Weber State basketball: Wildcats geared up for in-state foe So. Utah

OGDEN — It may seem odd, but close followers of Weber State's basketball team will understand. The Wildcats will be looking to bounce back from a victory when they host Southern Utah at the Dee Events Center tonight.

Weber State (4-4) barely got past NAIA opponent Montana Tech 73-70 on Wednesday following impressive wins over Utah and Sacramento State. The Wildcats trailed the Orediggers at halftime, which continued a season-long trend for WSU, and barely avoided what would have been an embarrassing and disastrous defeat.

Coach Randy Rahe gave his players the day off on Thursday, and said he threw the copy of the game film in the trash.

"We've just got to forget about this game (against Montana Tech)," said Weber State junior Franklin Session. "It wasn't too good of a game for us offensively or defensively. We just got to go in ready for (SUU)."

Southern Utah (3-6) isn't entering tonight's game with a sparkling record and has lost four straight contests. But it's an in-state game, and SUU will be fired up to play in the Purple Palace.

The Thunderbirds have six in-state players on their roster, including a true freshman starting at point guard in Riverton High product Scott Friel. Senior Davis Baker leads SUU in scoring at 16.2 points per game, and Ryan "Heat Check" Brimley can be deadly from the outside, as he averages 11.5 points per game.

Roger Reid, who played his college basketball (and baseball) at Weber State, is in his third season as SUU's head coach.

"I have great respect for coach Reid," Rahe said. "He's probably forgotten more basketball than I know. I do know his teams begin everything on the defensive end. They hound you and dog you into turnovers and make it very uncomfortable to run your offense."

Offensive production wasn't Weber State's issue against Montana Tech in a game where it trailed by as many as eight points in the second half. Stopping the Orediggers was what troubled the Wildcats, who expect their defensive intensity and effort to be greatly improved against SUU tonight.

"It all starts with effort," said Weber State forward Kyle Bullinger. "This is a players' issue. We need to address it as a team and we will. It's something we need to fix if we're going to be successful."

Wildcats on the air

Weber State (4-4) vs. Southern Utah (3-6)

Tonight, 7 p.m.

Dee Events Center

TV: None Radio: 1430 AM

e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com