ABILENE, Texas — ACU hopes to bounce back on Monday and Tuesday as they head to Bozeman, Montana for the the Basketball Travelers Invitational.
Up first, the Wildcats take on another team from the Sun Belt Conference, Southern Mississippi. The 'Cats take on the Golden Eagles on Monday at 8 p.m. for the first time in both programs' histories. So far this season, the Wildcats are 1-0 against teams from the SBC, with the Wildcats claiming a win over Texas State on November 16.
On Tuesday at 8 p.m., ACU will then take on tournament host, Montana State. This will also be the first ever matchup between the Wildcats and the Bobcats who are from the Big Sky Conference. This game will also serve as a homecoming for assistant coach Cameron Henderson, who played at Montana State.
Both games on both days are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., with both games airing live on 101.7 FM, The Patriot, and only the game against Montana State airing on ESPN+. If fans can't watch the game in person, listen to or stream it, fans can follow the game on X, Facebook, Instagram or acusports.com.
ACU Storylines:
LAST GAME: The Wildcats were on the road for the first time this season, falling in a thriller against Kennesaw State, 78-84. Overall, ACU finished the game shooting 45.8. percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line. Despite the loss, ACU had a strong game defensively and in creating turnovers. The Wildcats caused the Owls to commit 19 turnovers with 13 steals, while only having seven turnovers in the game themselves. Quion Williams led the way for ACU with a team-best 19 points and six rebounds.
KING QUION: Junior guard Quion Williams has made an immediate impact in his first year for the Purple and White. He enters the two-day tournament averaging a team-high 15 points per game. He also is tied with a team-high 5.8 rebounds while also adding two assists, one block and one steal per game.
BIG MAN BETTIOL: Junior forward Leonardo Bettiol is making a statement in his third season for ACU. He averages a current career-best 13.0 points per game this season. Bettiol has a team-best 71.8 shooting percentage while also adding 4.8 rebounds.
AUSSIE FROM DEEP: Senior guard Hunter Jack Madden leads the Wildcats' shooting efforts from behind the 3-point line this season. Madden averages a team-best 40.6 percent from the 3-point line while being the third ACU player averaging double-digit scoring with 11.6 points per game. The Sydney, Australia native also adds 2.8 assists per game and plays a team-high 25.6 minutes per game.
SIXTH MAN: Junior guard and transfer Rich Smith plays a key role off the bench for the Wildcats this season. Though he only averages 4.4 points per game, Smith boasts a team-best 3.0 assists per game and a team-high 1.4 steals per game.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Wildcats have begun a road trip that will last for six straight games, with the team not returning to play inside Moody Coliseum until December 14. The road trip includes the games against Kennesaw State, Southern Mississippi and Montana State at the Basketball Travelers Invitational, Omaha, New Mexico State and the No. 13 team in the nation, Baylor.
History with Southern Miss
- This game is the first matchup in series history
Scouting the Golden Eagles
- Southern Miss is 2-2 so far this season, with two home wins against Bowling Green and Loyola New Orleans. The Golden Eagles' two losses of the season were on the road against UAB and South Dakota.
- Jay Ladner is in his sixth season as head coach of Southern Miss, holding a 67-91 record so far. Before coaching the Golden Eagles, Ladner was the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana for five years, where he was 8-6 against ACU while the 'Cats were in the Southland Conference.
- Austin Crowley leads the Golden Eagles with 16.0 points per game while also having 4.4 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game and 1.2 steals per game.
- Victor Hart leads the way rebounding with 6.6 rebounds per game as well as leads the team with 1.7 steals per game. Andre Curbelo leads with 3.8 assists.
History with Montana State
- This game is the first matchup in series history
Scouting the Bobcats
- Montana State is 1-4 so far this season, with the Bobcats' lone win coming against Northwest Indian College. The four losses came against Wisconsin, Wichita State, Denver and Northwestern.
- Head coach Matt Logie is in his second season at the helm of Montana State. Before his time at Bozeman, Logie coached at Point Loma for four years and Whitworth for eight years. Logie holds a 18-22 record in his two years at Montana State, and an overall record of 294-80 for all fourteen years of his coaching career.
- Brandon Walker is the Bobcats' leading scorer with 13.6 points per game while also having 4.6 rebounds per game.
- Two other Bobcats averaged double-digit scoring this season. Jabe Mullins scores 10.8 points per game while having a team-high 4.0 assists per game. Max Agbonkpolo averages 10.4 points and a team-best 5.2 rebounds.
#BeDifferent #GoWildcats
