The Hive Sports

Weber State senior center Vasilije Vucinic slams down a powerful dunk against Idaho State on Jan. 11. Photo/WeberStateSports.com

by Miles Shaw

The Weber State Wildcat’s men’s basketball team continues its up-and-down season this weekend with matchups against Idaho and Eastern Washington. 

Heading into the weekend’s contests the Wildcat’s sit with an overall record of 8-13 to go along with a 2-5 Big Sky Conference record. 

Weber State’s squad started off the season winning two of its first three games, but went on a skid against non-conference opponents with double-digit losses coming at the hands of Oregon State, Nevada and Hawai’i before falling in a 93-87 nailbiter to UC Irvine. 

Nonetheless, the ‘Cats bounced back, securing wins over Utah Tech and Lincoln University (CA) before falling to Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado to open Big Sky play. 

Now in the fire of conference play, the team’s on the hunt for back-to-back victories. After dropping three of the last five games, including a heartbreaker at the Dee Events Center against Montana, the ‘Cats emerged victorious by the score of 87-81 in its latest bout with Sacramento State and will hope to carry that momentum into its Jan. 30, contest against Idaho. 

Wildcat head coach Eric Duft told WeberStateSports.com after the win in Northern California, “They played with great energy, effort, and connectivity. We went with the guys we thought would play the hardest and I thought they battled and competed hard and credit to them. Our veterans gave great leadership and our freshmen stepped up and played with some courage, which you have to do on the road.”

Duft’s holds a record of 46-40 halfway through his third season at the head of the Weber State men’s basketball program. 

Blaise Threatt’s leading the Wildcats on the court and has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Purple and White. He’s done it all on his way to leading the team in almost all major statistical categories. The 6-foot-3 senior guard out of Scottsdale, Arizona’s averaging 17.6 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.3 steals. Threatt also put up a career-high scoring output of 27 points at Hawai’i, in a 73-68 overtime loss to the Rainbow Warriors. 

Seniors Miguel Tomley and Dyson Koehler are the only other Wildcat players putting up double figures in scoring with 11.2 and 10.1 PPG. 

Koehler received Big Sky Player of the Week honors after knocking down six 3-pointers on the way to a 21-point performance in a win over Idaho State in early January. 

Wildcat big man Alex Tew leads the squad in blocks with 0.7 per game to go along with 4.2 PPG and 3.0 rebounds. 

The senior trio of Threatt, Tomley and Koehler can only help get Weber State’s season back on the right track after being picked to finish third in the Big Sky Conference’s preseason media poll back in October. The ‘Cats currently sit in the eighth spot in the Big Sky standings. 

However, who knows what the rest of the season holds for the Wildcats? If the team can sink their claws into a few more victories– the Big Sky Tournament may await. 

Statistics from ESPN.com