The Bobcats earned an NCAA Tournament berth because of their 85-70 win over rival Montana on Wednesday in the Big Sky Conference Tournament title game. It was MSU’s third straight conference tourney title win and third straight trip to the NCAA tourney.

“It’s crazy because some teams only go to it once in their four-year careers,” said MSU junior forward Sam Lecholat. “You’ve just got to take it all in. It’s awesome.”

Logie is in his first season as MSU’s head coach. He replaced Danny Sprinkle, who earned 2023-24 Mountain West coach of the year honors after leading Utah State to the regular season conference championship. The Aggies, led by MSU transfers Darius Brown II and Great Osobor, are a No. 8 seed and in the Midwest Region. They would meet MSU in the second round if they win their first round game against No. 9-seeded TCU and MSU beats Grambling and Purdue.

“That’d be kind of cool,” Lecholat said. “Just stay level-headed and think of the first game. If it plays out like that, let’s go.”

Neither Logie nor the four MSU players who talked to the media Sunday know much about Grambling State, which didn’t share any common opponents with the Cats this season. MSU junior wing Tyler Patterson said he texted former teammate Nick Gazelas after the MSU-Grambling State matchup was unveiled because Gazelas faced the Tigers twice this season as a member of the SWAC’s Prairie View A&M. Grambling State has won 18 of its last 22 games.

While the First Four isn’t the same as the Round of 64, a win Wednesday would count as MSU’s first at the NCAA Tournament in six trips.

“It is cool going in there and not facing such a massive opponent,” Patterson said. “But it’s cool either way.”

The Cats received No. 14 seeds in each of the past two NCAA Tournaments. They lost to Texas Tech 97-62 in 2022 and to Kansas State 77-65 last March.

“The first year was really, really cool. Last year, same thing,” Lecholat said. “This year, with a bunch of brand new guys, I’ll probably just take a back seat to it and watch these guys and see how they take it all in.”

There are five healthy Bobcats who were on last season’s roster: Lecholat, Patterson, All-Big Sky guard Robert Ford III, guard Carter Ash and guard Jed Miller. Gazelas, Brown, Osobor and All-Big Sky guard RaeQuan Battle all transferred last year after Sprinkle left, and starters Jubrile Belo and Caleb Fuller exhausted their college eligibility after last season.

The emergence of senior big man John Olmsted, who mainly rode the bench before five impactful performances in March, is one of many reasons the Cats feel confident going into their third straight Big Dance.

“As our coach would say, ‘Our best is enough,’” Ford said, adding, “We’re very competitive. We’re going to come in and give our best.”

Olmsted is the lone Bobcat with First Four experience. Last March, Olmsted played one minute in Arizona State’s 98-73 First Four win over Nevada. He didn’t play in the No. 11-seeded Sun Devils’ 72-70 first round loss to TCU.

“Being in the tournament, even though it was the First Four, is still something you dream of,” Olmsted said. “It’s the beginning of madness, so anything can happen when you go there.”