Montana hosts Southern Utah for Senior Night, final home game

It's time to rise up, Missoula!

The Grizzlies have one game left in the regular season, and while they need help in order to lock up a regular-season championship, there is still plenty to play for.

No. 1 is momentum.

Regardless if Montana is the No. 1 seed or No. 11 – and for the record, the Grizzlies will be no worse than No. 3 – in order to obtain its goal of reaching March Madness for the third straight season, the team was always going to have to win consecutive games next week in Boise.

That hasn't changed. Montana will enter the tournament as one of the favorites, but momentum could play a big factor. A season ago, the Grizzlies lost consecutive games in March, but bounced back in the regular-season finale to give them a kick-start entering the tournament, which they won.

Saturday, for that reason, will be big.

"A new season starts next week, and we know that," said Travis DeCuire, who has won three regular-season championships in five seasons at Montana. "A lot is still out there for us. The biggest thing is to try and have a little bit of momentum going into next week."

No. 2 is for the seniors.

Led by player-of-the-year candidate Sayeed Pridgett, Montana's senior class has been one of the most successful in school history. During Pridgett's four-year career, Montana has gone 86-45 (.656), including a 46-9 mark inside Dahlberg Arena (.836).

The 86 wins are the seventh-most in a four-year stretch in school history, and should Montana gain momentum and win a championship next week in Boise, the number would stretch to 90, which has been surpassed just once before in more than a century of Griz basketball.

Montana is knocking on the door of a third straight 20-win season, not to mention hanging two banners with the chance still at a third.

Pridgett has been at the center of it all. His ,1,652 career points rank seventh in school history, and he could pass three more Griz legends on Saturday, which would move him into fourth all-time. As one of the most versatile players in the nation, Pridgett also ranks among Montana's all-time leaders for career rebounds, assists, steals and games played. He is the only player in the Big Sky this season to rank in the top five for scoring, shooting, rebounding and assists.

Pridgett was a first-team All-Big Sky selection a season ago, and will be again this year, in addition to being on a very short list of candidates for Player of the Year.

In fact, all three of Montana's seniors are All-Big Sky caliber. They each have their own story but their journeys will finish together, in Griz uniforms.

Kendal Manuel, a Billings native, began his career at Oregon State, but has played the past two seasons at Montana. He was the league's newcomer of the year and top reserve in 2019, and has become one of the best overall players in 2020. Manuel ranks in the top 10 in the Big Sky for both scoring and shooting, and has been in double figures in 18 of 19 league games this season. He's most impressive, though, at the free-throw line – where he ranks in the top 10 nationally – and the 3-point arc, where he ranks second in the Big Sky. Manuel has scored more than 1,000 career points, including more than 700 in his two-year Griz career.

Samuelson has one of the most unique stories in college basketball, beginning his career in Missoula where he redshirted and played his freshman season, before transferring closer to home, where he became an NAIA All-American at Rocky Mountain College. With his degree in hand, Samuelson transferred back to Montana to work toward a master's and finish his basketball career where it all began. The Big Pony has been key for Montana, averaging 10.3 points per game and ranking in the top five in the Big Sky for shooting.

"I think we owe it to our seniors to show up on Saturday," DeCuire said.

Overall, Montana's senior class has led the Grizzlies for scoring in 29 of 30 contests. The trio has been the team's top rebounder 25 times.

But more than their ability to take over a game might be their ability to lead, helping a group of youngsters transform into one of the top teams in the Big Sky Conference – a place the Grizzlies expect to be for years to come, as well.

Saturday will mark the seniors' last home game, with a pregame ceremony planned on the court. But more important to the group is refocusing, regaining momentum and giving Montana the opportunity to play several more games.

"The season isn't over, even though we have this loss," Pridgett said following Thursday's defeat. "That's our motivation right now. We still have the tournament, and we want to win that thing."

Montana will close its home slate on Saturday against Southern Utah. The Grizzlies have one of the most-successful home-court advantages, winning 38 of 42 games over the past three seasons. The Grizzlies are currently averaging nearly 4,000 fans per game, a better average than three Pac-12 schools and four more from the Mountain West. Fans can take advantage of $2 general-admission tickets on Saturday. Additionally, all UM students, faculty and staff get in free with a valid Griz Card.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early to take part in the Senior Night celebration, which will take place before tip.

University of Montana Athletics

Montana hosts Southern Utah for Senior Night, final home game

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