Eastern Washington’s improved depth key to early lead in Big Sky Conference

When the men’s basketball teams from Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado play Thursday night in Greeley, Colorado, it will be the first matchup between the two since the Bears eliminated the Eagles from the Big Sky Tournament last March in Boise.

Northern Colorado went on to win its semifinal match before losing in the championship to Montana State, which represented the conference in the NCAA Tournament.

After holding on against the Eagles for a 68-67 victory in that quarterfinal match, Bears players talked about how they were trying to exploit the tired legs of Eastern’s five starters, who each played at least 34 minutes that game.

Yet 10 months later, it’s as if the roles have been flipped.

It’s now the Bears (6-12 overall, 1-5 Big Sky) who are reliant on a nucleus of players to bear the bulk of the scoring and the minutes – and the conference-leading Eagles (12-7, 6-0) who are more than happy to spread around the points and the time spent on the court.

“I think we have the (most) depth in the whole Big Sky,” EWU sophomore Cedric Coward said after Saturday’s 95-74 win over Idaho. “Coaches have been preaching, too, that whenever you go in (to the game), bring more and more energy so you never drop down. Our depth is our biggest strength.”

Last season, David Riley’s first as Eastern’s head coach, the Eagles relied heavily on their starters, especially on Steele Venters (33.7 minutes per game), Angelo Allegri (32.6), Rylan Bergersen (32.4) and Linton Acliese III (29.7) to play heavy minutes. No other Big Sky team had three players average more than 32 minutes per game.

Bergersen and Acliese exhausted their eligibility , but instead of replacing those minutes with two players, the Eagles have spread around the time. Allegri, at 31.1 minutes per game, is the only EWU player averaging more than 30 per game.

While a year ago the Eagles rarely went beyond their third player off the bench, this year Riley routinely calls upon nine or 10 guys to play key minutes in games. That depth has made for some intense practices, too.

“Our guys fight through so much adversity in practice. They battle and it gets chippy,” Riley said Saturday. “When we get to the game, if something goes wrong, (we’re) used to that. We know how to play through that.”

Riley pointed to junior guard Ellis Magnuson for raising the intensity of practices. Magnuson’s minutes are down from 16.9 per game to 7.7 this season, which is another indicator of just how deeper the Eagles are this season.

Perhaps nowhere on the court is that depth more noticeable than inside. Last year, 6-foot-10 Ethan Price had no true equal in terms of build, but last offseason the team brought in sophomore transfer Dane Erikstrup.

Erikstrup’s in-game role can vary depending on the opponent, but in practice he’s made a big difference, Price said.

“Dane and I almost wanted to fight (Friday) in practice, and I think that level of competitiveness really helps get us ready for the big games, give each other great looks,” the sophomore Price said Saturday. “And it’s not like we go easy in practice and then we get to the game and we don’t know what to expect. It’s kind of the other way around. We get to the games and it’s almost easier because we’re used to it.”

That was apparent recently, when the Eagles held in check two of the conference’s most effective big men. In a 78-75 victory over Sacramento State on Jan. 7, Hornets forward Callum McRae had just five points and a season-low four rebounds. McRae ranks second in the conference in rebounding (10 per game) and 19th in scoring (12.2 per game).

On Saturday, in a 95-74 win over Idaho, Vandals forward Isaac Jones – who averages 18.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game – was held below both those marks with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Not that everything has gone perfectly on defense – Divant’e Moffitt scored 29 points for Idaho, and SSU’s Zach Chappell had 23 – but inside defense has been a strength for the Eagles, who also rely on Coward and fellow sophomore Casey Jones to block shots and play effectively in the paint.

“Cedric and Casey – they bring energy, they bring athleticism, they bring heart,” Erikstrup said Monday. “They go hard for the boards. They rebound better than me. They’re great players.”

As the Eagles look to extend their eight-game winning streak, Northern Colorado will present a different offensive look than the Big Sky teams they’ve faced. UNC senior guard Dalton Knecht leads the conference in scoring (19.6 points per game) and in 3-point shooting (41.2%).

Senior guards Daylen Kountz (16 points per game) and Matt Johnson II (11.7) are also capable scorers. Kountz and Johnson combined for 41 points in the tournament game last March, leading the Bears on a night when they made 13 of 31 3-pointers.

But this year, Knecht, Johnson and Kountz have played the first-, second- and fourth-most minutes per game in the Big Sky. The Eagles simply haven’t had to rely on three players like that.