Monday, February 7
Missoula, Mont.
7 PM
Montana
vs
Southern Utah
Photo by: Derek Johnson
Grizzlies look to bounce back Monday night against preseason favorites
2/6/2022 11:57:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Montana vs. Southern Utah
Monday, Feb. 7Â at 7 p.m.
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1. Worth the wait: It's been more than 14 months since Montana and Southern Utah met on the hardwood, an unusually long time for conference opponents. Last year's Big Sky schedule featured back-to-back games against the same opponent, and the Grizzlies and Thunderbirds were slotted for the rare, early-December weekend. The two teams were set to meet in mid-January, before COVID-19 complications in the Thunderbirds' program pushed the matchup back another three-plus weeks. Montana has played 26 league games – facing every other team – since it last played Southern Utah.
2. Looking to bounce back: Following a season-high four-game winning streak, Montana went on the road last week and came back with a pair of defeats, its first losing skid since dropping back-to-back games Nov. 13-15 at Mississippi State and North Dakota (the second and third games of the season). This marks just the second time this season that Montana has lost consecutive games, with the Grizzlies' last three-game skid coming Feb. 13-20, 2021.
3. Big-time matchup: There's no doubt about it, Monday is a big game. Southern Utah is the defending Big Sky Conference regular-season champions. The Thunderbirds were picked to repeat as champions in 2022. And, being in its last season in the Big Sky, this will be Southern Utah's last known trip to Missoula. Even more, Monday's game will go a long way toward seeding in the Big Sky tournament. There's a clear top-half of the league, with five teams holding winning records. Southern Utah (9-2, third) and Montana (8-4, fourth) are firmly in that mix, looking to position themselves for next month's tournament in Boise, Idaho.
4. Series history: Travis DeCuire began his career 9-0 against Southern Utah, but is looking to right the ship against the Thunderbirds, having since lost three in a row in the series. The two teams, however, haven't played since December 2020 after playing three times in a four-game stretch to close the 2019-20 season and open the 2020-21 campaign. All three losses were dramatic, with all three coming down to the final seconds or overtime.
5. Good on good: Opponents are averaging just 64.0 points per game against Montana's defense, with the Grizzlies ranking in the top 50 nationally. Southern Utah averages 79.8 points per game, good for the 21st-best average in Division I. It will create an intriguing matchup between the league's top offense vs. the league's best defense. Southern Utah's Tevian Jones (18.0 points per game) and Dre Marin (14.6) rank in the top 10 in Big Sky play for scoring, one of two schools to have two players in the top 10.
6. Controlling the boards: It's no secret that the Grizzlies have struggled this year at rebounding. Montana, for example, totaled just 15 rebounds on Saturday at Idaho State and were out-rebounded by 22 to a team that entered the night ranked second-to-last in the league for rebounding. Montana will be in for a stiff test Monday, as Southern Utah leads the Big Sky for rebounding and rebounding margin, ranking 20th and 38th, respectively, in those categories nationally. Southern Utah's Maizen Fausett averages 8.8 rebounds per Big Sky game, which ranks second.
7. Passing showcase: While Montana senior Cameron  Parker leads the Big Sky for assists, averaging 5.2 per game (26th in NCAA), in Big Sky play, Southern Utah's John Knight III is atop the list, averaging 4.73 per game. Knight also leads Big Sky play with 2.09 steals per game.
8. Perfect at home: It's been nearly a full calendar year since Montana lost a home game (Feb. 20, 2021), with the Grizzlies owning a perfect 11-0 record in 2021-22 and winning 13 straight home games dating back to last season. The stretch is tied for the 12th-longest active streak in the NCAA.
9. Uncharacteristic loss: An off night, drained from a battle at first-place Weber State, looking ahead… whatever the reasoning, Saturday's loss to Idaho State was uncharacteristic in many ways. For one, the Grizzlies lost to the Bengals for the first time since December 2009, snapping a 22-game winning streak over their longtime Big Sky foe. But digging into the stats, the team that showed up on the court Saturday night looked nothing like the one fans had seen for most of the season:
11. Rare off night for Montana's top scorers: Montana sophomores Josh Bannan (14.0 points per game) and Robby Beasley III (11.6) entered Saturday averaging 25.6 combined points per game. Bannan had scored in double figures in nine straight games, Beasley in eight of nine. The duo was held to seven combined points on 2-of-6 shooting, though, in addition to one total rebound. Bannan has been consistent all season, so there's high expectations that he will bounce back quickly. Same, too, for Beasley, who has previously been held to three or fewer points four times in his career; three of those times he has bounced back with a double-digit performance the next game.
12. Whitney heating up: After scoring just five combined points over two games from Jan. 8-20, shooting 1-of-6 from the floor, sophomore guard Brandon Whitney has since been in double figures for scoring in five straight games, averaging 13.8 points per game and shooting .511 (24-of-47). He scored a team-most 19 points Saturday at Idaho State.
13. Closing in on 500: Sophomores Robby Beasley III (487 points) and Brandon Whitney (483) are both closing in on 500 points for their careers, and should eclipse the milestone number this week. They will become the fifth and sixth current Grizzlies to reach 500 career points, with two more (Derrick Carter-Hollinger and Josh Vazquez) also within range. Whitney has played in 48 career games while Beasley has played in 45.
14. Bannan all-conference worthy: Despite an off night on Saturday, sophomore forward Josh Bannan is still having an historically good season. He is the only Big Sky player to rank in the top 10 for scoring (14.92, ninth) and top five for rebounding (7.75, fourth). He also is one of the top shooters, making 50 percent of his shots (65-of-130, fifth).
15. Owens back in the fold: Junior forward Kyle Owens, an honorable mention all-conference pick a season ago who led the Grizzlies for scoring, played 19 minutes Saturday at Idaho State, scoring 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The point total was his highest against Division-I competition since Dec. 4 at Northern Colorado (12) and was more impressive considering Owens had played just 5 total minutes over the past five games (four did not plays).
16. Another milestone win upcoming: With a win on Monday, Travis DeCuire would tie Wayne Tinkle (2006-14) for second on the school's all-time wins list. Currently at 157-92, DeCuire ranks third, passing College Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Montgomery two weeks ago. That same week, he became the fourth coach in Big Sky history to win 100 league games.
17. Free-throw shooting back on track: After a couple rare off nights from the free-throw line, Montana got back on track on Saturday with a 19-of-21 shooting performance vs. the Bengals. The Grizzlies rank fourth nationally for free-throw shooting (.799). However, they have shot more free throws than their opponents just twice in the past nine games.
18. Taking care of the ball: Montana ranks 10th nationally, averaging just 9.7 turnovers per game, and ranks 14th with a +4.2 turnover margin. The Grizzlies have recorded fewer turnovers than their opponent in seven of the past eight games.
19. Shooting a good indicator: Montana is 14-1 this season when out-shooting its opponents, with last week's loss to Weber State being the lone exception. The Grizzlies have shot above .500 from the floor five times this season but just once over the past eight games.
20. Large margin of defeat: Montana's 23-point loss at Idaho State was Travis DeCuire's second-largest Big Sky defeat in his eight-year career (Montana lost by 28 in the 2021 Big Sky semifinals to Eastern Washington). It marked just the fifth time in 140 league games that a DeCuire team has lost by double figures. On Saturday, Montana did not hold a lead, a first this season.
Monday, Feb. 7Â at 7 p.m.
- Watch: SWX Montana /Â ESPN+
- Listen:Â KGVO (1290 AM/98.3 FM) /Â The Varsity Network
- Live Stats:Â Stat Broadcast
Tickets
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1. Worth the wait: It's been more than 14 months since Montana and Southern Utah met on the hardwood, an unusually long time for conference opponents. Last year's Big Sky schedule featured back-to-back games against the same opponent, and the Grizzlies and Thunderbirds were slotted for the rare, early-December weekend. The two teams were set to meet in mid-January, before COVID-19 complications in the Thunderbirds' program pushed the matchup back another three-plus weeks. Montana has played 26 league games – facing every other team – since it last played Southern Utah.
2. Looking to bounce back: Following a season-high four-game winning streak, Montana went on the road last week and came back with a pair of defeats, its first losing skid since dropping back-to-back games Nov. 13-15 at Mississippi State and North Dakota (the second and third games of the season). This marks just the second time this season that Montana has lost consecutive games, with the Grizzlies' last three-game skid coming Feb. 13-20, 2021.
3. Big-time matchup: There's no doubt about it, Monday is a big game. Southern Utah is the defending Big Sky Conference regular-season champions. The Thunderbirds were picked to repeat as champions in 2022. And, being in its last season in the Big Sky, this will be Southern Utah's last known trip to Missoula. Even more, Monday's game will go a long way toward seeding in the Big Sky tournament. There's a clear top-half of the league, with five teams holding winning records. Southern Utah (9-2, third) and Montana (8-4, fourth) are firmly in that mix, looking to position themselves for next month's tournament in Boise, Idaho.
4. Series history: Travis DeCuire began his career 9-0 against Southern Utah, but is looking to right the ship against the Thunderbirds, having since lost three in a row in the series. The two teams, however, haven't played since December 2020 after playing three times in a four-game stretch to close the 2019-20 season and open the 2020-21 campaign. All three losses were dramatic, with all three coming down to the final seconds or overtime.
- Montana held a double-digit lead over the Thunderbirds less than 4 minutes into a March 2020 game inside Dahlberg Arena (the last time Southern Utah visited Missoula), and again led by double figures in the second half, only to go cold, missing 10 consecutive shots at one point. In a back-and-forth game over the final several minutes, Sayeed Pridgett – playing his final game as a Grizzly – gave Montana a 69-68 lead with under 2 minutes to play in regulation. It would be Montana's final basket, though, as its final two points came from the free-throw line and the game went to overtime after the Thunderbirds missed two close-range shots in the final seconds of regulation. The two teams were tied at 78-78 with 1:00 to play in overtime, before Southern Utah went on a 7-2 run to close the period and win, in what would end up being the Grizzlies' final game of 2019-20 after the Big Sky tournament and all postseason tournaments were canceled.
- Recapping the December 2020 losses are equally as painful, as Montana led by double figures in both games before falling behind, tying the game in the final minute on a Josh Vazquez 3-pointer, and then losing on the final possession at the free-throw line. In the series opener (Dec. 3, 2021), Montana led for more than 31 minutes, including by as many as 11 points. Vazquez's 3-pointer tied the score at 63-63 with 31 seconds to play, with the Grizzlies needing just one more stop to send the game to overtime. Instead, Montana was whistled for a foul, sending Southern Utah to the free-throw line with 2.6 seconds remaining. In the next game (Dec. 5, 2021), Montana used a 13-0 run to close the first half and led for nearly the entire second half. After Vazquez hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining, Montana once again couldn't get a final stop, with the Thunderbirds making a free-throw with 1.3 seconds left to win the game. It marked the first time since 1984 that the Grizzlies lost back-to-back games by a single point.
5. Good on good: Opponents are averaging just 64.0 points per game against Montana's defense, with the Grizzlies ranking in the top 50 nationally. Southern Utah averages 79.8 points per game, good for the 21st-best average in Division I. It will create an intriguing matchup between the league's top offense vs. the league's best defense. Southern Utah's Tevian Jones (18.0 points per game) and Dre Marin (14.6) rank in the top 10 in Big Sky play for scoring, one of two schools to have two players in the top 10.
6. Controlling the boards: It's no secret that the Grizzlies have struggled this year at rebounding. Montana, for example, totaled just 15 rebounds on Saturday at Idaho State and were out-rebounded by 22 to a team that entered the night ranked second-to-last in the league for rebounding. Montana will be in for a stiff test Monday, as Southern Utah leads the Big Sky for rebounding and rebounding margin, ranking 20th and 38th, respectively, in those categories nationally. Southern Utah's Maizen Fausett averages 8.8 rebounds per Big Sky game, which ranks second.
7. Passing showcase: While Montana senior Cameron  Parker leads the Big Sky for assists, averaging 5.2 per game (26th in NCAA), in Big Sky play, Southern Utah's John Knight III is atop the list, averaging 4.73 per game. Knight also leads Big Sky play with 2.09 steals per game.
8. Perfect at home: It's been nearly a full calendar year since Montana lost a home game (Feb. 20, 2021), with the Grizzlies owning a perfect 11-0 record in 2021-22 and winning 13 straight home games dating back to last season. The stretch is tied for the 12th-longest active streak in the NCAA.
9. Uncharacteristic loss: An off night, drained from a battle at first-place Weber State, looking ahead… whatever the reasoning, Saturday's loss to Idaho State was uncharacteristic in many ways. For one, the Grizzlies lost to the Bengals for the first time since December 2009, snapping a 22-game winning streak over their longtime Big Sky foe. But digging into the stats, the team that showed up on the court Saturday night looked nothing like the one fans had seen for most of the season:
- The Grizzlies' top-ranked defense allowed Idaho State to score 86 points (tied for the second-most allowed this season, only to Oregon's 87). The 86 points came from a team that entered the night averaging just 61.7 points per game (bottom 16 nationally). Idaho State shot .625 from the floor, the second-best by a Griz opponent this season (Oregon shot .660).
- Montana's 15 rebounds tied a season low, being out-rebounded by 22 (37 to 15).
- Montana's six assists on 21 made baskets were the second-fewest of the season.
- The Grizzlies shot 2-of-16 from 3-point range, their fewest 3-pointers and worst percentage of the season.
11. Rare off night for Montana's top scorers: Montana sophomores Josh Bannan (14.0 points per game) and Robby Beasley III (11.6) entered Saturday averaging 25.6 combined points per game. Bannan had scored in double figures in nine straight games, Beasley in eight of nine. The duo was held to seven combined points on 2-of-6 shooting, though, in addition to one total rebound. Bannan has been consistent all season, so there's high expectations that he will bounce back quickly. Same, too, for Beasley, who has previously been held to three or fewer points four times in his career; three of those times he has bounced back with a double-digit performance the next game.
12. Whitney heating up: After scoring just five combined points over two games from Jan. 8-20, shooting 1-of-6 from the floor, sophomore guard Brandon Whitney has since been in double figures for scoring in five straight games, averaging 13.8 points per game and shooting .511 (24-of-47). He scored a team-most 19 points Saturday at Idaho State.
13. Closing in on 500: Sophomores Robby Beasley III (487 points) and Brandon Whitney (483) are both closing in on 500 points for their careers, and should eclipse the milestone number this week. They will become the fifth and sixth current Grizzlies to reach 500 career points, with two more (Derrick Carter-Hollinger and Josh Vazquez) also within range. Whitney has played in 48 career games while Beasley has played in 45.
14. Bannan all-conference worthy: Despite an off night on Saturday, sophomore forward Josh Bannan is still having an historically good season. He is the only Big Sky player to rank in the top 10 for scoring (14.92, ninth) and top five for rebounding (7.75, fourth). He also is one of the top shooters, making 50 percent of his shots (65-of-130, fifth).
15. Owens back in the fold: Junior forward Kyle Owens, an honorable mention all-conference pick a season ago who led the Grizzlies for scoring, played 19 minutes Saturday at Idaho State, scoring 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The point total was his highest against Division-I competition since Dec. 4 at Northern Colorado (12) and was more impressive considering Owens had played just 5 total minutes over the past five games (four did not plays).
16. Another milestone win upcoming: With a win on Monday, Travis DeCuire would tie Wayne Tinkle (2006-14) for second on the school's all-time wins list. Currently at 157-92, DeCuire ranks third, passing College Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Montgomery two weeks ago. That same week, he became the fourth coach in Big Sky history to win 100 league games.
17. Free-throw shooting back on track: After a couple rare off nights from the free-throw line, Montana got back on track on Saturday with a 19-of-21 shooting performance vs. the Bengals. The Grizzlies rank fourth nationally for free-throw shooting (.799). However, they have shot more free throws than their opponents just twice in the past nine games.
18. Taking care of the ball: Montana ranks 10th nationally, averaging just 9.7 turnovers per game, and ranks 14th with a +4.2 turnover margin. The Grizzlies have recorded fewer turnovers than their opponent in seven of the past eight games.
19. Shooting a good indicator: Montana is 14-1 this season when out-shooting its opponents, with last week's loss to Weber State being the lone exception. The Grizzlies have shot above .500 from the floor five times this season but just once over the past eight games.
20. Large margin of defeat: Montana's 23-point loss at Idaho State was Travis DeCuire's second-largest Big Sky defeat in his eight-year career (Montana lost by 28 in the 2021 Big Sky semifinals to Eastern Washington). It marked just the fifth time in 140 league games that a DeCuire team has lost by double figures. On Saturday, Montana did not hold a lead, a first this season.
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