Weber State takes on North Dakota

OGDEN — As the Weber State men's basketball team continues churning out victories, having won seven of its last eight outings, it appears the Wildcats may hopscotch through Big Sky play with little resistance. With only three Big Sky teams above .500 as the season approaches the midway point, the league is mired in mediocrity.

“I think there’s some teams that we feel like we might have an advantage there,” coach Randy Rahe said during the postgame press conference Thursday after the Wildcats' 79-54 rout of Northern Colorado. “We tried to become that kind of team this year after last year and the last few years where I thought we were too unathletic. I think there’s a few teams that we feel we might have the upper hand there.

“It’s nice to know that athleticism and speed, when you make a defensive mistake, you can still catch up. With a couple teams in our past, you’re not going to get there and you’re going to get burned,” Rahe continued. “But we’ve got some good athleticism and it helps us in transition, our defensive presence and in every area.”

The ‘Cats (8-3, 3-0) will put their talent on display Saturday at 7 p.m. against North Dakota at the Dee Events Center, where WSU has won 29 of its last 31 games and has a 45-4 conference record under Rahe. The Fighting Sioux, in their first year in the Big Sky, earned their first conference win against lowly Idaho State. UND is 1-6 on the road this season and is led by Aaron Anderson (12.6 ppg).

Email: tphibbs@desnews.com

Twitter: @tphibbsami

Wildcats on the air:

North Dakota (4-8, 1-2) at Weber State (8-3, 3-0)

Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. 7 p.m.

Ogden, Dee Events Center

Radio: 106.9FM

TV: None

Series: First meeting