Grizzlies look to rebound on road trip

MONTANA AT NORTHERN ARIZONA
Thursday, Feb. 8 / 6:00 p.m. / Watch / Live Stats

MONTANA AT NORTHERN COLORADO
Saturday, Feb. 10 / 2:00 p.m. / Watch / Live Stats

Montana will look to leave the cold shooting from Saturday night in the past this week as they head back out on the road to face Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado. The third-place Grizzlies have an even split the rest of the way with four games remaining on the road and four at home.

The Griz (15-8, 6-4 Big Sky) had an opportunity to shake things up in the league against Eastern Washington last Saturday, but the top-seeded Eagles picked up a win in Missoula to maintain the status quo in the league.

This week presents another opportunity for the Grizzlies as they truly enter the back-half of league play. The obliterated Northern Arizona by 43 points in the first meeting between the two schools, but it will be a different game at elevation in Flagstaff on Thursday.

The Grizzlies will hope to pick up a win there to set up another big-time showdown with Northern Colorado. The Bears are 6-3 in league play and just ahead of Montana in the league standings. The top six teams will all receive byes at the Big Sky Tournament, but the top two teams receive an extra day of rest in Boise.

Montana will look to avoid a losing streak on Thursday. They haven't lost consecutive games since late November against Houston and Nevada, a pair of teams that are 36-8 combined.

After starting the season's first 20-plus games without much late game drama, Montana has played in several tight contests over the previous two weeks. They came from behind to defeat Sacramento State and Idaho. When they trailed by three at the half against Eastern Washington, it felt very manageable for a veteran team that has become used to digging out of holes.

But against the league leaders, the deficit would prove too much. Montana are inside the top 50 in the country in field goal percentage on the season, but shot just 34 percent from the floor and 23 percent from three in the loss to the Eagles.

They will look to find their January form again on the road trip. Montana ranked inside the top five nationally in every shooting category in the month as the offense led them to six wins in January. Included in that was a 43-point rout of Northern Arizona.

The Grizzlies shot 52.9 percent in the first meeting, and knocked down 14 threes on 51.9 percent from the arc. The game was historic for Montana on several levels. It was the largest win in a Big Sky game for them since 1997, and only the eighth time under DeCuire that Montana had made at least 14 threes in a game.

Northern Colorado, led by Big Sky MVP frontrunner Saint Thomas, picked up an overtime win in Missoula. Thomas shined in the game, scoring 37 points to go with 14 rebounds and four assists. Montana will need to find a way to slow him down if they want to get a road win on Saturday.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Montana has been one of the best teams in the country this season in ball control statistics. The Grizzlies are 33^rd in the NCAA this year with just 10.0 turnovers per game. They are also 83^rd in the NCAA with 15.0 assists per game.

The Grizzlies 1.50 assist/turnover ratio is 29^th in the NCAA. Senior guard Brandon Whitney has been spectacular individually, leading the Big Sky and ranking 12^th in the country with a 3.30 assist/turnover ratio.

They were excellent again last Saturday against Eastern Washington, giving the ball up just four times. It's just the fourth time in 312 games under DeCuire that Montana has had four-or-fewer turnovers in a game. They've done so twice this season, also recording four in a win over North Dakota State on Jan. 3.

EXPERIENCED SQUAD
Montana is among the most experienced teams in the entire country this year. They start five seniors who have combined for 376 collegiate appearances, and also bring over 90 career games off the bench in the form of Giordan Williams.

Montana rank 28th in the NCAA in D-1 Experience with 2.73 years, according to KenPom.com. The number "measures the average number of full D-1 seasons played by the current roster, weighted by minutes played."

Dischon Thomas has 145 appearances, Aanen Moody has 144, and Josh Vazquez is at 142. The trio should all eclipse 150 games played by the end of the season. Montana rounds out the starting lineup with Brandon Whitney (109 games played, 103 starts) and Laolu Oke (126 appearances between D-I and D-II).

STORY FROM THE STRIPE
Montana has been historically good at the free throw line over the previous four seasons. They have set a new school record for single season free throw percentage in three straight seasons and have the possibility to do it for a fourth time this season.

They are converting 78.1 percent of their free throws this year. They shot 78.2 percent in 2020-21, improved to 78.5 percent in 2021-22, and set the current record last season at 78.8 percent.

The Grizzlies are second in the NCAA over the four-year stretch with a combined 78.4 percent success rate at the free throw line. They trail only national powerhouse Villanova. The Wildcats have made 81.0 percent of their free throw attempts since 2020.

It's been a strength of Montana's since DeCuire arrived in 2014-15. In the previous 10 seasons, Montana have made 4,262-of-6,116 free throws. The 73.8 percent mark is tied for 18th in the NCAA during the span.

WHITNEY CLIMBS THE RANKS
Brandon Whitney has moved into the top 20 in Montana's all-time scoring list with 1,172 career points. He passed Martin Breunig and former teammate Josh Bannan last weekend.

He now trails Charles Davis (1946, 50-53) by 42 points for 19th and Daren Engellant (88-92) by 52 points for 18th.

Whitney is one of just eight Grizzlies in program history with 1,000 points, 250 rebounds, and 250 assists.

THE .500 STREAK
Montana has finished .500 or better in 15 consecutive seasons, which includes all nine years with DeCuire at the helm. They are one of just 15 schools nationally to boast such a streak. Montana are now seven games over .500 with eight games to play and are closing in on extending the impressive streak.

The other 14 schools are all above .500 at the moment as well as they look to extend streaks of their own. Belmont is 12-11 and Xavier is 12-10.

The Grizzlies have recorded at least 20 wins in eight of the 14 years. If the Griz were to reach 20 wins this year, DeCuire would have his fifth 20-win season and set a new school record.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA (10-13, 3-6 Big Sky)

The Lumberjacks have lost three straight games and were swept at home last week by Weber State and Idaho State. Both losses were tight, as they fell by two in each game. They dropped an 85-70 contest to Eastern Washington to start the losing streak.
This streak comes after Northern Arizona had an impressive bounceback from the Montana road trip. NAU lost to Montana State by 29 and Montana by 43. They would go on to win their next three games, which included a 19-point victory over Portland State.
They have been much better at home this year, going 5-2 at the elevation of Flagstaff and just 5-11 in games played on the road or in neutral sites.
Northern Arizona is 343rd out of 351 teams in rebounds per game. They average just 30.5 rebounds and are outrebounded by an average of 6.8 per game.
They are last in the Big Sky in scoring offense at just 67.1 points per game. They are also last in scoring margin at -8.7 points per game, which ranks 331st in the NCAA.
The Lumberjacks rank 10th in the Big Sky in eight out of 28 major statistical categories.
Trenton McLaughlin leads the Lumberjacks and ranks third in the Big Sky with 16.3 points per game. McLaughlin ranks 90^th in the NCAA and leads the Big Sky in threes attempted this year with 145.
Liam Lloyd is 10^th in the Big Sky with 67 assists.
Carson Basham is the top rebounder on NAU with 6.2 per game. He ranks ninth in the Big Sky in the category.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE LUMBERJACKS
Montana holds a 78-36 advantage in the overall series and won the first meeting in emphatic fashion in Missoula. The Grizzlies won by 43 points, the largest win over a Big Sky opponent since 1997. Dischon Thomas led Montana with 22 points and Aanen Moody added 19.

In Flagstaff, the Griz are 30-22 all-time. They lost an overtime contest at NAU last season 75-74, but DeCuire is 5-2 in Flagstaff as head coach at Montana.

SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO (13-9, 6-3 Big Sky)

The Bears are second in the Big Sky standings at 6-3, but are coming off a 19-point home loss to Weber State on Saturday.
Saint Thomas is the frontrunner for Big Sky MVP in his first season in Greeley. He leads the Big Sky in scoring (20.3), rebounding (10.0), and double doubles (13). He is also seventh in the league with 3.5 assist per game.
Thomas is one of three players in the NCAA this year averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. He would become the only Big Sky player (since 1992) to average a 20-point double-double for the season if he is able to maintain the numbers the rest of the way.
Northern Colorado average 81.1 points per game to lead the Big Sky Conference. They rank 36^th nationally in scoring. The Bears also give up 78.4 points per game, which ranks 320^th out of 351 teams.
They play at an incredibly fast pace, ranking 29^th in the country in average possession length and 53^rd in adjusted temp, according to KenPom.com.
Jaron Rillie is a playmaking point guard for the Bears, averaging 11.4 points and leading the Big Sky with 5.1 assists per game.
Dejour Reaves averages 13.4 points per game and Brock Wisne averages 12.0 per game for Northern Colorado.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BEARS
Montana leads the all-time series 28-15, but Northern Colorado has been gaining ground in the all-time series in recent years. Montana is just 3-7 in the previous 10 meetings between the two schools, although DeCuire still has an 11-8 record overall against UNC.

The Grizzlies lead 11-7 in games played in Greeley, and DeCuire has actually been better on the road against them then at home. He's 5-2 in Greeley in his previous nine seasons, which includes a 79-74 win there last year.

The Bears took the first meeting between the two teams 98-92 in overtime. The Grizzlies led by 10 in the final five minutes of the game, but Thomas powered the Bears to the win with 37 points and 14 rebounds.

Griz Notes

Saturday night's loss was the first for Montana when they had fewer turnovers than their opponent. The Griz had just four turnovers against the Eagles in the loss. They are now 8-1 this season with fewer turnovers than the opponent.
The Grizzlies are averaging just 66.2 points per game over the last five contests. They were up to the second-best offense in program history earlier in the conference schedule, but have now dropped to 10^th at 76.3 points per game.
The win over Idaho (2/1) was the first this season for Montana when they were outshot from the field. The Grizzlies are 14-0 when shooting better than their opponent, and 1-8 when shooting worse.
Montana made 12 more free throws than Idaho in last Thursday's win, but made 13 fewer in the loss to Eastern Washington. The Grizzlies are now 8-0 when shooting more free throws, and 7-1 when making more free throws than their opponent. They are 7-7 when making fewer free throws.
The Griz won their first Thursday night game of the season against Idaho (2/1) after starting 0-4. They then lost their first game on a Saturday against Eastern Washington, falling to 7-1 in games played on Saturdays.
The Grizzlies are 15-1 when scoring at least 70 points in a game this year.
The defense was disruptive against Idaho (2/1) with five blocks and seven steals. It matched a season high in blocks and was the second-most steals against a D-I opponent. They did it all while committing a season-low eight fouls.
Montana has shot better than 50 percent in seven of the last 11 games overall, but have been held under 50 percent in back-to-back games.
The Griz have the same or more assists than their opponents in nine of the last 11 games.
Montana has used six different starting lineups this year. The current rotation is the most-used lineup and has a 5-4 record.
The top eight players in Montana's rotation have all had at least one game with 17 points this season.
Montana overcame a 12-point deficit vs. Idaho (2/1), the largest comeback win of the season for the Griz.
If Montana shoots over 50 percent, they are undefeated. They have done so in 11 games total, and seven of the last 11.
It extends beyond the arc as well, where Montana is 12-1 when finishing with a higher three-point field goal percentage.
Montana has had a different leading scorer seven times this year. Moody and Whitney have each led Montana in scoring seven times.
Montana's 98-92 overtime loss to Northern Colorado was the first defeat for the Grizzlies when scoring at least 70 points this year, and just the second loss for a DeCuire-coached team when they scored at least 90 (12/10/14 vs. Davidson).
The team that reaches 70 points first is 22-1 in Montana's 23 games this year. The team that enters the break with the advantage is 17-4 overall.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Bannan

Aanen Moody

Laolu Oke

Dischon Thomas

Josh Vazquez

Brandon Whitney

Giordan Williams

University of Montana Athletics