Griz return home to host Stew Morrill Classic

Game 1 / Utah Tech vs. CSUN
Sunday, Nov. 24 / 2:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats

Game 2 / Montana vs. Denver
Sunday, Nov. 24 / 5:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets

Game 3 / Denver vs. CSUN
Monday, Nov. 25 / 2:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats

Game 4 / Montana vs. Utah Tech
Monday, Nov. 25 / 5:45 PM / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets

Game 5 / Denver vs. Utah Tech
Tuesday, Nov. 26 / 2:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats

Game 6 / Montana vs. CSUN
Wednesday, Nov. 27 / 7:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets

As we approach the end of November, it's still difficult to read much into the results from Montana's first five games. The Grizzlies have held serve against lower-level opponents, and showed moments against larger schools on the road.

At the end of it all, the 2-3 Grizzlies are in many ways where you would expect them to be after taking on three NCAA Tournament teams in true road games. Now, the Grizzlies will finally get a chance to face off with some fellow mid-major foes.

The Grizzlies return home for the Stew Morrill Classic, playing three games in four days. Denver, Utah Tech, and CSUN will all make the trip to Missoula. There will be six total games played with two on Sunday and Monday, and one single game on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Montana begins the event with Denver on Sunday night at 5:00 p.m. It's the first meeting between Montana and Denver, a member of the Summit League, since Nov. 19, 2009. The Pioneers won the game with Anthony Johnson leading Montana with 23 points.

Denver enters the weekend 3-2 overall. Their most recent game was a dramatic win against Montana State at home, leading big most of the way and holding on at the end for a 79-78 victory.

The Griz then face Utah Tech on Monday at 5:45 p.m. in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Trailblazers recently joined the ranks of D-I men's basketball, and have opened the season at 1-3 with zero D-I wins. Utah Tech plays Utah on Friday night, and will be playing four games in five days.

Montana's final test in the event will likely be the most difficult, as former Big Sky member CSUN comes to Missoula with a 3-1 record and a win over a Big Sky team already on its resume. The Matadors defeated Sacramento State 79-69 in the Nest on Nov. 16, and will have over a week's rest by the time they tip off the Stew Morrill Classic.

All six games will be streamed on ESPN+ with "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran calling all of Montana's action. Scot Gladstone, Asher Lynde, Will Thomas, and Dillon Richardson will all lend their voices to neutral site games.

NOVEMBER 24 – FAMILY NIGHT
Families can take advantage of a ticket package in which they can get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs/nachos, 4 sodas and 4 popcorns for only $16 per ticket. Must purchase at least 4, and must be purchased HERE.

NOVEMBER 25 – HIGH SCHOOL NIGHT
All high school students get in free by showing their student ID and can sit down in the student section. Additionally, local high school bands and spirit squads will be on hand to perform with our UM teams.

While high school students get in free, families and friends can purchase tickets HERE and designate which local high school they are representing.

STEW MORRILL
Montana head coach Travis DeCuire named the event after former Griz coach Stew Morrill. Morrill started at Montana in 1978 as an assistant under Mike Montgomery. He served as an assistant for eight seasons before taking the head job in 1986.

Morrill went 97-52 (.651) at Montana, leading the Griz to a Big Sky title and NCAA Tournament appearance in his last season in charge in 1990-91.

He would go on to coach Colorado State and Utah State, leaving a lasting legacy with the Aggies. Morrill won over 400 games at Utah State. They won at least 23 games in 12 straight seasons, and he never had a losing season at USU. He's now in the Utah State Hall of Fame, and the floor inside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum is named in his honor.

WILLIAMS NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Money Williams was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday, Nov. 19 following his road performances against Tennessee and Utah State. It's the second time that Williams has earned the honor in his career.

He averaged 27.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals during the week. He got hot from three-point range, making 7-of-16 (.438) while also making 16 total free throws in the two games.

Williams scored 30 points at Tennessee to become the first non-SEC player to do so in Knoxville since 2014. Williams backed that performance up with 25 points at Utah State, helping to lead a second-half charge that cut the Aggie lead to just two points on multiple occasions.

MONEY WILLIAMS

Williams is using 36.6 percent of Montana's possessions this year, the fifth-highest usage rate in the country.
He's also been great at getting to the line. Williams draws 7.7 fouls per 40 minutes, which ranks 53^rd in the NCAA.
He's scored 25+ points in back-to-back games. If he can do it again, it will be the first time since at least 2004 that a Grizzly has scored 25+ in three straight games. Martin Breunig and Sayeed Pridgett each had three straight games of 24-or-more points, but didn't reach the 25-point mark in the third game.
In Montana's three games against D-I opponents, he's averaging 21.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

SERIOUS SCHEDULE
Montana has played the third-toughest schedule in the entire country, according to KenPom.com. The Grizzlies strength of schedule rating is 24.15, trailing only Kansas City, Houston Christian, and Oakland.

Tennessee (6), Oregon (32), and Utah State (49) are a combined 14-0 this year, and all rank inside the top 50 in the Pomeroy Ratings.

WHITNEY WATCH
Brandon Whitney enters the Stew Morrill Classic with 1,329 career points and 362 assists. He's currently 13^th in program history in scoring, and trails Jordan Hasquet by 67 points for 12^th.

Whitney is 11^th in career assists, passing Doug Selvig against Utah State. Whitney could make some significant leaps this week. He trails Roger Fasting by one assist for 10^th all-time, but could rise as high as 6^th this week. Michael Ray Richardson is currently in 6^th place with 372 assists.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAY
The Grizzlies will be staying home for Thanksgiving, and giving basketball fans plenty to be thankful for as they host three straight D-I games over Feast Week. This is the second straight season that the Grizzlies have hosted a multi-team event.

Last season, Montana hosted the Mike Montgomery Classic in November. They went 1-1 in the event, beating UC Davis but falling to North Dakota State.

Historically speaking, Montana has been very good in home non-conference games. Under DeCuire, the Griz are 48-6 (.889) in such games. Montana have outscored opponents by over 1,000 points in that time, averaging 79.0 points per game while holding to just 60.1 points per game.

NOTABLE DEBUTS
Montana has had plenty of new faces on campus this year, and several of them are making great first impressions with their new squad. Kai Johnson set a program record for a debut with 27 points against Hawaii Hilo in his first game as a Grizzly, but he's not the only Montana player to go off in his first game in a Griz uniform.

Joe Pridgen had 14 points and eight rebounds in his first-ever game in a Montana jersey. Austin Patterson also scored 12 points in his debut, with both he and Pridgen playing against Hawaii Hilo.

Jensen Bradtke had the start to his season delayed by injury, but proved worth the wait when he took the floor at Utah State. Bradtke had 17 points and five rebounds, going 3-for-6 from three-point range.

MONTANA NOTES

The Griz shot 51.6 percent from the field against Utah State. They outshot the Aggies in the contest, falling to 2-1 in games when they have the better field goal percentage. The Griz had won 24 straight games when shooting better than 50 percent. The last loss was Dec. 20, 2022 at #11 Gonzaga.
The 18 turnovers against Utah State were the most for Montana since Feb. 12, 2022 in a win against Portland State.
Kai Johnson is averaging 25.5 points at home, but has struggled in the three road games shooting the ball, going just 4-of-29 from the field to average 3.7 points. He's still making a big difference, winning defensive player of the game honors at Utah State and leading the Grizzlies this season in +/- at +42.
The Grizzlies scoring margin is just 0.6 this year. It typically equates to close games, but for Montana every single game has been a double-digit contest with four of the five being decided by 30-plus points.
Joe Pridgen ranks inside the top 100 nationally for total rebounds. Pridgen has 39 through five games, ranking 95^th in the country and 3^rd in the Big Sky.

SCOUTING DENVER (3-2)

The Pioneers come to Montana on a two-game winning streak. They defeated a non-D-I school, Colorado Christian, on Nov. 14 and then followed that up with a 79-78 victory over Montana State last Sunday.
Denver is 3-0 at home this season and 0-2 on the road. Their losses came at Stanford and Colorado State.
Last season, Denver reached the Summit League Championship game, losing to South Dakota State in the final to be denied an NCAA Tournament spot. They finished the year 17-17 overall with a 6-10 conference record, but got hot at the right time.
Dating back to last season, the Pioneers have lost eight straight games on the road. They are 0-2 to start this year.
Denver averages 77.8 points per game and limits opponents to 76.0 points per game through five contests.
They are top 50 in the country in both free throw percentage and free throws made. They are great at getting to the line, averaging over 25 attempts, and they've converted 77.0 percent of those.
They have made 37.0 percent of their three pointers this season, ranking 89^th in the NCAA. They don't shoot them at a high volume, however, averaging under seven makes per contest.
DeAndre Craig leads Denver in scoring at 12.2 points per game. Craig also leads the team in assists with 20, averaging 4.0 per game.

SCOUTING UTAH TECH (1-3)

The Trailblazers are still searching for their first Division 1 win this year. They defeated Bethesda on Nov. 13 for their only victory. They have three losses, falling to Oregon State, New Mexico State, and Wyoming.
They finished 2023-24 with an 11-20 overall record, going 7-13 in the WAC. Head coach Jon Judkins is in his 19^th season with the team, overseeing their transition to the D-I level, and has over 300 career wins.
They are ranked 312^th in the country in the Pomeroy Ratings.
The Trailblazers are one of the smallest teams in the country with an average height of 75.6 inches. It rankes 352^nd out of 364 teams at the D-I level.
Utah Tech averages 69.8 points per game, which is a bottom 60 offense in the country. They allow 75.0 points per game.
They have taken care of the ball well, ranking in the top 50 in turnovers per game with 10.0. Their turnover margin has also been very good as a result at +4.3.
The Trailblazers have been effective at getting to the free throw line, averaging 27.8 free throws per game, which ranks 23rd in the NCAA. Unfortunately, they have struggled once there, making just 63.1 percent of those attempts to rank in the bottom 40 in the country.
Rim defending has been a struggle for them, which is not surprising considering the height of the team. They average just 1.3 blocks per game, the fourth-lowest total in the NCAA.
Noa Gonsalves leads the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game. He's made a team-high eight threes, but done so on 29.6 percent shooting.
Riley Beon is averaging 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds this year, and is also second on the team with nine assists.

SCOUTING CSUN (3-1)

The Matadors enter the week on a three-game winning streak. They defeated D-I opponents Le Moyne and Sacramento State, and also have a lower-level win. Their only loss came on the road against St. Bonaventure to start the year.
Cal State Northridge played in the Big Sky Conference for five seasons, winning the Big Sky Tournament in 2001 to advance to their first NCAA Tournament.
They went 19-15 last season, losing to Hawaii in the 2^nd round of the Big West Tournament. Head coach Andy Newman is now in his second season with CSUN.
They like to play fast, ranking 7^th in the country in average possession length according to KenPom.com. Their adjusted tempo is also 13^th in the NCAA.
The Matadors average 14.0 fast break points per game, the 89^th best mark in the NCAA.
CSUN average 82.5 points per game and hold opponents to just 66.0 points per game. They are just outside of the top 100 in the country in scoring, but have the 79^th best scoring margin this year.
They don't allow any easy shots, ranking 9^th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense. Opponents have shot just 34.2 percent against the Matadors this year.
Offensively, they shoot the ball very well, ranking 61^st in the NCAA by shooting 49.3 percent from the field. That also extends to the three-point line, where they are 37.8 percent on the season.
Keonte Jones has two double-doubles on the year, which is tied for 17^th most in the NCAA. Jones averages 14.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He's also averaging 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks.
Scotty Washington is the leading scorer for the Matadors, averaging 15.8 points per game.

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Players Mentioned

Jensen Bradtke

Kai Johnson

Austin Patterson

Joe Pridgen

Brandon Whitney

Money Williams

University of Montana Athletics