Montana hits road to begin Legends Classic

Monday, November 13

Pittsburgh, Penn.

5PM (MT)

Montana

Pitt

Photo by: Todd Goodrich

11/11/2017 8:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)Roster Schedule

By: Montana Sports Information

MONTANA AT PITT
Monday, Nov. 13 / 5 p.m. MT / Pittsburgh, Penn.
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Less than 10 hours after beating Whitworth in its season opener, the Montana men's basketball team was in the air and on its way to Pittsburgh, Penn., for the first road trip of the season. The Grizzlies shook off the rust against the Division-III Pirates, but will have a tougher task against Pitt, a 20-game winner and NCAA tournament participant as recently as 2016.

This year's Panthers look much different than the 2016 squad, however. In addition to a new coach – Kevin Stallings is in his second season – Pitt had more turnover than any team in the country during the offseason, with just three returners and 11 new scholarship players.

Despite a new team, head coach Travis DeCuire knows that Pitt will be a challenge. But it's one of the reasons he wanted to participate in the Legends Classic – which will also include a Power-5 game on Wednesday vs. Penn State. The game gives his players the chance to go head-to-head with top-level talent, it gives the program national exposure and a win would give Montana a signature non-conference victory it has been seeking.

In DeCuire's first season, Montana took Cal to double overtime. A year later, it was within a single possession of knocking off nationally ranked Gonzaga. Last year, Montana played five Power-5 teams, falling by 5 points at Ole Miss and holding an early double-digit lead at USC.

A win would be big for the program, but DeCuire is staying focused on the big picture.

"We'll prepare and do everything we can to win the ballgame," he said. "That's the objective. But I'm also more concerned about us continuing to get better and find our rhythm as we progress into the season. Wins will come if we do that."

Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra and can be streamed on ESPN3.com or the WatchESPN app.

First East Coast workout complete! #RoadGriz ?????? pic.twitter.com/eePQ3hg9sH
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) November 12, 2017

SCOUTING PITT

Pitt opened the season with a 71-62 loss to Navy on Friday night. Transfer Jared Wilson-Frame led the Panthers with 20 points. The junior had 24 points in an exhibition win over Slippery Rock.
Ryan Luther (14 points, 8 rebounds) and Marcus Carr (12 points) were also in double figures against Navy.
Luther is Pitt's top returner. He averaged 19.3 minutes, 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a reserve player in 2016-17.
The Panthers welcomed 11 new scholarship players to its roster in 2017-18, an NCAA most. They returned just three members from last year's squad, including zero starters.
Pitt's seven freshmen are tied for the most in the NCAA.
Pitt went 16-17 in 2016-17, advancing to the second round of the ACC tournament.
The Panthers were picked to finish 15th out of 15 teams in the ACC preseason poll.
Kevin Stallings is in his second season at Pitt. The veteran coach has a 471-301 career record. Previously, Stallings was at Vanderbilt, leading the Commodores to seven NCAA tournament berths in 16 seasons.
Pitt is one of 12 NCAA Division I programs to post more than 400 wins since the start of the 2001-02 season.

SERIES VS. THE PANTHERS
Monday will mark the first meeting between Montana and Pitt. Montana is 1-6 all-time against current teams from the ACC, with the lone victory coming against Florida State in 1966.

TAKING ON THE POWERFUL
Monday's matchup vs. Pitt will mark the 40th time in the past two decades that Montana has gone up against a Power-5 opponent. The Grizzlies have had some success during that span, earning seven victories. However, Montana is looking for its first win over a Power-5 opponent since beating Oregon State, 71-66, in 2010.

From 2009-10, Montana won three of five games against Power-5 foes, but since the win over the Beavers, Montana has lost 14 in a row, including five a year ago.

HOME-OPENING SUCCESS
With Friday's win over Whitworth, the Grizzlies improved to 15-3 in home openers since the turn of the century. However, it marked just the third time in the past decade that Montana has started a season 1-0 (also 2009-10 and 2015-16).

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHPS
The offense had been clicking, but the defense needed work. That was Travis DeCuire's assessment through the first month of practices and scrimmages, leading up to Montana's exhibition contest vs. Saskatchewan.

DeCuire saw his team's ability to get stops, as Montana held Saskatchewan to 26-percent shooting in an 85-44 exhibition victory at Dahlberg Arena. Leading by just two, 25-23, with under 8 minutes to play in the first half, Montana went on a 36-4 run over the next 14 minutes – extending across both periods – and did not allow a field goal during that span. The Huskies were 0-for-18 from the floor with 11 turnovers during that stretch. On the evening, Montana forced 12 steals and blocked a dozen shots.

It was a similar during the regular-season opener vs. Whitworth. The Pirates were held to 40 percent shooting, but more impressive Montana forced 24 turnovers, a big reason why the Grizzlies were able to pull away in the second half.

GOING SMALL
One of the expected strengths to Montana's roster this year is its height compared to a year ago. However, in the season opener vs. Whitworth, Montana's primary big men – Jamar Akoh and Fabijan Krslovic – were limited to just seven combined points and two rebounds. Travis DeCuire went with a smaller lineup, including freshman Timmy Falls (20 minutes) and reserve player Trever Spoja (11).

With the smaller unit, Montana was able to go on a second-half run and pull away from the Pirates.

"When we went small, it allowed us to move around a bit, and move a little quicker as well," Travis DeCuire said. "I liked the fact that I was able to play some guys together that I was a little concerned with. I saw some different units play together. We're jelling. We're heading in the right direction."

MOOREHEAD MAKING HIS MARK
Following a back-and-forth first half vs. Whitworth, Montana led the Pirates 36-35 three minutes into the second half. Clinging to a one-point lead, junior Bobby Moorehead took over. It began with a rebound that he took coast to coast for a three-point play. Moorehead would score twice more in the following minutes to give Montana an 11-point advantage it would not relinquish.

Moorehead finished with 14 points, including 11 on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting in the second half. He narrowly missed his first career double-double, adding nine rebounds.

"He's been on fire since this summer," Travis DeCuire said. "I think he's spending more time in the gym. He's older and he knows where his shots are going to come from. He's confident and he knows what we're trying to do from every spot, so I can move him around. His versatility is huge for us."

DEBUTING
Friday's season opener vs. Whitworth marked collegiate and Montana debuts for several Grizzlies. Junior Jamar Akoh, a transfer from Cal State Fullerton, earned the start. Also seeing consistent time were freshmen Timmy Falls and Karl Nicholas. In the final minute of the game, DeCuire inserted Admir Besovic, Niko Bevens and Lars Espe.

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT
All 14 players saw action in Montana's exhibition contest vs. Saskatchewan (Nov. 6), and Travis DeCuire said that with several newcomers competing well – in addition to bringing elevated competition in practice – he is unsure of what he will do as the season progresses. He'd like to find a steady rotation of eight or nine players, meaning he'd redshirt a handful of Montana's seven newcomers. However, he noted that he will travel an additional player or two for the first couple road trips before making a decision further into the month.

HOME SWEET HOME
Montana has won more than 80 percent of its contests in Dahlberg Arena over the past decade, going 105-25 (.808). All-time, the Grizzlies boast one of the best home-court advantages, going 679-240 (.739) in their home arena.

LOOKING AHEAD
Montana continues its Legends Classic road trip with a contest at Penn State on Wednesday evening. The Griz have never before played Penn State.