Montana continues Legends Classic in Malibu

MONTANA VS. ORAL ROBERTS
Monday, Nov. 20 / 6 p.m. MT / Malibu, Calif.
Watch / Listen (1290 AM, 98.3 FM) / Live Stats

MONTANA CONTINUES LEGENDS CLASSIC IN MALIBU
Everything a coach does is part of a bigger plan, often times looking far into the future. It's seen on the court in terms of redshirting student-athletes to give them another year to develop, and behind the scenes in recruiting, having to think several years in advance to fill potential needs. It's also done in scheduling, however, and that's been the case early on for the 2017 Montana Grizzlies men's basketball team.

Head coach Travis DeCuire knew participating in the Legends Classic would be a challenge. The two-week tournament began with an ACC team and a Big Ten team, both on their home courts. The tournament continues next week, still on the road, but against mid-major programs Oral Roberts and either UC Santa Barbara or host Pepperdine.

The first weekend of the tournament was a challenge in terms of competition, but great for exposure – both games were on national TV against big-name brands.

"We want to win these games in November so we can win these games in March," said DeCuire afterward, again thinking to the future.

The same will be the case in Malibu, as Montana will play on back-to-back days, setting up a similar situation as the Big Sky Conference tournament.

First up for Montana is an Oral Roberts team that is under the leadership of a first-year head coach. Paul Mills' squad won its first game, against Avila, before losing to Tulsa and Oklahoma State.

The Golden Eagles are surrendering a lot of points so far this season (84.3 per game, including 90-plus in the two losses), but DeCuire noted can be tricky with its unique zone defense.

They also feature a quick offense and strong post players. Albert Owens and Emmanuel Nzekwesi are ORU's top returners, with Owens averaging 15.3 points and Nzekwesi connecting on 50-percent of his shots for 12.0 points per game, plus a team-most 7.3 rebounds.

"They're really good at executing on offense and will probably run more sets than anyone we'll play all year," DeCuire said. "They push it at a fast pace."

The teams will meet on the hardwood for the eighth time, including second year in a row. In last year's 68-57 victory over the Golden Eagles, played in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Montana shot .458 from three-point range and out-rebounded ORU 44-29. Ahmaad Rorie had 16 points and six assists while Sayeed Pridgett had 13 on 5-of-8 shooting, plus a team-best eight boards.

Fans can listen to Monday's game vs. Oral Roberts on the Montana Grizzlies Sports Network (98.3 FM in Missoula or online worldwide).

"I like our potential," DeCuire said about what's stood out to him through three games. "When we're locked in and executing on both sides of the ball, and when we stick to the script, we show signs of a team that can be really good. I think right now, I'd like to see more consistent signs of maturity – knowing when and how to attack, the best way possible, as a unit. Sometimes we lack patience to get the best shot for our group, every possession, and I thought that's what hurt us in the Penn State game."

SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS

Enters Monday's game with a 1-2 mark, beating Avila in the season opener before falling at Tulsa and Oklahoma State.
Senior Albert Owens led the Golden Eagles in scoring in 2016-17, and is once again the top scorer at 15.3 points per game. The preseason All-Summit League selection has 1,000 career points and more than 110 career blocks.
Sophomore Emmanuel Nzekwesi was the league's freshman of the year in 2016-17. During his sophomore campaign, he leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game and ranks second with 12.0 points per game.
Nzekwesi ranks 36th nationally with 4.33 offensive rebounds per game.
Freshman R.J. Fuqua has 10 steals through three games, a figure which ranks 10th nationally.
Senior Austin Ruder is also in double figures scoring for the Golden Eagles (11.3). His 24 three-point attempts rank 22nd nationally.
ORU holds a slim rebounding margin over its opponents (+0.7) thanks to five players with 10 or more rebounds so far this season.
ORU is surrendering 84.3 points per game, including 90-plus in both of its losses.
ORU is coming off of an 8-22 campaign that featured a 4-12 mark in conference play.
The Golden Eagles are coached by Paul Mills, who is in his first season. Mills spent the previous 14 seasons on staff at Baylor.

SERIES VS. THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Montana and Oral Roberts have played seven times, with the Golden Eagles winning five of them. ORU won the first four in the series, including in 1970 when they set a Dahlberg Arena record with 111 points, but Montana has won two of the last three meetings over the past 12 seasons, including a neutral-site win last year. In that contest, Ahmaad Rorie had 16 points and six assists and Sayeed Pridgett had 13 points and eight boards. Montana out-rebounded ORU, 44-29, and shot .458 from three-point range. The Grizzlies' other win in the series came at home in 2005-06.

STOUT DEFENSE
After forcing 24 turnovers against Whitworth (Nov. 10), Montana forced Pitt into 19 turnovers – and converted them into 30 points, an average of 1.58 points per turnover. Through three games, Montana ranks 30th in the NCAA for turnovers forced (19.3 per game) and 45th for turnover margin (+5.7). The Griz defense also ranks 21st with 17 blocked shots.

DYNAMIC DUO, PART I
Junior guards Michael Oguine and Ahmaad Rorie are each averaging more than 18.0 points per game so far this season. The tandem is one of 25 across all of NCAA Division I with two players on the same team averaging that many points per game.

Both Oguine and Rorie, in addition to junior Bobby Moorehead, have been in double scoring in all three games this season.

WELL CONDITIONED
Montana has three players who rank in the top 30 nationally for minutes played, with Ahmaad Rorie averaging 39.0 minutes per game, Bobby Moorehead adding 37.7 and Michael Oguine at 37.0. The Grizzlies are aided by an overtime game, but even without the extra five minutes, all three would rank among the top 2 percent of all players nationally for minutes played.

Twelve different Grizzlies played at Penn State (Nov. 15), but just six played more than 7 minutes. It was the same two nights prior at Pitt (Nov. 13), as Travis DeCuire used the same five players throughout the final 7:34 of the second half and all 5 minutes of overtime.

TAKING CHARGE
Montana defenders have taken three charges so far this season, including two by freshman Karl Nicholas, who has played in just 23 minutes.

PROTECTING THE BALL
Montana ranked 12th nationally in 2016-17 with just 10.8 turnovers per game. It's a similar trend early on in 2017-18, with Montana ranking in the top-13 percent for turnover margin. Penn State entered its contest vs. Montana ranked seventh nationally for steals, but the Grizzlies limited the Nittany Lions to just three (10 below their season average).

PARTIAL ARRIVAL
Montana's win at Pitt (Nov. 13) was huge for the program. The Grizzlies knocked off an ACC team that has played in 13 of the last 16 NCAA tournaments, on its home court no less. But the victory will mean little if the team doesn't use it as a springboard into the rest of the season, especially in March.

"We want to win these games in November so we can win these games in March," Travis DeCuire said, noting he schedules games like these in order to prepare his team for Big Sky Conference action and, hopefully, the postseason.

LOOKING AHEAD
After four consecutive games away from home, Montana returns to Dahlberg Arena to host Carroll. The Nov. 26 contest will begin at 7 p.m. MT.

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Players Mentioned

Bobby Moorehead

Karl Nicholas

Michael Oguine

Sayeed Pridgett

Ahmaad Rorie

University of Montana Athletics