Montana to face Lumberjacks, Bears on the road

MONTANA at NORTHERN ARIZONA
Thursday, Jan. 5 / 6:00 p.m. / Flagstaff, Ariz.
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MONTANA at NORTHERN COLORADO
Saturday, Jan. 7 / 6:00 p.m. / Greeley, Colo.
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The calendar year has turned and Montana is hoping to get 2023 off to a good start on the road this weekend as they travel to Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado for the second week of league play. The Griz opened with a split at home, losing a lead late to Eastern Washington before cruising against Idaho on New Year's Eve.

Now, the Griz prepare for a couple of opponents who combined to go 0-4 in the opening weekend of Big Sky play. The first weekend may not have been kind to the Lumberjacks and Bears, but they boast some of the top players in the league and will be a challenge for Montana in its first Big Sky trip away from home.

The non-conference schedule doesn't quite prepare you for the trials on the road in the Big Sky. Head Coach Travis DeCuire did his best to make some trips as similar as can be to league play, but it's a difficult thing to recreate. The closest Montana came was a week of games against South Dakota State and North Dakota State. Although they did play one of those at home, it was a good trial run for Montana, who swept the pair of games.

At the end of the day, getting splits on the road is good, but getting sweeps is what wins championships. It will be Montana's aim this week, starting first with Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks have had tough luck in the conference lately, losing 10 straight games dating back to last season. The good news for NAU? Their last win came against the Griz in Missoula.

It's a game the Grizzlies haven't forgotten, and one they will be looking to redeem on Thursday night. And while that may have been a disappointing result for Montana, their recent trips to Flagstaff have been anything but. The Griz have won five of the past six meetings between the two schools in Flagstaff.

Montana wrap up the trip against Northern Colorado, a team that in recent years has competed for several Big Sky Championships. They finished as the runners-up last year and return a couple of the top players in the league. Dalton Knecht and Daylen Kountz rank first and third in the Big Sky in scoring, giving Montana's defense plenty to plan for on Saturday.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA (4-11, 0-2 Big Sky)

The Lumberjacks enter Thursday's game having lost four straight, including a road sweep to open Big Sky play. They dropped the conference opener to Idaho State 79-53 in Pocatello before falling 76-60 to Weber State in Ogden.
Prior to last weekend, the Lumberjacks fell in a pair of five-point overtime heartbreakers. They lost to Utah Valley 80-75 and Southern Utah 106-101.
Northern Arizona have played a majority of their schedule so far away from home, going 1-9 outside of Flagstaff. In home games, the Lumberjacks have been much improved. They have a 3-2 record at home. All five games were played inside the Rolle Activity Center, while their conference games will take place inside the Walkup Skydome on the Findlay Toyota Court.
Last year, the Lumberjacks went just 5-15 in Big Sky play and finished in last place. They closed the season with eight consecutive losses to Big Sky opposition, and have run that streak up to 10 games over the past two season. However, the last win for the Lumberjacks came against Montana in a 72-67 overtime win on Feb. 10, 2022.
Jalen Cone, a Virginia Tech transfer who was All-Big Sky Third Team in his first season at NAU, was voted to the Preseason All-Big Sky Team. Primarily used as a scoring guard, Cone is fourth in the Big Sky this year with 17.2 points per game. He leads the league in three-pointers made and three-point percentage, and he also has the two highest scoring games in the league this year with a 45-point performance against Southern Utah and 38 points against Abilene Christian. He is the only Big Sky player with multiple 30-point games.
Cone is 13^th in the league in assists (2.67 per game) but is also second in turnovers with 3.0 per game for a negative assist/turnover ratio.
Forward Carson Towt leads the Big Sky in offensive rebounding with over 3.5 per game. He is fourth overall with over 8.0 per game, and is also a playmaker on offense. Towt ranks fifth in the Big Sky for assists (3.73 per game) and fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.87).
Northern Arizona average the sixth-most points in the Big Sky but do it on a league worst 42.1 shooting percentage. They are also second from the bottom of the statistical leaderboards with nearly 76 points allowed per game.
The -3.73 scoring margin of Northern Arizona is second-worst in the Big Sky, ahead of only Northern Colorado.
The Lumberjacks lead the league in assists (15.73 per game) and are second in turnover margin (1.0). This leads to the best Assist/Turnover ratio in the Big Sky at 1.28.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE LUMBERJACKS
Montana has a 76-34 all-time series lead. The Grizzlies have a winning record in Flagstaff, winning 30 of the 51 meetings on the road. The Griz have won five of the previous six meetings in Flagstaff including a 58-48 win last season.

The Griz lost the last meeting between these two teams 72-67 in overtime on Feb. 10, 2022 in Missoula. The Lumberjacks have lost 10 consecutive games against Big Sky opposition since that win.

Head Coach Travis DeCuire is 12-3 in his career against Northern Arizona, including a 5-1 mark in Flagstaff.

SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO (5-9, 0-2 Big Sky)

Northern Colorado enter the weekend on a four-game losing streak, including being swept in the first two conference games against Weber State and Idaho State. They fell 81-72 in Ogden in the opener before dropping an overtime contest to the Bengals 90-83.
The Bears have played four games at home this season, compiling a 1-3 record. The lone home win came against Texas A&M Commerce on Nov. 11. They have since lost their previous three home games.
The Bears and Grizzlies share two like opponents on the season. The teams both have wins over North Dakota State, while both fell against Air Force.
Last season, Northern Colorado won the fourth-most games in program history, going 22-16 overall. This included a 13-7 mark in Big Sky conference games. They went all the way to the Big Sky Championship game but fell 87-66 to Montana State. It was enough to earn them an invite to the College Basketball Invitational, where they lost in the semifinal to UNC Wilmington.
The trio of Dalton Knecht, Daylen Kountz and Matt Johnson II have been among the best units in the Big Sky this season. The three players top the Big Sky leaderboard for minutes played, each averaging over 35 minutes per game.
Knecht leads the league in scoring (18.93 points per game) while Kountz is third (17.86 ppg). Johnson II is 18^th in the league at 12.57. Montana and Northern Colorado are the only teams in the league with three players averaging at least 12 points per game. The Grizzlies have four.
Knecht is also fifth in the Big Sky in rebounding by averaging 7.86 rebounds per game. He is sixth in field goal percentage (46.6 percent) and seventh in free throw percentage (79.7 percent).
Kountz is also in the top 10 in both field goal and free throw percentage. He is seventh in the league and second on the team in assists with 3.36 per game, but also averages 2.79 turnovers for the third highest total in the Big Sky.
Johnson II has played the most minutes in the Big Sky this season with 507 (36.2 per game). He leads the team and is in the top 10 in the league in both assists (3.71 per game) and steals (1.14 per game). He has scored 176 points in 14 games for a 12.57 average, the exact same numbers as Montana's Dischon Thomas.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BEARS
The Grizzlies have a 26-14 all-time lead in the series against Northern Colorado, which includes a 10-7 record in games played in Greeley. In recent years, Northern Colorado has gotten the better of Montana, winning six of the previous seven meetings between the two sides.

Montana's last win in the series came in 2021, while the last Grizzly win in Greeley came on Jan. 12, 2019. The Grizzlies have played just two games in Greeley in the last four seasons.

The Bears are the only Big Sky team that DeCuire has not yet defeated 10 times. He has a 9-7 career record against Northern Colorado.

GRIZ NOTES

Montana is the only team in the Big Sky with four players averaging at least 12 points per game. Bannan (16.3), Moody (14.6), Whitney (12.8) and Thomas (12.6) are all in the top 20 in the Big Sky in scoring per game.
The Grizzlies are currently tied in the middle of the Big Sky standings. Montana and Montana State are the only teams to have a split of the opening weekend of league play.
Turnovers have been hard to come by for opposing defenses. Montana ranks 59^th in the country and leads the Big Sky with just 11.6 giveaways per game.
Defensively, Montana rarely gives away open looks from the perimeter and the numbers reflect that. The Grizzlies are the best in the Big Sky, and 54^th overall in the country, in three point percentage defense. Opposing teams have connected on just 29.8 percent of their three-pointers this year.
Montana's bench has struggled to produce points at times this season, currently averaging 10.3 points per game. They have been held to 11 points or fewer in the last seven games.
While it seems logical to say the teams that shoots better should often win, it rarely occurs that way. But Montana's season has played out exactly to that thought so far. The Grizzlies are a perfect 7-0 in games where they shoot a better field goal percentage than their opponent, and 0-7 in games where they shoot worse.
Close games have been a rarity for Montana this season. They have played in just one game decided by four or fewer points (a 59-56 loss at Air Force) and have had 10 of the 14 games this year decided by 10-plus points.
Lonnell Martin Jr. is eight points away from 300 in his Grizzly career. A starter in every game this year for Montana, Martin Jr. recorded a career-high five assists in the game against Eastern Washington. He currently averages 6.5 points per game and has been the best free throw shooter for the Griz with an 86.7 percent success rate.
Josh Vazquez did a little bit of everything for Montana in the win against Idaho. He played 31 minutes and scored six points, but it was the other columns on the box score that grabbed DeCuire's attention. Vazquez had career high's in assists (5) and blocks (3), while also grabbing four rebounds and recording two steals.
Mack Anderson is nine rebounds away from 300 in his Grizzly career. The interior enforcer has seen his minutes limited lately because of foul trouble, as he has played 25 minutes and picked up 14 fouls over the last three games.

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 a team-high 16.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Bannan also leads Montana this season with 46 assists (3.3 per game). The Griz have often put the ball in the hands of the big man to make a play, and he now has 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 (8.6 per game), 7th in scoring (16.3), and 10th in assists (3.3).
One of the best rebounders in the Big Sky, Bannan also holds his own in the national standings. Bannan is 50th in the country in rebounds per game. He is 32^nd nationally in defensive rebounds, averaging just under seven per game.
Bannan leads Montana and is fourth in the Big Sky with four double-doubles this season. He got his latest against Eastern Washington, scoring 24 points and adding 10 boards.
Bannan eclipsed 900 career points in the loss at Gonzaga and is now just 47 points away from becoming the 35^th member of Montana's 1,000-point club.
He has been an efficient scorer for Montana, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor to rank fourth in the Big Sky. The mark is also in the top 100 in the country at 94^th.
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.

BRANDON WHITNEY

Whitney has been on a tear for Montana since his return from injury in November. He has been in double-figures in six of the previous eight games, including a 20-point performance in the win against Idaho.
He scored 14 of the first 17 points for the Griz in the win against the Vandals, setting a tone that led to a big Montana victory.
The guard has been very efficient with his shooting, scoring in double-figures on at least 50 percent shooting in six games. He has been better than 70 percent from the floor in five of Montana's 14 games.
Whitney is second on Montana in assists with 31 total, and has recorded in assist in every game that he has finished this season.

AANEN MOODY

The transfer from Southern Utah had a bit of a slow start to the season and missed some time for the birth of his son, but has been one of the best scorers in the conference since returning. He had a run of eight straight games with double-digit points come to an end against Idaho as he got into some foul trouble. He ranks 12^th in the Big Sky with 14.6 points per game.
Moody's reputation as a catch-and-shoot scorer has been put to rest this season. The guard has been a playmaker for Montana, attempting at least 10 shots in seven games and averaging 2.0 assists per game. He had four assists in three out of five games leading into the start of Big Sky play and has at least one assist in nine of 11 games.
He showed off his defensive ability in recent games, recording a career-high five assists in the game against Eastern Washington. He has risen in the Big Sky ranks and is currently sixth with 1.2 steals per game.

DISCHON THOMAS

Montana looked to the transfer portal this offseason to address a couple of issues from last year's squad. Rebounding, and perimeter shooting. They got both in Thomas, who has started every game this season for the Griz and helped improve Montana in both categories.
The big man is a perimeter threat, knocking down 21 threes total and making at least one in seven consecutive games. Thomas is in the top 20 in the Big Sky averaging 12.6 points per game
Thomas is also 10^th in the conference in blocked shots (0.64 per game) and is 13^th in rebounding at 5.4 per game.
He scored a season-high 20 points in the loss to Eastern Washington, knocking down another four three-pointers (another season high) while shooting 57 percent from the floor.

AN EXPERIENCED SQUAD
For the first time in several seasons, Travis DeCuire has a roster full of upperclassmen and experienced players. The Griz currently have four different players with at least 100 D-1 appearances under their belts.

Mack Anderson (122 games played), Aanen Moody (105), Dischon Thomas (104) and Josh Vazquez (104) 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 137 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 77.5 percent from the line this year. It is the 19th 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. The entire starting five is included as Martin Jr. leads with 86.7 percent, followed by Thomas (86.2), Moody (82.4), Whitney (78.9) and Bannan (78.8). Josh Vazquez is also at a 78.6 percent clip this year.

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 seven games and tied in two. They are 6-1 when holding the advantage on the boards. On the reverse side, all five games in which Montana has lost the rebounding margin they have also lost the game.

They have limited rebounding chances in games. Montana is giving up 30.9 rebounds per game to the opposition, and rank 28th in the country in that department.

Bannan has been a big reason for the advantage on the glass. The junior is currently averaging 8.6 on the season to rank 3rd in the Big Sky. The added size of Dischon Thomas has also been helpful, as the transfer has grabbed 5.4 rebounds per game for 13th spot in the Big Sky lists.

CONTROLLING THE TEMPO
Montana has controlled the pace of the game through the 2022-23 season, slowing it up and limiting chances for the tough opposition they have faced this season. The Griz are 329th of 352 teams in field goals attempted per game (53.2), but they also allow just the 12th fewest shots (51.7) to their opponents. It has led to just 7.7 offensive rebounds (17th), 30.9 total rebounds (28th) and 5.6 threes made (39th) per game from their opponents.

It's also evident in Montana's specialty stats, where the Grizzlies average just 3.8 points per game in transition. They have hit the 10-point mark in just one game this season, and that came against MSU-Northern.

IT'S HOW YOU START
The first half has been very indicative of the final result for Montana. In the Grizzlies' seven wins, they are outscoring their opponents by 70 points (10.0 per game). On the other hand, in the seven losses for Montana they have been outscored by 47 points in the opening 20 minutes (6.7 points per game). In Montana's 14 games, the team with the lead at halftime is 10-3. The Grizzlies won the only game that was tied at the half against Merrimack (11/19).

The come-from-behind win against North Dakota State (12/10) is the only time Montana emerged victorious from a game they trailed at halftime.

Montana brings the energy at home, ourscoring its opponents 253-180 (10.4 points per game). On the road, Montana have struggled to get it going in the first half of games. They have been outscored 223-164 in the first half on the road.

TOUGH SCHEDULE
Montana played the 67th most difficult non-conference schedule in all of D-1 according to NET Rankings, and did just about as expected. The Griz were a perfect 4-0 against Quadrant 4 teams, while they went 0-4 against teams from Quadrants 1 and 2.

The six losses for Montana all came against teams with winning records. In fact, those six teams combined for a 58-19 non-conference record (.753 winning percentage) with nine of the 19 losses coming against ranked opponents.

All told, a .500 record and six wins is a pretty good mark for Montana as they enter Big Sky play.

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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