In a game that has to be one of the earliest and oddest Big Sky Conference openers, the Eastern Washington Eagles nipped the Portland State Vikings 58-57 on a driving shot by Kellen Williams in the game's final seconds.
You can read Greg Lee's game coverage in the Portland Oregonian here.
And, though the Spokane Spokesman Review is a pay-to-read site, you can read Steve Bergum's unedited coverage account here.
Perhaps the most revealing account is Ian Ruder's Oregonian blog account here. Ruder's view is further confirmation for me that nothing can ever be taken for granted in men's Big Sky Conference basketball action. That's what makes it so much fun for me. Is there ever such a thing as an "upset" in conference action?
Ruder's account suggests the Vikings' loss was an upset and that the team -- after being picked as a conference favorite -- will need to "go back to the drawing board." A good read from an astute basketball analyst.
More than anything, the odd scheduling of this contest had to be tough on the Vikings in particular. The game is a week before the next conference game, but one of three played in December. Most conference games will tip off during the first week in January. Both PSU and EWU resume their non-conference schedule in the first week of January, when conference play begins for the majority of the teams.
Montana's first conference game is Jan. 5 when they travel to Bozeman to challenge former UM assistant coach Brad Huse's resurgent Montana State Bobcats.
