Eastern Washington has chance to create more distance in Big Sky standings with games against Idaho State, Weber State

With seven regular-season games left in the Big Sky season, Eastern Washington can create more distance between itself and the rest of the field with a pair of home games this week against two of the hottest teams in the conference, Idaho State and Weber State.

Up first are the ISU Bengals (11-14, 6-6), who are tied for fifth in the standings and have won three games in a row heading into the matchup at 6 p.m. Thursday in Cheney.

Idaho State is among the lowest-scoring teams in the conference (69.6 points per game), but it allows fewer than that on average (68.7) and won twice last week scoring just 68 points each game.

When Eastern Washington beat Idaho State 79-67 earlier this season, it did so by shooting 59.2% from the field while also making 12 of 13 free throws and outrebounding the Bengals 35-29. The Bengals shot 38.6% – shy of their season average of 45.8% – and attempted just two free throws.

But the Eagles said Saturday that teams change their approaches over the course of the season, and so they expect the Bengals will adjust accordingly.

“You can’t play the same way from Game 1 to Game 20,” EWU senior Jake Kyman said. “You’ve got to make those adjustments and see how people are playing you.”

Kyman said one thing the Eagles (16-8, 10-1 Big Sky) can do is match the intensity they had in that game and in so many of their wins this season.

Dating back to last season, the Eagles have won 26 of 29 regular-season Big Sky games. They have won 24 of their past 25 games in Cheney overall, and they lead the conference by two games with a victory in hand over second-place Northern Colorado (8-3).

Five wins in their final seven games would clinch the top seed in the Big Sky Tournament, and they play four of those games at home.

Win just three more times and Eastern clinches a first-round bye in the tournament.

Throughout the conference season, the Eagles have continued to lean on their depth, spreading out minutes like almost no other Big Sky team. Junior Cedric Coward leads the team in average minutes in 11 conference games at 31.7 per contest, which ranks 15th in the Big Sky. No other Eagles player ranks among the top 25.

Idaho State has two players who average more minutes than Coward: Maleek Arington, who leads the conference (39.3); and Miguel Tomley, who ranks 13th (32.8).

Saturday’s opponent, Weber State, is even more reliant upon its top trio of Dillon Jones (37.3 minutes per game), Dyson Koehler (34.1) and Steven Verplancken (33.8).

Weber State has the longest winning streak in the Big Sky at four games, which includes victories over Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State and Sacramento State. The Wildcats (16-9, 7-5) play at Idaho (9-15, 3-8) on Thursday before meeting the Eagles in Cheney on Saturday afternoon.