1974-75 Men's Basketball Team (2010) - Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame

1974-75 Men's Basketball Team

1974-1975 Men’s Basketball Team
Had a record of 21-8 overall
Went 13-1 in the Big Sky Conference and is first Grizzly team to win league basketball title
Beat Utah State 69-63 in Pullman, Wash., for the school’s first-ever NCAA win (At the time the NCAA tourney had 32 teams and Montana advanced to the “Sweet 16” that season)
Lost 67-64 to UCLA (in Portland, Oregon), forward Eric Hays scoring 32 points (Bruins went on to win the NCAA championship, the last title for legendary coach John Wooden)
Center Ken Mckenzie and forward Eric Hays were first team All-Big Sky picks
Guards Michael Ray Richardson and Tom Peck, and forward Larry Smedley named honorable mention all-league
Eric Hays named to NCAA Western Regional first team and ranked seventh in the NCAA at 85.8 FT%
Montana was ranked seventh in the NCAA in scoring defense (62.5 ppg)
Montana’s 21 wins were the second most in school history at the time
The team won the first ever Big Sky title in basketball for the Griz
Head Coach Jud Heathcote is credited with starting the emergence of Grizzly basketball