Photo by: Todd Goodrich
Montana has no intention to share conference championship
2/28/2018 5:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana is good at sharing.
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Take its most-recent game for example. The Grizzlies dished out 18 assists in a blowout win over the Bobcats. After the game, head coach Travis DeCuire praised his team for giving up good looks on several occasions, in order to pass the ball off to a teammate for a great look.
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Or how about the team's ability to score from a variety of sources? Montana doesn't have a single player rank in the top eight for scoring, but is the only Big Sky team to have three players rank in the top 15. Juniors Ahmaad Rorie (16.6 points per game), Michael Oguine (15.8) and Jamar Akoh (15.3) lead a balanced scoring attack. But even then, when one of those threats has an off-shooting night, the Grizzlies have others who can step up.
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Against the Cats last week, the Grizzlies had six players score in double figures. Three of the six were bench players, with Rorie and Oguine combining for 11 assists. Â
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Pretty simple, Montana is good at sharing. Except for when it comes to one thing.
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With its win last Saturday to improve to 14-2, Montana is guaranteed at least a co-championship – its second in four seasons under DeCuire. But the Grizzlies have no plans to share that honor with anyone else.
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"We have already secured a share of the conference championship but we aren't really into sharing like that," Oguine said following Saturday's game. "We want to be able to have it to ourselves."
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Coming to town will be Weber State, a team that also knows a thing or two about conference titles. The Wildcats are one of three teams – Idaho and Montana being the others – who are still in contention for a Big Sky regular-season title. Montana can eliminate both the Wildcats and Vandals with a win on Thursday.
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It's fitting that the Grizzlies will have a chance to secure an outright conference championship against Weber State. The Wildcats have won more overall games and conference titles than any other Big Sky school. Montana is second, but dating back to 1975 when the Grizzlies won their first league championship, no team has had more success.
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In the conference tournament, the two teams' successes have been even more glaring. Montana and Weber State have won 19 Big Sky tournament titles. The other 14 Big Sky schools have combined for 23. Both the Grizzlies and Wildcats have been in the tournament title game 18 times apiece; NAU is next-highest, appearing in six.
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Since 2010, at least one of the two teams has been in the finals every year – including both teams four times (Montana is 3-1 in those games).
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"We're at that point now where every game is a conference-championship game," DeCuire said. "We want sole possession of first place, so we have to keep the motivation high and continue winning."
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Thursday night (7 p.m., White Out) will feel like a conference-title game, and in the end, if Montana comes out on top, the team will celebrate its hard-earned conference championship with a trophy presentation and net-cutting ceremony in front of its home fans.
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Montana's Big Sky Championships:
Regular-Season Champion (11): 1975, 1978, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018
Tournament Champion (9): 1991, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013
Tournament Championship Game Appearances (18): 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
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Take its most-recent game for example. The Grizzlies dished out 18 assists in a blowout win over the Bobcats. After the game, head coach Travis DeCuire praised his team for giving up good looks on several occasions, in order to pass the ball off to a teammate for a great look.
Â
Or how about the team's ability to score from a variety of sources? Montana doesn't have a single player rank in the top eight for scoring, but is the only Big Sky team to have three players rank in the top 15. Juniors Ahmaad Rorie (16.6 points per game), Michael Oguine (15.8) and Jamar Akoh (15.3) lead a balanced scoring attack. But even then, when one of those threats has an off-shooting night, the Grizzlies have others who can step up.
Â
Against the Cats last week, the Grizzlies had six players score in double figures. Three of the six were bench players, with Rorie and Oguine combining for 11 assists. Â
Â
Pretty simple, Montana is good at sharing. Except for when it comes to one thing.
Â
With its win last Saturday to improve to 14-2, Montana is guaranteed at least a co-championship – its second in four seasons under DeCuire. But the Grizzlies have no plans to share that honor with anyone else.
Â
"We have already secured a share of the conference championship but we aren't really into sharing like that," Oguine said following Saturday's game. "We want to be able to have it to ourselves."
The Grizzlies can do that with a win on Thursday.Weber State's loss combined with a #GrizHoops win means Montana has clinched a share of the @BigSkyMBB title!
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 25, 2018
We'll go for the outright title on Thursday! pic.twitter.com/tXbSyoy7oD
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Coming to town will be Weber State, a team that also knows a thing or two about conference titles. The Wildcats are one of three teams – Idaho and Montana being the others – who are still in contention for a Big Sky regular-season title. Montana can eliminate both the Wildcats and Vandals with a win on Thursday.
Â
It's fitting that the Grizzlies will have a chance to secure an outright conference championship against Weber State. The Wildcats have won more overall games and conference titles than any other Big Sky school. Montana is second, but dating back to 1975 when the Grizzlies won their first league championship, no team has had more success.
Â
In the conference tournament, the two teams' successes have been even more glaring. Montana and Weber State have won 19 Big Sky tournament titles. The other 14 Big Sky schools have combined for 23. Both the Grizzlies and Wildcats have been in the tournament title game 18 times apiece; NAU is next-highest, appearing in six.
Â
Since 2010, at least one of the two teams has been in the finals every year – including both teams four times (Montana is 3-1 in those games).
Â
"We're at that point now where every game is a conference-championship game," DeCuire said. "We want sole possession of first place, so we have to keep the motivation high and continue winning."
Â
Thursday night (7 p.m., White Out) will feel like a conference-title game, and in the end, if Montana comes out on top, the team will celebrate its hard-earned conference championship with a trophy presentation and net-cutting ceremony in front of its home fans.
Â
Montana's Big Sky Championships:
Regular-Season Champion (11): 1975, 1978, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018
Tournament Champion (9): 1991, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013
Tournament Championship Game Appearances (18): 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
Rivalry win. In front of a sold-out crowd. To clinch a share of a conference title.
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 26, 2018
Last night was epic! pic.twitter.com/9xIRsotujw
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