The Bobcat Nation

MSU will take an August trip to Calgary for a pre-season tournament. I'll have more on the blog and in tomorrow's paper, but Huse likes it and loves that it's in August. Remember, there are six or seven new people - again - and this gives them 10 practices before Canada and the trip to jell together, etc.

2012 Battle of the Border
All games in the Jack Simpson Gym, Calgary, Alberta; all times MDT
Participating Teams
Alberta Golden Bears (CIS, Canada West)
Calgary Dinos (CIS, Canada West)
Montana State Bobcats (NCAA Div. I, Big Sky)
Mount Royal Cougars (CIS, Canada West)
Wyoming Cowboys (NCAA Div. I, Mountain West)
Tuesday, Aug. 7
6 p.m. Calgary vs. Wyoming
Wednesday, Aug. 8
7 p.m. Mount Royal vs. Wyoming
Thursday, Aug. 9
7 p.m. Calgary vs. Montana State
Friday, Aug. 10
6:30 p.m. Alberta vs. Montana State
8:15 p.m. Calgary vs. Wyoming
Saturday, Aug. 11
10:30 a.m. Alberta vs. Wyoming
Sunday, Aug. 12
1 p.m. Mount Royal vs. Montana State

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sp ... f887a.html Blog tomorrow afternoon

Those practices should really help. It will give the new guy a chance to learn the system and their teammates game. I'd expect the Cats to win the games but that really isn't too important.

Brad Huse's quotes from last week about the trip to Canada
“That is the plan, and we’re excited about it. It’s something we’ve wanted to do; you can take a trip like this every four years. It’s not something we’ve done before, so we’ve been trying to plan it. It all fell into place this year to where we got it lined up. I think it will work out real nice.”
“There’s a lot of benefits to it besides just the games.”
10 days of practices before you go; “really beneficial for this team”
“We think it’s a great way to jumpstart the season.”
“Newcomers can play as long as they’ve gone to summer school at your institution and passed, I think it’s three of the credits. They are required to take six.”
“Our plan right now is that everybody will be with us.”
Canada is cost-effective. Will drive to Calgary
“The way the rules are set up now, where we can play our newcomers, just made a lot of sense for us to do it in the fall as opposed to the spring or the summer.”
On expanded BSC tournament
“Personally, I like the format we had before, but this will still be a very competitive tournament.
“I’m all for protecting the higher seeds, the teams that have earned it during the regular season.”
“It allows us an extra team, because we’re adding two teams, and that’s fair. It will be interesting. I know the ladies have been doing it for a long time, so I don’t think it will change a whole lot.
“It will make it very difficult for those lower seed teams to come through and get to the championship round, but that’s probably the way it should be.”
“You need to protect those higher seeds.”