Big Sky’s top-2 teams set to meet for 8th time in past 11 tournaments

No. 6 Montana vs. No. 3 Weber State
Thursday / 8 p.m. / Boise, Idaho

Stream: Pluto TV (ch. 1050)
Listen: KGVO (1290 AM, 98.3 FM) / Worldwide on TuneIn
Live Stats

Playing on the opening day of the Big Sky Conference tournament for the first time since 2010, the No. 6 seed Grizzlies got their feet under them with a 69-64 win over No. 11 seed Idaho. Montana fell behind early, 11-2, before rattling off 27 of the next 34 points to build a double-digit lead. The Grizzlies led for the final 29 minutes, despite Idaho cutting the score to three points with 31 seconds to play.

Wednesday's win sets up a big-time battle with Weber State on Thursday night. Not only do the two teams rank No. 1 and No. 2 in Big Sky history in just about every category, but the two teams have also made playing in the tournament a near-annual affair.

Tipoff on Thursday is scheduled for 8 p.m. from Idaho Central Arena in Boise. The game will be broadcast on Pluto TV (channel 1050) as well as the Grizzly Radio Network.

CLASS OF THE BIG SKY
Over the league's history, Montana and Weber State have been the class of the Big Sky Conference, and it hasn't been close:

Montana and Weber State rank first and second in Big Sky Conference history for all-time wins, conference championships, NCAA tournament appearances and average attendance.
Montana and Weber State have combined to win 21 Big Sky Conference tournament titles. Every other current Big Sky school has combined to win 14.
Since 2010, at least one of the two teams has been in the Big Sky Conference tournament finals every season – including both teams four times, with Montana going 3-1 in those games. The two teams have met in the conference tournament seven times in the past 10 seasons overall, prior to Thursday's game.
Montana owns 12 regular-season conference championships, 11 tournament titles and 12 NCAA tournament appearances. Since the Grizzlies won their first title in 1975, they rank first for combined conference championships and NCAA tournament berths during that 45-year stretch.
Weber State owns 22 regular-season conference championships (first), 10 tournament titles (second) and 16 NCAA tournament appearances (first).

TOURNAMENT HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS

Montana and Weber State are meeting in the Big Sky tournament for the eighth time in the past 11 tournaments. The Grizzlies are 6-1 in those matchups.
Under Travis DeCuire, Montana is 2-1 vs. Weber State, beating the Wildcats in the 2015 quarterfinals and 2019 semifinals, and losing in the 2016 title game, 62-59, in overtime.
Overall, the two teams have met 15 times in the tournament, with the Griz owning a 9-6 record. The Griz and Wildcats have played in the finals eight times (4-4) and semis six times (4-2). Thursday will be the second time the two teams have met in the quarterfinals (also 2015, an overtime win for Montana).
Five of the past eight tournament meetings have been decided by one possession. However, in the most-recent meeting, in the 2019 semifinals, Montana blew out Weber State, 78-49. In that game, Montana never trailed while holding Weber State to a season low for points. The Grizzlies led by double-digits for the final 35 minutes, at least 20 points for the final 14 minutes and posted its largest margin of victory ever in a Big Sky tournament game.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. THE WILDCATS
In a series that dates back to 1962-63 – the inaugural season of the Big Sky Conference – Weber State holds a 72-62 edge over Montana. Recently, though, Montana has had its way against Weber State. Since March 2017, the Grizzlies are 7-2 vs. the Wildcats, with the only losses coming in January 2020 – 87-85 in overtime in Ogden – and last month – 91-82 in Missoula, two days after the Grizzlies posted a 13-point win.

Under Travis DeCuire, Montana is 9-6 against the Wildcats. The Grizzlies have five double-digit wins over Weber State during that span, including a 72-37 win in Missoula last February and a 78-49 win in the 2019 Big Sky semifinals. DeCuire has never lost to Weber State by more than nine points, with three of his six losses coming in overtime.

TOURNEY TIDBITS

Montana has now won seven consecutive Big Sky tournament games dating back to a 2018 quarterfinal win over North Dakota.
Montana is 44-29 all-time in the tournament, the second-most wins of any Big Sky team.
Dating back to 2010, Montana has won at least one game in nine of the 11 tournaments played.
The Grizzlies have won the Championship a league-best 11 times, including the last two tournament tiles (2018 and 2019). Montana has played in the final 20 times (first), including in eight of the past 10 tournaments and four of five under Travis DeCuire.
The Grizzlies are looking to become the first team in more than 40 years – and just the second team ever, joining Weber State (1978-90) – to win three consecutive tournament titles.

Gallery: (3-10-2021) MBB: vs. Idaho - Big Sky First Round (03.10.21)

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When it comes to the #BigSkyMBB tournament, you can't count out Montana! #GrizHoops #GoGriz #BigSkyInBoise
Posted by Montana Griz Basketball on Wednesday, March 10, 2021

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Big Sky’s top-2 teams set to meet for 8th time in past 11 tournaments

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