Thursday, February 25
Pocatello, Idaho
7 PM
Montana
at
Idaho State
Photo by: Tommy Martino
Montana travels to Idaho State to face Big Sky’s top defense
2/24/2021 8:02:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MONTANA AT IDAHO STATE
Thursday / 7 p.m. / Pocatello, Idaho
Saturday / 11 a.m. / Pocatello, Idaho
Derrick Carter-Hollinger ranked second on the team for rebounding in 2020 and led the Griz for shooting while being named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year. Josh Vazquez was among the team leaders for assists and 3-pointers, and ranked sixth in Big Sky play for steals. Kyle Owens was the X-factor, doing a little bit of everything for the Griz.
As good as last year's group was, this year's freshman class continued to elevate the bar.
In total, the 2020-21 class has produced more than one-third of the team's scoring, assists and steals, and more than a quarter of its rebounds. The trio are all among the Grizzlies' top-four scorers, each averaging more than 8.0 points per game.
In addition to his scoring, forward Josh Bannan ranks second on the team for rebounding, recording two double-doubles, not to mention his career-high 20 points and nine rebounds last weekend vs. Eastern Washington. Guard Robby Beasley III missed the season's first six games due to a leg injury, but has come on strong since, ranking second on the team with 10.3 points per game, including a career-high 25 last week at Eastern Washington. Guard Brandon Whitney leads the Griz for minutes and steals, and is second for assists and third for points. In his collegiate debut, he scored 17 points, tied for the most ever by a Grizzly in a season-opening debut.
Combined, the trio has played 57 games, scoring in double figures 28 total times.
All three have regularly been in the starting lineup, as well, earning 39 combined starts, which will likely eclipse a school record this week (last year's class started 40 times). Montana's freshman class has the eighth-most starts in all of Division-I basketball this season, and when all three were in the starting lineup on Saturday, Montana became the 10th team this season to start three freshmen in a single contest.
While the Grizzlies have gone through their share of growing pains the past two seasons, what the last two freshman classes have done on the court – and off of it – should give Griz fans plenty to be optimistic about moving forward.
"We have a phenomenal freshman group, and we expected that when we recruited them," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "They're done a nice job of doing what we've asked them to do and each of them has battled through varying levels of adversity.
"We've thrown them out there sooner than we planned to, so we have to be aware of not wearing them down. But because of that, they're also more experienced, more confident and I think they are in a position to make an even bigger jump."
After splitting five consecutive series, Montana was on the losing end last week, being swept by first-place Eastern Washington in a home-and-home battle. The Grizzlies' offense put up 76 points in both games, a number good enough to win most nights, but the Eagles' proved to be too much on offense by eclipsing 90 points.
In both instances, Montana was doomed by a 10-minute period to start the game. The Grizzlies fell behind 47-20 last Thursday, before out-scoring the Eagles over the final 30 minutes. On Saturday, Montana once again found itself trailing early, and by as many as 29 points, before cutting the final margin to 14.
"The ability to handle adversity and mental toughness are always things that come up in conversation when trying to build a program or sustain a program, and we get an opportunity this week to show where we're at with those two things," DeCuire said. "This week we have a tough matchup, going up against a team that's playing very good basketball right now and is on a big win streak. For us, the most important thing is to make the most of the opportunity that's right in front of us."
That opportunity is to try and use the next two weeks to refocus and build momentum going into the Big Sky tournament in Boise, Idaho. First comes a two-game road series at Idaho State, arguably the league's biggest positive surprise. Idaho State was picked to finish 10th in the preseason polls, but currently is 7-3 and is in position to earn a bye into the quarterfinals of next month's tournament.
The Bengals rank eighth nationally for scoring defense, allowing just 60.5 points per game, and 19th for rebounding margin (+7.6).
Idaho State is on a four-game winning streak, but two of those victories came against non-Division-I competition and the other two came against winless Idaho. The Bengals then had last week's series at Montana State canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Bobcats' program, meaning Idaho State hasn't played since Feb. 15, and hasn't played a Big Sky school since two days prior.
"They're playing more confident than they have in the past, and for them to have a winning record this late in the year is a sign of growth for that program," DeCuire said of Idaho State. "They look like a team that has better chemistry than they've had, and when you bring guys back, and you're older in some spots, you're going to play better.
"They've won a lot of games at home, and they've won close games at home. At the end of the day, we'll have to play really good basketball to win."
Idaho State is 8-1 on its home court this season, with its lone loss coming Jan. 18 to Sacramento State, 70-65.
Tipoff on Thursday is scheduled for 7 p.m., followed by an 11 a.m. start on Saturday. Both games will be broadcast on Pluto TV (channel 1061) and across the Grizzly Radio Network.
While the Grizzlies have lost three consecutive games overall, Montana enters the week on a hot streak against Idaho State. In fact, the Grizzlies have won 19 consecutive games over the Bengals, dating back more than a decade. Montana last lost to Idaho State, 67-65, in January 2010.
Overall, Montana owns a 107-46 record against Idaho State, including a 40-32 mark in Pocatello. The 107 wins in the series are the second-most against any opponent (trailing only Montana State). Under head coach Travis DeCuire, Montana is a perfect 10-0 against the Bengals, winning nine of the 10 games by double figures.
The only time Montana didn't win by at least 10 came last January in Pocatello, when the Grizzles held on for a 77-74 win, despite only trailing at 2-0.
FRESHMEN EARNING STARTS
Montana's trio of true freshmen have been terrific. The group accounts for 36.4 percent of the team's scoring, in addition to more than one-third of the team's assists and steals.
The group also accounts for a large portion of the team's minutes (34.7 percent). In fact, Montana's three true freshmen have earned a combined 39 starts this season. That number is the eighth-most in all of Division-I college basketball this season and one start away from setting a school record (the 2019-20 freshman class earned 40 combined starts).
In Montana's most-recent game, last Saturday vs. Eastern Washington, all three true freshmen – Josh Bannan, Robby Beasley III and Brandon Whitney – were in the starting lineup. Montana is one of 10 schools nationally to start three freshmen in a game this season.
Montana's freshmen have been in double figures for scoring 28 times in 57 combined games, with the trio all ranking among Montana's top four for scoring.
PARKER'S RARE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Cameron Parker recorded a rare points-assists double-double on Saturday vs. Eastern Washington, scoring 12 points while dishing out 10 assists. The numbers on the surface are impressive, but just how rare is the feat?
On the season, Parker leads the Big Sky Conference with 5.1 assists per league game and ranks second with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. The junior has posted a negative ratio just twice this season, including zero times in the past 11 games. What's more, he has been in double figures for scoring six times, including three times in the past four games.
MAKING THE FREEBIES
Montana has made 80.9 percent of its shots from the free-throw line this season, the third-best percentage in the nation. The Grizzlies have three players who have made more than 90 percent of their free throws, including Robby Beasley III (.941, 48-of-51) – who leads the Big Sky – and Josh Vazquez (.963, 26-of-27) – who would if he had enough attempts to qualify.
Over the past four games, Montana has made 90 percent of its free-throw attempts, including a two-game stretch (Feb. 13-18) in which Montana was 36-of-38 from the line.
Not only is Montana making its shots, though, it is also getting to the line at a great frequency. On the season, the Grizzlies rank 37th nationally for free throws made, compared to 313th a season ago.
WHO'S HOT?
Freshmen Josh Bannan and Robby Beasley III are coming off terrific weekends vs. Eastern Washington, the league's best team.
Bannan's collegiate career started strong, with the freshman scoring 14 points in his debut at USC. He was in double figures for scoring in six of his first 11 collegiate games – including back-to-back double-doubles in December – and started Montana's first 14 contests.
Things took a turn in mid-January, with Bannan at one point missing 13 of 14 shots across parts of five games and averaging 2.1 points per game during that span. His on-court minutes dropped from 25.0 through the first 12 games to 16.4 from Jan. 16-Feb. 6.
Bannan found his stroke again vs. Weber State, shooting a perfect 6-for-6, and hasn't let up. The freshman has been in double figures for scoring in four consecutive games, averaging 14.3 points per game on .649 shooting. Last Saturday vs. Eastern Washington, he scored a career-high 20 points, in addition to nine rebounds.
On Thursday, Beasley scored a career-high 25 points, making nine field goals and three 3-pointers. He also added five rebounds, two assists and a steal. On Saturday, he was again in double figures, scoring 16 points and again connecting on three 3-pointers. It marked the first time this season he has been in double figures in back-to-back league games.
OFFENSE MAKING STRIDES
Two weeks ago, Montana ranked in the bottom-third of the country for scoring, averaging just 68.5 points per game. In the four games since, the Grizzlies are averaging 80.8 points per game and have risen more than 50 spots in the national rankings.
After eclipsing 70 points in regulation just twice in Montana's first 14 Division-I contests, the Grizzlies have done so four times in a row, including 90 points in a win over Weber State (Feb. 11).
On the season, Montana is shooting .461 from the floor (68th nationally) and .372 from 3-point range (42nd).
DEFENSE COOLING
While Montana's offense has begun to find its form, the Grizzlies' stout defense has taken a hit. Part of the blame goes to the teams Montana has seen over the past two weeks. Weber State (seventh) and Eastern Washington (26th) are among the nation's most prolific offenses.
But the Grizzlies have also uncharacteristically allowed teams to shoot at high percentages against them. Over the past four games, Montana is surrendering 84.5 points per game, giving up 90 or more in its last three – the first time that has happened since the 1969-70 season. During the four-game stretch, teams are shooting .519 against the Griz.
Previously, Montana had held 15 consecutive opponents to 70 points or fewer and ranked 36th nationally for scoring defense (63.6 points per game).
STILL SEARCHING FOR A STARTING FIVE
Nine different Grizzlies have started this season, with none starting every contest. In total, Montana has used 10 different starting-lineup combinations on the year.
After Montana used the same combination in 11 consecutive games from Dec. 5 through Jan. 16, it looked as if Travis DeCuire had settled on a lineup. That changed in mid-January at Sacramento State, and since, he has used a different lineup in eight of the past nine games.
UNCHARTERED SEASON
Montana has built a championship pedigree, winning five of the past nine Big Sky Conference regular-season titles and earning more tournament championships than any team in Big Sky history. Over the past decade (2011-20), Montana was one of just 34 teams nationally to win two-thirds of its games, and over the past three seasons, the Grizzlies ranked 32nd with a 70-30 record.
For a team that has won three of the past six Big Sky Conference regular-season championships and has played in the past two NCAA tournaments, the 2020-21 season has not gone the way the Griz envisioned.
Montana enters the week with a 9-12 record, including a 5-9 mark in Big Sky Conference play.
Complete Game Notes in PDF format, including additional notes, stats, charts and player pages
Thursday / 7 p.m. / Pocatello, Idaho
Saturday / 11 a.m. / Pocatello, Idaho
- Stream: Pluto TV (ch. 1061)
- Listen: KGVO (1290 AM, 98.3 FM) / Worldwide on TuneIn
- Live Stats
Derrick Carter-Hollinger ranked second on the team for rebounding in 2020 and led the Griz for shooting while being named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year. Josh Vazquez was among the team leaders for assists and 3-pointers, and ranked sixth in Big Sky play for steals. Kyle Owens was the X-factor, doing a little bit of everything for the Griz.
As good as last year's group was, this year's freshman class continued to elevate the bar.
In total, the 2020-21 class has produced more than one-third of the team's scoring, assists and steals, and more than a quarter of its rebounds. The trio are all among the Grizzlies' top-four scorers, each averaging more than 8.0 points per game.
In addition to his scoring, forward Josh Bannan ranks second on the team for rebounding, recording two double-doubles, not to mention his career-high 20 points and nine rebounds last weekend vs. Eastern Washington. Guard Robby Beasley III missed the season's first six games due to a leg injury, but has come on strong since, ranking second on the team with 10.3 points per game, including a career-high 25 last week at Eastern Washington. Guard Brandon Whitney leads the Griz for minutes and steals, and is second for assists and third for points. In his collegiate debut, he scored 17 points, tied for the most ever by a Grizzly in a season-opening debut.
Combined, the trio has played 57 games, scoring in double figures 28 total times.
All three have regularly been in the starting lineup, as well, earning 39 combined starts, which will likely eclipse a school record this week (last year's class started 40 times). Montana's freshman class has the eighth-most starts in all of Division-I basketball this season, and when all three were in the starting lineup on Saturday, Montana became the 10th team this season to start three freshmen in a single contest.
While the Grizzlies have gone through their share of growing pains the past two seasons, what the last two freshman classes have done on the court – and off of it – should give Griz fans plenty to be optimistic about moving forward.
"We have a phenomenal freshman group, and we expected that when we recruited them," head coach Travis DeCuire said. "They're done a nice job of doing what we've asked them to do and each of them has battled through varying levels of adversity.
"We've thrown them out there sooner than we planned to, so we have to be aware of not wearing them down. But because of that, they're also more experienced, more confident and I think they are in a position to make an even bigger jump."
After splitting five consecutive series, Montana was on the losing end last week, being swept by first-place Eastern Washington in a home-and-home battle. The Grizzlies' offense put up 76 points in both games, a number good enough to win most nights, but the Eagles' proved to be too much on offense by eclipsing 90 points.
In both instances, Montana was doomed by a 10-minute period to start the game. The Grizzlies fell behind 47-20 last Thursday, before out-scoring the Eagles over the final 30 minutes. On Saturday, Montana once again found itself trailing early, and by as many as 29 points, before cutting the final margin to 14.
"The ability to handle adversity and mental toughness are always things that come up in conversation when trying to build a program or sustain a program, and we get an opportunity this week to show where we're at with those two things," DeCuire said. "This week we have a tough matchup, going up against a team that's playing very good basketball right now and is on a big win streak. For us, the most important thing is to make the most of the opportunity that's right in front of us."
That opportunity is to try and use the next two weeks to refocus and build momentum going into the Big Sky tournament in Boise, Idaho. First comes a two-game road series at Idaho State, arguably the league's biggest positive surprise. Idaho State was picked to finish 10th in the preseason polls, but currently is 7-3 and is in position to earn a bye into the quarterfinals of next month's tournament.
The Bengals rank eighth nationally for scoring defense, allowing just 60.5 points per game, and 19th for rebounding margin (+7.6).
Idaho State is on a four-game winning streak, but two of those victories came against non-Division-I competition and the other two came against winless Idaho. The Bengals then had last week's series at Montana State canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Bobcats' program, meaning Idaho State hasn't played since Feb. 15, and hasn't played a Big Sky school since two days prior.
"They're playing more confident than they have in the past, and for them to have a winning record this late in the year is a sign of growth for that program," DeCuire said of Idaho State. "They look like a team that has better chemistry than they've had, and when you bring guys back, and you're older in some spots, you're going to play better.
"They've won a lot of games at home, and they've won close games at home. At the end of the day, we'll have to play really good basketball to win."
Idaho State is 8-1 on its home court this season, with its lone loss coming Jan. 18 to Sacramento State, 70-65.
Tipoff on Thursday is scheduled for 7 p.m., followed by an 11 a.m. start on Saturday. Both games will be broadcast on Pluto TV (channel 1061) and across the Grizzly Radio Network.
STREAKING VS. IDAHO STATEOnly a few more games left in the regular season! Tune in on Pluto TV (ch. 1061) this week as we take on Idaho State.#GoGriz #GrizHoops pic.twitter.com/Jn4C6qqDMt
— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) February 24, 2021
While the Grizzlies have lost three consecutive games overall, Montana enters the week on a hot streak against Idaho State. In fact, the Grizzlies have won 19 consecutive games over the Bengals, dating back more than a decade. Montana last lost to Idaho State, 67-65, in January 2010.
Overall, Montana owns a 107-46 record against Idaho State, including a 40-32 mark in Pocatello. The 107 wins in the series are the second-most against any opponent (trailing only Montana State). Under head coach Travis DeCuire, Montana is a perfect 10-0 against the Bengals, winning nine of the 10 games by double figures.
The only time Montana didn't win by at least 10 came last January in Pocatello, when the Grizzles held on for a 77-74 win, despite only trailing at 2-0.
FRESHMEN EARNING STARTS
Montana's trio of true freshmen have been terrific. The group accounts for 36.4 percent of the team's scoring, in addition to more than one-third of the team's assists and steals.
The group also accounts for a large portion of the team's minutes (34.7 percent). In fact, Montana's three true freshmen have earned a combined 39 starts this season. That number is the eighth-most in all of Division-I college basketball this season and one start away from setting a school record (the 2019-20 freshman class earned 40 combined starts).
In Montana's most-recent game, last Saturday vs. Eastern Washington, all three true freshmen – Josh Bannan, Robby Beasley III and Brandon Whitney – were in the starting lineup. Montana is one of 10 schools nationally to start three freshmen in a game this season.
Montana's freshmen have been in double figures for scoring 28 times in 57 combined games, with the trio all ranking among Montana's top four for scoring.
PARKER'S RARE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Cameron Parker recorded a rare points-assists double-double on Saturday vs. Eastern Washington, scoring 12 points while dishing out 10 assists. The numbers on the surface are impressive, but just how rare is the feat?
- Dating back over the past 30 seasons, 15 different Griz players have recorded 10 or more assists 29 total times. Interestingly, head coach Travis DeCuire has done it the most times (four).
- Of the 29 instances, just 14 were double-doubles (10 different players).
- Just one other time over the past 30 seasons has a player come off the bench to record 10 assists, as Parker did on Saturday (Greg Spurgetis, 10, in 2006). Spurgetis, however, did not record a double-double that night.
On the season, Parker leads the Big Sky Conference with 5.1 assists per league game and ranks second with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. The junior has posted a negative ratio just twice this season, including zero times in the past 11 games. What's more, he has been in double figures for scoring six times, including three times in the past four games.
MAKING THE FREEBIES
Montana has made 80.9 percent of its shots from the free-throw line this season, the third-best percentage in the nation. The Grizzlies have three players who have made more than 90 percent of their free throws, including Robby Beasley III (.941, 48-of-51) – who leads the Big Sky – and Josh Vazquez (.963, 26-of-27) – who would if he had enough attempts to qualify.
Over the past four games, Montana has made 90 percent of its free-throw attempts, including a two-game stretch (Feb. 13-18) in which Montana was 36-of-38 from the line.
Not only is Montana making its shots, though, it is also getting to the line at a great frequency. On the season, the Grizzlies rank 37th nationally for free throws made, compared to 313th a season ago.
WHO'S HOT?
Freshmen Josh Bannan and Robby Beasley III are coming off terrific weekends vs. Eastern Washington, the league's best team.
Bannan's collegiate career started strong, with the freshman scoring 14 points in his debut at USC. He was in double figures for scoring in six of his first 11 collegiate games – including back-to-back double-doubles in December – and started Montana's first 14 contests.
Things took a turn in mid-January, with Bannan at one point missing 13 of 14 shots across parts of five games and averaging 2.1 points per game during that span. His on-court minutes dropped from 25.0 through the first 12 games to 16.4 from Jan. 16-Feb. 6.
Bannan found his stroke again vs. Weber State, shooting a perfect 6-for-6, and hasn't let up. The freshman has been in double figures for scoring in four consecutive games, averaging 14.3 points per game on .649 shooting. Last Saturday vs. Eastern Washington, he scored a career-high 20 points, in addition to nine rebounds.
- On the season, Bannan ranks second on the team for rebounding (5.3 per game) and fourth for scoring (8.4).
- He has been in double figures for scoring 10 times with two double-doubles.
On Thursday, Beasley scored a career-high 25 points, making nine field goals and three 3-pointers. He also added five rebounds, two assists and a steal. On Saturday, he was again in double figures, scoring 16 points and again connecting on three 3-pointers. It marked the first time this season he has been in double figures in back-to-back league games.
- Beasley has been in double figures for scoring in seven of the 15 games he has played.
- In addition to leading the Big Sky for free throw percentage, Beasley is also Montana's second-leading scorer (10.3 points per game).
OFFENSE MAKING STRIDES
Two weeks ago, Montana ranked in the bottom-third of the country for scoring, averaging just 68.5 points per game. In the four games since, the Grizzlies are averaging 80.8 points per game and have risen more than 50 spots in the national rankings.
After eclipsing 70 points in regulation just twice in Montana's first 14 Division-I contests, the Grizzlies have done so four times in a row, including 90 points in a win over Weber State (Feb. 11).
On the season, Montana is shooting .461 from the floor (68th nationally) and .372 from 3-point range (42nd).
DEFENSE COOLING
While Montana's offense has begun to find its form, the Grizzlies' stout defense has taken a hit. Part of the blame goes to the teams Montana has seen over the past two weeks. Weber State (seventh) and Eastern Washington (26th) are among the nation's most prolific offenses.
But the Grizzlies have also uncharacteristically allowed teams to shoot at high percentages against them. Over the past four games, Montana is surrendering 84.5 points per game, giving up 90 or more in its last three – the first time that has happened since the 1969-70 season. During the four-game stretch, teams are shooting .519 against the Griz.
Previously, Montana had held 15 consecutive opponents to 70 points or fewer and ranked 36th nationally for scoring defense (63.6 points per game).
STILL SEARCHING FOR A STARTING FIVE
Nine different Grizzlies have started this season, with none starting every contest. In total, Montana has used 10 different starting-lineup combinations on the year.
After Montana used the same combination in 11 consecutive games from Dec. 5 through Jan. 16, it looked as if Travis DeCuire had settled on a lineup. That changed in mid-January at Sacramento State, and since, he has used a different lineup in eight of the past nine games.
UNCHARTERED SEASON
Montana has built a championship pedigree, winning five of the past nine Big Sky Conference regular-season titles and earning more tournament championships than any team in Big Sky history. Over the past decade (2011-20), Montana was one of just 34 teams nationally to win two-thirds of its games, and over the past three seasons, the Grizzlies ranked 32nd with a 70-30 record.
For a team that has won three of the past six Big Sky Conference regular-season championships and has played in the past two NCAA tournaments, the 2020-21 season has not gone the way the Griz envisioned.
Montana enters the week with a 9-12 record, including a 5-9 mark in Big Sky Conference play.
- Montana needs to win its final four regular-season games to guarantee a .500 or better record for the 13th consecutive season. Entering 2019-20, Montana is one of 20 schools nationally to hold that claim.
- Montana also needs to win its final four regular-season games in order to finish .500 in Big Sky play. Over the past 50 seasons, the Grizzlies have finished below .500 in league play just six times, last doing so during the 2003-04 season. Montana's nine league losses are already the most in DeCuire's seven seasons.
- Montana has not won a series against a Big Sky school this season, going 0-2-5.
- Montana lost back-to-back Big Sky games by double figures last week, with Eastern Washington handing DeCuire his largest league loss of his seven-year career (-14) and Montana's worst home loss since 2008 (-14). Perhaps even more staggering, however, the stat shows how good DeCuire has been. In nearly seven seasons (139 Big Sky games), DeCuire has lost just four games by more than 10 points, and none by more than 14.
Complete Game Notes in PDF format, including additional notes, stats, charts and player pages
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