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The Thunderbird men's basketball team is looking to take the second-longest current Big Sky winning streak on the road, as Southern Utah travels to Idaho State tonight and Weber State Saturday for the first of four consecutive road games.
"I think they were two games that we let get away from us (earlier this season)," SUU guard Damon Heuir said. "We're just going to come out and do the stuff we do before every game, and get ready to go to Pocatello and take on Idaho State."
The T-Birds (9-12, 7-5 Big Sky) have won four straight games, which is second to Montana's mammoth 26-game conference winning streak. With the wins, SUU has bumped up from the middle of a jumbled pack to a tie with Montana State for third in Big Sky standings.
In addition, SUU is three games ahead of both Northern Colorado and Eastern Washington, the eighth and ninth ranked teams in the conference standings at the moment, which is important. Only the top seven teams qualify for the Big Sky tournament in March.
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The T-Birds' four-game winning streak hasn't just boosted morale in the locker room, but the team's likelihood for a Big Sky tournament berth with eight conference games left in the season.
"It's sort of put us back in the hunt," Heuir said. "We lost five straight games, then won four in a row, so we're right back in it. It's been pretty big for us and we just have to try to do it on the road now."
However, SUU is headed into one last large test before any ticket to the Big Sky dance can be punched. The T-Birds are headed on the road for four straight, which starts tonight in Pocatello, Idaho in a rematch of SUU's closest loss this season.
"Our concentration level and intensity has to be at a very high rate," SUU Head Coach Nick Robinson said. "For us to play well on the road, we have to be able to match the intensity of the home team and that starts with Idaho State."
Idaho State defeated the T-Birds 54-53 in a nailbiter Jan. 12 inside the Centrum Arena. The win was in the middle of a stretch where the Bengals won three of four, but ISU has fallen on hard times since.
The Bengals enter the match-up tonight losers of five straight, including blowout losses at Northern Colorado and North Dakota. However, four of the five losses came on the road.
In SUU's previous matchup with ISU, Wade Collie missed a runner that nearly rolled in, and Heuir missed a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer, as the T-Birds fell short. It still remains ISU's only road win this season — and one SUU's players feel like they should've come away with.
"We were right there," Heuir said. "It could've gone either way. We just have to go and work hard and try to get it back."
Avenging the loss would help the T-Birds remain locked to Montana State, which is home this week, in addition to returning the favor to the Bengals.
"I think (ISU) is a must win for us," Stevenett said. "They came (into the Centrum Arena) and that game was really disappointing to us. I think we have to come out firing tonight and be ready to go."
In the last matchup, Tomas Sanchez led the Bengals with 18 points. Sanchez averages 10.1 points per game this season. Melvin Morgan leads ISU with 11.6 points per game, but was held to just 10 points on Jan. 12.
Robinson said a key for SUU is to limit fouls in what he expects will be a physical match-up.
"We have to be … smarter defensively," he said. "We've played in a lot of physical games this year. The free throw line plays a huge part. Hopefully we can be a little bit smarter defensively, but I anticipate a physical battle — just like a lot of games we've played in."
Offensively, SUU has begun to cut its turnovers down. The T-Birds averaged around 17 turnovers per game before the four-game winning streak. During SUU's streak, the team averaged just 12.
Stevenett said the team struggled with ISU's stingy zone defense the first time around, but the team will be ready for the rematch.
"I think their zone really hurt us," he said. "I'm sure we'll be practicing the next couple of days on that zone and simulating that zone to work our offense against it." Following the Bengals, SUU will head to Ogden for a matchup with in-state rival Weber State. Though the rivalry runs large, Robinson said it's critical for his team to focus on ISU before even thinking about the Wildcats.
WSU defeated SUU 81-74 on Jan. 10, but the T-Birds stuck around for the majority of the game.
Stevenett said he anticipates the rematch of the rivalry to be as big of a battle as the first match-up.
"We have to just come out and be aggressive and physical," he said. "They're another physical team, so I think it's key to be physical against them — no backing down."
WSU will look to lean on the potent duo of Davion Berry and Scott Bamforth, as the duo averages nearly 28 points per game for the Wildcats.
I think (ISU) is a must win for us. They came (into the Centrum Arena) and that game was really disappointing to us. I think we have to come out firing tonight and be ready to go.
–Jackson Stevenett
The T-Birds, however, will look to lean once again on its Heuir and Stevenett tag team attack, who are now first and third in Big Sky scoring.
Heuir was named conference player of the week Monday for his performances last week. He scored 28 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out seven assists in a win over Sacramento State Thursday, and then followed it with a 27-point performance in a win over Northern Arizona Saturday. Heuir has elevated his game since the turn of the calendar year. The guard has scored at least 14 points in every game since a rough 2-for-14 performance from the field Dec. 29. His run began with a 30-point game at NAU on Jan. 5. The Australian has averaged 20.7 points per game since the calendar struck 2013.
His run vaulted him into the lead in Big Sky's scoring title race at 16.8 points per game. Not far behind Heuir is Stevenett, who is averaging 16.4 points per game — third best in the conference.
Despite the scoring lead, Heuir said neither he nor Stevenett are selfishly putting up scoring numbers. "It's more like the whole team is getting us these points," Heuir said. "It's not like we're going out of our way to score, it's just the way our offense is running, we've been lucky enough to make some shots."
Robinson said having the pair has been huge for the team, especially in leadership.
"Their experience is key for our basketball team," he said. "They've been consistent throughout the year. I don't see anything different than what they've done from the start of the year. They've just been consistent in what they do."
SUU has also benefited from role performances from Collie and center Cal Hanks.
Collie notched a career-high 18 points and nine rebounds in a win over Eastern Washington Jan. 26, while Hanks, who is averaging 3.4 points per game this season, has averaged 9.3 points per game during the T-Birds' four-game winning streak.
"Cal's been playing awesome," Stevenett said. "He just comes in and brings energy. He brings his size and physicality into the game. There's not many people in this league as big as Cal or Jayson (Cheesman) in the post, so it's a force."
SUU will look to continue its success tonight at ISU; tip-off against the Bengals is slated for 7 p.m. in Pocatello, Idaho. Tip-off against WSU is set for 7 p.m. Saturday in Ogden.
