1 win from a return to March Madness

Montana vs. Eastern Washington / Saturday / 6 p.m. / Boise, Idaho

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Montana finds itself in a familiar position, back in the Big Sky Conference championship game. The Grizzlies have played in the title game in eight of the past 10 seasons – including four of five seasons under head coach Travis DeCuire – an unprecedented run never experienced by any team in the 44-year history of the conference tournament.

The Grizzlies are in a familiar setting, but they also are facing a familiar opponent. They will go head to head with Eastern Washington for the second consecutive season in the title game and third time in the past five years. The Eagles upset Montana in Missoula in the 2015, 69-65, before Montana won in 2018. In that contest, Montana overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to out-score Eastern Washington 53-25 in the second half.

Montana knows that a win on Saturday will once again send the Grizzlies dancing. The program is looking for its 12^th trip to the NCAA tournament.

Montana, which won the regular-season title for the second consecutive season, is now looking to go back-to-back in the conference tournament. If successful, the Grizzlies would be the fifth Big Sky team ever to win outright regular-season and tournament championships in consecutive seasons, joining 1979-80 Weber State, 1981-82 Idaho, 1991-92 Montana and 2012-13 Montana.

Tipoff for Saturday is slated for 6 p.m. The game can be watched nationwide on ESPNU, as well as ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app. It can be listened to across the Grizzly Radio Network and nationally on Westwood One.

WITH A WIN…

Montana would earn a trip to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season and 12^th time in school history.
Travis DeCuire, who is already the only coach to lead Montana to three regular-season titles, would become the third coach to take the Grizzlies to back-to-back NCAA tournaments.
Montana would win its 11^th tournament championship, the most in league history. The Grizzlies are currently tied with Weber State at 10, although four of the Wildcats' wins came prior to 1984.
The Grizzlies would become the first Big Sky team to repeat as tournament champs since Montana did so in 2012 and 2013. They would become the fifth team in league history to win back-to-back outright regular-season titles and tournament championships.
Montana would improve to 26-8 on the year, tied for the third-most wins in school history, along with last year's program.
Montana would win its 52^nd game over the past two seasons, extending its school record for best two-year stretch ever.
Montana would win its 89^th game over the past four seasons, tied for the second-most wins ever by a senior class.
Montana would win its 109^th game over the past five seasons – since DeCuire took over – tied for the third-most wins ever over a five-year period.

SUSTAINING SUCCESS
Montana's eight championship-game appearances in the past decade is unheard of, but zeroing in on the past two seasons, the achievements become even more impressive. Not only has Montana won more games in the past two seasons (51) than in any two-year stretch in school history, but the Grizzlies are also one of just 21 schools nationally – through Friday – who have won at least 25 games in both 2017-18 and 2018-19. The list includes Buffalo, Cincinnati, Duke Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Murray State, Nevada, New Mexico State, North Carolina, North Carolina-Greensboro, Old Dominion, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Vermont and Virginia.

BREAKING A TREND
Across the country, No. 1 seeds in conference tournaments are not living up to their top positioning. Of the 14 conference tournaments which had completed by Friday evening, just three No. 1 seeds earned their league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Nine additional conference tournaments that will finish on Saturday or Sunday will add to that group, with the No. 1 seed already eliminated.

On the flip side, the top seed has had plenty of success in the Big Sky Conference. The No. 1 seed has won the Big Sky tournament in three consecutive seasons and seven of the past eight. Saturday marks the 13^th time in the past 14 seasons that the No. 1 seed has advanced to the title game.

SERIES VS. THE EAGLES
Montana and Eastern Washington will meet for the 113th time on Saturday. The Grizzlies own a 68-44 advantage over the Eagles, an impressive feat considering they lost the first 14 games in the series. The two teams have met six times in the conference tournament, with the Grizzlies going 5-1.

In last year's title game, Montana won by 17 points, despite trailing by 11 at the intermission. The Grizzlies shot 59.2 percent from the field overall (65.4 percent in the second half), including 50.0 from long range. Michael Oguine led all players with 21 points, followed by Ahmaad Rorie (15 points and five assists). Bobby Moorehead chipped in with a dozen, as the trio combined to connect on eight three-pointers.

Montana suffered a six-point setback, 77-71, on Jan. 10 in Cheney, a game that was considered a turning point for the season. The loss was Montana's second in a row, but coming off of the defeat, the Grizzlies rattled off 10 consecutive victories, trailing for just 29 total minutes during that span (approximately 7 percent of game action). In the road loss, three Grizzlies had at least 16 points, led by Oguine's 18 and Sayeed Pridgett's 16 points and nine boards. One month later in Missoula – a 75-74 Griz win – Pridgett had 19 points and 11 boards, connecting on 8-of-10 shot attempts.

Oguine has scored in double figures six times vs. EWU. Pridgett is averaging 16.7 points per game over his last three contests vs. the Eagles.

NOTES FROM FRIDAY'S WIN OVER WEBER STATE

The win was Montana's largest margin of victory ever in the Big Sky tournament, surpassing its 25-point win over Weber State in the 1997 semifinals. Three of Montana's top-five tournament victories have come against the Wildcats.
The win is Montana's 51^st in the past two seasons, the best two-year stretch in school history. The 1991 and 1992 teams won 50 combined games, as did the 2012 and 2013 teams.
Montana advanced to the championship game for the eighth time in the past 10 seasons.
Montana has won eight consecutive semifinal appearances. The last time the Grizzlies lost a semifinal game was in 2007.
The Grizzlies have won eight of the past 10 meetings vs. the Wildcats in the Big Sky tournament; the two teams played in the tourney for the seventh time in the past decade on Friday.
Montana never trailed in the contest, leading by double digits for the final 35 minutes and by at least 20 points for the final 14 minutes. In three games vs. Weber State this season, the Grizzlies trailed for 32 seconds across 120 minutes. They led by at least 20 points in all three games vs. the Wildcats.
Montana held Weber State to a season-low 49 points, more than 31 points below the Wildcats' season average. Weber State entered the night ranked 31^st in the NCAA with 80.2 points per game.
The Wildcats also ranked in the top 60 nationally for field-goal percentage, three-point shooting and free-throw efficiency. They were limited to a season-low .315 shooting, including .238 from beyond the arc.
Weber State's 49 points and 17 made field goals were season lows by a Griz opponent. Its .315 shooting percentage was the lowest by a Division-I opponent.
Ahmaad Rorie made his first seven field-goal attempts on his way to a season-most 28 points. The senior had 18 points in the first half alone, moving into sixth place on Montana's all-time career scoring list. He also added seven rebounds and six assists compared to just one turnover.
In addition to his offense, Rorie locked down two-time All-Big Sky first-team selection Jerrick Harding, limiting the junior to six points and eight shot attempts – both season lows. Harding entered the night ranked 21^st nationally, averaging 21.9 points per game.
Bobby Moorehead recorded his second double-double of the season, posting 13 points and 10 rebounds. He had back-to-back treys during a 10-0 Griz run that gave Montana its largest lead of the game (37).
Moorehead played in his 132^nd career game, tying former teammate Fabijan Krslovic for a school record. Moorehead is expected to pass Krslovic on Saturday.
Montana made just five three-pointers in each of the two meetings vs. Weber State this season, before knocking down 10 on Friday. The Wildcats have the nation's 54^th-best three-point defense.
Weber State was held to 22 first-half points. The Wildcats average 37.7 points per game in the first half this season, but averaged just 24.0 in three games against the Griz, never scoring more than 26.
Montana posted a +11 advantage on the glass (42 to 31), including three players with at least seven rebounds. The Grizzlies also made 12 more field goals (29 to 17) and turned the ball over three fewer times (seven to 10).
Junior Sayeed Pridgett scored 14 points while collecting five rebounds.
Senior Michael Oguine had eight points and eight rebounds, in addition to three assists, but most impressive were his three steals. Over the past three games, Oguine has 10 swipes; he ranks third in school history for career steals.
Like Thursday, Montana jumped out to an early lead, using an 8-0 run to go up 10-2 less than 3 minutes into the contest. The Grizzlies led by 15 (22-7) just 7:25 into the game. Weber State started 3-for-11 shooting while the Grizzlies were 9-of-11 – making their first five attempts.
Weber State got within 10, 24-14, but Montana responded with a 7-0 run to more than double up the Wildcats. The run started with a steal and dunk from Timmy Falls and was capped with a Rorie trey, his third of the game at the time.
Weber State got within 13, 33-20, before Montana scored nine points in a row and held the Wildcats without a point for 4:04 late in the first half.
Montana opened the game up even more in the second half, using a 10-0 run over just 93 seconds to take its first 30-point lead. The Grizzlies held the Wildcats without a made field goal for more than 5 minutes, with the Wildcats shooting 0-for-8.
Montana never stopped, using a 10-0 run, including back-to-back treys from Moorehead. The Grizzlies held the Wildcats without a basket for another four-minute stretch to take a game-high 37-point lead.

Check out a few highlights from @MontanaGrizBB semifinal victory over @ @WeberStateMBB pic.twitter.com/T0MJojeeOj
— Big Sky MBB (@BigSkyMBB) March 16, 2019

ON TOP OF THE BIG SKY
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 will play in the tournament championship game for the eighth time in the past 10 seasons.

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 42-29 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 20 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 eight 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).

PLAYING AS THE NO. 1 SEED

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 13 of the past 14 seasons, including this year, with 2010 being the lone exception.
Montana is looking to become the first No. 1 seed 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.

GRIZ TRACKS

Montana, winners of 14 of its past 16 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 18 times.
Conversely, Montana has held opponents under .400 shooting 10 times (10-0), including on Friday vs. Weber State.
Montana has made at least eight three-pointers in a game 21 times this season. The Grizzlies hit that number just four times in 2017-18.
Overall, Montana is shooting .378 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 in the Big Sky for scoring, not including Jamar Akoh (16.3), who no longer qualifies due to games played.
Montana has out-rebounded its opponent in 20 of its past 23 games. During Big Sky play, the Grizzlies led the Big Sky for rebounding defense (29.8) and rebounding margin (+5.3).
Montana has held opponents under their season scoring average in 27 of 33 games.
Montana has forced at least 10 turnovers in 81 of the past 84 games played dating back to the 2016-17 season.
Fifteen of Montana's 25 wins have come by double digits, including seven by at least 20 points.
Montana is 15-0 on the year when scoring at least 80 points.
Montana is 24-2 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. Sayeed Pridgett became the 34^th 1,000-point scorer in school history during the team's regular-season finale.
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.
First-team All-Big Sky selection Sayeed Pridgett is averaging 20.2 points per game over the past 12 contests, leading the Griz for scoring eight times. Overall, his .613 shooting percentage ranks 21st nationally.
During a two-game stretch from Feb. 16-23, Kendal Manuel was 11-of-13 (.846) from deep. He finished Big Sky play ranked first with a .896 free-throw percentage and fifth for three-point shooting (.438), and this week was named the Big Sky Conference Top Reserve and Co-Newcomer of the Year.
Ahmaad Rorie led the league with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. He hasn't had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio since Dec. 19, and over the past dozen games has a 3.9 ratio, with at least four assists in each contest.
Rorie, a first-team all-conference selection also ranked in the top 10 in the Big Sky for scoring, assists and minutes played.
In addition to more than 1,500 career points (seventh in school history, Oguine ranks third for career steals (159) and is among the leaders for career starts (121). He has 10 steals in the past three games.
Senior Bobby Moorehead (132) will break Fabijan Krslovic's school record for career games played on Saturday.
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.
Mack Anderson (Bozeman, Mont.) is the Montana native to play as a true freshman since Mike Chavez (Butte) in 2002-03. After averaging 8.4 minutes and 2.1 points across 24 games this season, Anderson has averaged 16.0 minutes, 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in two tournament games.
In addition to his perimeter defense, Timmy Falls closed the regular season by averaging 11.0 points across the final three games, including a career-high 16 vs. Sacramento State (March 9).
With a veteran group, four starters have played in 100 or more career games. Montana's four seniors have started a combined 345 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 108 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. The Grizzlies drew more than 4,000 fans per game, a better average than three Pac-12 schools.
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.
Seven players have made their collegiate or Grizzly debuts.
All-conference forward Jamar Akoh has missed the past 10 games with a knee injury. He has missed 17 games overall this season.

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

You're witnessing history, and we're not done yet! #GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/ytL8bzhllE
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) March 16, 2019

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Players Mentioned

Jamar Akoh

Mack Anderson

Donaven Dorsey

Timmy Falls

Fabijan Krslovic

Kendal Manuel

Bobby Moorehead

Michael Oguine

Sayeed Pridgett

Ahmaad Rorie

University of Montana Athletics