Tuesday, November 9
Missoula, Mont.
7:30 PM
Montana
vs
Dickinson State
Photo by: Brooks Nuanez/Skyline Sports
Montana set to open season Tuesday vs. Dickinson State
11/7/2021 8:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Montana vs. Dickinson State
Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets / Watch / Live Stats
After more than 600 days, Montana will finally reunite with its fans inside Dahlberg Arena. The Grizzlies are set to host Dickinson State on Tuesday evening in their 2021-22 season opener. The Griz will tip at 7:30 p.m., part of a double-header with the Lady Griz, who will face Northwest Nazarene at 5 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased for either contest online. Additionally, as part of the Can The Cats campaign, fans who donate five or more canned-food items can receive a free general-admission ticket. Those with tickets to Tuesday's men's game can come for the women's contest, as well, while sitting in an open seat in the upper bowl, and vice versa.
Fans are asked to wear facemasks while inside Dahlberg Arena this season.
HOME-OPENING SUCCESS
Montana has had plenty of success inside Dahlberg Arena and that holds true in home openers, with the Grizzlies going 18-3 since the turn of the century. Under Travis DeCuire, the Grizzlies are 6-1, with the lone loss coming by a single point to Wyoming, back in November 2016.
It's not often that Montana opens its season at home, doing so for the first time since November 2018 (81-74 win over Georgia State). Montana hasn't lost a home season opener since 2002-03 (77-71 loss to Northern Iowa), winning six consecutive season-opening games at home.
DECUIRE AGAINST NON-DI TEAMS
In seven seasons under Travis DeCuire, Montana is 15-1 against non-Division-I teams. The Grizzlies are averaging 79.6 points per game in those contests, but more impressive, the defense is limiting opponents to 56.8 points. All 15 of Montana's wins have come by at least nine points, winning by an average margin of 24.5.
Montana loaded up on non-DI competition in 2020-21, going 5-0, including a 78-51 win over Dickinson State.
SCOUTING DICKINSON STATE
While Tuesday will mark Montana's first official contest of the 2021-22 season, Dickinson State will be playing for the sixth time in in 20 days, including its third contest in a six-day span. The Blue Hawks are 0-5 on the season, most-recently losing to Montana Tech (63-51) and Montana-Western (82-59), as they travel through the Treasure State (they play MSU-Northern on Sunday, as well).
It's been a tough start to the season for DSU, which has lost four of its five games by at least a dozen points. Overall, DSU is averaging 61.2 points per game while giving up 81.2, a 20.0-point average margin of defeat.
DSU does, however, shoot .425 from 3-point range (making an average of 6.8 treys and attempting 16.0 per game), and defensively is averaging 4.8 steals and 3.2 blocks per contest. Bryce Knox is the player to watch for, as he leads the Blue Hawks for minutes (29.2), scoring (12.8), 3-pointers (12 makes on .444 shooting), assists (eight) and steals (five). Knox is a 6-4 senior guard from Dublin, California, who previously played for Western Washington.
Coaching the Blue Hawks is a familiar name to Griz fans. Derek Selvig is in his second season in Dickinson, after a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Montana Tech, beating the Griz in November 2019 in Missoula.
The 7-0 center helped the Grizzlies to back-to-back NCAA tournament berths during his playing career (2008-12), finishing with 844 points and 560 rebounds. As an All-Big Sky selection in 2012, he led the Grizzlies for blocked shots, and in 2011 he was the team leader for 3-pointers made.
SERIES VS. THE BLUE HAWKS
Montana and Dickinson State will meet for the second consecutive season, but just the second time overall. The Grizzlies' won the inaugural meeting, 78-51, last December, never trailing in the contest. Dickinson State used an 11-0 run to get within a possession, 29-26, late in the first half, before Montana scored 13 of the next 15 points to rebuild a double-digit advantage. At one point, Montana's defense forced the Blue Hawks into 10 consecutive misses over a 9-minute stretch.
All nine returning Grizzlies played in that contest, including Josh Bannan, who recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds (Kyle Owens nearly did as well, coming up one rebound short). Last year's contest was also the collegiate debut for Robby Beasley III, who missed the first several weeks of the season with a knee injury.
ANOTHER WINNING SEASON
Montana posted a 15-13 record during the 2020-21 season, marking the 13th consecutive season the Griz have finished .500 or better. The Grizzlies are one of 19 teams nationally to boast that claim, joining: Arizona, Baylor, Belmont, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan State, Montana, Ohio State, Saint Mary's, San Diego State, Vermont, VCU and Xavier.
RETURNING TALENT
After a 15-13 campaign in 2020-21, Montana has high expectations for itself, and a large reason for that is the talent that is returning. Montana returns 84.3 percent of its starts, 86.6 percent of its minutes, 85.8 percent of its scoring, 82.7 percent of its rebounding, 94.1 percent of its assists, 89.8 percent of its steals and 77.8 percent of its blocked shots from a season ago.
Those numbers look even stronger when looking at who finished the season with the team, after Montana had a handful of in-season departures. Of the group that played the final month of the season with the Griz, Montana returns its top eight rotation players. The Grizzlies played their best basketball during that period, winning six consecutive games before falling in the Big Sky Conference semifinals to eventual champion Eastern Washington.
PICKED TO FINISH 4TH
Coming off a sixth-place finish in the 2021 regular season, Montana was picked to finish fourth by both the coaches and media in last month's preseason polls. The No. 4 preseason ranking is Montana's lowest since DeCuire's first team was picked eighth by the coaches and fifth by the media. That year, the Grizzlies went on to tie for the 2015 regular-season title and advance to the Big Sky Conference championship game.
Montana was picked behind preseason favorite Southern Utah, Weber State and Montana State. The Grizzlies won the 2018 and 2019 Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles. They then finished third in 2020, after being in first place entering the final week of the regular season (the Big Sky tournament was canceled due to COVID-19), and sixth in 2021 (before upsetting No. 3-seed Weber State and advancing to the tournament semifinals).
FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR
None of Montana's three freshmen were named the 2021 Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year, but collectively, there's no debate that the Grizzlies had the top group of freshmen in the conference (and among the best in the nation).
IMPACT TRANSFERS
Montana returns basically everybody from last year's roster, but also welcomed seven newcomers. The two who will likely see the most time on the floor are transfers Scott Blakney (Idaho) and Lonnell Martin Jr. (Otero Junior College).
In four seasons at Idaho, Blakney played in 101 games, starting 77 contests over the final three seasons. During his Vandals career, he amassed 746 career points and 369 rebounds. During the final three seasons, playing primarily as a starter, he averaged 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting above .570 each season.
Martin Jr. is a wing-type player who showed he can be dangerous from range while at Otero Junior College, averaging 15.2 points per game on .454 shooting, including .395 from deep, as a sophomore. He spent his freshman season at Oakland Community College in Michigan.
The list of newcomers also includes freshmen guards Johnny Braggs (Las Vegas, Nevada), Cooper Kriegmont (Juneau, Alaska) and Jack Wetzel (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); forward John Solomon (Sarasota, Florida); plus sophomore transfer Trey Lawrence (Bellevue College).
One could argue that the Grizzles actually overachieved in 2020-21, considering how young their roster was. According to the advanced statistics website KenPom.com, Montana ranked 340th out of 347 rated teams in 2020-21 for roster experience, averaging just 0.97 years per player.
Montana believes it was better than its record showed in 2020-21, especially considering the number of narrow losses the Grizzlies suffered. More than half (seven of 13) of Montana's losses were by six points or fewer, with Montana dropping a handful of games in the closing seconds or in overtime.
Consider that Montana began Big Sky Conference play 0-3, with its three losses coming by a combined four points – and all coming in the final seconds. In fact, against Big Sky competition, 12 of Montana's 19 games were decided by six points or fewer, and in their first four Big Sky losses, the Grizzlies held the lead with 5 minutes to play each time.
MONEY FROM THE LINE
Montana owned the nation's 15th-best free-throw percentage in 2020-21, connecting on 78.2 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe, a school record.
Each of Montana's eight returning rotation players from last year shot at least 72 percent from the line a season ago, led by Robby Beasley III (.929) and Josh Vazquez (.929), who both set school records from the line. The figures were the second-best in Big Sky Conference history.
Not only did Montana make its shots, but it also got to the line at great frequency. The Grizzlies ranked 19th in the NCAA for free throws made in 2020-21, after ranking 313th the season prior.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
Montana has hung its hat on defense under Travis DeCuire, and 2020-21 was no different, with the Grizzlies ranking in the top 80 nationally (top 25 percent) for scoring defense, allowing just 67.0 points per game. Seven opponents were held below 60 points and 11 opponents shot under .400 against the Griz. A Big Sky Conference opponent reached its regulation scoring average against Montana just three times in 2020-21.
EFFICIENT OFFENSE
Montana ranked as one of the country's top shooting teams in 2020-21, connecting on 46 percent of its shot attempts. The Grizzlies had confidence pulling up from anywhere on the floor, being one of 11 schools in 2020-21 to rank in the top 70 nationally (top 20 percent) for the each of the three main shooting categories: overall shooting (.460, 66th), 3-point shooting (.362, 61st) and free-throw shooting (.782, 15th).
BALANCED OFFENSE
Montana had a strong offense in 2020-21, despite having no players ranked among the top 25 in the Big Sky Conference for scoring. Montana didn't have a single player average more than 10.5 points per game, but had seven scorers average between 7.9 and 10.5. The balanced scoring led to 10 different players leading the Grizzlies for scoring in a game, but none doing so more than six times.
Last year's balance is a major reason why the Grizzlies were shut out from the preseason All-Big Sky team, and why only Kyle Owens (honorable mention) was recognized last spring.
BEYOND THE ARC
Montana didn't shoot many 3-pointers in 2020-21, ranking among the lowest in the nation for both attempts (15.2) and makes (5.5). That's not to say the Grizzlies weren't a good 3-point shooting team, however. They were just selective of when they took the shots.
Montana was one of 12 schools nationally to rank in the top 70 (top 20 percent) for both 3-point shooting (.362, 61st) and 3-point defense (.312, 52nd). The Grizzlies return the majority of their 3-point threats, including their-top five shooters from a year ago. Junior Josh Vazquez led the Grizzlies from the 3-point line a season ago, canning 44 triples at a .436 clip.
Gallery: (10-27-2021) MBB: Maroon-Silver Scrimmage (10.27.21)
SOPHOMORES BECOME JUNIORS
As good as last year's freshman class was, it was just following on the heels from what the 2019-20 freshmen did. That trio started 40 games in 2019-20, which at the time was a school record. The group includes forward Derrick Carter-Hollinger, the 2020 Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year who never quite found a rhythm as a sophomore due to injuries; guard Josh Vazquez, who led Montana with 24 steals and 44 3-pointers as a sophomore, in addition to averaging 7.9 points per game and scoring in double figures 10 times; and forward Kyle Owens, who earned All-Big Sky honorable-mention honors in 2020-21 after leading Montana with 10.5 points per game and ranking second on the team for minutes played and rebounding (11th in the Big Sky). He scored in double figures 17 times.
CAM'S DIMES
Senior Cameron Parker knows a thing or two about assists, setting an NCAA single-game record in December 2019 with 24 assists while playing for Sacred Heart. He didn't disappoint in his first season in Missoula, leading the Big Sky Conference for assists (4.7 per game) and finishing the year ranked 64th nationally. He was even better at protecting the ball, with his 2.28 assist-to-turnover margin ranking 50th in the NCAA.
Playing starter minutes as the team's sixth man, he became the first Grizzly in at least 30 years to come off the bench and record a points-assists double-double, scoring 12 points and dishing out 10 assists vs. Eastern Washington.
ANDERSON DOWN LOW
Montana's senior class includes forward Scott Blakney, who is new to the program this year, and guard Cameron Parker, who joined the group last offseason. It also includes Montana native and fan favorite Mack Anderson. Elevated to an expanded role midway through last season, the 6-9 forward elevated his game, averaging 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game over the final seven contests of 2020-21, after scoring 44 points total through the first 21 games. He also led Montana with 19 blocked shots on the year.
HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
THE DECUIRE FACTOR
In seven seasons overseeing his alma mater, Travis DeCuire has had unprecedented success, amassing 142 wins while winning three regular-season championships and two tournament titles.
Montana will play four more home games inside Dahlberg Arena during the month of November, but its next two games will be on the road. The Grizzlies travel to SEC Country later this week, taking on Mississippi State on Saturday (5 p.m. MT on SEC+) before facing former Big Sky foe North Dakota on Monday, Nov. 15 (6 p.m. MT).
Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets / Watch / Live Stats
After more than 600 days, Montana will finally reunite with its fans inside Dahlberg Arena. The Grizzlies are set to host Dickinson State on Tuesday evening in their 2021-22 season opener. The Griz will tip at 7:30 p.m., part of a double-header with the Lady Griz, who will face Northwest Nazarene at 5 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased for either contest online. Additionally, as part of the Can The Cats campaign, fans who donate five or more canned-food items can receive a free general-admission ticket. Those with tickets to Tuesday's men's game can come for the women's contest, as well, while sitting in an open seat in the upper bowl, and vice versa.
Fans are asked to wear facemasks while inside Dahlberg Arena this season.
HOME-OPENING SUCCESS
Montana has had plenty of success inside Dahlberg Arena and that holds true in home openers, with the Grizzlies going 18-3 since the turn of the century. Under Travis DeCuire, the Grizzlies are 6-1, with the lone loss coming by a single point to Wyoming, back in November 2016.
It's not often that Montana opens its season at home, doing so for the first time since November 2018 (81-74 win over Georgia State). Montana hasn't lost a home season opener since 2002-03 (77-71 loss to Northern Iowa), winning six consecutive season-opening games at home.
DECUIRE AGAINST NON-DI TEAMS
In seven seasons under Travis DeCuire, Montana is 15-1 against non-Division-I teams. The Grizzlies are averaging 79.6 points per game in those contests, but more impressive, the defense is limiting opponents to 56.8 points. All 15 of Montana's wins have come by at least nine points, winning by an average margin of 24.5.
Montana loaded up on non-DI competition in 2020-21, going 5-0, including a 78-51 win over Dickinson State.
SCOUTING DICKINSON STATE
While Tuesday will mark Montana's first official contest of the 2021-22 season, Dickinson State will be playing for the sixth time in in 20 days, including its third contest in a six-day span. The Blue Hawks are 0-5 on the season, most-recently losing to Montana Tech (63-51) and Montana-Western (82-59), as they travel through the Treasure State (they play MSU-Northern on Sunday, as well).
It's been a tough start to the season for DSU, which has lost four of its five games by at least a dozen points. Overall, DSU is averaging 61.2 points per game while giving up 81.2, a 20.0-point average margin of defeat.
DSU does, however, shoot .425 from 3-point range (making an average of 6.8 treys and attempting 16.0 per game), and defensively is averaging 4.8 steals and 3.2 blocks per contest. Bryce Knox is the player to watch for, as he leads the Blue Hawks for minutes (29.2), scoring (12.8), 3-pointers (12 makes on .444 shooting), assists (eight) and steals (five). Knox is a 6-4 senior guard from Dublin, California, who previously played for Western Washington.
Coaching the Blue Hawks is a familiar name to Griz fans. Derek Selvig is in his second season in Dickinson, after a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Montana Tech, beating the Griz in November 2019 in Missoula.
The 7-0 center helped the Grizzlies to back-to-back NCAA tournament berths during his playing career (2008-12), finishing with 844 points and 560 rebounds. As an All-Big Sky selection in 2012, he led the Grizzlies for blocked shots, and in 2011 he was the team leader for 3-pointers made.
SERIES VS. THE BLUE HAWKS
Montana and Dickinson State will meet for the second consecutive season, but just the second time overall. The Grizzlies' won the inaugural meeting, 78-51, last December, never trailing in the contest. Dickinson State used an 11-0 run to get within a possession, 29-26, late in the first half, before Montana scored 13 of the next 15 points to rebuild a double-digit advantage. At one point, Montana's defense forced the Blue Hawks into 10 consecutive misses over a 9-minute stretch.
All nine returning Grizzlies played in that contest, including Josh Bannan, who recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds (Kyle Owens nearly did as well, coming up one rebound short). Last year's contest was also the collegiate debut for Robby Beasley III, who missed the first several weeks of the season with a knee injury.
ANOTHER WINNING SEASON
Montana posted a 15-13 record during the 2020-21 season, marking the 13th consecutive season the Griz have finished .500 or better. The Grizzlies are one of 19 teams nationally to boast that claim, joining: Arizona, Baylor, Belmont, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan State, Montana, Ohio State, Saint Mary's, San Diego State, Vermont, VCU and Xavier.
RETURNING TALENT
After a 15-13 campaign in 2020-21, Montana has high expectations for itself, and a large reason for that is the talent that is returning. Montana returns 84.3 percent of its starts, 86.6 percent of its minutes, 85.8 percent of its scoring, 82.7 percent of its rebounding, 94.1 percent of its assists, 89.8 percent of its steals and 77.8 percent of its blocked shots from a season ago.
Those numbers look even stronger when looking at who finished the season with the team, after Montana had a handful of in-season departures. Of the group that played the final month of the season with the Griz, Montana returns its top eight rotation players. The Grizzlies played their best basketball during that period, winning six consecutive games before falling in the Big Sky Conference semifinals to eventual champion Eastern Washington.
PICKED TO FINISH 4TH
Coming off a sixth-place finish in the 2021 regular season, Montana was picked to finish fourth by both the coaches and media in last month's preseason polls. The No. 4 preseason ranking is Montana's lowest since DeCuire's first team was picked eighth by the coaches and fifth by the media. That year, the Grizzlies went on to tie for the 2015 regular-season title and advance to the Big Sky Conference championship game.
Montana was picked behind preseason favorite Southern Utah, Weber State and Montana State. The Grizzlies won the 2018 and 2019 Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles. They then finished third in 2020, after being in first place entering the final week of the regular season (the Big Sky tournament was canceled due to COVID-19), and sixth in 2021 (before upsetting No. 3-seed Weber State and advancing to the tournament semifinals).
FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR
None of Montana's three freshmen were named the 2021 Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year, but collectively, there's no debate that the Grizzlies had the top group of freshmen in the conference (and among the best in the nation).
- The group accounted for 37.9 percent of Montana's scoring in 2020-21, a school record previously held by the 2002-03 class (30.1).
- Prior to last season, just 12 Griz players had scored 200 or more points during their true freshman season. That number is now at 15, after all three did so in 2020-21, led by Brandon Whitney's 279 (fourth in school history).
- The group made 60 starts (another school record), smashing the previous year's trio that started 40 times. The 60 starts were the fifth-most by a freshman class in the nation last year, trailing only Kentucky, Kansas State, Washington State and Duke. Montana was one of 10 teams to start three or more freshmen in a game, and one of five schools to do so at least 10 times.
- Montana's freshman class combined to play more than 2,000 minutes in 2020-21, something only Kansas State also did. The Grizzlies were the only team in the nation to have three true fresh-men average at least 25.0 minutes per game. Whitney's 29.3 minutes per game made him one of 10 freshmen nationally to play at least 815 minutes last year.
IMPACT TRANSFERS
Montana returns basically everybody from last year's roster, but also welcomed seven newcomers. The two who will likely see the most time on the floor are transfers Scott Blakney (Idaho) and Lonnell Martin Jr. (Otero Junior College).
In four seasons at Idaho, Blakney played in 101 games, starting 77 contests over the final three seasons. During his Vandals career, he amassed 746 career points and 369 rebounds. During the final three seasons, playing primarily as a starter, he averaged 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting above .570 each season.
Martin Jr. is a wing-type player who showed he can be dangerous from range while at Otero Junior College, averaging 15.2 points per game on .454 shooting, including .395 from deep, as a sophomore. He spent his freshman season at Oakland Community College in Michigan.
The list of newcomers also includes freshmen guards Johnny Braggs (Las Vegas, Nevada), Cooper Kriegmont (Juneau, Alaska) and Jack Wetzel (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); forward John Solomon (Sarasota, Florida); plus sophomore transfer Trey Lawrence (Bellevue College).
YOUTH MOVEMENTThe cameras came out yesterday for media day, and you know we answered all of the hard-hitting questions! 🌭🥪#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/WYQIcXNA2V
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) October 29, 2021
One could argue that the Grizzles actually overachieved in 2020-21, considering how young their roster was. According to the advanced statistics website KenPom.com, Montana ranked 340th out of 347 rated teams in 2020-21 for roster experience, averaging just 0.97 years per player.
- Montana was one of 10 teams nationally in 2020-21 with zero seniors on its roster.
- Montana was one of 23 teams nationally in 2020-21 that returned five or fewer letterwinners from its 2019-20 roster.
- The Grizzlies' nine-man rotation by the end of the season featured seven freshmen or sophomores.
Montana believes it was better than its record showed in 2020-21, especially considering the number of narrow losses the Grizzlies suffered. More than half (seven of 13) of Montana's losses were by six points or fewer, with Montana dropping a handful of games in the closing seconds or in overtime.
Consider that Montana began Big Sky Conference play 0-3, with its three losses coming by a combined four points – and all coming in the final seconds. In fact, against Big Sky competition, 12 of Montana's 19 games were decided by six points or fewer, and in their first four Big Sky losses, the Grizzlies held the lead with 5 minutes to play each time.
MONEY FROM THE LINE
Montana owned the nation's 15th-best free-throw percentage in 2020-21, connecting on 78.2 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe, a school record.
Each of Montana's eight returning rotation players from last year shot at least 72 percent from the line a season ago, led by Robby Beasley III (.929) and Josh Vazquez (.929), who both set school records from the line. The figures were the second-best in Big Sky Conference history.
Not only did Montana make its shots, but it also got to the line at great frequency. The Grizzlies ranked 19th in the NCAA for free throws made in 2020-21, after ranking 313th the season prior.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
Montana has hung its hat on defense under Travis DeCuire, and 2020-21 was no different, with the Grizzlies ranking in the top 80 nationally (top 25 percent) for scoring defense, allowing just 67.0 points per game. Seven opponents were held below 60 points and 11 opponents shot under .400 against the Griz. A Big Sky Conference opponent reached its regulation scoring average against Montana just three times in 2020-21.
EFFICIENT OFFENSE
Montana ranked as one of the country's top shooting teams in 2020-21, connecting on 46 percent of its shot attempts. The Grizzlies had confidence pulling up from anywhere on the floor, being one of 11 schools in 2020-21 to rank in the top 70 nationally (top 20 percent) for the each of the three main shooting categories: overall shooting (.460, 66th), 3-point shooting (.362, 61st) and free-throw shooting (.782, 15th).
BALANCED OFFENSE
Montana had a strong offense in 2020-21, despite having no players ranked among the top 25 in the Big Sky Conference for scoring. Montana didn't have a single player average more than 10.5 points per game, but had seven scorers average between 7.9 and 10.5. The balanced scoring led to 10 different players leading the Grizzlies for scoring in a game, but none doing so more than six times.
Last year's balance is a major reason why the Grizzlies were shut out from the preseason All-Big Sky team, and why only Kyle Owens (honorable mention) was recognized last spring.
BEYOND THE ARC
Montana didn't shoot many 3-pointers in 2020-21, ranking among the lowest in the nation for both attempts (15.2) and makes (5.5). That's not to say the Grizzlies weren't a good 3-point shooting team, however. They were just selective of when they took the shots.
Montana was one of 12 schools nationally to rank in the top 70 (top 20 percent) for both 3-point shooting (.362, 61st) and 3-point defense (.312, 52nd). The Grizzlies return the majority of their 3-point threats, including their-top five shooters from a year ago. Junior Josh Vazquez led the Grizzlies from the 3-point line a season ago, canning 44 triples at a .436 clip.
SOPHOMORES BECOME JUNIORS
As good as last year's freshman class was, it was just following on the heels from what the 2019-20 freshmen did. That trio started 40 games in 2019-20, which at the time was a school record. The group includes forward Derrick Carter-Hollinger, the 2020 Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year who never quite found a rhythm as a sophomore due to injuries; guard Josh Vazquez, who led Montana with 24 steals and 44 3-pointers as a sophomore, in addition to averaging 7.9 points per game and scoring in double figures 10 times; and forward Kyle Owens, who earned All-Big Sky honorable-mention honors in 2020-21 after leading Montana with 10.5 points per game and ranking second on the team for minutes played and rebounding (11th in the Big Sky). He scored in double figures 17 times.
CAM'S DIMES
Senior Cameron Parker knows a thing or two about assists, setting an NCAA single-game record in December 2019 with 24 assists while playing for Sacred Heart. He didn't disappoint in his first season in Missoula, leading the Big Sky Conference for assists (4.7 per game) and finishing the year ranked 64th nationally. He was even better at protecting the ball, with his 2.28 assist-to-turnover margin ranking 50th in the NCAA.
Playing starter minutes as the team's sixth man, he became the first Grizzly in at least 30 years to come off the bench and record a points-assists double-double, scoring 12 points and dishing out 10 assists vs. Eastern Washington.
ANDERSON DOWN LOW
Montana's senior class includes forward Scott Blakney, who is new to the program this year, and guard Cameron Parker, who joined the group last offseason. It also includes Montana native and fan favorite Mack Anderson. Elevated to an expanded role midway through last season, the 6-9 forward elevated his game, averaging 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game over the final seven contests of 2020-21, after scoring 44 points total through the first 21 games. He also led Montana with 19 blocked shots on the year.
HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
- The Grizzlies boast one of the nation's best home-court advantages, going 46-9 inside Dahlberg Arena dating back to February 2017 (.836)
- During a decade span from 2011-12 through 2020-21, Montana went 121-26 (.823) at home, the nation's 37th-best home winning percentages during that period.
- All-time, Montana is 1,012-415 (.709) on its home court, including 732-254 (.742) inside Dahlberg Arena. The Grizzlies are one of just 10 Division-I schools nationally to have won at least 70 percent of its home games while playing in its current facility for at least 60 years.
- In the most-recent season with fans, in 2019-20, Montana averaged more than 4,000 fans per game, a better figure than three Pac-12 schools.
- Montana will play 17 regular-season home contests in 2021-22, its highest number since the 1992-93 season.
THE DECUIRE FACTOR
In seven seasons overseeing his alma mater, Travis DeCuire has had unprecedented success, amassing 142 wins while winning three regular-season championships and two tournament titles.
- With his most-recent win, defeating Weber State in the Big Sky Conference semifinals, DeCuire surpassed Blaine Taylor – his coach while DeCuire played for the Griz in the 1990s and his boss when he was an assistant at Old Dominion – for fourth on Montana's all-time wins list (George 'Jiggs' Dahlberg, 221; Wayne Tinkle, 158; Mike Montgomery, 155; DeCuire, 142; Taylor, 141).
- In 2018, DeCuire became the fastest coach in Big Sky history to win 50 league games, needing just 65 games to do so.
- DeCuire is 92-36 in Big Sky play, with his .719 conference winning percentage ranking fifth in Big Sky history and first among coaches with more than five seasons in the league.
- Further, his conference winning percentage ranks seventh nationally among active coaches with at least five seasons at their current school. Ahead of DeCuire is Mark Few (Gonzaga); John Becker (Vermont); Nathan Davis (Bucknell); Bill Self (Kansas); and John Calipari (Kentucky).
- DeCuire is the only coach in Montana history to win three regular-season conference championships. He has also won the league tournament twice.
- DeCuire was named coach of the year by the Big Sky and NABC District 6 in 2018.
- DeCuire has a .500 or better record over every Big Sky opponent.
Montana will play four more home games inside Dahlberg Arena during the month of November, but its next two games will be on the road. The Grizzlies travel to SEC Country later this week, taking on Mississippi State on Saturday (5 p.m. MT on SEC+) before facing former Big Sky foe North Dakota on Monday, Nov. 15 (6 p.m. MT).
Needing a basketball primer with the season just days away? We've got you covered: 𝟐𝟐 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 '𝟐𝟐 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧!
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) November 5, 2021
📰 https://t.co/lfkqYqZyHy #GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/lZ1gJipGNh
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballMarch Madness Denver Pep Rally - 3/19/25
Thursday, March 20
Montana? Yes, Montana!
Wednesday, March 19
Griz Basketball Open Practice [March Madness] - 3/19/25
Wednesday, March 19
Griz Basketball Arrival To Denver [March Madness] - 3/18/25
Tuesday, March 18
