Griz travel to enemy territory for Round 2 of Brawl of the Wild

Montana at Montana State
Saturday / 7 p.m. / Bozeman, Mont.

TV: SWX Montana
Stream: Pluto TV (ch. 538)
Listen: KGVO (1290 AM, 98.3 FM) / Worldwide on TuneIn
Live Stats

Travis DeCuire was wary at the end of January, unsure if his team truly understood what the Griz-Cat rivalry against Montana State is all about. It's one thing to think you know, but another to go out and experience it.

With a young roster, many who had never played in the Brawl of the Wild before, he wanted them to know how much it means, not only to the program and university, but to the entire Missoula community and state of Montana.

Montana put on a show last time out, connecting on 10 first-half 3-pointers and shooting 50 percent from the floor in a 78-64 victory over the Bobcats.

The two teams will meet for the second time in 22 days on Saturday, and once again, DeCuire is unsure – even still – if his young players truly know the magnitude of the rivalry, which will be played for the 301^st time, more than all but four rivalries in the history of college basketball.

"Our freshmen though, because they played in this game at home that they had experienced it, but this is a whole new vibe, and we have to be ready," DeCuire said. "College athletics is all about hostile environments, crowds that either love you or hate you. This is one of those special moments where our freshmen get to play in an environment they've never been in before, and I'm excited for them to experience it."

The freshmen will quickly learn what the other side of the rivalry is like, as Montana steps into what is expected to be an electric, sold-out atmosphere in Bozeman.

Montana has had unprecedented success recently against the Cats, having won 18 of the past 19 meetings. Never before has Montana had a decade this good against its in-state rivals. A win on Saturday would give Montana its 11th win in its past 12 games in Bozeman. Earlier this month, the Grizzlies won for the 10^th time in a row on its home floor.

This Montana State team, though, looks different from ones of the past. Not only will be the home crowd be revved up because of the team dressed in maroon, but also because of its home squad, which has won five of its past seven games, including three of four since Montana and Montana State met on Feb. 1.

While Montana State has been very good over the past month, Montana has been even better, posting a perfect 5-0 record during the month of February, which began with the home win over the Cats in Missoula. All five of Montana's wins during its winning streak have been by double digits, with the Grizzlies out-shooting their opponents .537 to .435.

Tipoff on Saturday is slated for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast statewide on SWX Montana, with a worldwide stream on Pluto TV (channel 538). Fans across the world can listen to the radio broadcast on TuneIn.

"It's a big game, not only to us but the entire state," DeCuire said. "You feel a little bit of pressure to win this game, but at the same time, it's a positive energy that we look forward to. That's why you put on the Griz jersey, to put yourself in this type of environment. Our guys are excited to play in this game, and I'm fortunate to get to walk the sidelines in it."

PEAKING IN FEBRUARY

During the month of February, Montana is a perfect 5-0 with five double-digit victories.
The Grizzlies are averaging 80.4 points per game during the winning streak, with a +17.0 margin of victory.
Montana is shooting .537 from the field, having made at least half of its shots in every game.
Montana is connecting from deep as well, averaging 7.0 made 3-pointers per game on .461 shooting.
Rounding out the shooting, Montana has made its free throws at a .851 clip.
The Grizzlies have a +6.2 turnover margin, giving up the ball just 9.2 times per game, while forcing 15.4 turnovers.
Montana has a positive rebounding margin of +2.6, having out-rebounded its opponents in four of five games. Through January, Montana had a -3.4 rebounding margin on the season.
Senior Sayeed Pridgett has been lights out, averaging 23.2 points per game on .584 shooting. Not limited to scoring, Pridgett is also averaging 7.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Fellow senior Kendal Manuel is averaging 16.2 points per game on .500 shooting. He has connected on half of his 3-point attempts (11-of-22).

TREASURE STATE REPRESENTED
Three of Montana's eight primary rotation players are natives to the state of Montana, with Kendal Manuel and Jared Samuelson growing up in Billings, and Mack Anderson hailing from Bozeman.

All three have played in three games against Montana State. Manuel has been in double figures for scoring in each of the past two meetings, averaging 15.5 points during that span, while Anderson scored four points in 1 minute of action last year in Bozeman. Samuelson has made four of seven shots in his career against the Cats.

Montana State has five current players who hail from the Treasure State, including starter Ladan Ricketts and reserve player Caleb Bellach.

ANOTHER WINNING SEASON
While Montana is once again playing for much more than a winning record, a victory on Saturday would lock up an impressive feat. With a win on Saturday, Montana could finish no worse than 17-16. It would mark the 12th consecutive season that Montana has finished .500 or better.

DECUIRE DOMINATING THE BIG SKY
In six seasons at Montana, head coach Travis DeCuire has built a winning record against every Big Sky foe, including undefeated marks against four schools. A win on Saturday would give DeCuire an 11-1 record against Montana State, which would be more wins than any other opponent.

BIG SKY UPDATE

Following Montana's 92-82 win over Eastern Washington on Feb. 6, the Grizzlies jumped the Eagles into first place in the Big Sky standings. Montana (12-3) currently holds a one-game lead over both Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado (11-4).
With Montana idle on Thursday, both the Eagles and Bears were able to gain ground on the Grizzlies. EWU came from behind to beat Sacramento State by one, while Northern Colorado narrowly escaped Southern Utah.
In a crowded middle of the pack, six teams are likely fighting for two spots to earn a top-five seed and a bye into the quarterfinals. Northern Arizona (9-7) has moved into fourth place, followed by Montana State (8-7), Portland State (8-8) and Southern Utah (7-8
Following a surprising win at Eastern Washington, Idaho jumped Idaho State into 10th place. The Bengals have lost 10 consecutive contests.
Of the 84 Big Sky games entering Saturday, 47 have been decided by single digits, including 23 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.

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE

Montana State is 14-12 under first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle, including 8-7 in Big Sky play. The Bobcats have won three consecutive games at home.
Since the two teams last met, MSU is 3-2, including three straight wins prior to Thursday's road loss at Portland State.
MSU is 7-0 vs. the bottom four teams in the Big Sky standings, but just 1-7 against the top seven teams.
The Bobcats are 4-1 in games decided by four points or fewer.
MSU leads the Big Sky and ranks 26th nationally with 28.2 defensive rebounds per game.
Defensively, MSU has held three of its past four opponents under 40 percent shooting. Overall, the Bobcats rank 72nd nationally with a .407 field-goal defense, including 53rd with a .302 3-point defense.
One area Montana can try to exploit is turnovers. MSU has a -2.8 turnover margin, which ranks 333rd.
The Cats have a trio of players averaging double figures for scoring, led by all-conference guard Harald Frey (17.1). The senior has made 122 consecutive starts, and in addition to scoring, also leads MSU for three-pointers, assists and steals. With three assists on Saturday, he will become the second player in Big Sky history with 1,800 career points and 500 assists.
With 125 made baskets and 121 assists, Frey has accounted for more than 40 percent of his team's made baskets this season.
Jubrile Belo, an England native who began his career at Lamar Community College, averages 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting .623 from the floor. Belo had a 23-point, 11-rebound performance last week vs. Weber State, his third double-double of the season.

SERIES VS. THE BOBCATS
Saturday will mark the 301st all-time meeting between Montana and Montana State. In NCAA history, only four other series have been played 300 times (Oregon/Oregon State; Oregon/Washington; Oregon State/Washington; Oregon State/Washington State). The Brawl of the Wild series dates back to 1902-03 and has been played at least once in every season since 1960. Dating back to 1912, the two teams have played at least once in all but five seasons.

Montana holds a 152-148 advantage in the series, including a 78-64 win earlier this month in Missoula. The Bobcats won the first nine games in the series and into the 1930s led 45-16. Since then, Montana has worked its way back and took the lead for the first time two years ago. The Grizzlies have won 18 of their past 19 against Montana State, the best 19-game stretch by either team in the series. Montana is 10-1 in Bozeman since the 2008-09 season, with the only loss coming in 2017.

DeCuire is 16-3 against MSU, going 6-2 as a player and 10-1 so far as a coach.

Gallery: (2/1/2020) WBB: vs. Montana State (2.1.20)

RECORD KEEPING
Sayeed Pridgett will finish his Griz careers as one of the most-decorated players in school history, and is quickly shooting up several all-time lists.

Pridgett currently ranks ninth on Montana's all-time scoring list. He is expected to eclipse 1,600 career points and move into eighth place next week.
Additionally, with 16 more points, he will pass his season scoring total from a season ago, when he scored 528. Pridgett needs 26 points to crack Montana's single-season top-10 list. At his current pace, his 2019-20 scoring total would finish third all-time, if Montana is able to once again play multiple games in the Big Sky tournament.
Pridgett is 13 steals away from cracking the top five in school history. He currently has 134 steals.
Pridgett's 631 rebounds currently rank 16th in school history. At his current pace, he is expected to finish in the top 12.
Pridgett's 264 assists currently rank 17th in school history. He is expected to jump several a few more spots throughout the season.

1,000 FOR MANUEL
Senior Kendal Manuel, who began his collegiate career at Oregon State, reached 1,000 career points vs. Weber State with an emphatic slam dunk. The transfer has more than 700 of those points in less than two seasons at Montana and has been in double figures for scoring in all 15 Big Sky contests.

Manuel's career free-throw percentage of .890 is on pace to break Anthony Johnson's school record of .873. It would rank second in Big Sky history, trailing only Jeb Ivey of Portland State (.937 from 2001-03). His current .921 season percentage would rank third in Big Sky history, and is in position to reach the record of .930.

CONSISTENT SAYEED
Senior Sayeed Pridgett has accomplished plenty in his career, as the versatile player is expected to finish his career ranked in the top 10 in Montana history for points and steals, and near the top 10 for rebounding.

He has also been consistent, scoring in double figures in 40 straight games, beginning Feb. 7, 2019. Nationally, only Oregon State's Tres Tinkle (91), Detroit's Antoine Davis (55), CSUN's Lamine Diane (48) and Hampton's Jermaine Marrow (42) have longer active streaks than Pridgett.

OFFENSIVE UPTICK
Over the past five weeks, Montana has featured one of the nation's top offenses, averaging 80.6 points per game on .527 shooting, including a .429 clip from 3-point range. The figures span the past 11 games since Jan. 9.

Spread across an entire season, Montana would lead the nation for 3-point shooting, rank second for field-goal percentage (second to only Dayton) and would rank fourth for scoring (fourth behind Gonzaga, Alabama and Duke).

Through non-conference play, Montana was averaging 64.8 points per game (10th out of 11 teams) on .429 shooting (10th). The Grizzlies were shooting .296 from deep (11th) and .686 from the free-throw line (sixth). Three-quarters through Big Sky play, the Grizzlies are averaging a league-best 76.3 points per Big Sky game. Montana is shooting .499 overall (first), .407 from deep (first) and .782 from the free-throw line (first). The Grizzlies also have a league-best +8.5 scoring margin.

HITTING FROM DEEP
On Jan. 1, Montana ranked 310th nationally (out of 353 Division-I teams) with a .296 3-point field-goal percentage. The Grizzlies now rank 55th, in the top 20 percent nationally. After connecting at a better clip than its opponents just three times through 13 games in November and December, Montana has done so in eight of 13 games since, making at least half of its shots in four of its past 11 games.

Montana hit a season-high 11 triples vs. Montana State, including 10 in the first half alone. Earlier this month vs. Eastern Washington, Montana shot a season-best .600 from deep (9-of-15).

MORE ON THE OFFENSE

Montana didn't post a positive season scoring margin from Nov. 16 through Feb. 1. The Grizzlies, who have a +8.5 scoring margin in league play, now have a season-best +2.8 margin overall.
Six of Montana's seven highest point totals have come in the past five weeks, with the Grizzlies eclipsing 80 points six times.
After shooting .353 during non-conference play, including .254 from deep (17-of-67), Kendal Manuel ranks sixth in Big Sky play for scoring (17.3), while shooting sixth (.489), including .444 from deep.
Montana scored 70 or more points just twice through the first eight games of the season, but has done so 12 times since then, including eight in a row.
Montana has shot above .500 in seven consecutive games. The Grizzlies shot a season-best .604 vs. Portland State.
Montana has out-shot its opponent in 12 of its past 13 games, with the only exception being against Eastern Washington, when Montana still shot .517.
Montana has connected on at least five triples in 13 of its past 14 games; Montana made five 3-pointers in just five of its first 12 games to begin the season. Overall, the Grizzlies have shot .450 or better from 3-point range in six of their past 13 games.
The Grizzlies are 10-1 when posting a better three-point shooting percentage than their opponent.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Montana has held 19 of its 26 opponents under their season scoring average.
Montana is 12-1 when limiting opponents to 70 points or fewer, with the lone exception being a 66-48 loss at Arkansas.
Just three times has Montana given up more than 74 points in regulation.
The Grizzlies are 14-3 when holding opponents under .450 shooting, compared to 2-7 when teams shoot .450 or better against the Griz. Montana held both opponents last week under .400 shooting.
Montana has twice held an opponent without a made 3-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.
Weber State was limited to 37 points against the Griz, the fewest by a Montana opponent since 2010, and lowest total by a Griz opponent in a Big Sky game since 1976.

TALKING TURNOVERS

Montana has turned the ball over more times than its opponents just once in the past 16 games, and twice in the past 20.
The Grizzlies rank 39th nationally for turnover margin, at +2.5.
During the team's five-game winning streak, Montana has a +6.2 turnover margin.
Montana is 16-5 when turning the ball over 15 times or fewer, compared to 0-5 when turning the ball over 16 or more times.
Montana has turned the ball over 11 or fewer times in five straight games, including just six vs. Weber State.
The Grizzlies forced a season high 10 steals vs. Sacramento State and again vs. Idaho.

LOOKING AHEAD
Montana will travel to Northern Arizona (Thursday) and Sacramento State (Saturday) for its final two road games of the regular season.

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

.@SP4THABOY put on a show on Saturday, closing the night with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists.#GrizHoops #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/Nui9r7E2qD
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 19, 2020

Griz travel to enemy territory for Round 2 of Brawl of the Wild

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mack Anderson

Kendal Manuel

Sayeed Pridgett

Jared Samuelson

University of Montana Athletics

Griz travel to enemy territory for Round 2 of Brawl of the Wild

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mack Anderson

Kendal Manuel

Sayeed Pridgett

Jared Samuelson

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