Griz Hoops will play as No. 1 seed in Big Sky Championship

The opponent has yet to be determined, but Montana knows it will be playing in the 2018 Big Sky Championship as the No. 1 seed. First up is a quarterfinals game on Thursday at 1 p.m. MT, against either No. 8 North Dakota or No. 9 Montana State (the two teams will face off Tuesday at 1 p.m. MT).

For a look at the 2017-18 season, and Montana's history in the Big Sky Championship, continue below, or for more information click on the 'Postseason Guide' above.

The #BigSkyMBB field is set! Action tips off Tuesday at 12:05 p.m. PT from the Reno Events Center! pic.twitter.com/k576SjMtNk
— Big Sky MBB (@BigSkyMBB) March 4, 2018

GRIZ BITS

Montana won its 11th regular-season championship last week, including the second in four seasons under head coach Travis DeCuire.
Montana's 23 victories are tied for the sixth-most in school history, and the most since 2012-13.
The Grizzlies are led by a trio of all-conference performers – Ahmaad Rorie (first team), Michael Oguine (defensive player of the year/second team) and Jamar Akoh (third team). Montana is the only Big Sky team to have three players rank in the top 15 for scoring.
Montana is ranked No. 14 in this week's College Insider Mid-Major Top 25.
The Grizzlies won their first 13 conference games. The winning streak was one game shy of tying a school record.
Montana set a school record with seven consecutive true road wins (Dec. 28-Feb. 3).
Montana finished its home slate undefeated (14-0). It marked the first time in 26 seasons, and the fifth time ever, that the Grizzlies have posted a perfect home record.
Earlier this season, both Michael Oguine (32nd member) and Ahmaad Rorie (33rd) joined Montana's 1,000-point scoring club.
The Grizzlies are one of two NCAA Division I basketball teams to use the same starting lineup every game this season.
Montana's defense is forcing nearly 16 turnovers per game, a figure with ranks 16th nationally.
Fourth-year head coach Travis DeCuire is the fastest coach in Big Sky history to win 50 conference wins (55-17). He has led Montana to three 20-plus-win seasons.
Montana posted its first winning non-conference record since 2011-12, including a win at Pitt – its first over a Power-5 program since 2010 and first over an ACC team since 1966.
The Grizzlies, who were coming off of a 16-16 season, were picked to finish third in the preseason coaches' poll.

TOURNEY TIDBITS

Montana has advanced to the Big Sky Championship 39 times in the past 41 seasons, tied with Weber State for the most appearances during that span (1978-present).
Montana is 37-29 all-time in the tournament, the second-most wins of any Big Sky team.
The Grizzlies have won the Championship nine times (second-most) and have advanced to the finals on 18 occasions (tied for first).
Since Montana's first tournament title in 1991, Montana is 9-4 in the championship game. No team has won more titles during that span.
Montana has won six consecutive semifinals games, dating back to 2010.
Montana is looking to become the first No. 1 seed to win the tournament since 2013 and 2014, when Montana ('13) and Weber State ('14) did it in back-to-back seasons.
Montana is 4-4 all-time in the tournament in Reno.

MONTANA BY ROUND...

Quarterfinals: 10-13
Semifinals: 18-7
Finals: 9-9

MONTANA AS THE NO. 1 SEED...

Quarterfinals: 1-0
Semifinals: 6-1
Finals: 2-4

CONFERENCE CHAMPS
Montana celebrated a conference championship last Thursday, the 11th regular-season title in school history and the second in four seasons under head coach Travis DeCuire.

Regular-Season Championships (11): 1975, 1978, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018
Tournament Championships (9): 1991, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013

Time to celebrate!

Your Montana Grizzlies are 2018 Big Sky Conference CHAMPIONS!!! #GrizHoops pic.twitter.com/zX1dgqcE1l
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) March 2, 2018

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Three Grizzlies earned All-Big Sky Conference recognition on Monday, with Ahmaad Rorie being named to the first team, Michael Oguine earning second-team honors and Jamar Akoh garnering a spot on the third team.

Additionally, Oguine was named the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He is the fifth Grizzly to earn the honor in the 16 years of the award.

23 AND COUNTING
Montana closed the regular season with a record of 23-7, its highest win total since the 2013 Grizzlies won 25 contests. Montana's 23 victories are tied for the sixth-most in school history.

The Grizzlies have won at least 20 games in three of Travis DeCuire's four seasons, and as a program have finished .500 or better in 10 consecutive seasons.

NATIONAL RANKING
Montana stayed put at No. 14 in this week's College Insider Mid-Major Top 25. The Grizzlies cracked the poll for the first time on Jan. 15 and have been ranked as high as No. 12.

The Mid-Major Top 25 ranks the top teams from the America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast and Western Athletic conferences, in addition to independents. The poll, now in its 19th season, is voted on by 31 head coaches.

LEADING THE BIG SKY
It's clear to see why Montana went 16-2 and won the Big Sky Conference regular-season title – The Grizzlies are among the best statistical teams on both sides of the ball. They finished the regular season ranked first for:

Scoring defense (67.1)
Scoring margin (+13.3)
Field-goal percentage defense (.402)
Steals (8.2)
Turnover margin (+3.1)

Additionally, Montana ranked second in the conference for three-point field-goal defense (.330), rebounding (37.9), rebounding margin (+5.0) and offensive rebounds (11.1), and ranked third for scoring offense (80.4), field-goal percentage (.487), assists (13.7), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2).

SIMPLE ROUTINE
Montana is one of two NCAA Division I schools to use the same starting lineup every game this season, using guards Michael Oguine and Ahmaad Rorie, and forwards Jamar Akoh, Fabijan Krslovic and Bobby Moorehead. The other team to do so is Central Michigan.

TRENDING

The Grizzlies are undefeated in their white uniforms (13-0).
Montana is 19-0 when leading at halftime.
Of Montana's 30 games, 18 have been decided by double digits (16-2).
The Grizzlies have scored 60 or more points in all but two contests. They are 12-0 when scoring 80 or more points.
Montana is 17-1 when holding its opponent under 70 points.
Montana is 18-0 when out-shooting its opponent, including 11-0 when shooting better than .500.
The Grizzlies are 8-0 when their opponent shoots below .400, and 21-3 when they shoot under .500.
Montana is 11-0 when shooting a higher percentage from three-point range than its opponent.
Ironically, Montana is 6-1 when an opponent make eight or more three-pointers.
The Grizzlies have out-rebounded their opponent in 22 of 30 contests (18-4).
Montana has turned the ball over fewer times than its opponent 20 times (17-3).

TERRIFIC TRIO
Montana is the only school in Big Sky play to have three players rank in the top 15 for scoring, with juniors Ahmaad Rorie (16.2; ninth), Michael Oguine (15.9; 12th) and Jamar Akoh (15.0; 14th) doing so.

Rorie scored in double figures 26 times during the regular season – including 20-plus on 11 occasions. Oguine was in double figures in all but four contests, while Akoh accomplished the feat in 19 of his final 23 regular-season games, including seven double-doubles.

FORCING TURNOVERS
Montana has forced at least 11 turnovers in every game this season and ranks among the nation's best, forcing 15.9 turnovers per game (16th in NCAA). The Grizzlies have turned the ball over more times than their opponent just seven times in 30 games and hold a +3.1 turnover margin (24th in NCAA).

On four occasions, Montana has forced 20 or more turnovers in a game, and in a win at Pitt (Nov. 13), the Grizzlies forced the Panthers into 19 turnovers, converting them into 30 points – an average of 1.58 points per turnover.

BE LIKE MIKE
Junior guard Michael Oguine, the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year, does it all for the Griz, leading the team with 42 steals and ranking second for scoring (15.2 points per game), assists (61), rebounding (5.5 per game) and blocked shots (16).

He is the only player in the Big Sky Conference to rank in the top 20 during league play for scoring (15.9 points per game; 12th), rebounding (5.7; 18th) and steals (1.4; fourth).
Tied for seventh in the league with 2.0 offensive rebounds per game.
Scored in double figures in each of Montana's first 11 games and 26 times during the regular season.
Earned Big Sky Conference Player of the Week recognition following his 39-point performance at Portland State (Jan. 13). The point total was the highest by a Montana player since Anthony Johnson scored 42 in 2010.
Tallied 29 points in a signature win at Pitt (Nov. 13), including Montana's final 10 points of regulation.
Recorded two double-doubles (Feb. 8 vs. Portland State and March 3 vs. Idaho State). Against the Bengals, his 15 rebounds were the most by a Grizzly since 2016.

ALL-AROUND RORIE
The offensive facilitator, Ahmaad Rorie leads the Griz for both scoring (16.9 points per game) and assists (110). He's not only one of the top Griz players, but one of the top players in the Big Sky Conference, earning first-team all-league honors.

Was one of three players to rank in the top 10 in Big Sky play for scoring (16.2 points per game; ninth), assists (2.1; sixth) and minutes played (34.4; ninth).
Ranked third in Big Sky action with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Connected on 50 of 53 free-throw attempts during conference play (.943; second). During the season, he had streaks of 24 and 19 consecutive makes.
Scored in double figures 26 times during the regular season, including at least 20 points on 11 occasions.
Led Montana in scoring 14 times.
Recorded at least four assists in six of Montana's final eight regular-season contests.
Scored at least 20 points in three consecutive games from Dec. 3-17 and again from Dec. 28-Jan. 4.
Was named to the Legends Class Malibu Region all-tournament team after averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 37.5 minutes played in a pair of contests (Nov. 20-21).

AKOH TAKING OVER
The Grizzlies had high hopes for Jamar Akoh, a transfer from Cal State Fullerton who redshirted a year ago. In his first two games, however, he combined for just four points and two rebounds, being limited to 28 total minutes due to foul trouble. Akoh found his groove, and over the final 28 games of the regular season, he averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds down low while shooting 59.4 percent.

Earned All-Big Sky Conference third-team recognition.
Was one of two players to rank in the top 15 in Big Sky play for scoring (15.0; 14th), rebounding (7.0; eight) and field-goal percentage (.578; seventh).
Posted seven double-doubles on the season, including five during league play (third).
Scored in double figures in nine consecutive contests from Dec. 3 through Jan. 6.
Earned Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors after scoring a career-high 34 points vs. Northern Colorado (Jan. 6), which at the time was the highest point total by a Grizzly in eight seasons.
Tallied three consecutive double-doubles from Feb. 3 through Feb. 10, averaging 19.0 points and 10.3 rebounds during that span.

FABULOUS PLAY
Considered the glue and anchor of the team, Fabijan Krslovic, the team's lone senior, has played in every game over the past four seasons. His 128 games played entering the conference tournament (112 starts) are a program record. Krslovic will also finish his playing career ranked in the top 10 in Montana history for career steals (124 entering the tournament).

Ranked second in Big Sky play with a .630 shooting percentage.
Recorded his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Weber State (March 3).
Totaled a season-high 21 points at Northern Colorado (Feb. 1). Starting with that game, Krslovic averaged 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on 61.3 percent shooting over the final nine regular-season contests.
Reached double figures for scoring once in his first 21 games of the season before doing it five times over the final nine regular-season contests.
Ranks second on the team for blocked shots (16), fourth for assists (46) and fifth for steals (28).
Averaged 2.3 assists per game over the final eight regular-season contests.
Recorded at least one steal in nine of the final 10 regular-season games.

MORE MOOREHEAD
Bobby Moorehead struggled offensively for much of his sophomore season in 2016-17, averaging 3.9 points per game on .320 shooting. The junior has turned things around in 2017-18, averaging 7.6 points per game and ranking second on the team with 47 three-pointers made. He also ranks second on the team for minutes played (31.9) and steals (40), and third for rebounding (5.1).

Led Montana with 27 steals during conference play (third in Big Sky).
Recorded his first career double-double at Montana State (Jan. 20), scoring 10 points and collecting 12 rebounds while limiting preseason player of the year Tyler Hall to zero made field goals in the second half.
Totaled nine double-figure scoring games in the regular season, including back-to-back contests vs. Carroll (Nov. 26) and at Stanford (Nov. 29). Against the Cardinal, Moorehead scored 11 consecutive Griz points early in the second half.
Scored a season-most 18 points at Northern Colorado (Feb. 1), shooting 4-of-5 from deep.
Tallied at least one steal in Montana's final 17 regular-season contests, including a career-high four vs. Montana State (Feb. 24).
Ranked 20th in Big Sky play with 5.4 rebounds per game.
Travis DeCuire has called Moorehead the team's 'toughest player'.

PRIDGETT PERFORMING
Sophomore Sayeed Pridgett is Montana's first player off the bench, and he's quietly and consistently putting up strong performances for the Griz. In addition to 8.2 points per game, Pridgett ranks in the top five on the team for rebounding, assists, blocks and steals.

Averaged 1.2 steals per game during Big Sky play (11th).
Over the final 10 regular-season games, averaged 9.9 points on 55.8 percent shooting.
Scored in double figures 10 times during the regular season.
Enters the tournament with 10 multi-steal contests, including a stretch of four games in a row from Dec. 30 through Jan. 11
Tallied his first career double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds (career high) vs. CSUN (Dec. 3).
After being held scoreless in the first half vs. Montana State (Feb. 24), he scored 14 points in the second half on 7-of-9 shooting.

FRESHMAN FALLS
Freshman Timmy Falls averaged 9.3 minutes per game over Montana's first 10 contests, scoring a total of 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting. He surpassed his point total from his first 10 games vs. UC Irvine alone, however, scoring 14 points vs. the Anteaters (Dec. 19). Over Montana's final 20 regular-season games, Falls averaged 6.0 points per game in 19.8 minutes of action.

Entering the tournament, he ranks fourth on the team with 21 three-pointers, shooting at a team-best .412 clip.
Ranks third on the team with 48 assists and has the second-best assist-per-minute average on the team (one assist every 9.8 minutes).
During a stretch from Dec. 19 through Jan. 20, Falls had an assist in nine consecutive games – eight of which were multi-assist games.
Dished out six dimes in a win at Northern Colorado (Feb. 1).
Connected with freshman Karl Nicholas for a pair of dunks vs. North Dakota (Jan. 4) – one of which was a no-look, behind-the-head pass and the second being an alley oop from half court.
Scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting vs. UC Irvine (Dec. 19). Tied a career high with 14 first-half points vs. Montana State (Feb. 24), including nine points in a span of 1:34 to help Montana turn a two-point lead into a 13-point halftime advantage.

FRESHMAN, PART II
Karl Nicholas played in 28 regular-season games as a true freshman. His playing time fluctuated throughout the season, but when he's on, he's an electric and entertaining player to watch.

Scored a career-high 17 points vs. North Dakota (Jan. 4). In the win, he shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor, including four highlight-reel dunks. He also added three steals, three blocked shots and two assists on the career night.
Scored 13 points and tallied a career-most seven rebounds in a win over Montana State (Feb. 24).
After averaging just 7.7 minutes per game over the first three contests due to foul trouble, Nicholas had a breakout week at the Legends Classic Malibu Region (Nov. 20-21), averaging 23.0 minutes over two games and totaling 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

FIRST TO 50
In four seasons in the Big Sky Conference, Travis DeCuire has won at an historic rate. DeCuire holds a 55-17 mark in Big Sky action (.764), by far the best of any Montana coach in school history. However, with his win at North Dakota on Feb. 3, DeCuire became the fastest coach in Big Sky history to reach 50 conference wins (65 games). Weber State's Randy Rahe accomplished the feat in his 67th game with the Wildcats (50-17).

DeCuire's current conference winning percentage is the third-best in Big Sky history, and the best among coaches with at least 40 wins.

THE 1,000-POINT CLUB
Both Michael Oguine (Jan. 27) and Ahmaad Rorie (Feb. 17) joined an exclusive list this season, with both surpassing 1,000 career points.

Oguine became the 32nd member of Montana's 1,000-point club, scoring 23 points against Northern Arizona. Oguine enters the Big Sky Championship in 18th place on the all-time list and is one of 14 players in UM history to reach the 1,000-point milestone during his third season.

Rorie became one of three players in Montana history (also Anthony Johnson and Martin Breunig) to reach the milestone in his second season. The transfer from Oregon is on pace to finish his career ranked in the top five.

HOME SWEET HOME
Montana closed its 2017-18 home slate with a 75-64 victory over Idaho State (March 3). The victory capped a perfect home season for the Grizzlies, improving their home mark to 14-0. It was the first time in 26 seasons and the fifth time ever that Montana has gone undefeated at home (also: 1991-92 (18-0), 1949-50 (15-0), 1983-84 (14-0) and 1974-75 (12-0)).

The win over the Bengals was also Montana's 700th all-time inside Dahlberg Arena. The Grizzlies boast one of the nation's best home-court advantages, going 700-245 (.741) in their home arena, including 118-25 (.825) over the past decade.

Undefeated home seasons:
? 2017-18 (14-0)
? 1991-92 (18-0)
? 1983-84 (14-0)
? 1974-75 (12-0)
? 1949-50 (15-0) pic.twitter.com/MxQy3n7HmE
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) March 4, 2018

GOOD ALL AROUND
Montana ranks in the top 100 nationally (out of 351 Division-I programs) for both scoring offense (82nd) and scoring defense (63rd). The Grizzlies are one of 20 teams to rank in the top 100 on both sides of the ball. The 77.4 points per game and 67.9 points-allowed average has led to a +9.4 scoring margin – ranked 36th nationally, including the best figure in the Big Sky Conference.

CRASHING THE GLASS
Montana has out-rebounded its opponent 21 times this season and holds a +4.7 rebounding margin (second in Big Sky, 47th nationally).

Nearly one-third of Montana's rebounds have come from the offensive end (32.6 percent); that number was 28.6 percent a year ago. The Grizzlies are currently averaging 12.1 offensive rebounds per game this season (43rd in NCAA).

WINNING WAYS
Montana won 13 consecutive games between Dec. 28 and Feb. 10, tied for the third-longest win streak in school history. It was also the third-longest active streak in the NCAA at the time.

STARTING STRONG
Montana began Big Sky Conference play 13-0, marking the second time in the Grizzlies' 55-year history in the league. The Grizzlies also did it in 2012-13, winning their first 14 games.

It was the fourth-best start in Big Sky history, trailing only Weber State (15-0 start in 1969), Weber State (14-0 start in 2003) and Montana (14-0 start in 2013). At the time of Montana's loss, only three other schools nationally were undefeated in their conference.

ROAD STREAK
Prior to its loss at Eastern Washington (Feb. 15), Montana had won a program-record seven consecutive true road contests. It was the fourth-longest streak in the country at the time. Overall, the Grizzlies' eight true road wins on the season (8-6) are their most in five seasons.

STOUT DEFENSE
Montana ranks in the top tier nationally for the majority of defensive statistical categories:

15.9 turnovers forced per game: 16th in NCAA (2nd in BSC)
8.0 steals per game: 19th (2nd)
+3.1 turnover margin: 24th (2nd)
+4.7 rebounding margin: 47th (2nd)
67.9 points allowed per game: 63rd (2nd)
.423 field-goal percentage defense: 77th (2nd)

BENCH PRESENCE
Montana has used the same eight-man rotation for the majority of the season, receiving 16.4 points per game from its three main bench players.

Recently vs. Montana State (Feb. 24), Montana had six players score in double figures, and just two of them were starters. Bench players Timmy Falls (14), Sayeed Pridgett (14) and Karl Nicholas (13) accounted for 41 points. Falls' total tied a career high, scoring nine of them during a span of 1:34. Pridgett's 14 points all came in the second half, also adding five rebounds, while Nicholas shot 6-of-7 from the floor.

GETTING TO THE LINE
Montana ranks in the top 15 percent of all NCAA Division-I teams when it comes to getting to the free-throw line. The Grizzlies average 23.2 free-throw attempts per game (47th in NCAA) and make an average of 16.4 per game (52nd).

Ahmaad Rorie (86.0 percent) ranks in the top 50 nationally.

University of Montana Athletics

Griz Hoops will play as No. 1 seed in Big Sky Championship

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Players Mentioned

Jamar Akoh

Timmy Falls

Fabijan Krslovic

Bobby Moorehead

Karl Nicholas

Michael Oguine

Sayeed Pridgett

Ahmaad Rorie

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