Thursday, March 14
Boise, Idaho
12:00 PM
Montana
vs
Sacramento State
Photo by: Todd Goodrich
Montana opens title defense Thursday vs. Sacramento State
3/13/2019 1:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana vs. Sacramento State / Thursday / 12 p.m. / Boise, Idaho
TOURNEY TIDBITS
Montana has had plenty of success against Sacramento State, going 42-9 in 51 all-time meetings. The series includes three separate winning streaks of at least eight games, including 15 Griz wins in a row from 2006-07 through 2013-14. Travis DeCuire is 6-4 vs. the Hornets, winning four in a row, including an 86-68 road win last weekend in Sacramento. The two teams have met twice before in the Big Sky tournament, both in the quarterfinal round. The Grizzlies lost, 88-75, in 2003 before winning, 70-53, in 2016. In that game, Bobby Moorehead scored eight points.
Five different Grizzlies have a double-figures scoring game in their careers vs. Sacramento State, including seven by Michael Oguine and six in six games for Ahmaad Rorie. He had 21 points and four assists in the January meeting in Missoula. As a freshman in 2016-17, Sayeed Pridgett scored 28 points vs. the Hornets, a career high until this season.
In January, Montana out-shot Sac State, 54.4 percent to 38.2, including 65.0 (13-of-20) to 21.4 (3-of-14) from long range. The Grizzlies were also +14 on the glass, despite committing 19 turnovers. Marcus Graves was the Hornets' leading scorer (10 points), but was held to 2-of-12 shooting. When the two teams met last week in Sacramento, five Grizzlies were in double figures, led by Pridgett's 17 points. Timmy Falls had a career night with 16 points, five assists and four steals. Overall, Montana had its best assist-to-makes percentage of the season (22-of-31, 71.0 percent). It shot .596 overall (second-best on the season) while limiting the Hornets to .281 shooting in the second half.
GRIZ TRACKS
Throughout its history, it's hard to find many teams across the region with more success than Montana. The Grizzlies have won 12 regular-season conference titles, 10 tournament championships and have played in the NCAA tournament 11 times. Perhaps Griz fans have never had it better than the last several years, however. Over the past eight seasons, Montana has won five regular-season Big Sky titles, finishing runner-up two other times.
Montana's 12 regular-season titles rank second to Weber State, but more recently, the Griz have asserted their dominance. Montana has the most Big Sky titles in the past decade and is tied with Weber State since the turn of the century. Eight of the Wildcats' titles came prior to 1973.
BACK-TO-BACK
Montana is on top of the Big Sky for the second consecutive season. Montana was the most-recent Big Sky team to go back-to-back in the regular season, doing so in 2012 and 2013. The Grizzlies also won back-to-back regular-season championships in 1991 and 1992. Overall, it marks the 12th time that a team has won back-to-back outright regular-season championships.
TERRIFIC TWO YEARS
A win on Thursday would tie for the best two-year stretch in school history, giving the Grizzlies a 50-16 record. Montana also won 50 games during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, as well as from 1990-91 to 1991-92. Coincidentally, those are the three instances in which Montana has won back-to-back Big Sky Conference titles.
Specifically in Big Sky play, Montana's 32 wins over the past two seasons are tied for the most in Big Sky history (along with the 2012/2013 and 2013/14 Weber State teams).
20 ONCE AGAIN
Montana's rivalry win over Montana State (Feb. 23) gave the Grizzlies their 20th of the season, an impressive accomplishment that has become the norm in Missoula. Montana, though, has done it consistently of late, doing so for the fourth time in the past five seasons, something that has been accomplished just five other times in the history of Griz basketball.
HISTORIC SENIOR CLASS
Montana will graduate an historic senior class, saying farewell to seniors Jamar Akoh, Bobby Moorehead, Michael Oguine and Ahmaad Rorie. The group, specifically Moorehead and Oguine, who have been part of the past four seasons, have been a key component for one of the best classes in school history.
Over the past four seasons, Montana has won 86 games, tied for the sixth-best four-year stretch in school history. Should Montana win the Big Sky tournament, it would be tied for the second-most wins ever.
ALL-CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Four Grizzlies were recognized by the Big Sky Conference this week, headlined by first-team all-conference selections Ahmaad Rorie and Sayeed Pridgett. For Rorie, it is his second consecutive first-team nod, while Pridgett was recognized for the first time. Michael Oguine also earned his second all-conference pick, being named to the third team, while Kendal Manuel, a Billings native who transferred from Oregon State, was named both the Newcomer of the Year (co) and Top Reserve.
Montana had three of the 15 all-conference selections, tied with Eastern Washington for the most. The Grizzlies were also the only team with two first-team selections.
105 AND COUNTING
With its win over Northern Arizona (March 4), Travis DeCuire earned his 105th win as head coach of the Griz (he's now at 106). The number is the highest total ever by a UM coach through his first five seasons. Blaine Taylor, DeCuire's head coach while he was a player, had 104 wins through his first five seasons. Other notable coaches are Stew Morrill (98), Wayne Tinkle (91), Mike Montgomery (89), Jud Heathcote (80) and George Dahlberg (70).
DeCuire is the only coach in UM history to win 20 or more games in both of his first two seasons (he's now done it four times). The 2018 Big Sky and NABC District 6 Coach of the Year is also the fastest coach in Big Sky history to win 50 league games. His .763 Big Sky winning percentage ranks third in league history, and is first among those who coached more than three seasons. Overall, only two Big Sky coaches have ever averaged more than DeCuire's 21.2 wins per season, and both coached three or fewer seasons.
ONE... TWO... THREE
In its history, eight different Griz coaches have won a Big Sky Conference regular-season title. Three coaches – Blaine Taylor, Wayne Tinkle and DeCuire – have won two, but DeCuire is the only one to earn three regular-season titles.
HOT SHOOTING
Montana remains one of the top shooting teams in the country, shooting .496 from the field. The figure leads the Big Sky and ranks eighth nationally. The Grizzlies have made at least half of their shots in 17 games this season.
HITTING FROM DEEP
Montana made a season-high 15 three-pointers vs. Montana State (one shy of tying a school record), and impressively did so on 50.0 percent shooting. Montana has made at least eight three-pointers in 19 of 31 games this season. The Grizzlies reached eight treys just four times in all of 2017-18.
On the season, Montana is shooting .379 from beyond the arc (33rd out of 351 Division-I teams) and is averaging 8.2 makes per game (124th). A year ago, the Grizzlies shot .339 (236th) and made just 5.5 per game (331st).
A big difference is the addition of Pac-12 transfers Donaven Dorsey and Kendal Manuel. Both rank in the top five in Big Sky play, helping the Grizzlies connect on 39.1 percent of their long-range shots during league action. Dorsey is shooting .456, 26-of-57), including a game vs. Northern Colorado (Feb. 25) in which he shot 6-of-7. Manuel is shooting .438 in 20 Big Sky games, including a two-game stretch in which he was 11-of-13 (Feb. 16-23).
LEADING THE LEAGUE
Montana won another Big Sky regular-season title, and it's easy to see why: Of the 21 statistical categories, Montana ranks in the top three of 14 of them. The Grizzlies lead the league for scoring margin, field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, rebounding defense and rebounding margin.
3 X 1,000
Montana is in rare company, with three 1,000-point scorers on its current roster. There have been just 34 players in school history to score 1,000 career points, and never before have three been on the floor at the same time. Making the feat even rarer, Montana is one of just 12 schools nationally to have three current 1,000-point scorers (Ball State, Hartford, UIC, Lipscomb, Kansas State, Montana, Nevada, Northwestern, TCU, The Citadel, Virginia Tech and Washington).
DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
Michael Oguine recently became the eighth Griz player to join the 1,500-point club. Two nights later, Ahmaad Rorie joined his teammate, becoming the only Griz player to reach the figure in three seasons. Just four current teams across the country have a pair of 1,500-point scorers at their respective universities. Buffalo, College of Charleston, Marshall and Oregon State are the other two.
It's never happened before at Montana. There have been 34 1,000-point scorers in Griz history, including several teammates, but never two that have been this good at the same time. Oguine and Rorie currently rank seventh and eighth, respectively, on Montana's all-time scoring list. They could both finish in the top five in school history.
Even more impressive, they're both having success on a team loaded with offensive weapons, and they're not limited to just scoring. Including his stats at Oregon – 149 points and 66 assists as a freshman in 2014-15 – Rorie is part of the exclusive 1,500-400 club. Only 16 active players across the NCAA have scored 1,500 career points and dished out at least 400 assists. Despite standing 6-2, Oguine has collected 600 rebounds and is one of six active members of the 1,500-600-150 club, recognizing career points, rebounds and steals.
PRIDGETT PERFORMING
Through 21 games as a starter, junior Sayeed Pridgett was averaging 12.2 points per game, up significantly from the 8.4 he put up as a sixth man in 2017-18. Over the final 10 games of the regular season, however, Pridgett broke out, averaging 20.7 points on .685 shooting, leading the Grizzlies in scoring eight times.
Pridgett was named the league's player of the week in back-to-back weeks, becoming the first Grizzly to do so since Brian Qvale in January 2011. During the two-week span, Pridgett averaged 22.8 points per game on .731 shooting, in addition to 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
IRON-MAN MOOREHEAD
Over the past four seasons, senior Bobby Moorehead hasn't missed a game, let alone a practice. The Tacoma native has played in 130 career games (including 75 starts and 68 in a row), and is within reach of passing former teammate and roommate Fabijan Krslovic (132) for most career games played.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
Travis DeCuire preaches defense first, and it shows, as Montana has held its opponents under their season scoring average in 26 of 31 games. Montana's defense can be felt across the board. The Grizzlies are one of two Big Sky teams to limit opponents under 70.0 points per game. The Grizzlies rank second for field-goal defense (.437), third for three-point defense (.344), third for steals (6.5) and fourth for turnover margin (+1.2). Perhaps most notable, Big Sky opponents averaged just 29.8 rebounds per game against the Griz, leading to a +5.2 rebounding margin (both first).
Collectively, Montana's defense went up against the 12th-toughest offensive schedule in the country during non-conference, with three of its opponents ranking in the top 20 nationally for scoring: Georgia Southern (87.0 points per game, 11th), Creighton (84.8, 14th) and South Dakota State (84.7, 16th). During an eight-game stretch from Dec. 3-Jan. 3, Montana held its opponents to 63.1 points per game.
OFFENSIVE WEAPONS
Not only does Montana hold one of the nation's top field-goal percentages, but the Grizzlies are also getting production from multiple weapons. Montana is one of two Big Sky schools to have three players rank in the top 20 in league play for scoring; the Grizzlies had a fourth, but Jamar Akoh no longer qualifies due to playing just 11 league games.
NO REST FOR THE WEARY
While every team had stretches of four games in an eight-day period this season, Montana is one of three schools (also Idaho State and Montana State) who had to close the season with that grueling stretch. The Grizzlies are also one of the six teams who never had a layoff of more than a week.
PLAYING FROM IN FRONT
When Kendal Manuel hit a three-pointer early in Montana's Jan. 19 win at Idaho, he tied the score at 10-10. Little would he know that it started a stretch of more than 116 minutes – nearly three entire games – in which the Grizzlies never trailed. Montana played from in front for the final 35 minutes vs. the Vandals and never trailed in wins over Idaho State and Weber State.
During Montana's 10-game winning streak (Jan. 12-Feb. 23), the Griz trailed for just 29 minutes, 2 seconds (approximately 7.3 percent of action).
DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN STREAKS
Montana strung together 10 consecutive wins from Jan. 12 through Feb. 23, marking the second consecutive season the Grizzlies have won at least 10 games in a row. The feat has been accomplished 11 times in school history.
HOME SWEET HOME
Dating back to February 2017, Montana has won 26 of its past 28 games inside Dahlberg Arena. Prior to its overtime loss to Portland State (Jan. 5), the Grizzlies had won 20 in a row, the third-longest active streak in the NCAA and the fifth-best in school history.
Montana went a perfect 14-0 at home last season, marking the first time in 26 seasons and just the fifth time ever that a Grizzlies team has gone undefeated at home. The Grizzlies boast one of the nation's best home-court advantages, going 709-246 (.742) all-time in their home arena, including 127-26 (.828) over the past decade.
Montana averaged more than 4,000 fans for the second consecutive season, a better average than a handful of Pac-12 schools.
#0 MICHAEL OGUINE
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TOURNEY TIDBITS
- Montana has advanced to the Big Sky Championship 40 times in the past 42 seasons, tied with Weber State for the most appearances during that span (1978-present).
- Montana is 40-29 all-time in the tournament, the second-most wins of any Big Sky team.
- The Grizzlies have won the Championship 10 times (tied for first) and have advanced to the finals on 19 occasions (first).
- Since Montana's first tournament title in 1991, Montana is 10-4 in the championship game. No team has won more titles during that span.
- Montana has won seven consecutive semifinals games, dating back to 2010.
- The Grizzlies are looking to become the 11th team ever to repeat as tournament champions (Weber State, 1978-79; Weber State, 1979-80; Idaho, 1981-82; Nevada, 1984-85; Idaho, 1989-90; Montana, 1991-92; Boise State, 1993-94; Montana, 2005-06; Portland State, 2008-09; Montana, 2012-13).
- The No. 1 seed has won the conference tournament in 26 of 44 seasons, including seven of the past eight seasons and three in a row.
- The No. 1 seed has advanced to the title game in 12 of the past 13 seasons (2010 is the lone exception).
- Montana is looking to become the first team to repeat as champs since the Grizzlies did it in 2012 and 2013. The Grizzlies also did it in 1991 and 1992. No other team has done it since 1982 (Idaho, 1981-82; Weber State 1978-80).
- Montana is 12-4 all-time as the No. 1 seed, including 2-0 in the quarterfinals and 7-1 in the semifinals.
- Sacramento State is 15-15 on the year, advancing to the quarterfinals after beating Northern Arizona, 72-60, on Wednesday morning.
- In the win over the Lumberjacks, the Hornets were led by second-team All-Big Sky selection Marcus Graves, who scored 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Overall, Sac State shot 52.9 percent from the floor while holding NAU under 40 percent. Sac State also forced NAU into 18 turnovers.
- Graves leads the Big Sky for assists (5.5 per game, top 50 nationally) and steals (1.9) and ranks in the top five for scoring (16.8). He has scored in double figures in 16 consecutive games.
- Joshua Patton, a third-team All-Big Sky pick, is the Hornets' top rebounder (6.8 per game, sixth in Big Sky). He is also among the league leaders for blocked shots (1.6, third) and shooting percentage (.596, fourth), and is averaging 12.9 points per game.
- Sac State relies on its defense, leading the Big Sky for steals (7.5) and turnover margin (+2.1). Both figures rank in the top 50 nationally.
- The Hornets are one of the worst three-point shooting teams, however, ranking last for three-point percentage (.327) and ninth for three-point defense (.384). Ironically, they made 12 treys on 60.0 percent shooting on Wednesday vs. NAU.
- Half of Sac State's Big Sky games were decided by six points or fewer.
- Sac State is one of the nation's most-improved teams after going 7-25 a year ago.
- The Hornets are coached by Brian Katz, who is 127-205 in 11 seasons. He is the winningest coach in school history and was named the 2015 Big Sky Coach of the Year after leading the Hornets to 21 wins.
Montana has had plenty of success against Sacramento State, going 42-9 in 51 all-time meetings. The series includes three separate winning streaks of at least eight games, including 15 Griz wins in a row from 2006-07 through 2013-14. Travis DeCuire is 6-4 vs. the Hornets, winning four in a row, including an 86-68 road win last weekend in Sacramento. The two teams have met twice before in the Big Sky tournament, both in the quarterfinal round. The Grizzlies lost, 88-75, in 2003 before winning, 70-53, in 2016. In that game, Bobby Moorehead scored eight points.
Five different Grizzlies have a double-figures scoring game in their careers vs. Sacramento State, including seven by Michael Oguine and six in six games for Ahmaad Rorie. He had 21 points and four assists in the January meeting in Missoula. As a freshman in 2016-17, Sayeed Pridgett scored 28 points vs. the Hornets, a career high until this season.
In January, Montana out-shot Sac State, 54.4 percent to 38.2, including 65.0 (13-of-20) to 21.4 (3-of-14) from long range. The Grizzlies were also +14 on the glass, despite committing 19 turnovers. Marcus Graves was the Hornets' leading scorer (10 points), but was held to 2-of-12 shooting. When the two teams met last week in Sacramento, five Grizzlies were in double figures, led by Pridgett's 17 points. Timmy Falls had a career night with 16 points, five assists and four steals. Overall, Montana had its best assist-to-makes percentage of the season (22-of-31, 71.0 percent). It shot .596 overall (second-best on the season) while limiting the Hornets to .281 shooting in the second half.
We've got out opponent. Now it's time for our first practice in Boise.
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) March 13, 2019
Thanks to @t3sportboise for the hospitality! #GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/MjOiln95Kr
GRIZ TRACKS
- Montana, winners of 12 of its past 14 games, won the Big Sky Conference regular-season title for the second year in a row.
- Montana has posted a .500 or better record in 11 consecutive seasons and has won 20-plus games in four of five seasons under Travis DeCuire.
- Montana is shooting .496 on the season (8th in NCAA), and has made at least half of its shots 17 times.
- Conversely, Montana has held opponents under .400 shooting nine times (9-0).
- During the team's 10-game winning streak from Jan. 12-Feb. 23, the Grizzlies trailed for less than 29 total minutes (7.3 percent of game action), and never by double figures.
- Montana has made at least eight three-pointers 19 times this season. The Grizzlies hit that number just four times in 2017-18.
- Overall, Montana is shooting .379 from deep (1st in Big Sky/33rd in the NCAA). The Grizzlies ranked 236th for three-point shooting percentage in 2017-18 (.339)
- Montana has three players ranked in the top 20 for scoring, not including Jamar Akoh (16.3), who no longer qualifies due to games played.
- Montana has out-rebounded its opponent in 19 of its past 21 games. During Big Sky play, the Grizzlies lead the Big Sky for rebounding defense (29.8) and rebounding margin (+5.3).
- Montana has held opponents under their season scoring average in 26 of 31 games.
- Montana has forced at least 10 turnovers in 79 of the past 82 games played.
- Fourteen of Montana's 23 wins have come by double digits, including six by at least 20 points.
- Montana is 15-0 on the year when scoring at least 80 points.
- Montana is 22-2 on the season when shooting a better percentage than its opponent.
- Montana is one of 12 schools nationally with three 1,000-point scorers on its current roster.
- Ahmaad Rorie and Michael Oguine both joined the 1,500-point scoring club last month, two of nine players in Griz history to reach the career milestone. Rorie was the fastest to do so in school history.
- Sayeed Pridgett is averaging 20.8 points per game over the past 10 contests, leading the Griz for scoring eight times. Overall, his .608 shooting percentage ranks 21st nationally.
- During a two-game stretch from Feb. 16-23, Kendal Manuel was 11-of-13 (.846) from deep. He leads the Big Sky with a .896 free-throw percentage and ranks fifth for three-point shooting (.438).
- Ahmaad Rorie leads the league with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. The first-team selection also ranks in the top 10 in the Big Sky for scoring, assists and minutes played.
- In addition to more than 1,500 career points, Oguine ranks third in school history for career steals (152) and is among the leaders for career starts (119).
- Senior Bobby Moorehead (130) is on pace to pass Fabijan Krslovic (132) for most career games played in school history.
- During a four-game stretch at home from Feb. 7-Feb. 25, Donaven Dorsey averaged 17.3 points per game, including a career-high 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from deep vs. Northern Colorado.
- With a veteran group, four starters have played in 100 or more career games. Montana's four seniors have started a combined 339 games during their Griz careers, including every game played over the past two seasons.
- Only Hartford, Nevada and Jacksonville State average more years of experience than Montana (2.49 years per player).
- Travis DeCuire won his 100th career game on Feb. 9. He now has 106 wins, more than any UM coach through his first five seasons.
- Montana has won 26 of its past 28 home games dating back to February 2017. The Grizzlies are one of 20 teams nationally to lose two or fewer home games over the past two seasons.
- Montana's 7-4 non-conference record was its best since 2010-11, and came against the nation's 43rd-toughest schedule. More impressive, the Grizzlies had their full roster available just twice, most notably being without all-conference forward Jamar Akoh for seven games.
- Montana's 4-0 start was its best since 1995-96.
- Seven players have made their collegiate or Grizzly debuts.
- All-conference forward Jamar Akoh has missed the past nine games with a knee injury. He has missed 16 games overall this season.
Throughout its history, it's hard to find many teams across the region with more success than Montana. The Grizzlies have won 12 regular-season conference titles, 10 tournament championships and have played in the NCAA tournament 11 times. Perhaps Griz fans have never had it better than the last several years, however. Over the past eight seasons, Montana has won five regular-season Big Sky titles, finishing runner-up two other times.
Montana's 12 regular-season titles rank second to Weber State, but more recently, the Griz have asserted their dominance. Montana has the most Big Sky titles in the past decade and is tied with Weber State since the turn of the century. Eight of the Wildcats' titles came prior to 1973.
BACK-TO-BACK
Montana is on top of the Big Sky for the second consecutive season. Montana was the most-recent Big Sky team to go back-to-back in the regular season, doing so in 2012 and 2013. The Grizzlies also won back-to-back regular-season championships in 1991 and 1992. Overall, it marks the 12th time that a team has won back-to-back outright regular-season championships.
🏆 CHAMPIONS! 🏆#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/wdtcNXWl5N
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) March 11, 2019
TERRIFIC TWO YEARS
A win on Thursday would tie for the best two-year stretch in school history, giving the Grizzlies a 50-16 record. Montana also won 50 games during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, as well as from 1990-91 to 1991-92. Coincidentally, those are the three instances in which Montana has won back-to-back Big Sky Conference titles.
Specifically in Big Sky play, Montana's 32 wins over the past two seasons are tied for the most in Big Sky history (along with the 2012/2013 and 2013/14 Weber State teams).
20 ONCE AGAIN
Montana's rivalry win over Montana State (Feb. 23) gave the Grizzlies their 20th of the season, an impressive accomplishment that has become the norm in Missoula. Montana, though, has done it consistently of late, doing so for the fourth time in the past five seasons, something that has been accomplished just five other times in the history of Griz basketball.
HISTORIC SENIOR CLASS
Montana will graduate an historic senior class, saying farewell to seniors Jamar Akoh, Bobby Moorehead, Michael Oguine and Ahmaad Rorie. The group, specifically Moorehead and Oguine, who have been part of the past four seasons, have been a key component for one of the best classes in school history.
Over the past four seasons, Montana has won 86 games, tied for the sixth-best four-year stretch in school history. Should Montana win the Big Sky tournament, it would be tied for the second-most wins ever.
ALL-CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Four Grizzlies were recognized by the Big Sky Conference this week, headlined by first-team all-conference selections Ahmaad Rorie and Sayeed Pridgett. For Rorie, it is his second consecutive first-team nod, while Pridgett was recognized for the first time. Michael Oguine also earned his second all-conference pick, being named to the third team, while Kendal Manuel, a Billings native who transferred from Oregon State, was named both the Newcomer of the Year (co) and Top Reserve.
Montana had three of the 15 all-conference selections, tied with Eastern Washington for the most. The Grizzlies were also the only team with two first-team selections.
#GrizHoops hauled in some hardware this morning, with 4 players being recognized by the Big Sky Conference!
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) March 12, 2019
📰 https://t.co/ZKUWo1TJTX #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/A6uOJr1Cbp
105 AND COUNTING
With its win over Northern Arizona (March 4), Travis DeCuire earned his 105th win as head coach of the Griz (he's now at 106). The number is the highest total ever by a UM coach through his first five seasons. Blaine Taylor, DeCuire's head coach while he was a player, had 104 wins through his first five seasons. Other notable coaches are Stew Morrill (98), Wayne Tinkle (91), Mike Montgomery (89), Jud Heathcote (80) and George Dahlberg (70).
DeCuire is the only coach in UM history to win 20 or more games in both of his first two seasons (he's now done it four times). The 2018 Big Sky and NABC District 6 Coach of the Year is also the fastest coach in Big Sky history to win 50 league games. His .763 Big Sky winning percentage ranks third in league history, and is first among those who coached more than three seasons. Overall, only two Big Sky coaches have ever averaged more than DeCuire's 21.2 wins per season, and both coached three or fewer seasons.
ONE... TWO... THREE
In its history, eight different Griz coaches have won a Big Sky Conference regular-season title. Three coaches – Blaine Taylor, Wayne Tinkle and DeCuire – have won two, but DeCuire is the only one to earn three regular-season titles.
HOT SHOOTING
Montana remains one of the top shooting teams in the country, shooting .496 from the field. The figure leads the Big Sky and ranks eighth nationally. The Grizzlies have made at least half of their shots in 17 games this season.
HITTING FROM DEEP
Montana made a season-high 15 three-pointers vs. Montana State (one shy of tying a school record), and impressively did so on 50.0 percent shooting. Montana has made at least eight three-pointers in 19 of 31 games this season. The Grizzlies reached eight treys just four times in all of 2017-18.
On the season, Montana is shooting .379 from beyond the arc (33rd out of 351 Division-I teams) and is averaging 8.2 makes per game (124th). A year ago, the Grizzlies shot .339 (236th) and made just 5.5 per game (331st).
A big difference is the addition of Pac-12 transfers Donaven Dorsey and Kendal Manuel. Both rank in the top five in Big Sky play, helping the Grizzlies connect on 39.1 percent of their long-range shots during league action. Dorsey is shooting .456, 26-of-57), including a game vs. Northern Colorado (Feb. 25) in which he shot 6-of-7. Manuel is shooting .438 in 20 Big Sky games, including a two-game stretch in which he was 11-of-13 (Feb. 16-23).
LEADING THE LEAGUE
Montana won another Big Sky regular-season title, and it's easy to see why: Of the 21 statistical categories, Montana ranks in the top three of 14 of them. The Grizzlies lead the league for scoring margin, field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, rebounding defense and rebounding margin.
3 X 1,000
Montana is in rare company, with three 1,000-point scorers on its current roster. There have been just 34 players in school history to score 1,000 career points, and never before have three been on the floor at the same time. Making the feat even rarer, Montana is one of just 12 schools nationally to have three current 1,000-point scorers (Ball State, Hartford, UIC, Lipscomb, Kansas State, Montana, Nevada, Northwestern, TCU, The Citadel, Virginia Tech and Washington).
DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
Michael Oguine recently became the eighth Griz player to join the 1,500-point club. Two nights later, Ahmaad Rorie joined his teammate, becoming the only Griz player to reach the figure in three seasons. Just four current teams across the country have a pair of 1,500-point scorers at their respective universities. Buffalo, College of Charleston, Marshall and Oregon State are the other two.
It's never happened before at Montana. There have been 34 1,000-point scorers in Griz history, including several teammates, but never two that have been this good at the same time. Oguine and Rorie currently rank seventh and eighth, respectively, on Montana's all-time scoring list. They could both finish in the top five in school history.
Even more impressive, they're both having success on a team loaded with offensive weapons, and they're not limited to just scoring. Including his stats at Oregon – 149 points and 66 assists as a freshman in 2014-15 – Rorie is part of the exclusive 1,500-400 club. Only 16 active players across the NCAA have scored 1,500 career points and dished out at least 400 assists. Despite standing 6-2, Oguine has collected 600 rebounds and is one of six active members of the 1,500-600-150 club, recognizing career points, rebounds and steals.
PRIDGETT PERFORMING
Through 21 games as a starter, junior Sayeed Pridgett was averaging 12.2 points per game, up significantly from the 8.4 he put up as a sixth man in 2017-18. Over the final 10 games of the regular season, however, Pridgett broke out, averaging 20.7 points on .685 shooting, leading the Grizzlies in scoring eight times.
Pridgett was named the league's player of the week in back-to-back weeks, becoming the first Grizzly to do so since Brian Qvale in January 2011. During the two-week span, Pridgett averaged 22.8 points per game on .731 shooting, in addition to 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
IRON-MAN MOOREHEAD
Over the past four seasons, senior Bobby Moorehead hasn't missed a game, let alone a practice. The Tacoma native has played in 130 career games (including 75 starts and 68 in a row), and is within reach of passing former teammate and roommate Fabijan Krslovic (132) for most career games played.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
Travis DeCuire preaches defense first, and it shows, as Montana has held its opponents under their season scoring average in 26 of 31 games. Montana's defense can be felt across the board. The Grizzlies are one of two Big Sky teams to limit opponents under 70.0 points per game. The Grizzlies rank second for field-goal defense (.437), third for three-point defense (.344), third for steals (6.5) and fourth for turnover margin (+1.2). Perhaps most notable, Big Sky opponents averaged just 29.8 rebounds per game against the Griz, leading to a +5.2 rebounding margin (both first).
Collectively, Montana's defense went up against the 12th-toughest offensive schedule in the country during non-conference, with three of its opponents ranking in the top 20 nationally for scoring: Georgia Southern (87.0 points per game, 11th), Creighton (84.8, 14th) and South Dakota State (84.7, 16th). During an eight-game stretch from Dec. 3-Jan. 3, Montana held its opponents to 63.1 points per game.
OFFENSIVE WEAPONS
Not only does Montana hold one of the nation's top field-goal percentages, but the Grizzlies are also getting production from multiple weapons. Montana is one of two Big Sky schools to have three players rank in the top 20 in league play for scoring; the Grizzlies had a fourth, but Jamar Akoh no longer qualifies due to playing just 11 league games.
NO REST FOR THE WEARY
While every team had stretches of four games in an eight-day period this season, Montana is one of three schools (also Idaho State and Montana State) who had to close the season with that grueling stretch. The Grizzlies are also one of the six teams who never had a layoff of more than a week.
PLAYING FROM IN FRONT
When Kendal Manuel hit a three-pointer early in Montana's Jan. 19 win at Idaho, he tied the score at 10-10. Little would he know that it started a stretch of more than 116 minutes – nearly three entire games – in which the Grizzlies never trailed. Montana played from in front for the final 35 minutes vs. the Vandals and never trailed in wins over Idaho State and Weber State.
During Montana's 10-game winning streak (Jan. 12-Feb. 23), the Griz trailed for just 29 minutes, 2 seconds (approximately 7.3 percent of action).
DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN STREAKS
Montana strung together 10 consecutive wins from Jan. 12 through Feb. 23, marking the second consecutive season the Grizzlies have won at least 10 games in a row. The feat has been accomplished 11 times in school history.
HOME SWEET HOME
Dating back to February 2017, Montana has won 26 of its past 28 games inside Dahlberg Arena. Prior to its overtime loss to Portland State (Jan. 5), the Grizzlies had won 20 in a row, the third-longest active streak in the NCAA and the fifth-best in school history.
Montana went a perfect 14-0 at home last season, marking the first time in 26 seasons and just the fifth time ever that a Grizzlies team has gone undefeated at home. The Grizzlies boast one of the nation's best home-court advantages, going 709-246 (.742) all-time in their home arena, including 127-26 (.828) over the past decade.
Montana averaged more than 4,000 fans for the second consecutive season, a better average than a handful of Pac-12 schools.
"Back-to-back, they'll never be able to take that away from you, no matter what!"#GrizHoops #GoGriz #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/us4BxLtQcr
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) March 10, 2019
#0 MICHAEL OGUINE
- Earned All-Big Sky recognition for the second time, being named to the third team. In 2018, he was on the second team, as well as being named the league's defensive player of the year and conference tournament MVP.
- Is one of six active players nationally to score at least 1,500 career points, pull down at least 600 rebounds and record at least 150 steals.
- Will finish his career among the school's all-time greats, currently in the top 10 for scoring (seventh) and steals (third), as well as career games started.
- Is the Big Sky active leader for career steals. He ranks second for rebounding, third for scoring, and in the top 10 for field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, assists and blocked shots.
- On the season, ranks in the top 20 in Big Sky play for scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and steals. For all games, he is the only player to rank in the top 20 for scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage, steals and blocked shots.
- During a three-game stretch from Feb. 25-March 4, he averaged 10.0 rebounds per game, including a season-most 11 vs. Northern Arizona (March 4). That night, his final game at Dahlberg arena, he also scored 22 points, four assists and two blocked shots.
- Scored 17 points and pulled down nine boards in a road win at Weber State (Feb. 14), the same night he became the eighth player in school history to score 1,500 career points.
- Nearly recorded a double-double with 23 points and nine rebounds while snapping South Dakota State's home winning streak (Dec. 22).
- Led Montana for scoring at UC Irvine (16), and moved into the top 10 in school history with more than 1,300 career points scored.
- At Creighton (Nov. 28), 14 of his 21 points came in the second half, including a stretch in which he scored eight consecutive Griz points.
- Averaged 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game during the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase (Nov. 16-18), including 25 points vs. Incarnate Word (10-of-11 shooting from the floor; second-best percentage by a Big Sky player this season).
- Had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds vs. Georgia State (Nov. 9).
- Played in his 100th career game vs. College of Idaho (Dec. 3). Overall, he has made 119 starts, including 84 games in a row in which he has played.
- Is averaging 4.6 points, 2.3 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game.
- Has been called UM's best perimeter defender by Travis DeCuire.
- Ranks second on the team for assists (68), including a career-high seven vs. Sacramento State (Jan. 3). His assist-per-minute average (8.3) is a team best.
- Over the past 21 games, has posted a negative assist-to-turnover ratio just once.
- Ranks fifth on the team for steals (23), recording six multi-steal games.
- Over his past three games entering the tournament, Falls is averaging 11.0 points per game, making two three-pointers in each contest. Prior to that stretch, he was averaging 3.2 points per game during league play.
- Playing near his hometown, scored a career-high 16 points at Sacramento State (March 9). In the game, he also tallied five assists, recorded a career-best four steals and took a charge.
- Scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep vs. Idaho (Feb. 7), also recording four assists and just one turnover.
- Set a career high with six rebounds vs. Weber State (Jan. 26).
- Missed two games (Georgia Southern and Creighton), but returned to the court vs. College of Idaho (Dec. 3), scoring 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, in addition to three assists and three steals.
- Has played in 28 games, averaging 6.2 points per contest. With Jamar Akoh out, Dorsey has started eight of UM's last nine games. He is averaging 20.9 minutes per game during that span, after averaging fewer than 12 up to that point.
- Averaged 4.5 points per game through 17 contests, scoring in double figures twice. Over his next three games (Feb. 2-9), he scored in double figures three times, averaging 14.3 points during that span.
- Ranks fifth during Big Sky play with a team-best .456 three-point shooting percentage.
- Scored a career-high 20 points vs. Northern Colorado (Feb. 25), connecting on 6-of-7 three-point attempts (second-best percentage by a Big Sky player this season).
- Recorded a career high six rebounds and a then-career-best 17 points in a win over Idaho (Feb. 7), shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. During a run late in the first half, Dorsey hit four treys in a span of 3:38.
- During a stretch of four home consecutive home games (Feb. 7-25), he averaged 17.3 points per game, knocking down 17 total three-pointers.
- After not playing or not scoring in six consecutive games from Dec. 3-29, has scored at least one point in 17 of the final 19 games.
- Earned back-to-back starts vs. Georgia Southern (Nov. 18) and at Creighton (Nov. 28).
- Scored 14 points vs. Miami (Ohio) (Nov. 17), knocking down three three-pointers.
- His appearance vs. Georgia State (Nov. 9) was his first game since March 2016. He scored two points, his first in 975 days, after missing the 2016-17 season due to transfer rules and 2017-18 due to hip surgery.
- Named to the All-Big Sky first team after ranking among the league leaders for field-goal percentage (second), scoring (sixth), steals (11th), assists (13th) and rebounds (16th). He is the only player in the conference to rank in the top 16 for all five categories.
- Over his past 10 games, is averaging 20.7 points per game on .684 shooting, leading the Griz for scoring eight times.
- His .608 season field-goal percentage ranks 21st nationally. Of those ahead of him, most play more of a post position, with Pridgett (6-5) being taller than just two of them.
- Has a team-most 41 steals, leading the Grizzlies a team-most 11 times, including a career high five at Creighton (Nov. 28).
- Is averaging 3.7 assists per game over his past seven contests, recording at least three in all seven. For comparison, he averaged 1.4 assists per game during non-conference play.
- Is shooting .457 from beyond the arc (16-of-35) after entering the season 4-of-26 (.154).
- Earned back-to-back Big Sky Conference Player of the Week awards after averaging 22.8 points on .731 shooting, in addition to 9.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists, over a four game stretch (Feb. 7-16).
- Scored his 1,000th career point in a win at Sacramento State (March 9), becoming the 34th Grizzly in school history to reach the milestone.
- Scored a team-high 28 points at Portland State (March 7), including 12 UM points in a row at one point and 23 in the second half.
- Recorded career highs for points (29) and rebounds (16) in a road win at Weber State (Feb. 14), including the final bucket that ended up being the game-winner.
- In wins over Idaho (Feb. 7) and Eastern Washington (Feb. 9), averaged 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting .842 from the floor.
- Named Big Sky Player of the Week (Jan. 15) after scoring 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting at Northern Colorado (Jan. 12). He scored Montana's first 11 points, and his .909 field-goal percentage is the second-best by any Big Sky athlete in league play this season.
- During his first two seasons, he made four total three-pointers, the same number he had in the first half vs. the Creighton (Nov. 28). Pridgett scored 23 points vs. the Bluejays, with 21 coming in the first half.
- His .538 career field-goal percentage ranks fourth among active Big Sky players. He also ranks in the top 10 for scoring and steals.
- Named the Big Sky Conference Top Reserve and Co-Newcomer of the Year.
- Received a waiver from the NCAA to play this year, despite transferring from Oregon State.
- Ranks second on the team with 53 made three-pointers, doing so on. 442 shooting (sixth in Big Sky). He has made at least two treys in 17 games this season.
- Leads the Big Sky with an .896 free-throw percentage in league games. He has two streaks this season of at least 10 consecutive makes.
- Ranks fifth in league play with a .438 three-point shooting percentage. During a two-game stretch from Feb. 16-23, he was a combined 11-of-13 from deep.
- Scored 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting from deep at Idaho State (Feb. 16), including 12 of 19 UM points at one point in the second half. His six made three-pointers were a Griz high and the .857 shooting percentage was the best among Big Sky athletes this season.
- Making his first UM start, scored 16 points (four three-pointers) vs. Idaho State (Jan. 24), including 11 during a 16-1 Griz run to begin the second half.
- Led all Grizzlies with a career-high 22 points vs. Portland State (Jan. 5), including a perfect 10-of-10 mark from the free-throw line.
- Stuffed the stats sheet at Southern Utah (Dec. 31), scoring 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, in addition to a career-high five assists.
- Had a team-high 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting vs. Montana Tech (Nov. 12). Recorded 16 points vs. Miami (Ohio) (Nov. 17).
- Earned All-Big Sky first team recognition for the second consecutive season.
- Reached 1,500 career points faster than any player in school history, and nationally is one of 16 active players with at least 1,500 career points and 400 assists.
- Ranks in the top 10 in Big Sky play for scoring (14.7 per game, ninth), assists (4.4, sixth) and minutes played (35.5, third). He also ranks 13th for three-pointers made (2.0 per game).
- His 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the league by a wide margin, and overall, ranks 37th nationally. Rorie hasn't posted a negative assist-to-turnover ratio since Dec. 19, and has a 3.7 ratio over the past 10 contests (at least four assists in all 10 games).
- Has led UM for assists 20 times and scoring on 10 occasions.
- Became the only player in UM history to score 1,500 career points in three seasons, doing so at Idaho State (Feb. 16). He scored 10 during a span of 3:09 late in the first half.
- Nearly recorded a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds at Montana State (Feb. 2).
- Scored 20 points in a road win at Idaho (Jan. 19), scoring 10 of Montana's first 19 points to help the Griz build a lead.
- Has scored at least 20 points seven times this season, including the first three games to begin Big Sky play (Dec. 29-Jan. 3). During that stretch, he averaged 22.7 points on .578 shooting, including .480 from deep.
- In a road win at Southern Utah (Dec. 31), Rorie scored game-high 24 points, including a dozen over the game's first 8 minutes.
- Biggest moment came vs. Miami (Ohio) (Nov. 17), when he made three three-pointers in the final 3 minutes of the game, including one with 13 seconds to play to give Montana a 71-69 lead.
- In 11 Big Sky games, averaged 16.3 points (eighth at the time) and 9.1 rebounds (third) while shooting .586 from the floor (third). Has not played since Feb. 9 with a knee injury.
- At the time of his injury, he led the Big Sky with 2.2 steals per game during league play, including five against Idaho (Feb. 7) and Northern Colorado (Jan. 12).
- Was named the Big Sky Player of the Week (Jan. 29) after recording two double-doubles in wins over Idaho State and Weber State and averaging 23.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.
- Has the league's best rebounding performance during Big Sky play, recording 18 vs. Sacramento State (Jan. 3). He also had 17 boards vs. Idaho State (Jan. 24).
- Recorded four double-doubles in 11 Big Sky contests, trailing only four players, despite missing half of the conference season.
- Scored a season-high 25 points vs. Weber State (Jan. 26), at one point scoring 12 consecutive UM points.
- In addition to his double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds), he had a career-high five steals at Northern Colorado (Jan. 12).
- Scored 20 or more points in each of Montana's first three Big Sky games, including a double-double with 21 points and 18 boards vs. Sacramento State (Jan. 3), the most rebounds by a Big Sky athlete this season and most by a Grizzly since 2016.
- He scored 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, in addition to nine rebounds, in a win at Northern Arizona (Dec. 29). Sixteen of his points came in the second half, including 11 in the first 5 minutes as UM erased a halftime deficit.
- Scored a team-high 22 points in Montana's season-opening win over Georgia State (Nov. 9).
- Despite playing just 15 games, led UM for rebounding a team-high nine times, steals nine times and scoring on six occasions.
- Missed seven of first 10 games with a wrist injury, including six in a row from Nov. 12-Dec. 3. Has not played since suffering a knee injury vs. Idaho (Feb. 7).
- Has played in 24 contests, averaging 8.4 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. After beginning the season with three post players coming off the bench, he has asserted himself as the top one, playing in 11 consecutive games, including 22 minutes at Idaho State (Feb. 16).
- Recorded a career-high 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting while logging 22 minutes at Idaho State (Feb. 16).
- Saw seven minutes of action in a win over Idaho (Feb. 7), recording a career-high five rebounds, in addition to five points.
- In his return to his hometown (Bozeman), Anderson scored four points within 20 seconds of checking in at Montana State (Feb. 2), including an alley-oop dunk.
- Was expected to redshirt, but instead made his collegiate debut vs. Incarnate Word (Nov. 16), scoring seven points on 3-of-4 shooting.
- Enters the tournament needing to play three games to pass Fabijan Krslovic's school record (132) for most career games played.
- Is averaging 5.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while leading the team with 23 blocked shots.
- Ranks eighth in Big Sky play for blocked shots (0.8 per game) and 20th for rebounding (5.4), including 13th for defensive rebounds (4.3).
- Has at least one blocked shot in nine consecutive games entering the tournament.
- Best known for his defense, has been praised for locking down opponents' top shooters, particularly at Northern Colorado (Jan. 12) and vs. Weber State (Jan. 26).
- Is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game over the past nine contests entering the tournament, after averaging 4.2 through the first 22 games.
- Has made three three-pointers on nine occasions, including vs. Eastern Washington (Feb. 9), when he was 4-for-6, finishing the night with 13 points and 10 boards (second career double-double).
- Had led UM for blocked shots a team-high 12 times and rebounding on six occasions.
- Has 26 assists in his past 10 games entering the tournament (2.6 average), including a career-high seven vs. Montana State (Feb. 23).
- Made three three-pointers vs. North Dakota State (Dec. 17), including a pair during an 11-0 Montana run to erase a halftime deficit.
- Scored a season-high 14 points vs. the College of Idaho (Dec. 3), shooting 5-of-9 from the floor.
- Missed his first 13 field-goal attempts to begin the season before shooting .609 (14-of-23) over the next five games from Nov. 16-Dec. 3.
- Ranks in the top 10 among active Big Sky players for career three-pointers made, blocked shots and rebounds.
- Has played in 18 games this season, averaging 6.8 minutes, 1.0 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. He's recording a block every 17.4 minutes of game action, a team best.
- Scored UM's final four points in a 100-58 win over Idaho (Feb. 7), pushing the Griz to triple digits. He also had three rebounds in 5 minutes of action.
- Started at Arizona (Dec. 19) after Jamar Akoh was a late scratch. He played a career-high 30 minutes – including all but 47 seconds in the first half – while containing Duke transfer and McDonald's All-American Chase Jeter.
- Earned his first career start vs. College of Idaho (Dec. 3), tallying career highs for blocks (3) and rebounds (6).
Rise and shine 🌟 The 2019 Big Sky Basketball Championships presented by @MyPlaceHotels are HERE! Get pumped and make your way to @centurylinkboi tickets as low as $10. Cheer on your favorite teams as they play for a trip to the Big Dance. #BigSkyInBoise #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/04eNerwfRT
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) March 11, 2019
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/ Men's BasketballMarch Madness Denver Pep Rally - 3/19/25
Thursday, March 20
Montana? Yes, Montana!
Wednesday, March 19
Griz Basketball Open Practice [March Madness] - 3/19/25
Wednesday, March 19
Griz Basketball Arrival To Denver [March Madness] - 3/18/25
Tuesday, March 18
