Bobcats gear up for round 1 of basketball Brawl of the Wild 

by Danny Waldo
It’s time for another installment of the Bobcat/Grizzly rivalry on the hardwood, Saturday, February 1st in Missoula.
The ladies will get things started with a 2pm tip-off in Dahlberg Arena, with the men following at 7pm.
Both teams enter the contest on a high note, with the Lady ‘Cats currently sitting atop the Big Sky Conference standings with an 8-1 mark in league play and riding a four-game winning streak, while the men are on a two-game winning streak that includes a victory at Weber State for the first time since 2009, and their first win over the Wildcats in 13 tries. The Bobcat men currently sit in 5th place in the league standings.
Montana State has owned the rivalry over Montana in football the past few seasons, but the hardwood has been another story. The Bobcats come into the 2020 Brawl of the Wild having won just once in the last 10 contests, and were swept last season in the two-game series. The Montana men, the reigning Big Sky Conference champions are alone in first place in the league standings, a half-game ahead of second place Eastern Washington, who recently handed MSU a 13-point defeat on Jan. 18th.
The picture has been brighter on the women’s side of the rivalry, with Montana State owning a 7-3 mark in the last 10 matchups, including a sweep of the Lady Griz a season ago. The Lady ‘Cats gutted out a 75-71 victory the last time they visited Missoula last February. The Lady Griz currently sit at 5-4 in the conference and recently ended a three-game losing streak, knocking off Weber State at home.
Both the men’s and women’s contests will be broadcast live state-wide on SWX. For more information on viewing and listening options, log on to www.msubobcats.com. •