Starch Madness 1st round - WBB Portland's not a State vs. UNCU

[rfischer94]

The Bears can't handle a post entry pass to save their lives. If they get through to the quarters the Cats are going to eat their lunch with their high-pressure defense.

[MSU01]

Bears win 53-50. Cats will need to show up and play well tomorrow but you have to like their chances against a team that could barely break 50 against the worst team in the league.

[4KornerKat]

The only Sac games I have watched this year were the MSU games. . . Have seen at least two Deep 3s that they have missed, do they always throw up 30 footers? I know they hit a few in their win in Bozeman, just seems like an odd strategy.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Bears win 53-50. Cats will need to show up and play well tomorrow but you have to like their chances against a team that could barely break 50 against the worst team in the league.

Both teams were pretty awful but the Bears will probably play a lot better tomorrow. We’ll get their best I’m sure.

[BelgradeBobcat]

How did we lose Sac State? This doesn’t come close to resembling the team we saw in Bozeman.

[Colter_Nuanez]

I'm finally to the point where I'm ready to say it: they have to get rid of the play-in round. Top 8 make the tournament, 9th and 10th teams, stay home. Or better yet, go recruiting.

I know some will argue "remember when No. 9 Idaho State beat No. 1 Montana State in 2016?" Yes, I'll never forget it. But you could still have a 1v8 matchup. If you finish last in the league, you don't get a postseason.

That last minute was one of the worst late-game execution I've ever seen by Portland Sate. WTF was that out of bounds play with 15 seconds left where they just threw it from the sideline into the front row?

You win one league game, you stay home.

[Colter_Nuanez]

How did we lose Sac State? This doesn’t come close to resembling the team we saw in Bozeman.

Sac was the single most disappointing team in the league in my opinion. With Versteeg, who's a future pro, Jaydia Martin who was All-Big Sky at EWU and now at Sac, plus Fatoumata Jaiteh who was good at NAU before transferring and Katie Peneueta, who was on the Sac championship team before transferring to NC State and starting, then coming back to Sac State (!!!), they have four legitimately good Big Sky players. They had no excuse for finishing 8th. They had no excuse for finishing behind teams like Idaho, Montana, Idaho State and Eastern Washington. They are more talented than every single one of those teams.

[rfischer94]

I'm finally to the point where I'm ready to say it: they have to get rid of the play-in round. Top 8 make the tournament, 9th and 10th teams, stay home. Or better yet, go recruiting.

I know some will argue "remember when No. 9 Idaho State beat No. 1 Montana State in 2016?" Yes, I'll never forget it. But you could still have a 1v8 matchup. If you finish last in the league, you don't get a postseason.

That last minute was one of the worst late-game execution I've ever seen by Portland Sate. WTF was that out of bounds play with 15 seconds left where they just threw it from the sideline into the front row?

You win one league game, you stay home.

@Colter_Nuanez Do you like the idea of the top two seeds getting a double bye to the semifinals?

[rfischer94]

How did we lose Sac State? This doesn’t come close to resembling the team we saw in Bozeman.

I don't get it. Sac has looked awful for most of the half. Aside from a few lay ins on nice interior passes, their offense has looked very disjointed. And their defense? Good grief - they're getting absolutely torched by Alexis Pettis off the dribble.

[4KornerKat]

I'm finally to the point where I'm ready to say it: they have to get rid of the play-in round. Top 8 make the tournament, 9th and 10th teams, stay home. Or better yet, go recruiting.

I know some will argue "remember when No. 9 Idaho State beat No. 1 Montana State in 2016?" Yes, I'll never forget it. But you could still have a 1v8 matchup. If you finish last in the league, you don't get a postseason.

That last minute was one of the worst late-game execution I've ever seen by Portland Sate. WTF was that out of bounds play with 15 seconds left where they just threw it from the sideline into the front row?

You win one league game, you stay home.

But you'd lose all that ticket revenue from the extra game.

I agree with your premise, but in a 10 team league i dont hate the current format, it penalizes 7 and 8, but who cares.

If the big sky were to expand to 12 or 14 teams, I'd be in favor of staying at 10, but i do like incentive to be in top half of the league.

[BelgradeBobcat]

As fan traveling to Boise I like having two guaranteed games with my school even if one of them is in last place. I guess that’s my argument.

On another note Sac is playing much better and has the lead

[4KornerKat]

Fouls are almost 2- 1 against Sac. Would be unfair to spectators if they call the 5th against Versteeg, she is an incredible player to watch.

[rfischer94]

Both offenses were pretty anemic in the 4th until the last two minutes -- then they both took off!

[BelgradeBobcat]

Sac gonna win. Good game

[Colter_Nuanez]

I'm finally to the point where I'm ready to say it: they have to get rid of the play-in round. Top 8 make the tournament, 9th and 10th teams, stay home. Or better yet, go recruiting.

I know some will argue "remember when No. 9 Idaho State beat No. 1 Montana State in 2016?" Yes, I'll never forget it. But you could still have a 1v8 matchup. If you finish last in the league, you don't get a postseason.

That last minute was one of the worst late-game execution I've ever seen by Portland Sate. WTF was that out of bounds play with 15 seconds left where they just threw it from the sideline into the front row?

You win one league game, you stay home.

But you'd lose all that ticket revenue from the extra game.

I agree with your premise, but in a 10 team league i dont hate the current format, it penalizes 7 and 8, but who cares.

If the big sky were to expand to 12 or 14 teams, I'd be in favor of staying at 10, but i do like incentive to be in top half of the league.

All that ticket revenue? I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be funny, but just checking.....

Single game tickets to the women's first round are $9. They probably sold 200 of em for UNC-Portland State.....

[4KornerKat]

I'm finally to the point where I'm ready to say it: they have to get rid of the play-in round. Top 8 make the tournament, 9th and 10th teams, stay home. Or better yet, go recruiting.

I know some will argue "remember when No. 9 Idaho State beat No. 1 Montana State in 2016?" Yes, I'll never forget it. But you could still have a 1v8 matchup. If you finish last in the league, you don't get a postseason.

That last minute was one of the worst late-game execution I've ever seen by Portland Sate. WTF was that out of bounds play with 15 seconds left where they just threw it from the sideline into the front row?

You win one league game, you stay home.

But you'd lose all that ticket revenue from the extra game.

I agree with your premise, but in a 10 team league i dont hate the current format, it penalizes 7 and 8, but who cares.

If the big sky were to expand to 12 or 14 teams, I'd be in favor of staying at 10, but i do like incentive to be in top half of the league.

All that ticket revenue? I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be funny, but just checking.....

Single game tickets to the women's first round are $9. They probably sold 200 of em for UNC-Portland State.....

Yes it looks like all of 200 people there, probably 100 of which are bobcat fans that got there early and love basketball.

[4KornerKat]

I'm finally to the point where I'm ready to say it: they have to get rid of the play-in round. Top 8 make the tournament, 9th and 10th teams, stay home. Or better yet, go recruiting.

I know some will argue "remember when No. 9 Idaho State beat No. 1 Montana State in 2016?" Yes, I'll never forget it. But you could still have a 1v8 matchup. If you finish last in the league, you don't get a postseason.

That last minute was one of the worst late-game execution I've ever seen by Portland Sate. WTF was that out of bounds play with 15 seconds left where they just threw it from the sideline into the front row?

You win one league game, you stay home.

But you'd lose all that ticket revenue from the extra game.

I agree with your premise, but in a 10 team league i dont hate the current format, it penalizes 7 and 8, but who cares.

If the big sky were to expand to 12 or 14 teams, I'd be in favor of staying at 10, but i do like incentive to be in top half of the league.

All that ticket revenue? I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be funny, but just checking.....

Single game tickets to the women's first round are $9. They probably sold 200 of em for UNC-Portland State.....

Would going to 7 vs 10 and 8 vs 9, and then top seed surviving playing #2 tomorrow change your mind?

Two competitive games today, I sure enjoyed watching them.

[Mrs TrackCat]

Enjoyed watching the games so far. In reading the bio for Courtney Grossman of Billings West, and EWU, noticed that her Dad is Jess Grossman. Wonder if he is the Jess Grossman, originally from Highwood, MT.

[lv2hoop]

Let em’ all play! It’s March, one and done and nobody gets hurt with a few extra games to tip the weekend off.

[MSU01]

Weber beats Sac in the men's 9/10 game. They're playing well all of a sudden, I can see them giving UNC a very good game tomorrow. #1 and #2 seeds are a combined 1-3 in the quarterfinals since the new format began.

This NAU/EWU game is the first chance I've had to watch today and I'm immediately reminded of how annoying that reflection of the advertising boards is that runs the length of the court on the TV broadcast.