Montana looks to close non-conference while creating momentum for league play

Montana at Omaha
Saturday / 11 a.m. (MT) / Omaha, Neb.

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Montana will play its final non-conference game of the season on Saturday, traveling to the state of Nebraska to face the Omaha Mavericks (11 a.m. MT).

After going 14-11 in non-conference play over the past two seasons – two of the winningest non-conference records over the past two decades – Montana will close its 2019-20 non-conference slate with a sub.-500 record. Part of that is the opponents. Montana's strength of schedule currently ranks among the 10 best in the entire country, with its five DI losses going a combined 46-7 so far this season. Part of the record can point back to working through a new lineup, with Montana starting two true freshmen in every contest and having five of nine rotation players new to the team this season.

Still, Montana believes it is moving in the right direction and also knows that just one game can create a spark.

It happened a season ago at this same point in time.

After losing to national powerhouse Arizona on Wednesday, Dec. 19, Montana closed its non-conference slate three days later with a signature win over South Dakota State, which snapped the Jackrabbits' nation-leading home win streak.

While just one victory, it sparked the Grizzlies, who then won 13 of their first 15 Big Sky games during a championship season.

The Omaha team that Montana will play on Saturday doesn't have the same notoriety that Mike Daum and the Jackrabbits had, but the Mavericks are a dangerous team.

Omaha's balanced offense has five players averaging at least 9.0 points per game, in addition to one of the nation's top rebounders in Matt Pile. The Mavericks are also unbeaten at home this season and own a road win at Washington State.

On the flip side, Omaha has lost five of its past six games entering Saturday and is 0-2 against the Big Sky, including a 41-point loss earlier this week at Eastern Washington.

More than anything Omaha does, though, Travis DeCuire is focused more on his squad and improving from the growing moments seen from Wednesday's loss at No. 8 Oregon.

"If we can go play well on Saturday, all this other stuff (talking about Wednesday's loss) goes away," DeCuire said. "This feels very similar to last year. Omaha is a really good team at home, and they're coming off of a loss, so they'll be energetic and excited. We need to come out with the same energy and play well. If we do that, and we can finish this thing off with a win going into the break, that would put us in a pretty good spot going into conference."

After a late-night game Wednesday at Oregon, the team traveled to Omaha on Thursday. Montana will hold a practice inside Baxter Arena on Friday before the early game on Saturday. From there, the team will take a few days off for Christmas before regrouping to begin Big Sky play on Saturday, Dec. 28, at home vs. Northern Arizona.

Strong practice today in Omaha. Final non-conference game tomorrow!

📰 https://t.co/IddPEkPy0R #GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/z11RBsXxl4
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) December 20, 2019

SCOUTING OMAHA

Omaha enters Saturday's tilt with a 6-8 record. The Mavericks have already played four more games than the Grizzlies.
Omaha has lost five of its past six games. Its last two losses have both been by at least 41 points (45.5 average). The Mavericks are coming off of a 97-56 loss at Eastern Washington on Tuesday, a game in which the Mavericks were out-shot .542 to .333 and no player was in double figures for scoring.
Despite recent struggles, the Mavericks own a win at Washington State (Pac-12) and are 5-0 at home.
Dating back to last season, Omaha has won 11 consecutive home games. Over the past four seasons, the Mavericks are 40-14 inside Baxter Arena.
Five players average at least 9.1 points per game, including four who average double figures. Senior guard JT Gibson leads the team with a 13.5 points-per-game average.
Gibson is also the team leader for steals and three-pointers made, and ranks second for assists. Additionally, he enters Saturday having made 22 consecutive free-throw attempts.
Junior forward Matt Pile averages a double-double with 11.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He has been in double figures for rebounding in seven of Omaha's past nine games, with his rebounding average ranking 22nd nationally. Gibson has five double-doubles on the season.
Both Gibson and Pile were named to the Preseason All-Summit League team.
Omaha forces less than 12 turnovers per game, which ranks in the bottom 10 percent of NCAA Division I.
Omaha has shot above .500 three times this season, winning all three contests.
Omaha is coming off of a school-record 21-win campaign in 2018-19, advancing to the Summit League title game for the second time in three seasons.
Derrin Hansen is in his 15th season at Omaha, racking up 233 victories and a winning percentage above. 500. He was the 2019 Summit League Coach of the Year.

SERIES VS. THE MAVERICKS
Saturday will mark Montana's second trip to the city of Omaha in as many years, as the Grizzlies played at Creighton last November, but it will be Montana's first-ever meeting vs. Omaha.

The Grizzlies are 52-34 against current members of the Summit League, including 14-3 under Travis DeCuire. DeCuire has won eight in a row against current Summit League teams, dating back to a November 2016 loss at South Dakota. Now in its second season, Montana is the only unbeaten team in the Big Sky Conference-Summit League Challenge (3-0), which features Montana, Eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana State from the Big Sky and North Dakota, North Dakota State, Omaha, and South Dakota State from the Summit League.

Gallery: (12/18/2019) MBB: at No. 8 Oregon (12.18.19)

GRIZ BITS

Montana is 3-2 over the past four weeks, but is still looking for its first win away from Missoula (0-5).
The Grizzlies have played the nation's sixth-toughest schedule so far this season, according to KenPom. Montana's five DI losses have come to opponents with a combined record of 47-6 (.887).
Montana's defense has limited eight of its 10 opponents below their season scoring average. Overall, opponents are averaging just 68.1 points per game against the Griz, with none scoring more than 74 points prior to Wednesday.
Either Sayeed Pridgett or Kendal Manuel – Montana's two returning seniors – have led the Grizzlies for scoring in every game this season.
Prior to Wednesday's loss at No. 8 Oregon, Montana had out-shot its opponents in four consecutive games.
In Wednesday's defeat, Montana scored 48 points (second-fewest of the season) and shot .365 (third-lowest).
Despite strong defense through the first 30 minutes of Wednesday's game, a late spurt allowed Oregon to score 81 points, the most allowed by the Grizzlies this season.
Montana turned the ball over 20 times at Oregon. In the team's four wins, the Grizzlies are averaging 11.5 turnovers per game (+4.2 margin), compared to 17.3 per game in losses (-4.4 margin).
In five road games this season, Montana is attempting just 11.8 free throw per game.
Montana has made four or fewer three-pointers in six of nine games this season, including its last two.
After out-rebounding its opponents in each of the season's first four games, Montana has been out-rebounded in five of the past six contests, including three in a row.
Montana has started two true freshmen in every game this season. Overall, five of the Grizzlies' nine rotation players did not see the court a season ago, not including Towson transfer Yagizhan Selcuk, who is expected to make his Griz debut sometime in the next few weeks.
Montana has used the same starting lineup in each of the past six games.
The Griz have not won a game (0-5) when opponents score more than 70 points.
Montana has forced at least five steals in every game this season.
Senior Sayeed Pridgett has scored in double figures every game this season. He leads UM for minutes, scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks, and has led UM for rebounding eight times, scoring and steals seven times, assists six times and blocked shots on five occasions.
After attempting just one shot over four consecutive games, sophomore Mack Anderson took two attempts on Wednesday at Oregon, making both. Anderson also blocked two Ducks shots.
Senior Kendal Manuel had made 23 consecutive free throws entering the week, and has now made 26 of his past 27 and 28 of 31 on the season.
Freshman Derrick Carter-Hollinger has made 18 of his past 27 shot attempts and is shooting .615 on the season (4th in the Big Sky).

Complete Game Notes in PDF format, including additional notes, stats, charts and player pages

Getting after it this afternoon in Omaha!#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/YgzW36rd16
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) December 20, 2019

Gameday on the big stage!#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/Z0lWvH0T86
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) December 18, 2019

Montana looks to close non-conference while creating momentum for league play

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mack Anderson

Derrick Carter-Hollinger

Kendal Manuel

Sayeed Pridgett

Yagizhan Selcuk

University of Montana Athletics

Montana looks to close non-conference while creating momentum for league play

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mack Anderson

Derrick Carter-Hollinger

Kendal Manuel

Sayeed Pridgett

Yagizhan Selcuk

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