Griz close non-conference at #11 Gonzaga

MONTANA at #11 GONZAGA
Tuesday, Dec. 20 / 7:00 p.m. / Spokane, Wash.
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The Montana men's basketball wraps up the non-conference slate on Tuesday with the highlight of the schedule, and the toughest test yet for a team that has started to figure out the winning formula. The Griz enter the matchup against the No. 11 team in the country winners of three straight games, the longest streak of the season, which includes the first road win and a neutral site victory.

Now, the Kennel awaits. The location may provide the nation's best home court advantage, as Gonzaga have won 72 consecutive games at home. A win against Montana would make it the longest home winning streak in the modern NCAA.

The Grizzlies enter with confidence having won three consecutive games, starting at home with a 25-point win over South Dakota State. They followed that up with a road win against North Dakota State and a neutral site victory against Prairie View in the Coaches Vs. Racism HBCU Roundball Classic.

During the winning streak, Montana's offense has been tough to stop. They average over 81 points on better than 56 percent shooting, increasing their season average up to 67.8 points per game. The winning streak started, uncoincidentally, when Montana returned to the starting lineup it began the season with in November.

They will be put to the test on Tuesday against one of the nation's best. It is the highest ranked opponent Montana has faced since taking on #8 Oregon in December of 2019. The Grizzlies fared well in the last trip to the Kennel, however, giving them a foundation of belief to start with this time around.

In fact, there are some similarities between the two games. Montana is led by a preseason All-Big Sky international big man (Martin Breunig in 2015, Josh Bannan now) while Gonzaga has a National Player of the Year opposite them (Kyle Wiltjer in 2015, Drew Timme now). The Griz limited Wiltjer to just 16 in 2015, and one of the nation's best offenses to a then-season-low 61 points.

It gave Montana a shot at the end. The Griz led in the final minute and had a chance to tie the game with two seconds left, but a Brandon Gfeller three narrowly missed and the upset bid came short.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools since that day. The Griz have played a very difficult non-conference schedule thus far, and close with their strongest opponent. Montana's five losses have come against teams that combine for a 45-15 record, with six of the losses coming against ranked opponents.

The Griz begin Big Sky play following this game, hosting Eastern Washington and Idaho on Dec. 29 and 31, respectively.

SCOUTING #11 GONZAGA (9-3, 0-0 WCC)

The Bulldogs enter fresh off a 100-90 win against #4 Alabama in Birmingham. Drew Timme led the way with a 29 point, 10 rebound double-double. It extended their overall winning streak to four games.
Inside McCarthy Athletic Center, aka "The Kennel", Gonzaga have been nearly impossible to beat in recent years. They have won 72 consecutive home games, matching the modern NCAA record. The last loss came against Saint Mary's in a 2018 WCC game.
Over the last decade, Gonzaga has put together the best winning percentage of any team in NCAA men's basketball. They are a combined 367-56 (.868) since 2010-11.
From 2016-2020, Gonzaga won 133 total games, the second-best four-year stretch in NCAA history.
The Bulldogs have been an offensive juggernaut over the past five seasons, averaging better than 87 points per game as the nation's highest-scoring offense.
Gonzaga has played one of the toughest schedules in the country. Their three losses have all come to teams currently ranked in the top-12 of the AP Poll.
Timme, a multiple time All-American and Preseason National Player of the Year selection, leads the Bulldogs talented offense. The 6-10 forward scores 21.2 points per game, the 13^th best rate in the country and is also in the top 100 in rebounding. He is on pace to eclipse 2,000 points in his decorated Bulldog career. He's also dished out 38 assists.
The Bulldogs score over 82 points per game, the 23^rd best rate in the country. They do so with efficient shooting, averaging 50 percent from the floor and over 37 percent from three.
Julian Strawther is second on the team with 13.0 points per game. He has made a team-high 23 threes on 39 percent shooting from the arc. The 6-7 guard is also second on the team with 7.8 rebounds per game, and has scored in double-figures in all but two of Gonzaga's games this season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BULLDOGS
Montana leads the overall series against Gonzaga 86-64.

Montana won the first ever meeting between the schools all the way back in 1915.

Since 2000, Gonzaga have a 7-0 advantage over Montana in the series. The last meeting came in 2015, when #20 Gonzaga held on at the buzzer for a three-point win.

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 15.4 points and 9.1 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 35 assists (3.2 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 is 3rd in rebounding (9.1 per game), is 9th in scoring (15.4), and 9th in assists (3.2).
One of the best rebounders in the Big Sky, Bannan also holds his own in the national standings. Bannan is 33^rd in the country in rebounds per game. He is 18^th nationally in defensive rebounds, averaging just over seven 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 54^th in the country with three double-doubles this season.
In his first 69 career games, Josh Bannan had just a single game with three makes from beyond the arc. He has hit that number in the last two games, matching his career high in back-to-back games while missing just a single three-pointer in the process.
Bannan is six points away from 900 in his career, and is well on his way to 1,000 points in his first three seasons.
The forward is in the top 100 in the country in minutes played, averaging over 34 per game.

FEELING WHITNEY
Brandon Whitney missed two and a half games earlier this season, but returned for Montana's game against Air Force and has been a dominant force since.

Whitney averages over 17 points per game since his return from injury, and hasn't missed more than two shots in any of the five games. In his last three games, he has scored 61 points on 80.6 percent shooting.

He's also averaging 3.0 assists per game during the stretch with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, and has at least one steal in the last five games.

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 six games he has appeared in and is second on the team with 15.1 points per game. He doesn't meet the qualifications for national or conference standings, but his 88.8 percent mark from the free throw line would be just outside the top 10 in all of D-I basketball and second in the Big Sky.

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 eight of Montana's 11 games while being second on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game.

He has made three shots from the arc in three of Montana's last four games, and is third on the team with 15 made triples this season. He is shooting over 41 percent from distance in the last four games.

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 five free throws in the previous five games. His 42 attempts this season are second on the team, despite missing three games.
Moody went over 2,000 career minutes against Prairie View (12/17) and 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 is averaging over 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 5-2 this season 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 6-0. 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.
The Griz currently have two players averaging at least 15 points per game in Josh Bannan and Aanen Moody. They haven't finished a season with two players hitting that mark since 2019-20 with Sayeed Pridgett and Kendal Manuel.
Montana's win improved them to 6-5 on the season, guaranteeing them at least a .500 record through the non-conference schedule as they prepare for Big Sky play. It is the fifth time in the last six sea-sons that Montana has been .500 or better in non-conference play.

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 (119 games played), Aanen Moody (102), Thomas (101) and Vazquez (101) 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 131 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 79.0 percent from the line this year. It is the 11th best percentage in D-1 basketball.

They shot 78.5 in 2021-22, and 78.2 in 2020-21.

The Griz have six players on the roster who have double-digit free throw attempts, and all of them are shooting over 78 percent. They have three players in the top 10 in the Big Sky with Moody (88.1 percent, 2nd), Whitney (84.4, 7^th), and Bannan (80.9 percent, 10^th).

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 six games and tied in two. They are 6-2 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 8^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 9.1 on the season to rank 3^rd in the Big Sky. The added size of Dischon Thomas has also been helpful, as the transfer has grabbed 5.4 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 351^st of 352 teams in field goals attempted per game, but they also allow just the 18^th fewest shots to their opponents. It has led to just 7.2 offensive rebounds (9^th) and 5.7 threes made (47^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' six wins, they are outscoring their opponents by 57 points (9.5 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.

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Players Mentioned

Mack Anderson

Josh Bannan

Lonnell Martin Jr.

Aanen Moody

Dischon Thomas

Josh Vazquez

Brandon Whitney

University of Montana Athletics