Montana faces No. 6 Portland State in Big Sky quarters

Montana opens postseason play on Monday, March 11 against the No. 6 Portland State Vikings in Boise, Idaho. The game will tip at 8:00 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.

This year's Grizzly team was built for this moment. The starting lineup features five seniors that have well over 700 appearances and 400 career starts combined. Head Coach Travis DeCuire has four championship game appearances in just eight tournament appearances.

He's one of the most experienced coaches in the history of the Big Sky Conference. His 125 league wins are second-most all time and he has the chance to reach 200 career wins while in Boise, should he reach championship game number five.

A veteran coach leading a veteran team. An offense that has been extremely balanced and efficient, ranking in the top 25 nationally in both field goal percentage and assist/turnover ratio. Three All-Conference level players, plus several others that have showed they have the capabilities of taking over a game. The potential return of a freshman phenom to provide an x-factor at the crucial stages.

The storylines are all there for a Montana team looking to make it to the Big Dance for the first time in five years. It's also a team that is playing well going in having won five of the previous six, and importantly a team that is enjoying playing together.

It's the chemistry aspect that head coach Travis DeCuire has noted on when previewing the build-up to the postseason. The Grizzlies are playing together and sharing the success as a team, and that's typically the make-up of squads that win in March.

The Grizzlies (21-10, 12-6 Big Sky) put together the fifth 20-win season of DeCuire's tenure in the regular season, but it's the first since 2018-19. The team that year went on to win the Big Sky Tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. Montana will hope this year's squad can repeat the success.

DeCuire is looking to return to the Big Sky Championship game for the fifth time in his nine tournament appearances. He's reached the semifinal round six times so far in eight years. Standing in Montana's way is No. 6 Portland State.

Montana handled its business against the bottom portion of the conference, going 11-1 combined against the teams seeded 5-10 in the league standings. The only loss, however, came to this Viking squad. Portland State won 72-48 in Viking Pavilion, holding Montana to its lowest point total in a Big Sky game in 10 seasons under DeCuire.

Inside Dahlberg Arena, the Griz were able to exact revenge. Montana led wire-to-wire in an 82-73 win. Dischon Thomas led the Grizzlies with 20 points while Aanen Moody and Brandon Whitney had 17 each. The defense really provided the difference, as Montana held Portland State to just 35.7 percent shooting.

They now meet on a neutral floor with a semifinal appearance awaiting the winner. The Vikings have struggled outside of Viking Pavilion, going 0-8 away from home in the calendar year of 2024.

The Grizzlies hope that the veteran group has what it takes to cut down the nets in Boise. But it all starts against the always dangerous Vikings on Monday.

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE
Montana has a long history of success at the Big Sky Conference Tournament. The Grizzlies are making their 45^th appearance, second to only Weber State, and enter this week with 46 wins all-time at the conference tournament. The Grizzlies have won 11 Tournament titles, the most of any Big Sky team, and have also finished runner-up a record nine times.

Travis DeCuire has reached four Big Sky Conference Championship games, winning twice (2018, 2019) and losing twice by four-or-fewer points (2015, 2016). The Grizzlies have played in eight tournaments under DeCuire and reached at least the semifinal in six of them. DeCuire is 13-6 overall in the event.

The Grizzlies and Vikings have met at the Big Sky Tournament just once before. Portland State won 70-63 in the 2014 tournament in Ogden, Utah.

HISTORY AS THE NO. 3 SEED
Montana was last the No. 3 seed in the 2020 Big Sky Tournament that was canceled. The last time the Grizzlies played a game as the No. 3 seed was in 2009 when they were upset in the first round of a six-team tournament.

Montana won the 2005 Big Sky Championship when playing out of the three-seed. Overall, the Grizzlies are 6-9 when playing as the No. 3 seed, reaching the semifinals five times and the championship game twice.

THREE POINT THREATS
For the first time since 2007-08 and just second time in program history, Montana have three players with at least 50 made threes this season. Aanen Moody (75), Dischon Thomas (53), and Josh Vazquez (52) have all been impressive from beyond the arc this season, going a combined 180-of-448 (.402).

Matt Martin (65), Ryan Staudacher (65), and Jordan Hasquet (50) did it for the 2008-09 team.

Moody leads the Big Sky and ranks 86^th nationally with 75 made threes, and is one of just five Grizzlies in program history to reach the mark. He's the first since Jordan Gregory and Brandon Gfeller both did it in the 2014-15 season.

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 are on pace to do it for a fourth time this season.

They are converting 80.0 percent of their free throws this year, which ranks 4th in the NCAA and would be a school record. 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 78.8 percent success rate at the free throw line. They trail only national powerhouse Villanova. The Wildcats have made 81.1 percent of their free throw attempts since 2020.

In conference play, Montana is shooting an astonishing 83.4 percent from the free throw line. They have had eight players attempt at least 10 shots, and seven of them are over 80 percent.

The Grizzlies had made over 80 percent of their free throw attempts in eight straight games before shooting 71.4 percent in the season finale. They have 68 games of 80 percent shooting or better over the previous four seasons, which is also second to Villanova (73).

They have made 80 percent or better in 18 games this season, which is tied with Iowa for the most in the country.

WINNING WAYS
At 21-10 (.677), Montana currently have the third-best winning percentage of DeCuire's 10 seasons, and reached the 20-win mark for the fifth time. The 2017-28 team (26-8, .765) and 2018-19 team (26-9, .743) are the only teams with better winning percentages. They both reached the NCAA Tournament.

The Grizzlies have the 22nd-best winning percentage in the rich history of the program. Montana has 43 seasons at .600 or better, 16 seasons at .700 or better, and seven seasons at .750 or better.

SCOUTING #6 PORTLAND STATE (17-14, 8-10 Big Sky)

The Vikings moved up to the No. 6 seed with a win on the final day of the regular season. They defeated Idaho 72-57 at home.
Portland State had its best regular season in four years. The 17 wins and 11 wins at home were both the most since 2019-20.
The Vikings are 6-8 in Big Sky quarterfinal games, and are 3-7 at neutral sites. They have won two Big Sky titles (2008 and 2009) and are 14-17 all-time at the conference tournament.
Head coach Jase Coburn is 43-50 in his third year at Portland State.
In conference play, Portland State ranks 8^th in scoring offense (70.4) and 6^th in scoring defense (73.7).
Portland State have played in 15 games decided by seven or less points. They are 10-5 in those games, 5-2 in games decided by one possession, and have won two overtime games.
The bench is highly involved in the PSU gameplan, as they average 26.4 points per game from the reserves. They rank second in the league and 39^th in the country in bench scoring.
The Vikings have five players averaging at least 9.0 points per game in Big Sky play, but only KJ Allen is in double figures (14.7).
Most of the Vikings' success this year has come at home, where they compiled an impressive 11-2 record. They have lost eight straight games away from Viking Pavilion, however, last winning on the road on Dec. 30 at Idaho.
KJ Allen was named Second Team All-Big Sky on Thursday after leading the Vikings in both scoring (13.0) and rebounding (7.1). He enters the tournament having scored 20-plus in three of five games.
Allen has seven double-doubles on the season, the third-most in the league.
Bobby Harvey makes 2.6 threes per game in conference play, and is converting at a 36.2 percent rate. He ranks 3^rd in the Big Sky in both categories.
Hayden Curtiss ranks 2^nd in the Big Sky with 1.8 blocks per game against league opponents.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE VIKINGS
Montana leads the all-time series 44-28 over Portland State. The Grizzlies won the previous meeting 82-73 in Missoula in late February, and have now won four of the previous five meetings. This is just the third neutral site meeting between the two schools, and they have only met once previously in the Big Sky Tournament.

The Vikings won the only previous tournament meeting 70-63 in 2014 in a game played in Ogden.

The home team won both games this season. Portland State won 72-46 at home, holding Montana to its fewest points in a Big Sky game under Coach DeCuire. Vazquez and Whitney had 11 points each to lead Montana.

The Grizzlies got revenge with an 82-73 win in Dahlberg Arena. Dischon Thomas led Montana with 20 points in the win and Laolu Oke added nine rebounds. Whitney averaged 14 points across the two games, the most for Montana.

Montana faces No. 6 Portland State in Big Sky quarters

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aanen Moody

Laolu Oke

Dischon Thomas

Josh Vazquez

Brandon Whitney

University of Montana Athletics

Montana faces No. 6 Portland State in Big Sky quarters

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aanen Moody

Laolu Oke

Dischon Thomas

Josh Vazquez

Brandon Whitney

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