The battle of similarities

The Eagles will take on the Montana Grizzlies on Thursday, in a game that features two very similar styles of play. "They are more perimeter-oriented and we've got to do a good job being disciplined with our defense," says EWU Coach Ray Giacoletti.

The Eagles are also a team that relies on their shooting to carry them. With the likes of Alvin Snow, Josh Barnard and Marc Axton, who could blame them? They're shooting a combined 41 percent from the three-point line and all are averaging over 10 points per game.

"The Grizzlies feature sophomore standout Kevin Criswell, who is off to a slow start this year only shooting 34 percent from the field, but 92 percent from the free throw line averaging almost 12 points per game. But don't look for Criswell to be the only option for the Grizzlies.

"They might be as talented one through 10 as anyone in the league but they're searching for an identity and looking for the right mix of players and rotations right now. They also had a tough non-conference schedule. So we're a lot alike in those categories," says Giacoletti.

But don't look for the Eagles to try to out-run the Grizzlies. Their goal is to have 12 or fewer turnovers per game. Look for the Eagles to take good care of the basketball and really focus on trying to outrebound the physical Grizzly big men inside.