Montana brings winning streak to Bozeman

MONTANA AT MONTANA STATE
Saturday, Feb. 18 / 7:00 p.m. / Bozeman, Mont.
Watch / Live Stats

The stage has been set for another big game in the Brawl of the Wild rivalry series on Saturday. The Montana men's basketball team, riding a five-game winning streak, heads to Bozeman for a top-four showdown with the Montana State Bobcats.

Outside of Eastern Washington, Montana enters the game as the hottest team in the league. They are coming off a road sweep against Idaho State and Weber State, moving them within a half-game of third place in the league standings.

The streak will now be put to its toughest tests, as they head to Worthington Arena to take on Montana State in a gym that they've been difficult to beat in over the last two seasons. They've compiled a 22-2 home record the last two years, and defeated Montana 66-59 there last season.

The Grizzlies will look to pull off the difficult task, and have a good foundation to build upon. Montana have won three straight road games, looking to win four league games in a row away from home for the first time since the 2018-19 season. It would be just the fourth time under Travis DeCuire that Montana has had a road streak as long, and they won a regular season or tournament championship on the other three occasions.

It should be a defensive battle, as the two teams rank atop the Big Sky in scoring defense. The Bobcats give up just 63.0 points per game to league opponents. Montana State have held five opponents under 60 points, and 11 under 70 points. The only three losses of the year for the Bobcats have come when their opponent has broken the 60-point mark.

Montana is second in the league, allowing 66.7 points per game. The defense has continued to improve as the season has progressed. Montana allowed 70-plus in three of the first four games, but have kept their previous 10 opponents under 70.

In the first meeting between the schools this year Montana State led for much of the way, but the Grizzlies feel as if one got away from them. The Griz had a three-point lead in the final 90 seconds, and then a two-point lead inside of a minute, but three Bobcat free throws at the 39-second mark sunk the Grizzlies.

This makes it the latest stop on a revenge tour for Montana. They beat Northern Arizona and Weber State in recent weeks after similar disappointing finishes against the two schools in the first league meeting. The Grizzlies feel as if their talent puts them among the Big Sky's best, and Saturday may be the best opportunity they have all season to prove it.

There is also plenty of seeding implications on the line still as both teams enter the final stretch of the season. Montana are currently in fourth place, trailing Weber State by just a half game and Montana State by three games. Eastern Washington is comfortably in the lead and on their way to a regular season title, and the Bobcats sit 2.5 games clear in second.

But the third and fourth seed are still up for grabs after Saturday's result. The top six teams in the league all get a first-round bye, with the top two getting an extra day of rest in between the quarters and the semis. Montana, once adrift in seventh place at 3-6, have charged back up the standings and have a chance to keep climbing against Montana State.

Following this game, Montana will close out the season with three games in five days, playing two of them at home.

The game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. following the women's game earlier in the day, and can be seen on local television via MTN or through the ESPN+ app.

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE (18-9, 11-3 Big Sky)

The Bobcats enter Saturday's rivalry game coming off a 1-1 road trip to Weber State and Idaho State. Montana State led by five at the half against the Wildcats but were outscored 39-24 in the final period to lose by 10. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for MSU that started with their win in Missoula earlier this year.
They bounced back for a low-scoring win against Idaho State on Saturday behind RaeQuan Battle's 15 points and Great Osobor's 14-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Worthington Arena has been a difficult place for opponents to play this season. The Bobcats are 9-1 when playing at home, with the only loss coming to undefeated Eastern Washington on the opening week of league play. They are 22-2 in the last two seasons.
Montana State are second in the Big Sky Conference and have some separation in both directions with just four games left to play. They trail Eastern Washington by 2.5 games for first place, although they still have a game against the Eagles on the schedule. MSU leads Weber State by 2.5 games and Montana by 3.0 games.
The defending Big Sky champions are seen by most advanced metrics as the best team in the Big Sky, despite EWU's impressive start. The Bobcats are first in the league in the NCAA Net Rankings (107) and the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings (115).
Saturday's game will feature the two best defenses in the Big Sky. Montana State leads the conference, allowing just 63.0 points per game to Big Sky opponents. Montana is second in the category at 66.7.
They do it by forcing the opposition into plenty of mistakes. The Bobcats lead the Big Sky in steals (6.8 per game) and are second in the conference in blocks (3.0). They do it with a turnover margin that is second-best in the Big Sky and in the top 70 in the country.
Efficiency has been key for the Bobcats. They are second in the league in both team field goal percentage (46.9) and opponent field goal percentage (43.2).
The bench has also been a huge asset for head coach Danny Sprinkle. The reserves average 24.7 points per game this season, the 52nd best unit in the country. It's a big advantage over the Griz, who are last in the league and 350^th out of 352 qualifying teams in bench points at 10.0 per game.
Including the non-conference, Montana State leads the Big Sky and rank 68^th in the country in scoring margin. They have outscored opponents by 7.9 points per game this year, although much of that comes from an 85-point win over Northwest Indian. Five of the nine losses for the Bobcats this year have come by double-digits.
RaeQuan Battle has been among the best in the Big Sky this season, averaging 17.0 points per game. The athletic guard has been in double-figures in 11 straight games and all but one Big Sky game. He scored 18 in the first meeting against Montana, and had a season-high 32 points against Sacramento State on Jan. 28.
Jubrile Belo was named the Big Sky MVP and Defensive Player of the Year last season and was expected to defend the award this year. He currently averages 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, but was held scoreless against Idaho State on Saturday. His defense has still been strong, as he averages a Big Sky-best 1.3 blocks per game against league opponents.
Darius Brown II has emerged as a top-level player for the Bobcats. He is averaging 10.7 points per game in Big Sky play and leads the league in steals at 2.5 per game. He is also fourth in assists (4.4) with the best assist/turnover ratio (3.3) of any Big Sky player.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BOBCATS

Montana leads the all-time series against Montana State 154-150. The two sides have both been very good in their home gyms in the series. The Grizzlies are just 51-96 all-time in Bozeman, but have an equally large advantage in Missoula.
This is the 305^th all-time meeting between the two schools, which makes it the fifth-most played game in college basketball history.
The Griz are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings against the Bobcats. They also won the 13 games prior, making Montana 20-3 in the rivalry since 2010. Montana State snapped the Grizzlies' 11-game winning streak in Missoula earlier this year.
Travis DeCuire is 19-4 overall against Montana State. He went 6-2 against the Bobcats as a player and is 12-3 so far as a coach. Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle is also well educated in the history of the rivalry as he played for the Bobcats from 1995-99.
The last meeting in Bozeman went to the Bobcats 66-59.

FRESH START FEBRUARY
The Montana Grizzlies have been a new team in February, playing together and closing out tight games down the stretch in ways that they hadn't through the first month of conference play. After starting league play at 3-6, Montana turned things around with a win against Portland State to end January.

They are now perfect in the second month of the season, going 4-0 to run the winning streak up to five games. The Grizzlies are one of just 28 teams in the country on a five game or more winning streak, and have as many wins in February as they've had in any other month this season.

MONTANA'S RECENT FORM
The winning streak has been helped along by stellar play from the Grizzly defense as well as the hot hand of Aanen Moody. The guard is averaging 21.5 points per game and his shooting 53.3 percent from three (16-of-30) during the streak.

The Griz are holding opponents to just 66.0 points per game during the winning streak. The key to it all may be the three-point line, where Montana is shooting a remarkable 45.8 percent as a team over the last five games while holding opponents to just 28.1 percent. The Griz have 49 total makes, 24 more than their opponents which translates to a scoring margin of 72 points.

Dischon Thomas has also been crucial to this, as the forward is 15-of-28 (53.6 percent) from three-point range during the streak.

STREAK WATCHING
Montana is currently on a five-game winning streak, one of 28 teams in the country that have won at least their previous five game. The Grizzlies are also winners of three straight away from home. If Montana were to win on Saturday, it would become just the fourth time under Travis DeCuire that they had a four-game road winning streak, and the fifth time they had a total streak of at least six games.

MOODY'S MILESTONE
Aanen Moody has been a huge addition to Montana this season after transferring from Southern Utah over the summer. The guard scored his 1,000^th career point in the win against Weber State with his first points of the game. He went on to score 23 points, the third time in four games that he had 20-plus points. In the process, he has become Montana's leading scorer this season at 15.5 points per game.

SUPER SATURDAY
Montana are 5-1 in Saturday games in Big Sky play this season and 8-2 overall. The day has been very kind to the Griz, as they have bounced back from four conference losses with Saturday wins. The only loss to a Big Sky opponent, however, was earlier this season against Montana State.

BEYOND THE ARC
As noted above, the three-point line has been a crucial component in Montana's recent winning streak. The Grizzlies have been very good from the arc on both sides of the ball. The Grizzlies lead the Big Sky in both three-point percentage (40.0) and makes per game (9.0) in league play.

On the defensive side, The Griz allow the second-lowest percentage (31.6) in the league. They have held two of their previous three opponents under 20 percent from the arc.

In addition to leading the league, the Grizzlies also rank in the top 50 nationally in a couple of categories based on season-long stats. They are 26^th in the nation in three-point percentage (37.6) and 42^nd in three-point percentage defense (31.0).

Montana is one of six teams in the NCAA to rank in the top 50 in both categories, joining Michigan State, UNC-Asheville, UCF, Drake and Morgan State.

This could be the difference-maker in Bozeman. The Bobcats are last in the league in made threes and ninth in three-point percentage. It has also been the weak spot of an otherwise strong defense, as they are middle of the pack in Big Sky play by allowing opponents to shoot 36.0 percent from three.

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 12-1 after the win against Weber State. In games where the Griz are outshot, they are 2-11.

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 6-1, 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.

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
A trend that has been put to the test in recent weeks but still holds true, Montana has been a much better team when they can rebound the ball well. The Grizzlies are 10-2 in games when they finish with more rebounds than their opponent. The Griz have won three straight while being outrebounded, improving to 3-8 in those games. 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 (12-3) as opposed to games when their opponent finishes with more assists (2-9).

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.

THE STORY FROM THE STRIPE
Montana has broken the school record for team free throw percentage in back-to-back seasons. As they enter the home stretch of the season, the Grizzlies are in a good position to make yet another run at the record. The team is shooting 78.2 percent from the line this year. It is the 7th best percentage in D-1 basketball.

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

The Grizzlies have four players shooting 84 percent or better this season, led by Josh Vazquez at 89.2 percent. Lonnell Martin Jr. (85.7), Aanen Moody (85.0) and Dischon Thomas (84.8) have all been stellar from the line as well.

But Montana has still somehow been outshot from the line in 11 games. The Grizzlies opponents are converting at an astonishing 77.0 percent clip. In league play it's even better at 78.6 percent. It makes Montana's free throw defense – an uncontrollable figure – 353rd in the country out of 363 teams.

In games that Montana has made more free throws than it opponent, the Grizzlies are 8-1.

VAZQUEZ CHASES HISTORY
The best free throw shooter on a historically good team has a chance for some individual career honors as well. The senior is shooting 90.8 percent for his career at Montana, the best all-time mark in Griz history. Kendal Manuel currently holds the record at 88.3 percent.

Vazquez has been Montana's go-to man down the stretch during the recent winning streak. He has made 17 straight free throws, and hasn't missed from the line since Jan. 14.

MONTANA'S MAGIC NUMBER
The 67-point mark has been a significant number for Montana men's basketball this year. The Grizzlies allow 66.7 points per game this year to rank as the second-best defense in the Big Sky, and holding teams under that has been crucial to winning.

The race to 67 is typically a telling factor in the outcome of Griz games. The first team to 67 has won 11 of 12 games this year. Montana is 8-1 when beating their opponent to the number. They are 0-3 when the opponent reaches 67 first. There have been two games where neither side has reached 67 points, both Griz losses.

It's also a number that has appeared often. Montana held four consecutive opponents to 67 points in late January, and the Grizzlies have scored exactly 67 points on two occasions as well.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lonnell Martin Jr.

Aanen Moody

Dischon Thomas

Josh Vazquez

University of Montana Athletics