Rorie returns to Oregon as Griz face No. 22 Ducks

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Like steel, the Montana Grizzlies have been hardened in the furnaces of a tough road schedule this season. After two big wins at home and a close loss at Wyoming on Saturday, the battle tested Griz return to the road Tuesday looking to produce an upset.

And oh, what an upset it would be.

THE GAME: Montana (3-7) heads for Eugene, Ore., to face its first nationally-ranked team of the season, taking on last year's Pac-12 champion Oregon Ducks (8-2) who came in at No. 22 in the nation in Monday's AP poll, and are tied for third place in the Pac-12.

The Griz have faced other teams knocking on the door to the top-25. NC State was receiving votes prior to the Paradise Jam, and Southern Cal is out to a 9-0 start to the season, coming in at No. 24 in this week's AP poll. The Ducks, however, have been ranked since the beginning of the year, placed as high as No. 5 in the preseason poll after a trip to the Elite Eight last season.

While Montana is coming off a tough loss at Wyoming, the Grizzlies are most certainly starting to find their groove with the return of Michael Oguine to the lineup. The Griz now have four players scoring in double figures for the first time this season, with former Oregon Duck Ahmaad Rorie leading the way, averaging 13.7 points per game.

The Ducks host the Griz seeking to defend the Matthew Knight Arena for the 32nd-straight game, the third-longest home win streak in the nation. Oregon enters the game off a 65-56 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday in Tuscaloosa. The Ducks also defeated Tennessee 69-65 in overtime earlier this season to give them the program's first pair of wins over a SEC opponent in a single season.

Despite Oregon's success, the Ducks have also had some close results with similar opponents to Montana. Example number one: Boise State. The Ducks beat the Broncos - who the Griz defeated in Missoula last season - by just five points on Nov. 28 in Eugene, 68-63.

"I think every game is winnable, but on the flip side, this team is as well coached as any team we've played, they're as talented as anyone on our schedule," said Montana head coach Travis DeCuire.

"We're going to have to bring our lunch pails for this one, but It's another opportunity to play against a very talented team, a high-level team, and another opportunity for us to find out a lot about ourselves."

WATCH/LISTEN: The Griz/Ducks contest can be seen live nationwide on the Pac-12 Network and at Pac-12.com. Former UCLA and St. Johns Coach Steve Lavin will provide the analysis, and Ted Miller will provide the play-by-play.

The "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran will bring you the statewide radio call on the Montana Grizzlies Radio Network. You can also find an audio-only web stream of the game at GoGriz.com. Oregon will provide a live stats feed at GoDucks.com.

SERIES HISTORY: The Montana/Oregon series dates back to their first meeting in 1924 when both teams were members of the old Pacific Coast Conference. The, then, Webfoots beat Montana 33-24 that year, and have gone on to lead the all-time series 21-4.

Montana has recent history on its side, though. The last time the two programs met was in 2009 when Wayne Tinkle's Griz beat the Ducks 68-55 in Eugene led by Anthony Johnson's 20 points and 15 more from Brian Qvale, who had a double-double with 10 rebounds as well. Tuesday's game is only the third time since the turn of the century the teams have met.

GRIZ TRACKS: This game marks a homecoming of sorts for Griz redshirt sophomore Ahmaad Rorie who spent the first season of his collegiate career at Oregon before moving to Montana to play under DeCuire, and had has had a return visit to the MKA on his to-do list since.

"When I figured out I was coming here, I said that was one of the main things I wanted to do. So, when I heard they were on the schedule it made me real happy and excited," said Rorie, who made 15 starts for the Ducks as a true freshman and appeared in all 36 games.

"We've just got to play together and play hard. If we stick to our game plan - I feel like we haven't really put two halves together yet - but if we do that, then I feel like we'll be good."

Montana's last two wins and the loss by a whisker in Laramie have all come under the same starting lineup. DeCuire has started Sayeed Pridgett, Fabijan Krslovic, Jack Lopez, Oguine and Rorie for three-straight games, seeking to pressure opponents defensively right out of the blocks.

That combination has been especially productive with UM scoring 75 points or more in all three of those games, and surpassing the 80-point mark in three of the last five games.

The Griz have also received an average of 28 points off the bench during that stretch, thanks in large part to Walter Wright's emergence out of an early season slump. Wright is now averaging 10 PPG and 23 minutes of action.

With Pridgett averaging 10.1 PPG and Oguine on 10.3, the Griz now have four players with a double-figure average; a luxury Montana hasn't seen during DeCuire's tenure at UM.

The Griz will need all of their scorers to be on-song against Oregon however, as the Ducks enter the game holding their last nine opponents under 70 points and below 40 percent from the field.

Not only are the Griz scoring the ball from the field at a higher rate, they are also taking advantage of trips to the charity stripe. Montana currently had the nation's twelfth-best free throw percentage in the nation, hitting 78.4 percent of their shots.

Junior forward Fabijan Krslovic was named the College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week on Monday after a double-double display against San Jose State. Krslovic is leading the conference in rebounds with 86 to his name and is ranked No. 53 in the nation in total rebounds.

GRIZ BITS: The game at Oregon be the first game of the season on a Tuesday for the Griz. Montana's three wins have come on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday… Tuesday's game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network. UM 0-2 on the road in TV games this season, and 0-2 against Pac-12 teams.

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Players Mentioned

Fabijan Krslovic

Jack Lopez

Michael Oguine

Sayeed Pridgett

Ahmaad Rorie

Walter Wright

University of Montana Athletics