Montana State (13-9, 10-6) vs. Eastern Washington (15-7, 14-3)
Big Sky Conference Tourney Championship, Idaho Central Arena, Boise, Idaho; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Montana State and Eastern Washington are prepared to match up in the Championship of the Big Sky tournament. In the regular season, Eastern Washington won both of the head-to-head matchups. The teams last played each other on Feb. 13, when the Eagles outshot Montana State 51.7 percent to 46 percent and hit nine more 3-pointers en route to an 85-69 victory.
SAVVY VETERANS: Senior leadership could play a big role in the outcome of this game. Tanner Groves, Kim Aiken Jr. and Jacob Davison have combined to account for 48 percent of Eastern Washington’s scoring this season. For Montana State, Amin Adamu, Xavier Bishop and Abdul Mohamed have combined to account for 47 percent of the team’s total scoring, including 52 percent of all Bobcats points over their last five.ACCURATE AMIN: Adamu has connected on 38.2 percent of the 34 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 2 for 6 over his last three games. He’s also converted 80.2 percent of his free throws this season.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Eagles have recently created baskets via assists more often than the Bobcats. Eastern Washington has 46 assists on 80 field goals (57.5 percent) across its previous three outings while Montana State has assists on 29 of 77 field goals (37.7 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Eastern Washington has committed a turnover on just 16 percent of its possessions this season, which is the second-best rate among all Big Sky teams. The Eagles have turned the ball over only 11.4 times per game this season.
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