Preview: Seattle U vs. Montana State

By Gary Hill

Seattle U (0-2) at Montana State (2-1, 0-0 Big Sky)
Worthington Arena (Bozeman, Mont.)
Tuesday Nov. 22, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Radio: 710 ESPN Seattle
Series: Tied 7-7
Last Meeting: SU won 72-70 on Nov. 29, 2010

Scouting Montana State:

This is a tough team to figure out. They had a great deal of roster turnover from a team that finished 13-18 and 7-9 in the Big Sky. They only return one starter and they welcome in a handful of JC transfers. Despite the heavy losses they have impressed early on this season. They are coming off of a 70-64 win over Pac-12 Utah on the road and they gave Arizona State a good game before falling 78-72 in the opener. They blasted a lower division team for their other win. On paper they should struggle to score the basketball, but the numbers are masked by the 111 points they put up in Game 2 of the season.

The Ones to Watch:

Rod Singleton: 5’10, 185 | senior guard | 12 ppg, 2.3 rbds, 4 assts

Singleton is the key to the Bobcats. He is the only returning starter averaging 8 points and 3.5 assists a game last year. He will need to shoulder much more of the scoring load this year and SU will key on him. He is off to a blazing start this year having scored 18 points against Utah. He is shooting 61 percent from the floor, 62 percent from 3 and 75 percent from the free-throw line.

Shawn Reid: 6’5, 195 | sophomore forward | 12.5 ppg, 5 rbds

Reid came off the bench last year to average 5.7 points a game, but he torched SU for 23 points at KeyArena. He was 3-6 from downtown in that game, but he was quiet his last time out against Utah.

Keys to the Game:

1. Stop Singleton. He makes this team go and Obasi will be charged with stopping him.
2. Find the offense. SU struggled from the field so far this year. They have played well enough to win defensively, but they need to improve on 39 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3.
3. Crash the glass. A surprising number is — 8.5. That is margin SU is being outrebounded by. They have a chance tonight to dominate the paint with the sizeable and athletic front line.

Numbers to Know:

1. The number of points Aaron Broussard needs to reach 1,000 for his career, becoming the 35th played in Seattle U history to do it.
1-1. The record for the Bobcats against the Pac-12 this year.
2-14. The combined shooting from the Seattle U backcourt in the last game against San Francisco.

Seattle U looks for win number 1 tonight. Tune in at 7 on 710 ESPN Seattle.