Griz look to extend home win streak against NAU and PSU

Montana vs Northern Arizona
Thursday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m.
• Watch: ESPN+
• Listen: KGVO (1290 AM/98.3 FM) / The Varsity Network
• Live Stats: GrizStats.com

Montana vs Portland State
Saturday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m.
• Watch: SWX TV / ESPN+
• Listen: KGVO (1290 AM/98.3 FM) / The Varsity Network
• Live Stats: GrizStats.com

MISSOULA, Mont. – Back on the winning track after knocking off preseason favorite Southern Utah, the Montana men's basketball team returns to action Thursday night for the first of two home games this week.

The Griz open the homestand against Northern Arizona Thursday before hosting Portland State on Saturday, with Montana looking to build on its run of 14-straight wins inside Dahlberg Arena.

It will be another short turnaround time for the Griz this week, with the NAU matchup coming just three days after Monday night's win over SUU. Montana played three games in a five day span last week, traveling to Weber State and Idaho State on Thursday and Saturday before returning to Missoula to face the Thunderbirds on Monday. Zooming out, the Griz have played five games in the last 12 days as the Big Sky Conference race heats up.

With just seven regular-season games remaining, Montana enters the weekend slate cemented in the top half of the Big Sky table at 9-4 (16-8 overall) and looking to make a run at a potential conference title with five of the last seven games at home.

After dropping a pair of games at Weber State and Idaho State, the Griz will look to keep the momentum gained from a convincing 78-67 win over Southern Utah on Monday that kept the Griz undefeated at home this season at 12-0.

Currently ranked No. 4 in the league standings, the Griz remain only two games out of first place with eighth-ranked NAU (8-15, 4-8 BSC) coming to town and a surging PSU (8-13, 6-7 BSC) visiting Saturday which has won four-straight.

LAST TIME OUT
Following back-to-back road losses, Montana got back on track in a big way Monday night, beating preseason favorite Southern Utah, 78-67.

Southern Utah entered the night one spot ahead of UM in the standings and leading the Big Sky for scoring, averaging 79.8 points per game, which ranked 21st nationally coming in. The Grizzlies' top-ranked defense won out, though, holding the Thunderbirds 13 points below their season average.

Southern Utah had reached 75 or more points in all but five games this season, but was held under that number for the first time since December, as the Thunderbirds shot just .389 from the floor.

Fifth-year starter Dre Marin, who came in averaging 11.3 points per game, was held to zero points on 0-of-5 shooting. All-conference guard John Knight III, who averages 14.7 points per game, was held in check with nine points compared to five turnovers.

GRIZ BITS

Montana had its longest win streak of the season snapped last week at Weber State. The Griz had won four straight going into the road trip down I-15.
The Griz have won three of their last seven games by double digit margins, including Monday's 78-67 win over SUU and the Jan. 22 win over NAU.
Montana went 6-1 during the month of January, its best record during that month since going 7-0 in 2018, a year in which the Grizzlies won the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles.
Montana's 81 points scored vs. Idaho were the second-most this season against Division-I competition.
The Grizzlies beat Eastern Washington despite shooting .389 from the floor, their lowest percentage in a win this season. That's in large part because Montana's defense limited the Eagles to .368 shooting. Montana is now 8-0 this season when opponents shoot below 40 percent and 11-0 when they shoot below 45 percent.
Montana lost its first game this season when recording a better shooting percentage at Weber State. The Griz shot .481 from the field while the Wildcats shot .434 and still game away with a 75-80 win. UM is now 15-1 with a better shooting percentage than its opponent on the season.
Montana ranks No. 24 nationally for fewest turnovers, tied with Davidson at 233 on the season.
A season after setting a school record at the free-throw line, Montana ranks second nationally with a 80.23 free throw percentage, second only to Villanova.
Opponents are averaging just 64.2 points per game against the Grizzlies, a figure that ranks 52nd nationally.
After ranking 348th out of 350 teams for 3-point defense entering January (.424), the Grizzlies have moved up nearly 100 spots in the national rankings in just a month (.352, t264th).
Montana is 9-0 when holding opponents under .400 shooting this season and 16-3 when keeping them under .499 shooting.
The Griz are also 14-1 when dishing out more assists than opponents this season.
The Grizzlies are 5-1 this year in games played on Thursdays.

SERIES VS. THE LUMBERJACKS
In a series that dates back to 1970-71, the Griz and Lumberjacks have played 109 times. Montana holds a strong 76-33 advantage, including an 12-2 record under Travis DeCuire. However the two defeats have come in the past four meetings, with the Grizzlies losing in February 2020 in Flagstaff, damaging their chances at a three-peat, before splitting last year's meetings in Missoula.

But the last time the two met, the Grizzlies were in control for nearly the whole game, leading for nearly 37 minutes in a 58-48 win in Flagstaff that completed a weekend road sweep of the Vikings and Jacks.

Despite the Griz shooting just 40-percent from the field for 58 points – to this day UM's lowest scoring output of the league season - Montana won on defense, limiting Northern Arizona to 48 points on .353 shooting, including .217 from deep. The Grizzlies also forced Northern Arizona into 13 turnovers while turning the ball over themselves a season-low-tying six times.

Josh Bannan paced the Grizzlies on both sides of the ball, scoring 18 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Bannan has been in double figures for scoring in six consecutive games dating back to Dec. 30, averaging 16.5 points per game during that span.

Fellow sophomore Brandon Whitney was also hot, scoring 15 points while dishing out three assists and stealing three passes. Lonnell Martin helped UM get off to a fast start, scoring nine points on three first-half three-pointers.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA

NAU enters the week at 4-8 in conference play and 8-15 overall this season, with just a 3-7 record on the road.
The Lumberjacks are coming off back-to-back losses to Northern Colorado in the last four days, falling to the Bears 74-71 in Greeley on Saturday and 82-60 in Flagstaff on Monday.
Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Cone is the second-best scorer in the league, averaging 19.4 points per game while also leading the league with 76 3-pointers and ranking seventh for assists (86).
Redshirt freshman forward Carson Towt is has the second-best assist to turnover ration in the league behind UM's Cameron Parker. Towt has dished out 83 dimes to 42 turnovers, a 2/1 ratio. He is also second in the league in offensive rebounds, pulling down 2.7 per game, and is third in the Big Sky in defensive rebound with an average of 6.4 per contest.
NAU is ranks third in the league in two team categories this week, pulling down an average of 10.2 offensive rebounds, and going .373 from three point land.
Shane Burcar is in his third season as head coach of the Lumberjacks, after having his interim tag pulled following the team's 16-14 record in 2019-20. It marked NAU's first winning season since 2014-15, and snapped four straight years of 20-plus losses. Last year, the Lumberjacks earned a 77-66 win over Portland State in the first round of the Big Sky tournament for the program's first tournament victory since 2015.
Montana assistant coach Zach Payne has a connection to the Lumberjacks, with his father, Harry, playing in Flagstaff from 1984-87 and ranking in the top 12 in Big Sky history for career assists.

SERIES VS THE VIKINGS
Montana owns a 43-27 all-time record over Portland State, and has gone 24-11 against PSU in Missoula over the years. But you don't have to go back long to find the last time PSU got a win in Missoula, with the visitors beating the Griz 77-74 in overtime in January of 2019. In fact, you have to go back to the 2017-18 season to find the last time the Griz won both regular season matchups against PSU.

Last season the Griz split a pair of games against the Viks in Portland, taking a 70-64 overtime thriller to start the series, then falling 61-56 two days later.

Last time the two met this season Josh Bannan went off for a game-high 22 points to lead the Griz through a rough shooting night where they made just 40-percent from the field and went 8-22 from behind the arc. Montana rebounded from a two point halftime deficit to score 40 second half points in a 66-64 win.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE

PSU enters the week at 6-7 in league play and 8-13 overall. The Vikings getting hot at the right time, however, riding a four-game win streak into the weekend.
PSU beat NAU 97-76 in Flagstaff on Jan. 29. They then upset Northern Colorado twice in home-and-home contests, winning 79-76 in Portland on a Monday, then turning around and beating the Bears 106-99 in Greeley three days later. Most recently PSU beat Sac State in Portland 73-65.
PSU remains the league leader in steals this week with 194 picks, a per-game average of 9.2 that slots in at No. 17 nationally.
The Viks also lead the league in team offensive rebounds at 11.4 per game, which ranks them No. 81 nationally.
Freshman guard Paris Dawson enters the week with the best free throw percentage in the Big Sky at .872, but has only toed the line 47 times, making 41 of his attempts. Montana's Robby Beasley has made 52 of his 60 attempts to land third in the league this week.
PSU has three players in the leauge's top-11 for steals, with junior Ian Burke second in the conference, Kahlid Thomas fourth, and Ezekiel Alley eleventh.
Thomas and junior guard Marlon Ruffin lead the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 and 10.3 points per game, respectively.
Thomas is also top-10 in the league in rebounds, averaging 6.2 board per contest.
Of the 15 players on PSU's roster, just three began their collegiate careers there.
Current Montana assistant coach Zach Payne spent one season as an assistant at Portland State (2018-19).
Longtime assistant coach Jase Coburn is in his first season at the helm of the Vikings.

HISTORY FOR DECUIRE
With Montana's win over Eastern Washington (Jan. 29), DeCuire became the fourth coach in Big Sky Conference history to win 100 Big Sky games. Only Weber State's Randy Rahe (125 games) reached triple-digits faster than DeCuire (138 games), who was also the fastest to 50 league wins in Big Sky history.

At 101-40 in Big Sky play, DeCuire's current .716 winning percentage also ranks fourth in league history (regardless of total wins), including first among coaches who spent more than five years in the conference.

With Montana's win over Idaho (Jan. 27), head coach Travis DeCuire surpassed Mike Montgomery (156 wins from 1978-86) on Montana's all-time wins list. DeCuire, the 25th coach in Griz history, is 158-92 (.632) in seven-plus seasons. Montgomery, a College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who DeCuire coached under while at California, is now fourth on Montana's all-time wins list.

With one more win, DeCuire will pass Wayne Tinkle (158 wins from 2006-14) and move into second on Montana's all-time wins list. George 'Jiggs' Dahlberg, who the Grizzlies' home arena is named after, is the school's all-time wins leader with 221 victories over two stints from 1937-42 and 1944-55.

HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
Montana is a perfect 12-0 at home this season, and dating back to last March has won 14 consecutive games inside Dahlberg Arena. The Grizzlies' home winning streak is tied for the eighth-longest active streak in the country entering Thursday.
Strong play at home is nothing new for the Grizzlies, however:

Montana has gone 57-9 inside Dahlberg Arena dating back to February 2017, a winning percentage of .860.
During a decade span from 2011-21 through 2020-21, Montana went 121-26 at home (.823), the nation's 37th-best home winning percentage during that period.
All-time, Montana is 1,023-415 on its home court (.711), including 743-254 (.744) inside Dahlberg Arena. The Grizzlies are one of just 10 Division-I schools nationally to have won at least 70 percent of its home games while playing in its current facility for at least 60 years.
In the most-recent season with fans, in 2019-20, Montana averaged more than 4,000 fans per game, a better figure than three Pac-12 schools.
Montana will play 17 regular-season home contests in 2021-22, its highest number since the 1992-93 season.

BANNAN TAKING OVER
Montana has featured a balance scoring offense, with eight different Grizzlies leading the team in scoring in a game this season. While the Grizzlies still feature some parity, sophomore forward Josh Bannan is quickly becoming the team's go-to threat, leading the team for scoring in six of its last seven games.

In fact, since returning from the holiday break, Bannan has been in double figures in 10 of 11 games, recording three 20-point contests and four double-doubles.

During league play, the Aussie is averaging 15.8 points (9th) and 7.8 rebounds (fourth), the only player in the Big Sky to average 15/8. He is also shooting .504 from the floor (sixth).

COOL FROM THE FREE-THROW LINE
Montana is connecting on an impressive 80.2 percent of its free-throw attempts this season (353-of-440), a figure that ranks second in all of Division-I college basketball behind Villanova.

Montana has shot a better percentage than its opponent in all but four games this season, with one being the loss at Weber State.

The Grizzlies have six rotation players who are making at least 80 percent of their free-throw attempts, including two players who have yet to miss a shot. Lonell Martin and Josh Vasquez are perfect at 18-18 and 15-15, respectively, with Bannan, Beasley, Parker, and Owens each shooting 80 percent or better.

A season ago, Montana owned the nation's 15th-best free-throw percentage, connecting on a school-record 78.2 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe. Both Robby Beasley III (.929) and Josh Vazquez (.929) broke individual school records, which now rank second in Big Sky Conference history.

PROTECTING THE BASKETBALL
The Grizzlies are among the nation's leaders for protecting the basketball, ranking 8th in the NCAA with just 9.7 giveaways per game. The Grizzlies also rank 16th nationally for turnover margin (+4.2) and 21^st with a 1.44 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Montana has recorded more turnovers than its opponent just three times this season and has recorded fewer than 10 turnovers in nearly half of its games (9-1 record).

77 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Montana, which leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks 52nd nationally for scoring defense, is a near-perfect 14-1 this season when allowing 77 or fewer points (the only exception being its 66-59 loss at Montana State). Conversely, opponents have surpassed 77 points eight times this season, seven being Griz losses, including the weekend sweep at the hands of Weber State and Idaho State.

DEALING
Senior guard Cameron Parker was one of the nation's best passers prior to his arrival in Missoula, setting an NCAA single-game record while playing for Sacred Heart with 24 assists in a win over Pine Manor, but he has continued to elevate his game in his second season in Missoula.

Parker was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week in mid-December after an historic week that saw him average 10.7 points on .526 shooting, in addition to 13.0 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals across three Griz wins. In a 19-point win over Air Force, he scored a team-high 20 points, before recording the third triple-double in school history vs. Yellowstone Christian (10 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists). Three nights later, vs. SAGU AIC, Parker played just 19 minutes but set Montana and Big Sky records with 20 assists.

On the season, Parker now ranks No. 24 in the NCAA with 5.2 assists per game and 19th with a 2.72 assist-to-turnover ratio.

PLAYING FROM IN FRONT
Montana has trailed in the second half just four times in 12 home games this season, for a total of 14:24 (out of 240 second-half minutes). The Grizzlies trailed Southern Miss for 6:49, by as many as four points, Weber State for 3:21, by as many as three, as Eastern Washington for 1:14, by as many as two, and SUU by just three. In the other eight home games, the Grizzlies built a halftime advantage and never let up.

LOOKING AHEAD
Montana returns to the road for a one-off league matchup at Idaho on Thursday, Feb. 17, in Moscow. After a Saturday off to recover, the Griz then make their final regular season road trip on Thursday, Feb. 24 to Cedar City for a return matchup against Southern Utah.

The Grizzlies will then play their final three regular season games at home, including the Griz/Cat game on Sunday, Feb. 27 in Dahlberg Arena. Northern Colorado then comes to town on March 3, with Sacramento State visiting Missoula to close out the regular season.

The Big Sky tournament gets underway March 9 in Boise with the championship set for March 12.

Griz look to extend home win streak against NAU and PSU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Bannan

Robby Beasley III

Cameron Parker

Josh Vazquez

Brandon Whitney

University of Montana Athletics

Griz look to extend home win streak against NAU and PSU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Bannan

Robby Beasley III

Cameron Parker

Josh Vazquez

Brandon Whitney

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