BOZEMAN – The Montana State Bobcats will face UT Martin in the second round of playoff games this weekend. So I stopped by Spectators Bar and Grill to see what fans had planned for the big day.

“I’m a little surprised. At the beginning of the year I thought they might be okay, but they have exceeded my expectations. Winning 12 games in a row is tough,” said Jack Muhlbeier, a former Bobcat linebacker.

He’s one of many fans excited to see the Bobcats make Montana State history by earning the No. 1 seed in the postseason for the first time ever.

Bobcat fan Matt Hudson said: “I’m so excited. I think they will definitely win this game and they will win the championship next year and probably this year. I think this is the year.”

It’s probably no surprise that bars across the city are expecting a busy day. Madeline McGee, a bartender at Spectators and an MSU graduate, says they will open at 8 a.m. to start the day.

“There’s usually a lot going on here. We have a lot of people coming in, all the girls are working. It’s super fun,” she says.

The game starts at 1 p.m. and ends in time for the Christmas Stroll in downtown Bozeman, which some fans say they will go to after the game.

“We’ll be there for the Christmas walk and I’m sure we’ll hit a few bars and have a few drinks,” says Randy Karls.

Cache Perdue, program director for the Downtown Bozeman Partnership, says, “Many nonprofit organizations, food vendors, and of course downtown bars and restaurants will be ready to greet the people who were at the game.”