figures from the West Coast Conference, and the league averaged 2,529 fans per game.

It's no secret that basketball attendance has slipped at many schools across the nation. In 1979-80, the Big Sky averaged a record 5,360 fans per home game. That was in the day before ESPN and cable television. Many students don't have the luxury of being able to attend sporting events, as they must work part-time to help pay tuition costs. The economy this past year certainly didn't help matters.

Sure, the Big Sky would love to see more fan support across the league, but the bottom line is our attendance numbers are similar like-sized conferences across the nation.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Headed to Ocotillo

2009-04-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

We're off to the Big Sky Conference Golf Championship on Saturday morning, and we can't wait. We haven't exactly had a mild spring here in Utah. This week has been highlighted by snow, rain and temperatures in the 40s. We're ready for some 90-degree heat and sun down in Phoenix.

For the first time, the golf championship will be played at the Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler. Big Sky teams have played at Ocotillo at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, and the coaches have raved about the course. We're excited to see it, and see how the student-athletes enjoy it this go-round. It's not a typical Phoenix-area course. There's lots and lots of water, and lots of lush landscape.

The weather is a big reason the Big Sky moved the championship to the Phoenix area. There is no worry about snow or frost delays. About the only worry is making sure the players stay hydrated and wear lots of sun screen.

We expect Northern Arizona and Sacramento State to battle it out for the team championship. Don't count out Portland State. This is about the time that teams like Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado and Weber State start to round into form. Those teams haven't enjoyed much golf at their home courses because of the poor weather in those areas this spring. If those teams bring their "A game" it could make things very interesting.

Just a reminder that we'll have live scoring available at http://www.golfstat.com/. We'll also be posting daily photo galleries at http://www.bigskyconf.com/. The official tournament program is available here.

The first tee-times will be at 6:27 a.m. That's the one thing we're not too excited about. That means we'll be at the course by about 5:45 a.m., making sure everything is ready to go.

A look around the league

Spring football is winding some for some schools. Montana State heads to Great Falls for their annual spring game...Montana heads up the Bitterroot Valley to Corvallis for its spring game on Saturday...Weber State also has its spring game on Saturday. That event has been moved from Stewart Stadium and its natural grass surface to the practice field and the artificial surface...NFL All-Pro Jared Allen will be on hand for Idaho State's spring game...Basketball teams from across the league announced new additions this week. Make sure to check out your favorite team's Web sites for that news...Portland State named Tyler Geving its new men's basketball coach on Monday...Check out this story about a cool event earlier this week at Northern Arizona...Idaho State's Frank Mercogliano earned lots of love from the famous uniform watch blog for his softball scoreboard....The tennis championship begins next Friday in Sacramento...There's lots of track and field going on this weekend as well.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Farewell to Big Sky WBB Greats

2009-04-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

The women’s basketball season officially came to an end a few weeks ago and I thought it was time to say goodbye to some of the seniors and reflect on a few of the most prolific careers in Big Sky history.

Four-time honorable mention All-American Mandy Morales closed out her career in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament on March 21. Although most Lady Griz fans would probably like to forget that 64-35 loss to Pitt, none will forget Mandy Morales anytime soon ... if ever.

Morales joined the Lady Griz after high school in 2005 and quickly began leaving her mark on the already legendary program. She was named to the All-Conference First Team every year of her career, becoming just the fifth play in Big Sky history to accomplish that feat. Morales was named the regular-season Most Valuable Player in 2007 and 2009.

She earned back-to-back Tournament MVP honors in 2008 and 09, which is something only two others players have ever done. Morales tallied 1,959 points, averaged 17.3 points per game and shot 83.0 percent from the free-throw line in her four years at Montana.

Kelsey Kahle also walked off the court for the final time on March 21, leaving nothing short of a legendary career behind her. Kahle will go down as one of the greatest players in Portland State and Big Sky history. She not only broke 11 school records but was also the driving force in the program’s drastic turnaround.

The native of Aurora, Ore. made an immediate impact when she came to Portland State in 2005-06. Kahle was the conference’s Outstanding Freshman that year (an award she shared with Morales). In 2007-08, she led Portland State to its first 20-win season at the NCAA Division I level. To cap things off, the Vikings played in the championship of the Big Sky Tournament for the first time in program history this March. Portland State fell in that game but received the conference’s automatic bid to the WNIT and made its first-ever postseason appearance.

During her tenure at Portland State, Kahle became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,049 points. That career total ranks third in the Big Sky record books. She made 879 free throws from 2005-09 and became the Big Sky’s all-time career free throws leader. Kahle surpassed former Idaho State standout Natalie Doma, who set the record last year. The 5-10 forward now ranks in the conference's Top 10 in field goals made, rebounds and steals.

The Big Sky also loses Sade Cunningham, who had a remarkable career at Northern Arizona. She earned All-Big Sky Second Team honors the past two years and was named honorable mention as a sophomore.

The point guard tallied 637 assists, while playing with the Lumberjacks. She became the school’s all-time assists leader as a junior and ranks third in the conference record books. Cunningham dished out 177 assists this season to set the NAU single-season record. She ranks second and third in that category as well. In her final collegiate game, Cunningham set the school record for games played with 123.

We bid farewell to Idaho State’s Michelle Grohs, Montana State’s Nubia Garcia and Sacramento State’s Atty Boyer too. Grohs notched 1,005 points and posted 669 rebounds in her four years at Idaho State. Garcia finished her career with 1,025 points and 701 rebounds. She averaged 10.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for the Bobcats. Boyer played a pivotal role, over the past four years, in helping the Hornets return to the Big Sky Championship. She scored 901 points and had 546 total rebounds.

In short, the Big Sky would like to thank ALL the seniors for their hard work and dedication while playing in our conference. We would also like to wish all of them the best of luck in the future, whatever that may be.

Autumn Wehr

Here are the links to a couple of great stories about Morales and Kahle. Both are written by the sports information directors at their respective schools.

Morales' Roots Paved for Storied Career
Kahle Takes PSU Women's Hoops to New Heights During Her Career

Best of Luck, Coach Bone

2009-04-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

It appears that Portland State's Ken Bone has accepted an offer to become the next coach of the Washington State Cougars.

The Big Sky Conference wishes coach Bone nothing but success as he heads over to an athletic department full of Big Sky alums. Athletics Director Jim Sterk is a former Portland State AD. John Johnson, the senior associate Director of Athletics, is a former Weber State and Eastern Washington AD. Paul Wulff, the Cougars' football coach, came over from Eastern Washington.

Coach Bone is coming off back-to-back seasons where he led the Vikings to NCAA Tournament appearances, the first two in school history. The Vikings combined for 46 victories over the past two seasons.

Bone took for Heath Schroyer at Portland State following the 2004-05 season. PSU had just won the regular-season Big Sky Championship, but lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Schroyer won the conference title with a team loaded with JC transfers (almost all seniors in 2004-05) and senior center Seamus Boxley. It wasn't as if Bone took over a program loaded with talent.

Portland State managed at 12-16 record in Bone's first season with the Vikings, but still managed to qualify for the conference tourney. In his second season, PSU improved to 19-13 and advanced to the conference semifinals. Bone's final two teams went a combined 46-20 and won 25-7 in conference play. Bone brought excitement and media attention to PSU, which is always in the shadows of the Trailblazers, Oregon and Oregon State.

Bone was able to bring a slew of drop down transfers to Portland State, including Jeremiah Dominguez, Dominic Waters and Phil Nelson. Waters and Nelson are slated to return to PSU next season, along with the likes of Jamie Jones (another drop down) and Julius Thomas.

So, the new coach is expected to come in and compete for a Big Sky Championship immediately.

It's always sad to see a coach of Bone's caliber leave our league, especially one who wasn't just a great coach, but also an outstanding person.

Bone was always a classy person to deal with from the conference side. He is as genuine as they come, and is a family man first.

In 2008 when the Vikings won the Conference Championship at the Rose Garden in Portland, Bone shed tears talking about the championship, and he did so while hugging his daughter.

So, best of luck Coach Bone, and here's hoping you are among the likes of Jud Heathcote, Ben Howland, Mike Montgomery, Stew Morrill, Dick Motta, Phil Johnson, and Tim Floyd, who cut their teeth in the Big Sky.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Bummer of a Day

2009-03-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

One of my first real tastes of the Big Sky Conference came back in 1998 in Park City, Utah, and the league's annual Summer Kickoff in Park City. What a great experience it was, from the the one-on-one interviews with the conference coaches, to the golf scramble, to the abundance of food.
Ever since then, the dates of the Summer Kickoff have been marked on my calendar. It's one of the highlights of summer. Since I joined the conference office in 2004, planning and organizing the Summer Kickoff has been one of my responsibilities, along with our administrative assistant Janet Carpenter, associate commissioner Ron Loghry and assistant commissioner Jaynee Nadolski.
Just 15 minutes ago, I sent out this release announcing that this year's Kickoff has been canceled. Such is life in our current economic state, where many of our schools are fighting for every penny. The conference hopes to bring the Kickoff back in the future, but you just never know.
The Summer Kickoff has been a tradition in the Big Sky, and I feel provided a little bit different experience than a normal media days. Many conference do a one-day event, getting everyone in and out as quickly as possible.
At ours, we brought in a student-athlete from each team, all of the coaches, athletic directors, hotel sponsors, referees and the media. The event started on Sunday and wrapped up on Tuesday at noon. It was a great way for the media to build relationships with the coaches, players and administrators. Many of the coaches would gather as a group on Sunday or Monday night for friendly games of shuffleboard at a local Park City establishment. The student-athletes would hang out the entire time, and often left the gathering as friends with their on-field rivals.
There was a real sense of family at the Kickoff, a yearly reunion in a beautiful mountain town.
It's the right decision to make at this time. Things are tough right now for schools, newspapers, and sponsors.
But I believe there is great value in events like this, and I only hope that we will be able to bring the Kickoff back in the future.

If you have a story from the Kickoff, we'd love to hear them. I know I have plenty, including a near hole-in-one on a par 4 back in about 2001. I missed the eagle putt from about a 2 feet, but Sacramento State SID Brian Berger cleaned up my mess.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

The Intern Loves March Madness On Demand

2009-03-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Regional coverage, the paring of these two words usually dooms television viewers. Regional coverage is essentially the television network deciding which games would collect the most viewers in your geographic area. I don’t know about you but it always seems that the network is out to keep me from watching the games I want.

That is why I am so excited about the new option that CBS is offering for the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Instead of being limited to the “regional broadcast” that you will get on your television, we now can watch every single first round game via the Internet. This service is made possible by CBS and is totally free to the viewer. I know what you’re thinking, “we can watch all the games except those that are being broadcasted in our region”. It is true that was the rule of the road last year, but this year every game will be open to you no matter where you live. Over the last couple of days I have fretted about getting to see Portland State play Xavier on Friday. Now I know for sure that I will get to see the game from tip-off to the final buzzer.

There are some assumptions I am making on this service. I would think that the viewer would need to sign up for a profile or just a username and password. Also, there are probably some plug-ins that we will have to make sure are up-to-date. In all honesty though these assumptions seem well worth the while for the right to choose what NCAA first round games I watch.

-Tanner

Catching up with the Intern - Part 2

2009-03-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

Championship week is in full swing. Last night we crowned the Portland State Vikings in the men’s championship game and on Saturday night we will have our women’s champion.
Needless to say it has been a hectic week for everyone in the Big Sky office and this being my first time participating in championship week I have been running on straight adrenaline. Last night we did not vacate the Dee Event Center until 11:30 p.m. and with the excitement I had a hard time sleeping. On any other day this would not be an issue but I was catching a flight, with Jon Kasper and Autumn Weihr, to Missoula, Mont. for the women’s Big Sky Tournament the next morning. The flight was scheduled for a 9:20 a.m. departure, this required me to wake up around six o’clock in order to get myself ready and drive to the airport.
As much as I would like to blame the following events on Daylight Savings Time I honestly cannot, it seems I made a mistake on setting my alarm clock and had to be woken by a phone call from my boss Jon. We were already running a little behind and my sleeping in did nothing to help the matter. I hastily gather everything I could think of and bolted out the door. During the drive to the airport I did a mental inventory of the things I should have brought and luckily I could only think of a razor as my only missing item.
With a little luck and some strategy we made it through security fairly easily, only to find that our flight to Missoula had been delayed. We only had to wait 45 minutes at the gate, but it felt longer. The short flight landed us in Missoula around noon. We grabbed a quick lunch at the Montana Club, by the way if you ever go order the sweet potato fries.
After a nap at the hotel I now find myself court side at Dahlberg Arena awaiting the tip-off of the Montana State vs. Northern Arizona quarterfinal matchup. The second game on the docket for the evening will be Idaho State vs. Sacramento State. Montana and Portland State will meet the winners in the semifinals.
In a matter of two days the Big Sky will announce the recipient of the automatic birth in the NCAA Tournament. There is nothing like college basketball, especially during championship week. Catch all the action at BigSkyTV.

-Tanner

Men's Championship Over

2009-03-12T00:55:00.001-07:00

It's closing in on 2 a.m. here in Utah, and most of the Big Sky staff will be heading to the Salt Lake airport in about five hours for the women's championship in Missoula.
The men's championship game was a thriller, with Portland State winning 79-77 over Cinderella Montana State in Ogden. Montana State tied the game 77-77 on a Braden Johnson 3-pointer. Portland State's Julius Thomas slammed down the game-winning hoop with 3.5 seconds to play.
It was a tough way to lose for the Bobcats, but congratulations are certainly in order for Brad Huse's club.
Check out the photos from the tournament here.
A week ago the Bobcats were left for dead. They closed the season with five straight losses, and would not have made the tournament had Portland State not pulled out an overtime win over Eastern Washington the final weekend of the season.
Not many folks gave the sixth-seeded Bobcats to beat rival Montana in Missoula last Saturday in a first-round game. The Bobcats played great defense, dominated the boards and did just enough on offense to pull out a 56-54 win.
Fewer people probably gave the Bobcats any hope of beating top-seeded Weber State on the Wildcats' home floor in Tuesday's semifinals. MSU had lost to Weber by 20 one week earlier in Bozeman. MSU had already beaten Weber State once at the Dee Events Center this season and it didn't seem likely the Bobcats could do it again. But, once again, the Bobcats' defense was suffocating, frustrating Weber State all night long. Will Bynum had a highlight dunk that has been played probably 1,000 times on ESPN already. Bynum, Mbunga and Johnson had great games.
Montana State fought hard in the championship game, rallying down from double-digits to tie the game in the final seconds. What a great run by the Bobcats. Mbunga was dominant. Johnson was hitting from all over. Point guard Marquis Navarre had a solid championship game. One player to keep an eye on is sophomore Erik Rush. He could be a very special player the next two years.
Congrats go out to Portland State, who will represent the Big Sky in the NCAA Championship. Dominguez was on fire with 22 points, and dished out some fantastic no-look passes. Julius Thomas had maybe the best game of his career with 17 points. Kyle Coston, who has struggled almost all season, hit some big shots. In his two championship games, Coston now has 26 points.
Portland State had some unexpected bumps during the regular season, including four straight road losses in conference play. Bone rallied the troops and got the Vikings in position to win its second straight championship.
Certainly some fans and media will lament the fact that the championship game was played in front of fewer than 2,000 fans at the Dee Events Center since home favorite Weber State wasn't playing.
I credit the fans who came out to support the student-athletes. It turned out to be not so bad. Thanks to those who stayed up for a 8:35 p.m. tip and stayed for a very exciting finish.
Our thanks also go out to the staff at Weber State. They worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to plan the event. It would have been easy for them to give a half-hearted effort Wednesday night with the Wildcats out of the tournament. That wasn't the case at all. So, thanks again to everyone from Brad Larsen to Jerry Graybeal, to the stat crew and the table crew. Outstanding job.
Oh, and special thanks to the media who attended. These are rough times for many media outlets, and money is very tight. Two TV reporters from Bozeman made it, as well as Will Holden of the Bozeman Chronicle. Kellis and Tim from the Idaho State Journal made it down for the semifinals, as did a large TV contingent from Pocatello. The Ogden Standard-Examiner was also in the house on Wednesday. Jasen Asay did a great job covering the Wildcats this season.
Well, time to finish packing. We'll try to update from Missoula. It should be another exciting tournament. Don't forget Saturday's championship is live on Altitude at 4 p.m. Mountain

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

Just the Facts on the MVP Race

2009-03-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

Within the last 20 minutes I e-mailed the official 2009 All-Conference ballots to the men's basketball coaches. On Thursday morning all the coaches will take part in a conference call, share their thoughts on their nominees, hang up and vote. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players. The team will be announced on Thursday afternoon at http://www.bigskyconf.com/.
The big debate centers around this year's MVP. Will it be Montana junior Anthony Johnson or Weber State's Kellen McCoy.
I'm here to provide just the fact and no opinion. I'm just as excited to see how the coaches break this own down.
Over the past several weeks we've conducted a poll at http://www.bigskyconf.com/, asking who is deserving of the honor. McCoy earned 346 votes to Johnson's 191. Obviously many fans just voted for the guy on their favorite team and didn't give the selection a lot of thought, and that's OK. It's part of being a fan. Media from both camps have proclaimed their guy worthy of the honor. That's OK to, as those media members have seen nearly every game their guy has played this season.
McCoy is a 5-6 senior guard who helped Weber State to the conference regular-season title. Weber State enters tonight's regular-season finale with an 11-game winning streak.
Johnson is a 6-2 junior guard who helped Montana to a tie for second place at 11-5, and the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
I can tell you I've enjoyed watching both players this season. I've seen McCoy in person several more times since Weber State is located in Ogden, home of the Big Sky Conference league office. But I've seen Johnson live twice, on TV several times and seen most of his conference games on Big Sky TV.
Both players are very good at driving to the basket and either converting, or getting to the foul line. Johnson has been to the foul line 180 times this season, and leads the league with a free-throw average of 86.7 percent. Five times he's been to the line at least 10 times in a game, including 19 in a win over Northern Arizona.
McCoy has hit the line 128 times this season, converting .805 percent, which ranks fifth in the league. McCoy has been to the line at least 10 times in a game three times, hitting 10-for-10 in a win over Portland State
I'd rate McCoy as a better long-range shooter, but Johnson is a better mid-range shooter.
Both player were asked to switch positions this season. Johnson is a two-guard who took over the point when Ceylon Elgin-Taylor was suspended. McCoy started the season as Weber State's point guard but moved over to the two to allow true freshman Damian Lillard an easier transition. Lillard was playing the point and the two, but took over the point about 10 games into the season.

Below is a breakdown of the two in overall statistics
G FG% 3FG% FT% REB A S TO AVG/Pts
Johnson 28 .511 .346 .867 2.8 3.1 0.7 3.0 17.5
McCoy 28 .470 .429 .805 3.5 2.8 1.3 2.8 13.9

Some feel the conference-only statistics are more important as its a indicator of how both players did against the same competition. So, here are the conference-only numbers.

G FG% 3FG% FT% REB A S TO AVG/Pts
Johnson 16 .522 .371 .888 3.0 3.3 0.7 3.1 21.4
McCoy 16 .457 .449 .807 4.5 3.3 1.7 2.8 16.0

Johnson leads the league in scoring and would become the first UM MVP since Delvon Anderson shared the honor in 1991 with Nevada's Kevin Soars.
McCoy would be Weber's second MVP in three seasons. David Patten won the honor in 2007.

Both players had tremendous impacts on their teams this season. McCoy is one of only two seniors on the Weber State roster, so he's had to be a team leader. McCoy is surrounded by a talented cast and hasn't had to be the Wildcats go-to guy every night. He scored in double figures in 21 of 28 games. He hit for a career-high 27, nailing 10-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-7 from 3-point range against Northern Arizona last Thursday night. He's had four 20-point plus games this season. His lowest scoring output was five points in a win over Texas-Pan American.

Johnson emerged as Montana's main offensive option early in the season. He has scored in double figures in 17 straight games, and has scored at least 20 11 times this season, with back-to-back 30-point games in wins over Montana State and Northern Arizona.

How did their performances impact their teams based on preseason rankings? Some feel Johnson had a bigger impact on his team since he was asked to carry a lot of the scoring load. McCoy wasn't expected to carry the scoring load every night. Montana, however, was picked to finish second by the coaches and media. Weber State was picked to finish fourth by the media and fifth by the coaches.

The bottom line is both are worthy candidates who had major impacts on their team. I won't be surprised either way.
I just hope that both fan bases and media bases realize that it's a very, very difficult choice. Of course the two could share the award, but that has happened just twice in the history of the award, which dates back to 1979.

Its hard to tell how the coaches will vote. Some will vote for the best player on the league's No. 1 team. Others will look at how Johnson's scoring ability propelled Montana. Some might vote based on how each player did against their respective teams. Some might vote McCoy MVP and Johnson Newcomer of the Year, an honor he is sure to receive.

This vote brings to mind another MVP race that came down to a Weber State player and a Montana player. In 2000, Weber State's Harold "The Show" Arceneaux won the MVP over Montana's Matt Williams, creating a bit of controversy in Missoula. That year, Williams and the Grizzlies tied for the regular-season championship with Eastern Washington, and gained the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Weber State, coming off the 1999 campaign and the historic upset of North Carolina in the NCAA tournament, finished tied for fourth at 10-6.

Only 48 hours now till the votes start rolling in. I'll be waiting anxiously by the fax machine to see who gets the nod.

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

How to Make Your Head Hurt

2009-02-26T14:49:00.000-08:00

I've spent a lot of time this week working on potential scenarios on the men's basketball side. I started late Saturday night, and stopped at about 4 a.m. Sunday morning. I took some headache medince prior to coming to work Monday because I knew what was coming. Frank Mercogliano at Idaho State loves this stuff, so he works on scenarios as well, and we compare notes. We've spent part of this afternoon working on some, and my head is honestly hurting. There is only so much you can take.
Heading into to tonight's men's action, which can be seen at http://www.bigskytv.org/, I can tell you two things: No. 1, Montana can clinch the No. 2 seed and a bye to the semifinals with a win at Northern Colorado. No. 2, Idaho State clinches a postseason bid with a victory over Sacramento State, and the Bengals will also clinch the No. 4 seed, meaning they will host a quarterfinal game at Holt Arena on Saturday, March 7.

Standings heading into to tonight's play.
WSU 12-1
UM 11-4
PSU 10-5
ISU 7-7
NC 6-8
MSU 6-8
EWU 6-9
NAU 5-9

Below are the standings after running through a bunch of scenarios. Montana State could still get in the tournament at 6-10. There are others where 7-9 teams don't get in.

Boy, I can't wait until we starting working on the women's. The men's is a piece of cake compared to the women. Right now, Montana and Portland State are both in and have secured the top two seeds. The site of the championship might not be decided until Montana and Portland State play again in Missoula on Saturday, March 7, the final day of the regular season.
After that, MSU is 6-7 and Northern Colorado is 5-7. NAU, SAC, ISU and EWU are all 5-8. Weber State is 3-10.

Enjoy

WSU 14-2
UM 11-5
PSU 10-6
ISU 9-7
NC 8-8
MSU 7-9
EWU 6-10
NAU 5-11

WSU 13-3
UM 12-4
PSU 11-5
ISU 7-9 (3-1 vs. other teams)
NAU 7-9 (2-2 vs. other teams)
MSU 7-9 (1-3 vs. other teams)
NC 6-10
EWU 6-10

WSU 13-3
UM 11-5
PSU 10-6
ISU 8-8
NC 7-9 (4-2)
NAU 7-9 (3-3) (Win over Weber)
EWU 7-9 (3-3)
MSU 7-9 (2-4)

WSU 13-3
UM 11-5 (2-0 vs. MSU)
PSU 11-5 (1-1 vs. MSU)
ISU 8-8 (2-0 vs MSU)
MSU 8-8
NC 7-9
EWU 6-10
NAU 5-11

WSU 13-3
UM 12-4
PSU 10-6
ISU 8-8
MSU 8-8
NAU 7-9 (RPI Breaker)
EWU 7-9
NC 6-10

WSU 15-1
UM 12-4
PSU 11-5
ISU 9-7
NC 7-9
MSU 6-10 (Win over WSU)
EWU 6-10
NAU 5-11

WSU 14-2
UM 11-5 (2-0 vs. MSU)
PSU 11-5
ISU 9-7
MSU 8-8
NC 7-9
EWU 6-10
ISU 5-11

WSU 14-2
UM 11-5
PSU 10-6
ISU 9-7
MSU 8-8
NC 7-9 (win over Montana)
EWU 7-9
NAU 5-11

WSU 15-1
UM 11-5
PSU 10-6
ISU 9-7
NC 8-8
MSU 6-10 (Win over WSU)
EWU 6-10
NAU 5-11

WSU 14-2
UM 11-5
PSU 11-5
ISU 9-7
MSU 8-8
NC 7-9
EWU 6-10
NAU 5-11

WSU 15-1
UM 11-5
PSU 11-5
ISU 9-7
MSU 7-9 (win over WSU)
NC 7-9
EWU 6-10
NAU 5-11

WSU 15-1
PSU 11-5 (2-0 vs. NC)
UM 11-5
ISU 9-7
NC 8-8
MSU 6-10
EWU 6-10
NAU 5-11

WSU 14-2
UM 11-5
PSU 10-6
ISU 8-8
MSU 8-8
NC 7-9 (Win over Montana)
EWU 7-9
NAU 7-9

WSU 14-2
UM 12-4
PSU 10-6
ISU 8-8
MSU 7-9 (Win over WSU)
NAU 7-9 (Win over WSU)
EWU 7-9
UNC 6-10

WSU 14-2
UM 12-5
PSU 10-6
ISU 9-7
MSU 7-9 (Win over WSU)
EWU 7-9 (Win over PSU)
NAU 7-9

WSU 14-2
UM 12-4
PSU 10-6
ISU 9-7
NC 7-9
MSU 6-10
NAU 6-10
EWU 5-11

WSU 12-4
UM 11-5
PSU 10-6
NC 8-8
ISU 7-9 (4-2)
EWU 7-9 (3-3)
NAU 7-9 (3-3)
MSU 7-9 (2-4)

WSU 12-4
UM 11-5
PSU 10-6
MSU 8-8
NAU 7-9 (2-2) Win over WSU
ISU 7-9 (2-2) Win over UM
EWU 7-9 (2-2)
NC 6-10

WSU 13-3
UM 11-5
PSU 10-6
NC 8-8
NAU 7-9 (1-1) Win over WSU
UNC 7-9 (1-1) Win over UM
EWU 7-9 (1-1)
MSU 6-10

WSU 14-2
UM 12-4
PSU 10-6
ISU 8-8
NAU 7-9 (1-1) Win over WSU
NC 7-9 (1-1) Win over UM
EWU 7-9 (1-1)
MSU 6-10

WSU 14-2
UM 12-4
PSU 10-6
ISU 8-8
MSU 7-9 (1-1) Win over Weber, Win over PSU
NAU 7-9 (1-1) Win over Weber
EWU 7-9 (1-1)
NC 6-10

WSU 13-3
UM 12-4
PSU 11-5
ISU 8-8
MSU 8-8
NAU 7-9 (Win over WSU)
NC 7-9
EWU 6-10

WSU 14-2
UM 12-4
PSU 11-5
ISU 8-8
MSU 7-9 (1-1) Win over WSU, Win over PSU
NAU 7-9 (1-1) Win over WSU
NC 7-9 (1-1)
EWU 6-10

WSU 13-3
UM 11-5
PSU 11-5
ISU 8-8
MSU 7-9 (Win over Weber) (Win over PSU)
NAU 7-9 (Win over Weber)
NC 7-9
EWU 6-10

WSU 15-1
PSU 11-5 (2-0 vs. NC)
UM 11-5 (1-1 vs. NC)
ISU 8-8
NC 7-9
MSU 6-10 (1-1) (Win over PSU)
NAU 6-10 (1-1)
EWU 6-10 (1-1)

WSU 15-1
UM 12-4
PSU 11-5
ISU 8-8
NC 7-9 (Win over UM)
NAU 7-9
MSU 6-10
EWU 6-10

Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference

A Word from Tanner the Intern

2009-02-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

I don’t know about Big Sky fans but I am really enjoying the fact that we are getting video highlights posted on our site. It has been somewhat of a challenge, as getting a hold of the content has been difficult and then converting it to a format that we can edit has been interesting as well.

Once all of the details were smoothed out the video editing process has been a blast. I think it has given great exposure to the conference’s great athletes. I know as an undergrad at Montana State the only time I was able to see other teams from the conference was when they were playing the ‘Cats. In all honesty that is barley enough to appreciate the talent that the conference has collected.

We are currently trying to get to a point where we can host more than one video on the Big Sky site, but as it stands it’s the best we can do. If you do miss a highlight package or you just want to see one again, we have build a library on Facebook.

For those who are worried about getting a Facebook profile, do not worry you do not need a profile to view our page on Facebook. For those who do have a profile though we would encourage you to become a “fan” of the page that way we can keep you updated on all the late breaking news in the conference. Again another disclaimer, when you become a fan we cannot view your profile nor do we have access to your personal information. You’re just a name on the fan list and that allows us to send you updates, we are trying to keep these updates at a minimum so that we don’t burn you out.

In most cases we send you updates to let you know when the Players of the Week are announced or if a new video is posted. Also, on the page is an RSS feed so if you are looking to get recent information you wont have to wait for an update.

We here at the Big Sky want to be your source for all of the most accurate information about your favorite conference and hopefully these steps we have taken over the last five months have proven our commitment.

-Tanner The Intern