I think MSU beating Portland was it's 6th straight win, however after looking at their schedule it doesn't look like they had as tough of a preseason as we did. Is MSU supposed to be good this year? Hope our guys can keep their enthusiasm up for the Portland game, sounds like it will be tough for them to get there, hope that doesn't affect their game. I was so happy to see them win, they deserved it! Shows a lot of character for them to not give up, keep their chins up, and go out and get a good win on the road. Sounds like we had good senior leadership which helped alot. Go griz, beat Portland!!

MSU was picked near the bottom of the league, but you never know. It seems like there has been a chemistry problem on the team all year. I spoke wiht Brent before the season and asked him if this was the best team we have had since he has been here. He said "it is the most talent", but seemed hesitant about how good a team they were.

In the Missoulian they mentioned a players only meeting, and a new pre-game routine the players came up with. Hopefully this means that teh team has started playing together as a team, and that talent can shine through. Also, anytime Criswell is hitting buckets I like our chances for winning.

The team does have a new pre-game routine, and I like it much more. They get in a circle and sway back and forth until a player is announced, then the player runs out of the circle. It gets the players more into the game. They came out with the most intensity I have seen all year, and everybody seemed excited to be on the court for once. After big plays they were cheering each other on. A big BIG step for the team.

Eastern was over-matched talent-wise. It reminded me of when UM played Weber State last year. It felt like the Griz had a chance, but Weber was just better. Eastern is a tough team though. They will finish top three in the conference. I would say top two, but I haven't seen Weber yet, and how Kamarr will match up with Slobodan.

That being said, if Montana drops the game in Portland, it's because of the travel. As of 6pm tonight, they were still on the bus, after leaving at 8am. That shouldn't be an excuse though, and I expect the Griz to still win. Onto MSU...

MSU played a weak non-conference schedule: (Team & RPI)
Quinnipiac - 308 W
Howard - 275 W
Florida - 14 L
Idaho - 181 W
Denver - 151 L (Twice)
Santa Clara - 131 L
Wyoming - 88 L
Mary - Non D-I W
Morgan State - 269 W
Western Car - 163 W
Rocky - Non D-I W
Colorado St - 98 W
Portland State- 259 W

Eastern Washington beat Denver and Santa Clara, so it's fair to say that if EWU played this schedule, they would be 12-2 instead of 4-10. Wyoming lost to Denver as well, so EWU probably would have been 13-1 with this schedule. Bozeman is definitely playing some good ball and doing better than most expected, but it's going to take some good conference wins before they get some respect around the league. If MSU makes the playoffs, they'll be playing on the road.

They were still on the bus at 6pm?!?!? That's not good. Normally it only takes about 6 hours to get from Spokane to Portland but the gorge has been pretty nasty or they might have taken the long way (through Seattle) to avoid the gorge and that adds at least a couple of hours to the trip.

MSU played a pretty weak non-conference schedule. According to the RPI their overall strength of schedule (non-conference and conference) is 255th-third worst in the big sky. PSU's schedule is the worst at 290.

Grizbeer-I agree with what you said about Brent being excited about this years team and its talent level. I talked with him a lot right at the beginning of the season and he was really looking forward to playing with these guys. And I don't think he was wrong about the level of talent on this team I just think they've had some problems developing chemistry since they had so many players that haven't played together before. I think Brent has played a big role in helping the guys get through the tough schedule. He's really stepped up and become more of a vocal leader this year, something he wasn't really comfortable with doing before and I think that helped make it so we could break out of the slump that we were in and play so well against Eastern. All of the guys on the team really look up to him and really respect him. He's been through tough stretches of games before and I think the guys really look to him when things get tough because he has the experience. He has a really integral role on the team even if his stats don't always indicate it.