Montana starts back half at home

MONTANA vs. NORTHERN COLORADO
Thursday, Feb. 2 / 7:00 p.m. / Missoula, Mont.
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MONTANA vs. NORTHERN ARIZONA
Thursday, Feb. 4 / 7:00 p.m. / Missoula, Mont.
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Montana men's basketball returns home this weekend looking to accomplish something that has eluded them so far this Big Sky season; win on Thursday. The Grizzlies are coming off a road split that included a loss to Sacramento State followed by a bounce back win on Saturday against Portland State.

It's been the story of the season for Montana, as all four of their conference wins have come on Saturday, and all four have followed a Thursday night loss. They will look to buck the trend when Northern Colorado comes to town to really get things started with the back half of the conference schedule.

There are just eight games remaining in league play, and after defeating Portland State on Saturday the Grizzlies have now faced the rest of the Big Sky at least once. It lends some familiarity as they prepare for the closing stretch, and should give them a good sense of expectation.

In the first meeting between Montana and Northern Colorado, the Griz led for over 31 minutes and by as many 18 points. The Bears made it interesting down the stretch, but Montana was able to close out the win.

It came on a Saturday, and it followed a loss to Montana's other opponent this weekend. Northern Arizona defeated the Grizzlies 75-74 in overtime. It was the second straight game between the two squads to go to overtime, and also the second straight Griz loss. They are looking for redemption on Saturday.

WYATT NIGHT
On Thursday, Montana will be recognizing honorary teammate Wyatt Grove with a pregame celebration. Be sure to arrive early to help Coach DeCuire, the team and all of Griz Nation thank Wyatt for being a pivotal member of our team.

N7 GAME
Saturday against Northern Arizona will be Montana's N7 Game, a Nike initiative that ties in with the company's commitment and mission to inspire and enable two million Native America and Aboriginal youth in North America to participate in sport and physical activity.

The Grizzlies will be wearing alternate turquoise uniforms, a color that represents friendship and fellowship in Native cultures. The uniform logo was designed by UM alum Benji Headswift, a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe. You can read more about Headswift's design here.

SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO (7-14, 2-7 Big Sky)

After an 0-5 start to Big Sky play, the Bears have responded by winning two of the past four. They played just a single game last week, losing on the road against Northern Arizona 83-73. It was just the second win of the season for the Lumberjacks.
The Bears have the fifth-best scoring offense in the Big Sky but have been fairly inefficient in their scoring. They rank ninth in the league in field goal percentage and eighth in three-point percentage.
Northern Colorado lead the Big Sky in steals per game at 7.1. They have three of the top six players in the league in steals per game.
The Bears are in the bottom half of the Big Sky in most statistical categories, including scoring margin (9^th), rebounding margin (6^th), turnover margin (-0.7) and assist/turnover ratio (8^th).
Opposing offenses have scored well on the Bears, as they allow the second-most points per game through Big Sky play. They give up 77.7 points, allowing opponents to shoot nearly 50 percent from the floor.
Dalton Knecht has been arguably the best player in the Big Sky this season. The forward is scoring 24.7 points per game and could become the first player since 2017-18 and only the second since 2006-07 to average 25 per game.
High individual scoring is nothing new for the Bears, who have had the leading scorer in Big Sky play in three out of the last five season. Knecht could be the fourth, and would make it back-to-back years after current teammate Daylen Kountz led the league last year at 22.1 points per game.
Knecht is also seventh in the Big Sky in rebounding, averaging 6.2 per game.
Matt Johnson II and Daylen Kountz add plenty more offense for the Bears. Kountz led the league in scoring last year and is closing in on 1,500 career points. He's averaging 16.4 per game this season. Johnson II also has over 1,200 career points and has averaged 11.8 this year.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BEARS

Montana won the first meeting between these two teams in Greeley 79-74. The Griz dominated in the game, leading by as many as 18 points in the second half. Mack Anderson had a massive game off the bench in the win, scoring 15 points and pulling down eight rebounds.

The Grizzlies lead the all-time series 27-14, including a 14-7 record in games played in Missoula. The Bears have had the Grizzlies number in recent years, winning four of the past five games in Dahlberg Arena.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA (6-16, 2-7 Big Sky)

The Lumberjacks snapped a five-game losing streak on Saturday, defeating Northern Colorado 83-73 in Flagstaff. It improved them to 2-7 in Big Sky play. The only other win came against Montana in the first meeting between the two.
Northern Arizona rank eighth in the league in both scoring offense (68.2) and defense (74.7). The -6.4 scoring margin is also eighth in the Big Sky Conference.
Perimeter shooting has been a strength of the Lumberjacks, who rank second in the league in three-point shooting percentage. They are making 36.8 percent from the arc in Big Sky play, trailing only Montana.
It is a matchup of strength on strength to an extent for the Griz and Lumberjacks. Northern Arizona is second to Montana in the league in assist/turnover ratio as well at 1.25, sharing the ball well while not giving it up often.
Jalen Cone is one of the best scorers in the league, averaging 17.7 points against Big Sky opposition. He scored 26 points in the first meeting between the Griz and Lumberjacks, hitting the game-winning three-pointer in overtime.
A Virginia Tech transfer, Cone is well over 1,000 career points but is closing in on the 1,000-point milestone as a Lumberjack. In his second season at NAU, Cone already has 958 points in a Lumberjack uniform.
Xavier Fuller has stepped up in conference play to provide a secondary scoring threat. Fuller is eighth in the Big Sky with 16.6 points per game against league foes. In the Lumberjacks win against Northern Colorado, Fuller led the way with 25 points.
Carson Towt has been a do-it-all type of player for Northern Arizona. He is third on the team in scoring at 9.1 points, but leads the Lumberjacks in rebounds (8.0 per game) and assists (69 total) as a piece that helps make everything else go. He is one of three players to start every game for Northern Arizona.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE LUMBERJACKS

The Lumberjacks upset the Grizzlies in an overtime thriller earlier this season in Flagstaff. Montana led by as many as nine points in the first half and had a chance to win it at the end of regulation but couldn't get the shot to fall.

In overtime, the Griz again took a lead only to see it snatched away in the final moments. Jalen Cone hit a step-back three-pointer with 26 seconds to play that won it for Northern Arizona. Montana had three shots on the ensuing possession, but couldn't get any of them to fall.

It was the second straight game in the series to go to overtime, and also the second straight loss for Montana. Still, the Grizzlies are 6-4 in the last 10 and hold a dominant 76-35 all-time lead in the series. In games played in Missoula, Montana lead 42-11.

MONTANA'S RECENT FORM
The Grizzlies were slumping as they headed to Portland State to take on the Vikings. Losers of three straight games, it seemed Montana needed a big result in order to jump start the season and get things back on track.

They got just that. Despite missing Aanen Moody and Mack Anderson to injury, the Griz were able to lead for a majority of the game and close out a dangerous Portland State team. It snapped the streak, and perhaps instilled some confidence in a Grizzly team that had struggled thus far in conference and road games.

PUT THE BALL IN THE BASKET
There has been a very straightforward ingredient that has determined the result of most games for Montana this season. Field goal percentage. It's a pretty logical answer, but in games where Montana has a better field-goal percentage than its opponent the Grizzlies are 10-1 following the win against Portland State. In games where the Griz are outshot, they are 0-11.

There are a couple of extremes that also signify whether Montana is likely to have success. When the Griz shoot better than 50 percent they are 5-1, but when their opponent shoots that well Montana is 0-5. Likewise, when held under 40 percent from the floor the Griz are 0-5, but 6-2 when limiting their opposition to lower than 40 percent.

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH THURSDAY?

The Big Sky schedule is set up to play most games in sets of two. There are a few exceptions, but most games take place on Thursday and Saturday. The day of the week typically doesn't change much, but Thursdays seem to have a particular sense of bad luck attached to them for Grizzly basketball.

Montana are 0-4 in Big Sky play in Thursday night games. It is a strange run that the Grizzlies will hope to break against Northern Colorado this Thursday.

BOUNCEBACK SATURDAYS

While Thursday has not been kind to Montana, the good news is they have had the answer every single time. The Grizzlies are 4-0 on Saturday games following a Thursday night loss, winning by an average margin of over 10 points per game. Going back into the non-conference, Montana are 6-2 this year in contests played on Saturdays.

There are two outliers in conference play, a Monday night loss to Eastern Washington and a Saturday loss to Montana State that was the only game of the week for the Grizzlies.

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
In another category that seems obvious, Montana is a much better team when they do a good job rebounding the ball. The Grizzlies are 9-2 in games when they finish with more rebounds than their opponent and 0-8 in games where they are outrebounded. In games where the teams tie in rebounds, Montana is 1-2.

SHARING THE ROCK
The final key for Montana has been to share the ball. Similar to rebounds and shooting percentage, Montana's record is lopsided in games where they have more assists than their opponent (8-3) as opposed to games when their opponent finishes with more assists (2-9).

This could very well be a factor against Northern Arizona, a team that is second to Montana in assist/turnover ratio in the conference.

When you combine the three above factors of efficient shooting, physical rebounding and good distribution of the ball, it usually spells success for Montana. DeCuire has often talked of the flow that his team get into when playing well, which stems from missed shots and defensive rebounds that turn into transition offense. This creates more assist opportunities and easier shots for the Griz on the other end.

HOLDING THE LEAD
Montana has been one of the better teams in the Big Sky by a lot of statistical measurements, but have had a hard time closing out wins. The Grizzlies are 4-6 in Big Sky play despite leading for a majority of the minutes in seven out of 10 games. They have been ahead at halftime of seven of the 10 games.

The Grizzlies have led for over 223 minutes in conference play and only trailed for 138. In the six conference losses, the Grizzlies have been ahead in the final minute in three and tied or in the lead in the final five minutes of two.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES
The Grizzlies have been a much better first half team this season. They are outscoring opponents 727-676 in the opening 20 minutes. In the back half, the Griz have struggled defensively, being outscored 772-815.

When trailing at the half, Montana are 1-8 this season. The lone come-from-behind win came in the non-conference against North Dakota State. When leading at the half, Montana are 8-4.

THE ANALYTICS ARE POSITIVE
Montana's close-game struggles have made for a frustrating start to league play. It isn't a stretch to say that with a few different bounces Montana could be toward the top of the conference standings, but that's why you play the games.

Still, the Griz believe they are much better than their record indicates. The advanced stats would agree. Montana are the third best team in the Big Sky and the 192^nd ranked team overall according to the Pomeroy College Basketball Rankings.

It's similar in the NCAA NET Rankings, where Montana is fourth in the Big Sky and 189^th overall. They are just four places behind Sacramento State.

Complete game notes can be found in the PDF attached at the top of this article.

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Players Mentioned

Mack Anderson

Aanen Moody

University of Montana Athletics