Big Sky play begins early with trip to Southern Utah

MONTANA AT SOUTHERN UTAH
Thursday / 7 p.m. / Cedar City, Utah
Saturday / 12 p.m. / Cedar City, Utah

Stream: Pluto TV (ch. 1055)
Listen: KGVO (1290 AM, 98.3 FM) / Worldwide on TuneIn
Thursday Stats | Saturday Stats

Just days after opening the 2020-21 season at USC, Montana will be back in action this week, and this time it means a little bit more, with the Grizzlies playing a rare early December conference game.

Montana travels to Southern Utah to play the Thunderbirds on Thursday and Saturday, debuting the league's new format that features back-to-back games against the same team, in the same location.

"Southern Utah is going to be a team that will be playing with confidence," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "They're playing well, and they're at home. We have to go in there with confidence, as well, and be physical and play the best we can."

After seeing some things on film that he both liked and disliked from the USC game, DeCuire reiterated the importance of this week's practices in Missoula, before departing for Cedar City.

"We can't shoot 30 percent in a half and think we can win a game," he said. "But if we can tighten that up a bit, and introduce a few more concepts to the guys, I think we'll be ready, but we have some work to do."

Both games this week can be watched worldwide on Pluto TV or heard through the Grizzly Sports Network. Tipoff on Thursday is slated for Thursday, before a noon tip on Saturday.

BIG SKY OPENERS
Montana knows a thing or two about getting off to a good start. In fact, for more than a decade Montana has opened Big Sky Conference play with a win (11 in a row).

2009-10 vs. Northern Arizona (W, 71-54)
2010-11 vs. Northern Arizona (W, 83-80)
2011-12 vs. Portland State (W, 75-64)
2012-13 at Northern Arizona (W, 62-56)
2013-14 at Idaho (W, 72-71)
2014-15 vs. Northern Colorado (W, 66-48)
2015-16 at Northern Arizona (W, 90-84 (2OT))
2016-17 vs. Idaho State (W, 74-62)
2017-18 at Northern Arizona (W, 87-69)
2018-19 at Northern Arizona (W, 86-73)
2019-20 vs. Northern Arizona (W, 79-72)

During Travis DeCuire's six seasons, the Grizzlies have started out at least 2-0 in all but one season, and each year have gotten off to great starts overall.

2014-15: 7-1 start
2015-16: 6-0 start
2016-17: 4-1 start
2017-18: 13-0 start
2018-19: 13-2 start
2019-12: 7-1 start

GETTING A HEAD START
Montana's second game of the season will be a Big Sky Conference game, which will be historic on several levels:

Just once before has Montana's second game of the season been a league game. During the 1963-64 season, the first in Big Sky Conference history, Montana's second game was at Gonzaga – then a Big Sky member – marking the only other time that Montana's second game of the season has been a conference game.
- Thursday will mark just the eighth time that Montana has played a conference game within its first five games of the season.
- Thursday will mark just the fourth time that Montana has played a conference game within its first three games of the season, and the first since 1967-68.
Thursday's game will be Montana's earliest Big Sky Conference opener ever. The previous record came on Dec. 4, 2009, vs. Northern Arizona.
- Previously, Montana has played five Big Sky Conference games prior to Christmas:
  - Dec. 20, 2008 at Portland State (loss)
  - Dec. 4, 2009 vs. Northern Arizona (win)
  - Dec. 5, 2009 vs. Northern Colorado (loss)
  - Dec. 19, 2012 at Northern Arizona (win)
  - Dec. 21, 2012 at Sacramento State (win)
The only time Montana has played a Big Sky Conference opponent earlier than Dec. 3 came during the 1996-97 season, when Montana hosted Sacramento State on Nov. 30 in a game that was considered a non-conference game. The Grizzlies and Hornets later played twice during Big Sky play that season.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH

SUU enters the week with a 1-1 record. The Thunderbirds lost at Loyola Marymount on a buzzer-beater, 85-83, before rebounding with a 95-47 win over Saint Katherine.
The Thunderbirds are averaging 89.0 points per game (31st in NCAA) through one week of the season, shooting at a .537 clip (22nd). SUU averages 11.5 made 3-pointers per game, which ranks 16th, and is shooting at a .418 clip (36th).
In the victory, SUU opened the game on a 10-0 run and never trailed. Tevian Jones, despite playing less than 20 minutes, scored 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting, including a perfect 4-of-4 mark from beyond the arc.
Through two games as a Thunderbird, Jones, a transfer from Illinois, is averaging 19.5 points per game on .636 shooting (.600 from 3-point range).
Dre Marin scored 15 points in the win over Saint Katherine. The senior already holds SUU's Division-I record for career starts (90).
Senior John Knight III scored 12 points against Saint Katherine while dishing out six assists. The senior has 16 assists in two games on the young season, in addition to 15.5 points per game. A season ago, Knight led SUU for assists and ranked second for scoring.
With a win this week, Todd Simon will become the second-winningest coach in SUU's Division-I history.
SUU finished the shortened 2019-20 season with a 17-15 record, marking the first time since 2006-07 that the Thunderbirds posted a winning record.
The Thunderbirds brought in 10 new players to its roster, including Division-I transfers Courtese Cooper (LSU), Jones (Illinois) and Aanen Moody (North Dakota).
SUU was picked to finish sixth in the Big Sky Conference preseason media poll and seventh in the coaches' poll.

SERIES VS. THE THUNDERBIRDS
Montana is 18-6 all-time against Southern Utah, winning 15 in a row in the series from 2003 through 2020. The Thunderbirds snapped the Grizzlies' long win streak last March, with an 85-80 overtime win in Missoula, which ended up being the Grizzlies' final game of the shortened season. The Grizzlies are 8-2 all-time against SUU in Cedar City, and 9-1 against the Thunderbirds overall under Travis DeCuire.

Seven of Montana's last eight wins over the Thunderbirds have come by double digits, including a 30-point road win during the 2018-19 season.
A year ago, Montana led from start to finish, and after leading by as many as 10, including eight with 3:13 to play, the game was decided in the closing seconds, with a steal on an in-bounds pass that would have given the Thunderbirds the chance to tie the game or take the lead.

WHITNEY MAKES HISTORY IN DEBUT
Brandon Whitney became the first freshman to ever lead the Grizzlies in scoring in a season opener, scoring 17 points in his debut. The performance was also tied for the most ever by a player making his collegiate debut in a season opener.

Impressively, of the eight players to ever score in double figures in a season opener, five have come under Travis DeCuire, with four happening in the last two seasons:

17	Brandon Whitney	Nov. 28, 2020 at USC
17	Michael Oguine	Nov. 13, 2015 vs. Boise State
15	Derrick Carter-Hollinger	Nov. 6, 2019 at Stanford
11	Josh Vazquez	Nov. 6, 2019 at Stanford
11	Ryan Slider	Nov. 14, 1998 vs. Simon Fraser
11	J.R. Camel	Nov. 23, 1994 vs. Simon Fraser
10	Matt Martin	Nov. 21, 2004 at Gonzaga
10	Rodney Brandon	Dec. 3, 1997 at Northern Colorado

WELCOME TO THE GRIZ
Montana had five players make their Griz debuts at USC, including freshmen Josh Bannan and Brandon Whitney, who led the team for both scoring and minutes played. Additionally, transfers Cameron Parker, Cameron Satterwhite and Michael Steadman played in their first games for Montana.

Bannan, Parker and Steadman earned starts, as did Eddy Egun, the first of his career.

DOMINANT DEFENSE
After allowing USC to shoot 71 percent from the floor in the first half, Montana's defense stepped up and limited the Trojans in the second half:

After the Trojans shot .714 in the first half (15-of-21), Montana held USC to .320 shooting the second half.
USC went nearly 8 minutes late in the game without a made field goal, and shot 2-of-10 over the game's final 10 minutes.
Montana forced USC into 16 turnovers (six steals), leading to 16 Griz points
Freshman Evan Mobley, the No. 1 high school recruit in the country and a projected NBA lottery pick, was limited to three made field goals and four shot attempts. In USC's other two games, Mobley is averaging nine makes and 13.5 attempts.

DECUIRE CLOSING IN ON 200TH GAME
Travis DeCuire will coach his 200th game on Thursday, becoming the fifth Griz coach to reach the milestone. DeCuire joins George Dahlberg (444), Wayne Tinkle (249), Mike Montgomery (231) and Blaine Taylor (207) as the only coaches to reach 200 games at Montana. DeCuire's win total through 200 games trails only Taylor (137) and Montgomery (135).

DeCuire, who won more games through six seasons than any coach in Griz history and is the fastest in Big Sky history to 50 league wins, coached in his 100th game on Nov. 10, 2017, an 83-78 overtime win at Pitt of the ACC.

THE WAITING GAME
From Montana's 2019-20 regular-season finale on March 7 until its opener last week at USC, the program went 266 days between games. It was the longest break in action since the 1999 offseason. The Nov. 28 start date was Montana's latest start to a season since opening the 1992-93 campaign on Dec. 1.

NOTES FROM USC

Eleven Grizzlies saw action, with 10 stepping on the floor within the game's first 6 minutes.
After falling behind by as many as 24 points, 32-8, Montana out-scored USC 54 to 44 over the game's final 27 minutes.
- The Grizzlies got within 12 points on several occasions in the second half.
Montana forced USC into 16 turnovers (six steals), leading to 16 Griz points
USC went nearly 8 minutes late in the game without a made field goal, and shot 2-of-10 over the game's final 10 minutes.
- After the Trojans shot .714 in the first half (15-of-21), Montana held USC to .320 shooting the second half.
Freshman Brandon Whitney led Montana with 17 points, marking the first freshman ever to lead Montana for scoring in a season opener.
- Whitney shot 4-of-10 from the floor and connected on 8-of-9 free-throw attempts. He also led the Grizzlies with three assists.
Freshman Josh Bannan led all Griz players with five made field goals, leading to 13 points. He also had four rebounds and a steal.
- The freshman ignited Montana's offense with seven consecutive points late in the first half. Starting with his dunk with 7:08 to play, Montana scored 17 points over the remainder of the half, after scoring just eight points through the first 12:52.
For the second consecutive season two freshmen (Brandon Whitney, 19; Josh Bannan, 13) scored in double figures in their collegiate debuts (Derrick Carter-Hollinger and Josh Vazquez last year at Stan-ford).
After going scoreless in the first half, Kyle Owens scored 11 points in the second half, while drawing two charges and leading the Griz with seven rebounds.
- Owens scored six consecutive Griz points at one point, cutting the deficit to 13 points.
Starting at point guard, Sacred Heart transfer Cameron Parker led Montana with two steals, including one that led to a fast-break layup. The junior also had two assists and four points.
Preseason All-Big Sky Conference selection Michael Steadman scored the Grizzlies' first basket. The redshirt senior finished the game with seven points and two rebounds.
Montana didn't record its first defensive rebound for nearly 6 minutes, and lost the rebounding battle 19-6 in the first half, before being even on the glass, 22-22, in the second.
After starting the game 4-of-20 from the floor, Montana made three shots in a row, and four of its final six, to close the first half. The Grizzles out-shot the Trojans in the second half.
Montana out-scored USC in the paint, 14-10, in the second half, after allowing 22 points in the paint through the opening 20 minutes.
Instead of the traditional names on the backs of Montana's jerseys, each player's jersey read 'Solidarity'. Part of a national trend, the coaching staff wore polos and quarter-zips on the sideline in place of traditional suits.
To abide by social-distancing measures, each chair on the bench was spread out, wrapping around the baseline, and bench players and all coaches wore face masks throughout the game.
Montana made its season opener without playing a single exhibition game or scrimmage.
Montana fell to 1-3 all-time against USC and lost for the 14th straight time against a Pac-12 opponent, dating back to the 2010-11 season.
Robby Beasley III (day-to-day), Hunter Clarke (late arrival to Missoula) and Darius Henderson (will be-come eligible to play, per NCAA transfer rules, in the coming weeks) did not suit up for Montana.

CALIFORNIA PIPELINE
Montana has nine California natives on its roster, including seven who hail from southern California. The Grizzlies join UCLA (13 from California), North Florida (nine, Florida), Manhattan (nine, New York), UCF (nine, Florida) and Norfolk State (nine, Virginia) as the NCAA's only schools with nine or more players from the same state.

Even more impressive, Montana is the only school in the country with nine players from one state, outside of the university's state. Louisiana Tech ranks second, with eight players from Texas, followed by Middle Tennessee (seven from Georgia), Oklahoma State (seven from Texas and Wisconsin (seven from Minnesota).

LOOKING AHEAD
After a brief detour into league play, Montana will continue its non-conference schedule, which next features the Grizzlies' first trip to Athens, Georgia (Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. MT).

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

Big Sky play begins early with trip to Southern Utah

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Bannan

Robby Beasley III

Derrick Carter-Hollinger

Hunter Clarke

Eddy Egun

Darius Henderson

Michael Oguine

Kyle Owens

Cameron Parker

Cameron Satterwhite

Michael Steadman

Josh Vazquez

Brandon Whitney

University of Montana Athletics

Big Sky play begins early with trip to Southern Utah

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Bannan

Robby Beasley III

Derrick Carter-Hollinger

Hunter Clarke

Eddy Egun

Darius Henderson

Michael Oguine

Kyle Owens

Cameron Parker

Cameron Satterwhite

Michael Steadman

Josh Vazquez

Brandon Whitney

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