Championship quest comes to Missoula in Battle for the Big Sky

Ever since the Big Sky Conference moved its championship games to a neutral site five years ago, Griz fans have clamored to bring the tournament back to campuses.

Well, Griz fans, here's your chance!

With one week remaining in the regular season, Montana is in first place at the top of the Big Sky standings, along with Eastern Washington. Each team has two games to play, beginning Thursday when Northern Colorado visits Missoula.

Let's start there… As of Saturday morning, there was a three-way tie for first, with Northern Colorado firmly in the mix. The Bears lost at home to Eastern Washington on Saturday night, however, moving the Griz and Eagles into first place, with the Bears narrowly behind and holding an outside shot of earning a share of the title.

While Thursday is just the beginning of a BIG week for Montana, it will be must-watch basketball to both see and experience.

A Montana win on Thursday – coupled with an Eastern Washington loss – would lock up the No. 1 seed in next week's Big Sky tournament in Boise.

The hope there is that Montana can do what it has done the last two years and defend its regular-season crown with three more wins and a ticket punched to March Madness. If that's not the case, though, the regular-season championship still goes a long way for a one-bid league like the Big Sky Conference. Any regular-season champion that does not make the NCAA tournament is guaranteed a spot in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) – another high-tier postseason tournament.

But back to Thursday, and the opportunity to hang another banner and cut down nets in front of a packed Dahlberg Arena.

If it doesn't happen on Thursday, it could happen on Saturday when the Grizzlies host Southern Utah on Senior Night. Regardless, the Grizzlies are in complete control of their positioning, needing to just win to obtain its regular-season goals. Since Montana holds a potential tiebreaker over the Eagles – thanks to a series sweep – Eastern Washington would need Montana to falter in order to earn the No. 1 seed.

It's shaping up to be a big final week of the regular season, and it's happening at home, where Montana has won 39 of its past 42 contests.

So let's take a moment to talk about Thursday…

Montana and Northern Colorado have had epic battles in recent memory, some exuberant and others painful to rehash.

In 2016, Montana played Northern Colorado in Dahlberg Arena on the final night of the regular season. A win would have clinched the No. 1 seed and a second consecutive regular-season title, but the underdog Bears clipped the Grizzlies, 78-72.

A season ago, it seemed as if Northern Colorado might have repeated the feat again, beating Montana in the final 10 days of the regular season, on a night the Grizzlies could have clinched. Instead, Montana had to wait another week, and benefit from a Northern Colorado upset loss, to celebrate its championship.

Of course no Griz fan will ever forget what happened two years ago in the Big Sky semifinals. It was a stressful memory, but an incredible one for Montana, so let's revisit the improbability of what happened that night in Reno.

The Griz trailed Northern Colorado by six with under a minute to play. Montana started the rally with a layup, and then was on the receiving end of an offensive charge call on an in-bounds pass, plus a 10-second violation called against the Bears. Now down three, Montana missed a 3-pointer but Bobby Moorehead corralled the loose ball, and with 27 seconds on the clock forever earned the nickname Big Shot Bob.

Tie game, but still plenty of drama.

Going for the win on the final shot, Northern Colorado missed, but the Grizzlies were called for a foul on the loose ball. With 1.8 seconds to play and a tie game, the Bears missed both free-throw attempts, sending the game to overtime, where Montana never trailed despite several additional tense moments.

What will Thursday night feature? More high-level drama? Incredible individual performances? Late-game heroics? Perhaps all.

Nothing is guaranteed, except for this: When the final horn sounds, one team will be celebrating. Either Northern Colorado will keep its hopes alive for a conference title, or the Grizzlies will be one step away from hanging another banner.

Packed house? Conference title on the line? The calendar has flipped to March. Let the madness begin!

Tickets Available: Tickets for this week's action can be purchased online or by visiting the Adams Center box office on campus during normal business hours. Fans can also take advantage of $2 general-admission tickets for either game. As always, all UM students, faculty and staff get in free with a valid Griz Card.

Fans are encouraged to pack Dahlberg Arena on both Thursday – as Montana takes on third-place Northern Colorado in a battle for the top of the conference standings – and Saturday – as the Grizzlies recognize their three senior student-athletes prior to the game.

2020 Big Sky Conference Standings

Team	Record
1. Montana	14-4
2. Eastern Washington	14-4
3. Northern Colorado	13-5
4. Portland State	10-8
5. Northern Arizona	10-9
6. Montana State	9-9
7. Southern Utah	8-10
8. Sacramento State	8-11
9. Weber State	7-10
10. Idaho State	3-14
11. Idaho	3-15

This Week's Schedule
Montana: vs. Northern Colorado (Thursday), vs. Southern Utah (Saturday)
Eastern Washington: vs. Idaho State (Thursday), vs. Weber State (Saturday)
Northern Colorado: at Montana (Thursday), at Montana State (Saturday)

University of Montana Athletics

Championship quest comes to Missoula in Battle for the Big Sky

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