Montana to play in Coaches Vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic

Saturday, December 17

Houston, Texas

11:05 AM (MT)

Montana

Prairie View A&M

Montana to play in Coaches Vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic

12/15/2022 2:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

By: Montana Sports Information

MONTANA VS. PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
Saturday, Dec. 17 / 11:05 a.m. / Houston, Texas
Watch / Live Stats

Head Coach Travis DeCuire and the Montana Grizzlies will participate in the second annual Coaches Vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic on Saturday, facing off against Prairie View A&M in a neutral-site game in Houston.

The game will be the first in a doubleheader, with the evening game pitting Texas Tech against Jackson State. Houston and North Carolina A&T also participated in the tournament in a game played on Dec. 13.

It is a special event to participate in and a cause the DeCuire and the Montana staff and players feel strongly about. They are continuing their support of racial justice and shining a light on systemic racism by cooperating with the other teams and organizations that have come together to make this event happen.

DeCuire spoke with the University of Montana about the importance of the event, and the article can be read here.

The game will be an early tip for Montana against a team with a Pac-12 win on its resume. It is also a team that enters on a bit of a slump, losing its past four games, to give Montana a chance to get above .500 for the first time this season.

The Grizzlies are coming off a pair of inspiring wins against South Dakota State and North Dakota State. The first, 25-point win at home against an NCAA Tournament team last year, may have been the largest win of the season for Montana, but the second may be the most important victory.

Montana trailed at halftime to the Bison, but used a 49-point second half – including 20 points from Josh Bannan – to overcome a halftime deficit for the first time this season, and more importantly get the first road victory of the year.

Now, in a neutral site, Montana will hope to keep the momentum rolling. They are looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season, and they can also guarantee a .500 record in the non-conference schedule with a win. The only remaining non-conference game will be on the road against nationally ranked Gonzaga.

COACHES VS. RACISM
The 2^nd annual HBCU Roundball Classic is hosted by the non-profit organization Coaches Vs. Racism. Their mission is to "Provide ongoing relevant, awareness, emotional, aspiring, and liberating support to coaches, athletes, and organizations throughout the United States."

For more information on the organization, visit their website here.

SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (4-6, 0-0 SWAC)

The Panthers had a great start to the season, opening up 4-2 including a win over Pac-12 opponent Washington State. It has been a tough stretch since then, as they have lost their last four outings.
Prairie View A&M led Big 10 opponent Northwestern by five points late in the contest, but a 19-4 run by the Wildcats closed out the Panthers for the loss.
At home, the Panthers are a perfect 3-0 this year. While Saturday's game will be a neutral site matchup, Prairie View is within an hour's drive to Houston and it will be right in the Panthers back yard.
Last season, the Panthers went 8-19 overall and 7-10 in SWAC play. They were 5-4 at home and 0-2 in neutral site contests.
Prairie View scores just over 70 points per game and allows around the same, with a scoring margin of 0.1 through the first 10 games of the season. They rank in the 200's in both categories nationally.
The Panthers have struggles shooting the ball this season, making 41.9 percent from the floor (286^th nationally) and just 28.6 percent from the arc (328^th). They do have a good mark from the free throw line, where they connect on 72.3 percent of their attempts.
One of the strengths of the Panthers is rebounding, where they have a positive margin and give up just 31.7 rebounds per game to their opponents. That number is 53^rd in the country, and comes in a category where Montana also excels (29.9, 17^th). The rebounding battle may go a long way to deciding Saturday's result.
Will Douglas, a 6-5 guard, leads the Panthers with 14.1 points per game this year. He scored 26 in the win over Washington State, but left after just six minutes against Northwestern and has not returned to action since. He is the only starter averaging over 5.0 rebounds per game.
Jeremiah Gambrell is second on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game. He leads the team in threes made with 22, although they have come on just 27.8 percent shooting. Gambrell, who is from Houston and will be playing in his home town, has scored double figures in eight of the 10 games this season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE PANTHERS

This is the first-ever meeting between the Grizzlies and the Panthers.
Montana has played seven games in its history against teams from the SWAC. They are 6-1 in those games. They are 3-0 against Mississippi Valley State, 1-0 vs. Florida A&M, 2-0 vs. Texas Southern 2-0, and lost their lone game against Jackson State.

ALL-BIG SKY BANNAN

Preseason All-Big Sky selection Josh Bannan has been off to a tremendous start this season, averaging a near double-double with 14.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
He had the best scoring game of his career in Montana's win over North Dakota State, pouring in 27 points – including 20 in the second half – on 11-of-16 shooting.
Bannan also leads Montana this season with 34 assists (3.4 per game). The Griz have operated through him often, and his playmaking ability has been on full display. He is now over 100 assists in his career.
Bannan ranks in the top 10 of the Big Sky in all the major categories. He leads the league in rebounding (9.5), is 10th in scoring (14.7), and eighth in assists (3.4).
The best rebounder in the Big Sky, Bannan also holds his own in the national standings. Bannan is 23^rd in the country in rebounds per game.
In Montana's win against St. Thomas at the Zootown Classic, Bannan had a career day with 23 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. He is one of just eight players to reach those numbers in the same game since 2010, according to the website sports-reference.com.
Bannan earned the Zootown Classic MVP award for the second consecutive season. He averaged 14.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game as Montana went 2-1 to share the tournament title.
Bannan is tied for 49^th in the country with three double-doubles this season.

FEELING WHITNEY
Brandon Whitney two and a half games earlier this season, but returned for Montana's game against Air Force and has been a dominant force ever since. He had a big impact in the Air Force game, scoring 17 points in a season-high 39 minutes and pacing the Grizzly offense through the first half.

In last week's sweep of South Dakota State and North Dakota State, Whitney was nearly perfect. The guard scored 45 points on 18-of-22 (81.8 percent) shooting. Since returning from injury, he has 70 points (17.5 per game), 13 rebounds, 11 assists and seven steals.

IN A GOOD MOODY
After missing three games, Aanen Moody made a fantastic return to the court for Montana in the win against South Dakota State (12/6). The guard scored 20 points on 60 percent shooting. He kept it up when back in his home state of North Dakota, scoring 17 in the win against NDSU while adding a team-high six rebounds.

Moody has scored at least 15 points in the last five games he has appeared in and is second on the team with 14.3 points per game. He doesn't meet the qualification of playing in 75 percent of Montana's games to qualify for national standings, but his 91.9 percent mark from the free throw line would be just outside the top 10 in all of D-I basketball.

DOWNTOWN, DT
When Dischon Thomas transferred to Montana, the coaching staff hoped he would add a couple of things to the Montana squad. Size and shooting. The big man from Colorado State has delivered. Thomas has scored in double-figures in seven of Montana's games and has found his shot from beyond the arc lately.

He has seven made threes in Montana's last three games, including a performance against NDSU where he battled illness for some clutch buckets down the stretch.

Gallery: (12-10-2022) MBB: at North Dakota State (12.10.22)

GRIZ NOTES

Aanen Moody is not only shooting them at a high rate, but he's earning trips to the free throw line with ease. The redshirt-senior has attempted at least six free throws in his previous four games, making 28-of-31 attempts. His 37 attempts this season are second on the team.
Moody is 13 minutes away from 2,000 in a career that has spanned three schools in five years. He also grabbed his 200th career rebound in the win against North Dakota State (12/10).
Dischon Thomas made his 100th career appearance in Montana's win against North Dakota State (12/10). The transfer from Colorado State battled through illness to make multiple clutch shots down the stretch, and is averaging nearly 12 points per game as a Grizzly.
Lonnell Martin Jr. scored a season-high 18 points against Southern Miss (11/29). He also played well against the Golden Eagles last year, scoring a career-high 20 points against them in a Griz win in Missoula. He also eclipsed 1,000 career minutes in the win against South Dakota State.
The Grizzlies are back to the regularly scheduled starting five. After using four different lineups in the previous four games, the Griz brought back the original starting five against South Dakota State. The Griz are 4-2 when using their preferred starting five.
Montana came back from a halftime deficit in the win against North Dakota State, the first time this season that the Griz won a game in which they trailed at the half.
Josh Vazquez played in his 100th career game at Montana in the win against North Dakota State. He has over 2,000 minutes in a Griz uniform, and recently surpassed 500 career points. He averages just over 5.0 points per game in his four years in Missoula.
It's a pretty simple formula for Montana. When they shoot a better percentage than their opponent, the Griz are 5-0. When they are outshot from the floor, they are 0-5. The Griz are also 4-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 60 points.

AN EXPERIENCED SQUAD
For the first time in several seasons, Travis DeCuire has a roster full of upperclassmen and experienced players. Dischon Thomas and Josh Vazquez both played in their 100^th career games Saturday's against NDSU, which means the Griz now have four different players with at least 100 D-1 appearances under their belts.

Mack Anderson (118 games played), Aanen Moody (101), Thomas (100) and Vazquez (100) lead the way in total experience for Montana, while they also have a pair of three-year starters in Brandon Whitney and Josh Bannan that have combined for 129 career starts.

HAVE TO MAKE THE FREE ONES
Montana has broken the school record for team free throw percentage in back-to-back seasons. It may be early in the year, but the Grizzlies are in a good position to make yet another run at the record. The team is shooting 78.5 percent from the line this year. It is the 11th best percentage in D-1 this season.

They shot 78.5 in 2021-22, and 78.2 in 2020-21. The top six players in attempts on Montana's roster are all shooting at least 75 percent. Moody (91.9 percent), Martin Jr. (80.0), Thomas (80.0) and Whitney (83.3) have all been lights out from the stripe.

IMPROVING ON THE GLASS
One of the keys to the off season for Montana was to improve in the rebounding department. So far, it has been a success. The Grizzlies have outrebounded their opponent in five games and tied in two. They are 5-2 when even or holding the advantage on the boards.

They have limited rebounding chances in games. Montana is giving up fewer than 30 rebounds per game to the opposition, and rank 17^th in the country in that department.

Bannan has been a big reason for the advantage on the glass. The junior set a new career high with 17 rebounds against St. Thomas and is currently averaging 9.5 on the season to lead the Big Sky and rank 23rd in the country. The added size of Dischon Thomas has also been helpful, as the transfer has grabbed 5.2 rebounds per game.

CONTROLLING THE TEMPO
Montana has controlled the pace of the game through the non-conference schedule, slowing it up and limiting chances for the tough opposition they have faced this season. The Griz are 349^th of 352 teams in field goals attempted per game, but they also allow just the 16^th fewest shots to their opponents. It has led to just 7.3 offensive rebounds (10^th) and 5.7 threes made (46^th) per game from their opponents.

IT'S HOW YOU START
The first half has been very indicative of the final result for Montana. In the Grizzlies' five wins, they are outscoring their opponents by 48 points (9.9 per game). On the other hand, in the five losses for Montana they have been outscored by 41 points in the opening 20 minutes (8.2 points per game).

The come-from-behind win against North Dakota State was the first time Montana emerged victorious from a game they trailed at halftime.

HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE
Montana has been very good at home this season, compiling a 4-1 record inside of Dahlberg Arena. They picked up their first road win of the season against North Dakota State last Saturday.

In Dahlberg, the Griz are holding opponents to just 35.6 percent shooting from the floor and 23.7 percent from the arc. On the road, they are allowing 52.0 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from three-point range. For a team that often wins or loses games on the defensive end of the floor, it has certainly made the difference.

The Griz, for comparison, are actually slightly better shooters from the floor (43.2 percent at home, 45.1 on the road) and three-point range (31.0 at home, 32.6 on the road) on the road.