Griz Hoops to play Sunday exhibition against Denver

MONTANA vs. DENVER (exhibition)
Sunday, Oct. 26 / 12:00 PM / Listen / Tickets

The Montana men's basketball team will have its first public exhibition this Sunday. The Grizzlies will host Denver at 12 PM inside Dahlberg Arena. Season ticket holders get in free and general admission tickets are available for $7 to get your first look at the defending Big Sky champion Grizzlies in action.

The game will not be streamed, but the "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran will provide a radio call.

The Griz were picked as the preseason favorites in the Big Sky Conference by both the league's head coaches and the media in the annual preseason poll released on Wednesday.

Head coach Travis DeCuire's team also had the league's Preseason MVP in Money Williams. The junior played a crucial role in helping Montana win the league title in 2024-25 and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years.

This year, Williams and Te'Jon Sawyer are the only returners that averaged more than 9.0 minutes per game. He was the league's Top Reserve in 2025, but for this Montana squad to reach similar heights to last year's team, Williams is going to need to become the man for head coach Travis DeCuire.

He has the ability to do so. Williams has been featured on NBA mock drafts and went to some workouts prior to the draft last season, but decided to return to Montana with a chance to leave a legacy behind.

The talent was there last year, but with Montana having so many good guards it benefitted the team for him to come off the bench down the stretch. The Grizzlies have 10 departures from the championship team, and DeCuire is hoping that Williams can help fill the void that they left behind.

"I think the pieces that we had, the level and the style of players that we had, it didn't really fit for him to take on that role and have that be what was best for the program at the time," DeCuire said of last year. "I think we could have showcased him last year and I think he would have been potentially MVP of the league last year, he would have put those numbers up, but I don't think we would have got the most out of the other guys doing that."

Williams has improved his fitness after his first full offseason at the collegiate level and has impressed during fall practices. As soon as he made the decision to return to Montana, DeCuire and his staff began building a team that fits well around Williams.

One of the key pieces to that was to get Te'Jon Sawyer back. The graduate post player received an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA for his one year at the juco level. The veteran player is now prepping for his 5^th year of D-I ball and his 3^rd at Montana.

Sawyer is also coming back from an injury that hampered his play in 2024-25. DeCuire said that when at full strength, he believes Sawyer can be an All-Conference level player for the Grizzlies.

DeCuire also added plenty of shooting in the offseason, bringing in guards like Brooklyn Hicks, Tyler Isaak, Grant Kepley, and Courtney Anderson Jr. There are also a couple of pick-and-roll threats in Trae Taylor and Kadyn Betts.

At the center of it all will be Williams, who is one of the most talented players to ever don the maroon and silver.

"I think that this year's team, the pieces fit a lot better for someone to go out and have the ball in their hands and play the game the way that they're comfortable playing and have that be advantageous for the group," DeCuire said.

The 12^th-year head coach has been through his fair share of offseasons with the Grizzlies. As the team gears up to begin regular season play on Nov. 3, he said that this team is further along in one area of the game than nearly any other team he has coached.

"I think we're in a good place. I think our defense is further along than it's probably ever been at this stage with the exception of the 2017-18 team," DeCuire said. "Outside of that season, our defense has not been where it's at right now."

The team that year had the benefit of plenty of returners, in addition to an offseason foreign tour. This year's squad has eight newcomers on the 14-man roster. In addition to the Grizzlies transfer class, they added two freshmen in Kenyon Aguino and Luke Moxon.

Aguino, the three-time Gatorade Player of the Year in New Mexico and a four-time state champion, has the chance to see minutes as a true freshman with his playmaking on both sides of the ball.

The challenge for DeCuire and his staff will be to find ways to score the ball. The offense may be behind right now, but if recent history is any indication, Montana will be just fine in the scoring department.

The last two seasons have seen Montana put up top 10 scoring averages in program history. They averaged 76.6 points per game in 2024-25, ranking in the top five in the country in field goal percentage.

"Our offense is behind our defense at this stage. Is that a good sign? I believe so," DeCuire said. "We will find ways to be productive on offense. I think that's easier to do usually. It hasn't been easy for us at this point, but it's definitely easier than trying to build up your defense."

The best part about the fall for DeCuire? The team is gelling at the early stages, despite all the new faces.

"I think our chemistry is in a great spot right now," DeCuire said. "Roles aren't completely defined, that's been difficult for this group, but I do think we have a group that wants to enjoy each other's successes. They are OK with someone else playing well and that, when you have so many new faces, is usually the hardest thing to build."

WILLIAMS NAMED PRESEASON MVP
Junior guard Money Williams was named the Big Sky Conference Preseason MVP, as voted on by the league's head coaches and media. He joins Ahmaad Rorie as the only two players in program history to earn the honor.

Williams was the Top Reserve in the league and a 2^nd Team All-Big Sky pick in 2024-25. He went on to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team as Montana won three games in Boise to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

He led the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game and in assists at 3.1 last season, and is expected to take on an even larger role with the team after the departures of guards Malik Moore, Kai Johnson, and Brandon Whitney.

Williams was the only player in the league to be a unanimous Preseason All-Big Sky selection.

GRIZ TABBED AS PRESEASON FAVORITES
The Big Sky head coaches and media both picked Montana as the conference favorites in the league's annual preseason poll. The Grizzlies received 78 points and six first-place votes in the Coaches' Poll and 323 points and 21 first-place votes in the Media Poll.

They edged out Portland State in both polls as the Vikings, who return three preseason All-Conference selections, received 72 points and three first-place votes from the coaches and 302 points and nine first-place votes from the media.

Northern Colorado and Idaho were three and four, in that order, in both polls.

This is the third time overall under DeCuire and second straight year that Montana has been voted first by the league's coaches. It's the fourth time in 12 years for DeCuire that his team has been picked as the favorites by the league's media.

BACK-TO-BACK 24-WIN SEASONS
Montana is in a rare grouping of teams that have won at least 24 games over the previous two seasons. There are only 28 programs in the country that have two straight 24+ win seasons, and only 10 mid-major programs have accomplished the feat.

The Griz join UC Irvine, Drake, McNeese State, High Point, St. Mary's, Akron, College of Charleston, Gonzaga, and Norfolk State as the only mid-majors with at least 24 wins in each of the previous two seasons.

CHAMPS AGAIN
Montana returned to the pinnacle of Big Sky basketball in 2024-25, sharing the league's regular season title after going 15-3 in Big Sky play and winning the conference tournament in Boise for the first time since 2019.

The five-year gap between NCAA Tournament appearances was the longest for the program since going 15 years without an appearance from 1976-90.

TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
Montana went 3-0 in Boise last year on the way to the Big Sky Tournament title. The Grizzlies won a Big Sky record 12^th tournament championship in the process, improving to 51-33 overall in tournament games.

The 51 Big Sky Tournament wins are the most by any program in league history.

DeCuire is 18-7 at the Big Sky Tournament in his career. He has more wins at the conference tournament in his tenure than Idaho, Northern Colorado, Portland State, and Sacramento State do in their program's histories.

DOMINANCE IN THE DeCUIRE ERA
Since head coach Travis DeCuire took over in Missoula back in 2014, things have been good for Griz fans. The team has not suffered through a single losing season while making three NCAA Tournaments.

Here are some of Montana's accomplishments and national ranks since 2014-15.

226 total wins, most in the Big Sky and t-55^th nationally
.628 winning percentage, best in the Big Sky and t-61^st nationally
140 regular season conference wins, most in the Big Sky and 17^th nationally
18 conference tournament wins, most in the Big Sky and t-16^th nationally
0 losing seasons, 1^st in Big Sky and t-1^st nationally
.807 home winning percentage, 2^nd in Big Sky and 44^th nationally
130 home wins, most in the Big Sky and t-81^st nationally
74 away wins, 2^nd in Big Sky and t-28^th nationally
.471 field goal percentage, best in the Big Sky and t-11^th nationally
.740 free throw percentage, 2^nd in the Big Sky and 18^th nationally

DeCUIRE ENTERS YEAR 12
Head coach Travis DeCuire has had unprecedented success as the head coach of the Grizzlies, and he has also had unique longevity for a program like Montana. DeCuire's current stint of 12 years is the longest consecutive run by a single coach in program history.

He trails only George 'Jiggs' Dahlberg in years coached, but Dahlberg split his career into two stretches. This will be the first time since the program began in 1901 that a coach will be in charge for 12 straight years.

DeCuire is one of the winningest active coaches in the NCAA at his current institution. His 226 wins at Montana rank 35^th nationally among head coaches at their current schools. Of those 36, DeCuire ranks 17^th in wins per season at 20.5.

ANNIVERSARY OF THE 2005-06 TEAM
This year Montana will celebrate the anniversary of the 2005-06 team that won an NCAA Tournament game. It's the last time that a Big Sky team has won at the Big Dance and only the second win for the Grizzlies all-time at the NCAA Tournament.

The team, under 2^nd year head coach Larry Krystkowiak, went 24-7 and 10-4 in Big Sky play. They went on the road in the Big Sky Tournament as the No. 2 seed and won an overtime game over Eastern Washington in the semifinal before defeating host Northern Arizona 73-60 in the championship game.

Krystkowiak's team went to Salt Lake City as a 12-seed and defeated 5-seed Nevada and star forward Nick Fazekas 87-79. Andrew Strait had 22 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in the win. Virgil Matthews added 20 points, Kevin Criswell scored 18, and a freshman from Missoula, Jordan Hasquet, had 16 points.

Criswell and Strait were both First Team All-Big Sky selections that year. Matthews was named the Big Sky Tournament MVP after leading Montana with 21 points in the championship game. Criswell and Hasquet were both selected to the All-Tournament team.

Krystkowiak left after the season to become an assistant and later head coach of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. He would finish his career in 2021 after a long tenure as head coach of the University of Utah.

GOING BACK-TO-BACK?
The last two times that Montana won a Big Sky tournament title, they followed it up with another championship the following season. The Grizzlies went back-to-back in both 2012/2013 and 2018/2019.

They have won consecutive tournament titles four times in program history, doing so in 2005/2006 and 1991/1992, when DeCuire was on the team as a player.

The Grizzlies have gone back-to-back as regular season champions three times in program history. They did so in 2018/2019, 2012/2013, and 1991/1992.

The last time Montana won Big Sky titles in 2018-19 season, they followed it up with an 18-13 season. They went 14-6 in Big Sky play that year, finishing 3^rd in the league. The Big Sky Tournament was canceled that season because of COVID-19.

HOME OPENER SUCCESS
The Grizzlies have won the previous eight home openers dating back to 2016 and are 10-1 in the first home game of the season under Travis DeCuire. They have outscored opponents 891-629 in the 11 years, winning by an average margin of 23.8 points per game.

Montana is 22-3 in home openers this century. The three losses have come by a combined eight points. This is the second time that Montana has played Northwest Indian in the home opener in the last three years. It's the 8^th home opener against a non-D1 opponent that the Griz have played under DeCuire.

CALIFORNIA CONNECTION
Montana once again has a heavy California presence on the roster in 2025-26. Half of the Grizzlies on this year's team hail from The Golden State with seven of the 14 players calling Cali home.

The California Griz are also a heavy concentration of Bay Area natives. Te'Jon Sawyer (San Francisco), Courtney Anderson Jr. (Vallejo), Tyler Isaak (Danville), Tyler Thompson (Fairfield), and Money Williams (Oakland) all hail from the Bay Area.

2025-26 PRESEASON PROGRAM NOTES

Since 2017-18, Montana has won at least 24 games in a season four different times. The rest of the Big Sky Conference has combined to have four 24-win seasons during that time.
This is just the 3^rd time in program history that Montana has won at least 24 games in back-to-back seasons.
Montana ended last season ranked 21^st in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. It's the first time since 2019 they were ranked in the poll at season's end.
Montana has at least eight newcomers on the roster for the fourth straight season. They have six transfers and two true freshman this year, the 2^nd largest transfer class in program history trailing only last season.
Kadyn Betts is the first player in program history to wear the #7.
Montana is ranked 171^st in the country in the preseason Pomeroy Ratings.

THE .500 STREAK
Montana is one of just 14 teams in the entire country that has been .500 or better in 16 straight seasons. It's a remarkable accomplishment and shows the consistency and greatness in the program.

The Grizzlies have reached 20 wins nine times in the previous 15 years, and have reached the 20 win mark 25 times in program history.

Montana has had just one losing season in the last 20 years, and they have also had just five losing seasons in the previous half century. Since 1970, Montana has gone .500 or better 48 times.

CONSISTENCY IN KENPOM
Montana has finished the last two seasons ranked 163^rd in the kenpom.com Pomeroy Ratings. The year before that, they finished 164^th. The Grizzlies have been very consistent in the advanced analytics under DeCuire.

This year, Montana opens the season with a preseason ranking of 171. The Griz have outperformed their preseason expectations the previous three seasons and six times in DeCuire's previous 11 years.

NEW STAFF MOVES
The Grizzlies are dealing not only with the loss of 10 players from last years team, but three coaches as well. Anderson Clarke, DJ Broome, and Reuben Williams all left for different jobs in the summer.

DeCuire replaced them with one familiar face and two additional hires. Rachi Wortham returns to Montana after serving as the head coach at Tacoma Community College. He previously spent three seasons with the Grizzlies from 2016-19, winning a pair of Big Sky titles in 2018 and 2019.

Ryan Frazer also joins the Grizzly coaching staff. Frazer, originally from Palmdale, Calif., last served as the head coach at Pasadena City College, compiling three winning seasons.

The final addition to DeCuire's staff is graduate assistant Brian Morgan. Morgan was an assistant at Hiram College last season.

TEAMMATES AGAIN
Courtney Anderson Jr. didn't even visit Missoula this summer before agreeing to transfer up to Montana to play for the Griz. For one, he had already taken a visit back when he was a junior in high school before he committed to Colorado. And he also had a connection within the Grizzly locker room.

Anderson and returning big-man Te'Jon Sawyer played together in high school at Salesian Prep in Richmond, Calif. The duo now return to the floor together at the D-I level for Coach DeCuire.

Griz Hoops to play Sunday exhibition against Denver

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kenyon Aguino

Courtney Anderson Jr.

Kadyn Betts

Brooklyn Hicks

Tyler Isaak

Kai Johnson

Grant Kepley

Malik Moore

Luke Moxon

Te'Jon Sawyer

Trae Taylor

Tyler Thompson

Brandon Whitney

Money Williams

University of Montana Athletics

Griz Hoops to play Sunday exhibition against Denver

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kenyon Aguino

Courtney Anderson Jr.

Kadyn Betts

Brooklyn Hicks

Tyler Isaak

Kai Johnson

Grant Kepley

Malik Moore

Luke Moxon

Te'Jon Sawyer

Trae Taylor

Tyler Thompson

Brandon Whitney

Money Williams

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