Thursday, January 23
Pocatello, Idaho
7 PM
Montana
at
Idaho State
Photo by: Derek Johnson
Montana begins 3-game road trip looking to solidify positioning
1/22/2020 8:27:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Montana at Idaho State
Thursday / 7 p.m. / Pocatello, Idaho
Some years, such as in 2018, when the Grizzlies won their first 13 conference games, it worked out. Montana went on to win the regular-season and tournament titles and return to March Madness that spring. Other years, like the season prior when the Grizzlies began 5-1 only to go 6-6 from that point forward, it hasn't. That year, Montana was outed in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament, the only time in DeCuire's five full seasons that the Grizzlies haven't played in the tournament championship game.
The truth is, it's a long season, and we're just getting started.
Montana's road trip this week to Idaho State and Weber State should be manageable. Idaho State is at the bottom of a four-way tie for sixth place, at 3-4. Weber State is 2-5 and in 10th place.
Don't tell that to Eastern Washington, though, a team whose only conference loss aside from the one Montana handed it came to Idaho State. Same thing to a surging Northern Arizona squad which lost to Idaho State on its home court. Weber State has looked nothing like a typical Weber State team, but is still the same squad that was picked to place third in both preseason polls, and still plays in an arena where the program has won more than 80 percent of its games over the past decade.
"Idaho State got off to as good of a start as they have in a long time in non-conference," DeCuire said of the Bengals. "With a new coach, they're playing with fresh confidence, and it's a group that, I think, believes they can have success. They run a different style (than in the past); they play more man and they're more athletic on the front line, which makes them a tough cover.
"Weber State, they probably have the most explosive backcourt in terms of having the ability to put points on the board. I think, even when they struggle, they have a sense of confidence because of their tradition. They're dangerous."
The crazy start to conference play has made for a wide-open race. Seven of 11 teams already have at least four losses. Montana is alone at 6-1, followed by a three-way tie at 4-2.
But just like Montana learned that Idaho is better than its record shows – the Vandals' five losses have come by a total of 13 points – the same could be said for a handful of teams.
Both Idaho State and Weber State have had five league games decided by single digits. Overall, 26 of the 37 (70.3 percent) Big Sky contests have a single-digit margin, including 13 by three points or fewer.
Four of Montana's wins have been by single digits, including two by two points.
"We keep saying this, but anyone can lose to anyone," DeCuire said. "I didn't expect a two-horse race, I think four, five teams could be in the mix. I think a lot of people expected five or six losses would win the league this year."
The Grizzlies, though, are also playing their best basketball of the season. While Sayeed Pridgett was Montana's go-to offensive weapon early on, a supporting cast has emerged over the past three weeks, allowing the offense to spread out.
Pridgett led Montana for scoring in nine of the Grizzlies' first 13 contests. In the five games since then, it's been someone different, alternating from Jared Samuelson (Southern Utah) to Kendal Manuel (Northern Colorado) to Derrick Carter-Hollinger (Eastern Washington), back to Manuel (Portland State) and Samuelson (Idaho).
As others have increased their offense, it has forced teams to stay honest when deciding to double or triple team Pridgett, who is still averaging 16.6 points per game over those five contests while technically not 'leading' the team (very loose term). He also has dished out 20 assists in the last three games alone.
Montana will play Idaho State Thursday at 7 p.m. from inside Reed Gym in Pocatello. The game will be broadcast on Eleven Sports, in addition to being streamed worldwide on Pluto TV. It can be heard globally on the Montana Grizzly Radio Network.
"It's a big week for us," DeCuire said. "If we go out and play our best basketball, we can find ourselves in a really good spot, because a bunch of good teams are playing each other this week."
WINNING WAYS
Playing one of the nation's most challenging non-conference schedules, the Grizzlies got off to a slow start to the season and went 4-7 in non-league play. Since, Montana has won six of its past seven games to move above .500 (10-8) for the first time this season.
BIG SKY UPDATE
Montana has had plenty of success over the Bengals, posting a 105-46 record. The 105 victories are the second-most against any opponent. Montana has only played Montana State, Idaho and Gonzaga more times than it has Idaho State.
The Grizzlies have had success overall, but especially lately, winning 17 in a row in the series. Montana's last loss to Idaho State came more than a decade ago (67-65 in January 2010). The Grizzlies have won eight in a row in Pocatello and hold a 39-32 overall advantage on the road.
While Montana has been good against Idaho period, winning every game under Travis DeCuire by double digits, the Grizzlies have been particularly good on the road. In four games in Pocatello, DeCuire's Grizzlies have won by an average of 17.5 points per game. A season ago, Montana took control late in the first half and cruised to a road win behind Kendal Manuel's 20 points. The then-junior connected on a career-high six three-pointers. Sayeed Pridgett scored 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting while Mack Anderson had a career-high 12 points on 6-of-8 efficiency.
Gallery: (1/18/2020) MBB: vs. Idaho (1.18.20)
START TO FINISH
After leading for just 18 minutes, 26 seconds combined in wins over Northern Arizona and Sacramento State to open Big Sky play, the Grizzlies have led by an average of 34:35 in each of their past four victories. Montana never trailed in a win over Southern Utah and haven't trailed by more than six against Eastern Washington, Portland State or Idaho.
SPREADING IT OUT
Senior Sayeed Pridgett is one of the league's top players, ranking third in the Big Sky for scoring and rebounding, as well as in the top seven for shooting, assists and steals. In Montana's first 13 games, Pridgett led Montana for scoring nine times.
With teams double, and sometimes triple, teaming Pridgett, Montana has been able to spread the love over the past five games, with someone other than Pridgett leading the Grizzlies for scoring each time: Jared Samuelson twice, Kendal Manuel twice and Derrick Carter-Hollinger once. Despite that, Pridgett is still averaging 16.6 points per game during that span, in addition to 20 assists over the past three contests.
TALKING TURNOVERS
In just two weeks, Montana has risen significantly in several shooting and defensive shooting categories. Below is a look at Montana's figures and national rankings prior to playing at Eastern Washington (Jan. 9) to now:
Category Jan. 8 Rank Jan. 21 Rank Difference
Scoring 64.7 315th 67.3 281st +34
FG% .428 228th .444 146th +82
FG% D .426 197th .422 169th +28
3FG% .307 289th .328 207th +82
3FG% D .330 196th .325 168th +28
DOMINANT DEFENSE
Montana's road swing continues with dates at Weber State (Saturday) and Portland State (Thursday, Jan. 30). The Grizzlies return to host Montana State inside Dahlberg Arena on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Complete Game Notes in PDF format, including additional notes, stats, charts and player pages
Thursday / 7 p.m. / Pocatello, Idaho
- TV: Eleven Sports
- Stream: Pluto TV (ch. 543)
- Listen: KGVO (1290 AM, 98.3 FM) / Worldwide on TuneIn
- Live Stats
Some years, such as in 2018, when the Grizzlies won their first 13 conference games, it worked out. Montana went on to win the regular-season and tournament titles and return to March Madness that spring. Other years, like the season prior when the Grizzlies began 5-1 only to go 6-6 from that point forward, it hasn't. That year, Montana was outed in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament, the only time in DeCuire's five full seasons that the Grizzlies haven't played in the tournament championship game.
The truth is, it's a long season, and we're just getting started.
Montana's road trip this week to Idaho State and Weber State should be manageable. Idaho State is at the bottom of a four-way tie for sixth place, at 3-4. Weber State is 2-5 and in 10th place.
Don't tell that to Eastern Washington, though, a team whose only conference loss aside from the one Montana handed it came to Idaho State. Same thing to a surging Northern Arizona squad which lost to Idaho State on its home court. Weber State has looked nothing like a typical Weber State team, but is still the same squad that was picked to place third in both preseason polls, and still plays in an arena where the program has won more than 80 percent of its games over the past decade.
"Idaho State got off to as good of a start as they have in a long time in non-conference," DeCuire said of the Bengals. "With a new coach, they're playing with fresh confidence, and it's a group that, I think, believes they can have success. They run a different style (than in the past); they play more man and they're more athletic on the front line, which makes them a tough cover.
"Weber State, they probably have the most explosive backcourt in terms of having the ability to put points on the board. I think, even when they struggle, they have a sense of confidence because of their tradition. They're dangerous."
The crazy start to conference play has made for a wide-open race. Seven of 11 teams already have at least four losses. Montana is alone at 6-1, followed by a three-way tie at 4-2.
But just like Montana learned that Idaho is better than its record shows – the Vandals' five losses have come by a total of 13 points – the same could be said for a handful of teams.
Both Idaho State and Weber State have had five league games decided by single digits. Overall, 26 of the 37 (70.3 percent) Big Sky contests have a single-digit margin, including 13 by three points or fewer.
Four of Montana's wins have been by single digits, including two by two points.
"We keep saying this, but anyone can lose to anyone," DeCuire said. "I didn't expect a two-horse race, I think four, five teams could be in the mix. I think a lot of people expected five or six losses would win the league this year."
The Grizzlies, though, are also playing their best basketball of the season. While Sayeed Pridgett was Montana's go-to offensive weapon early on, a supporting cast has emerged over the past three weeks, allowing the offense to spread out.
Pridgett led Montana for scoring in nine of the Grizzlies' first 13 contests. In the five games since then, it's been someone different, alternating from Jared Samuelson (Southern Utah) to Kendal Manuel (Northern Colorado) to Derrick Carter-Hollinger (Eastern Washington), back to Manuel (Portland State) and Samuelson (Idaho).
As others have increased their offense, it has forced teams to stay honest when deciding to double or triple team Pridgett, who is still averaging 16.6 points per game over those five contests while technically not 'leading' the team (very loose term). He also has dished out 20 assists in the last three games alone.
Montana will play Idaho State Thursday at 7 p.m. from inside Reed Gym in Pocatello. The game will be broadcast on Eleven Sports, in addition to being streamed worldwide on Pluto TV. It can be heard globally on the Montana Grizzly Radio Network.
"It's a big week for us," DeCuire said. "If we go out and play our best basketball, we can find ourselves in a really good spot, because a bunch of good teams are playing each other this week."
WINNING WAYS
Playing one of the nation's most challenging non-conference schedules, the Grizzlies got off to a slow start to the season and went 4-7 in non-league play. Since, Montana has won six of its past seven games to move above .500 (10-8) for the first time this season.
BIG SKY UPDATE
- Montana is alone in first place as the only team with six victories. The Grizzlies have a 1.5-game lead over Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado and Southern Utah.
- The other seven teams in the Big Sky all have four or more losses.
- Of the 37 Big Sky games entering Thursday, 26 have been decided by single digits, with 13 by a single possession.
- By Jan. 4 every team had at least one win and one loss. It marked the first time in 12 seasons that every team had a loss by the third week of league play.
- Idaho State enters Thursday's game with a 6-10 record overall, including a 3-4 mark in Big Sky play, which is tied for sixth place with four other teams.
- The Bengals have lost four of their past five games, two coming at home.
- ISU ranks highly for shooting, making 45.9 percent of its shots (75th in NCAA). The Bengals are particularly strong from deep, connecting at a 34.9-percent clip (104th).
- While ISU is a strong three-point team, the Bengals are arguably even better at defending the deep ball. Opponents are shooting just .282 from three-point range against ISU (17th in NCAA).
- With that said, opponents are having success inside the three-point arc, shooting .522 on two-point attempts.
- ISU also ranks low for free-throw shooting (.613, 341st in NCAA); turnover margin (-3.3, 329th); and steals (5.2 per game, 306th).
- ISU has three players averaging double figures for scoring, led by junior guard Tarik Cool (13.9). Cool is also the Bengals' leader for assists (sixth in Big Sky) and steals.
- ISU has three players who average at least 5.0 rebounds per game, including senior forward Chier Maker, who paces the team at 5.6, in addition to averaging 12.9 points per contest. Maker is also connecting on 2.2 made three-pointers per game (sixth in Big Sky).
- The Bengals are under first-year head coach Ryan Looney. He was previously the head coach at Point Loma Nazarene, taking his team to the Division II national championship last spring.
Montana has had plenty of success over the Bengals, posting a 105-46 record. The 105 victories are the second-most against any opponent. Montana has only played Montana State, Idaho and Gonzaga more times than it has Idaho State.
The Grizzlies have had success overall, but especially lately, winning 17 in a row in the series. Montana's last loss to Idaho State came more than a decade ago (67-65 in January 2010). The Grizzlies have won eight in a row in Pocatello and hold a 39-32 overall advantage on the road.
While Montana has been good against Idaho period, winning every game under Travis DeCuire by double digits, the Grizzlies have been particularly good on the road. In four games in Pocatello, DeCuire's Grizzlies have won by an average of 17.5 points per game. A season ago, Montana took control late in the first half and cruised to a road win behind Kendal Manuel's 20 points. The then-junior connected on a career-high six three-pointers. Sayeed Pridgett scored 22 points on 11-of-15 shooting while Mack Anderson had a career-high 12 points on 6-of-8 efficiency.
START TO FINISH
After leading for just 18 minutes, 26 seconds combined in wins over Northern Arizona and Sacramento State to open Big Sky play, the Grizzlies have led by an average of 34:35 in each of their past four victories. Montana never trailed in a win over Southern Utah and haven't trailed by more than six against Eastern Washington, Portland State or Idaho.
SPREADING IT OUT
Senior Sayeed Pridgett is one of the league's top players, ranking third in the Big Sky for scoring and rebounding, as well as in the top seven for shooting, assists and steals. In Montana's first 13 games, Pridgett led Montana for scoring nine times.
With teams double, and sometimes triple, teaming Pridgett, Montana has been able to spread the love over the past five games, with someone other than Pridgett leading the Grizzlies for scoring each time: Jared Samuelson twice, Kendal Manuel twice and Derrick Carter-Hollinger once. Despite that, Pridgett is still averaging 16.6 points per game during that span, in addition to 20 assists over the past three contests.
TALKING TURNOVERS
- Montana has turned the ball over more times than its opponent just one time in the past 14 games.
- The Grizzlies rank in the top 100 nationally for turnover margin, at +1.7.
- The Grizzlies forced a season high 10 steals vs. Sacramento State (Dec. 30) and again vs. Idaho (Jan. 18).
- Montana is 10-3 when turning the ball over 15 times or fewer, compared to 0-5 when turning the ball over 16 or more times.
- Montana has shot .450 or better from three-point range in three of its past five games, connecting on at least six triples in five contests in a row, including a season-high-tying nine vs. Portland State; Montana hit six or more three-pointers four times through the first 13 games of the season.
- The Grizzlies are 6-1 when posting a better three-point shooting percentage than their opponent.
- Montana has made at least two-thirds of its free-throw attempts in every conference game this season, shooting .750 or better in four of the past six games. Montana is shooting .750 from the charity stripe in Big Sky play, compared to .686 in non-conference.
- Montana has shot better than its opponent in 10 of the past 13 games, including five of seven in Big Sky play. The Grizzlies' have twice been victorious (Sacramento State, at Southern Utah) while being out-shot.
- Montana averaged 87.5 points per game over back-to-back wins earlier this month, doing so on .571 shooting. The Grizzlies scored 90 points on .542 shooting at Eastern Washington before scoring 85 points at a .604 clip vs. Portland State.
- The Grizzlies averaged 20.5 assists per game over the two contests (top two totals of the season), assisting on 41 of 64 made baskets (64.1 percent). The percentage through the first 15 games of the season was 43.3 percent.
- Despite reaching 70 points just seven times this season, five have come in the past 10 contests.
- Montana scored 66 points at Northern Colorado (nation's 35th-best scoring defense), more than any other opponent had at Bank of Colorado Arena up to that point.
- Facing the nation's third-best defense, Montana beat Sacramento State, despite scoring just 52 points. It was the Grizzlies' lowest scoring output in a win since beating the Hornets – by the exact same 52-50 score – in January 1998.
In just two weeks, Montana has risen significantly in several shooting and defensive shooting categories. Below is a look at Montana's figures and national rankings prior to playing at Eastern Washington (Jan. 9) to now:
Category Jan. 8 Rank Jan. 21 Rank Difference
Scoring 64.7 315th 67.3 281st +34
FG% .428 228th .444 146th +82
FG% D .426 197th .422 169th +28
3FG% .307 289th .328 207th +82
3FG% D .330 196th .325 168th +28
DOMINANT DEFENSE
- Montana has held all but three of its opponents under their season scoring averages.
- Montana has held 10 opponents to 70 points or fewer (9-1).
- Montana has twice held an opponent without a made three-pointer. Both No. 25 Washington (Nov. 22) and Portland State (Jan. 13) shot 0-for-11 from deep against the Griz.
- Eastern Washington ranked third nationally for scoring offense when Montana played in Cheney (Jan. 9), but the Grizzlies held the Eagles to 63 points, nearly 23 points below their season scoring average and 38 points below their season average at home.
- Just once (No. 8 Oregon) has Montana given up more than 74 points in regulation.
Montana's road swing continues with dates at Weber State (Saturday) and Portland State (Thursday, Jan. 30). The Grizzlies return to host Montana State inside Dahlberg Arena on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Complete Game Notes in PDF format, including additional notes, stats, charts and player pages
Of schools who have played in their home arenas for 60+ years, only Kansas, Duke, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Wichita State have a better home winning percentage than Montana! 🤯
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 20, 2020
➡️ https://t.co/ISwEOeg2bx#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/n4BkL0NUDG
Players Mentioned
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