Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana State
Wildcats host Bobcats Thursday night
2/18/2026 9:25:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Weber State plays its final two home games of the season this week.
• It's down the stretch in Big Sky play as Weber State will play its last two home games of the season this week against two longtime rivals, beginning Thursday night against Montana State.
• The Wildcats and Bobcats will tipoff at 7 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. WSU radio broadcast will be on 103.1 FM "The Coast".
• Weber State is 13-14 overall and 7-7 in Big Sky play with four conference games remaining. The Wildcats are currently in a tie for fifth in the Big Sky standings. WSU is coming off a split on the road last week with a win at Idaho and a loss at Eastern Washington.
Montana State is currently second in the Big Sky standings at 9-4. The Bobcats are coming off a win at Montana last Saturday.
• Weber State guard Tijan Saine Jr. has led the Wildcats in scoring in 10 straight games as he scored 20 points in Saturday's game at Eastern Washington. Saine has also scored 20 or more points in seven straight games. He is the first Wildcat to score 20 or more points in seven straight games since Jerrick Harding during the 2017-18 season.
Saine leads the Big Sky in scoring in conference games at 21.8 points per game, and has led Weber State in scoring in 12 of the 14 conference games.
Overall this season, Saine is third in the league in assist to turnover ratio and fifth in assists. He is also second in the conference and 27th in the nation in free throw percentage at 89.4 percent, which is currently the third best in WSU single-season history. He is shooting 92 percent in conference games. Saine has made 58 of his last 60 free throw attempts.
• Viljami Vartiainen scored in double figures for the fifth straight game as he added 15 points at Eastern Washington with two 3-pointers. He has made at least two 3-pointers in 10 straight games.
Vartiainen is second on the Wildcat team in scoring at 12.2 points per game. He is also third in the Big Sky in 3-pointers per game at 2.8 and is third in 3-point percentage at 41.1 percent.
He ranks ninth in WSU history with 160 3-pointers in 87 career games.
• Freshman Duce Paschal tied his career-high with 14 points in Saturday's game and he has scored in double figures in two of the last five games. Paschal, a true freshman from Portland, Oregon, has started the last eight games for the Wildcats.
• Weber State ranks second in the Big Sky in scoring offense at 81.6 points per game. The 'Cats are also second in rebounding and second in steals. WSU is third in 3-point defense, rebounding margin, and turnover margin.
• Montana State is currently second place in the Big Sky at 9-4 with five conference games remaining. MSU beat Montana 82-71 on Saturday in Missoula. Montana State is the highest ranked Big Sky team in the KenPom rankings.
The Bobcats lead the Big Sky in turnover margin and ranks second in scoring defense and scoring margin. MSU is also third in 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made per game. Jed Miller leads the team in scoring and is second in the Big Sky in steals, 3-point percentage and 3-pointers per game.
• Montana State beat Weber State 91-88 on January 24 in Bozeman. The Bobcats led by as many as 14 points in the second half before Weber State rallied to take the lead, but the Bobcats held on down the stretch. Both teams shot 51 percent from the field in the game. Tijan Saine led the Wildcats with 24 points.
• WSU is 90-47 all-time against Montana State as both teams are charter members of the Big Sky Conference. The Bobcats have won the last five games against Weber State, MSU's longest winning streak in the series. The Bobcats have also won nine of the last 11 against the Wildcats.
In games in Ogden, Weber State is 56-10 all-time but the series is 2-2 over the last four meetings.
• Weber State will play its final home game of the season on Saturday night against Montana. Tipoff for that game has been changed to 7:30 p.m. due to Utah state high school basketball tournaments.
Saturday's game will also be Senior Night, or Nigel Burris Night, as Weber State will honor Burris before the game as the only senior on this year's team.
