Thursday, February 13
Missoula, Mont.
7:00 PM
Montana
vs
Idaho State
Photo by: Jackson Wagner
First place Griz return home, celebrate Senior Night on Saturday
2/12/2025 10:03:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MONTANA (17-8, 10-2 Big Sky) vs. IDAHO STATE (11-11, 6-5 Big Sky)
Thursday, Feb. 13 / 7:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets
MONTANA vs. WEBER STATE (9-16, 3-8 Big Sky)
Saturday, Feb. 15 / 7:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets
The Montana men's basketball team returns home as the co-leaders in the Big Sky Conference with just three weeks left in the schedule. The Griz will host Idaho State and Weber State inside Dahlberg Arena this week with Senior Night celebrations on tap for Saturday's contest.
After sweeping the Northern Colorado-Northern Arizona road trip to increase their winning streak to six games, Montana now sits in a tie for first with the Bears having split the season series.
The two sides have separated themselves from the rest of the Big Sky Conference at this stage of the season. There is a three-game gap between the top two teams and the rest of the league. Portland State and Idaho State are tied for third at 6-5 in conference play.
It sets them up with everything to play for in a fast and furious final three weeks that features three road games and three home games. Montana will start the final stretch of the season looking to improve on its 12-1 home record with a pair of games inside Dahlberg Arena.
The first is a revenge game for the Grizzlies, as Idaho State is one of just two teams to defeat Montana in league play this season and the only team in the league that Montana is yet to win against.
The Bengals had a ridiculous second half performance against Montana, winning the rebounding battle 27-5 to pull away for an 86-61 victory.
Montana won the first meeting against Weber State in Ogden. The Wildcats are a much different team from the one that played back on Jan. 16. Miguel Tomley and Dyson Koehler, who combined for 26 of WSU's 59 points in that game, are both out for the season.
The Wildcats do get Blaise Threatt back. Threatt missed the first meeting due to an illness, but returns as the piece that makes everything go for the Wildcats. He averages 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
The Grizzlies will enter this weekend as one of the hottest teams in the NCAA, and look to keep that momentum rolling in a Big Sky title hunt. The six-game winning streak is tied for the 12th longest in the NCAA, and it's the way that Montana has been able to win games that has been the most impressive thing.
The whole team has bought into their roles, and it's led to the best offensive output in the entire country over the previous two weeks. In Montana's last four games, they lead the NCAA in field goal percentage (.607) and three-point percentage (.545).
It's led to 87.0 points per game, the 5th-best mark in the NCAA over the last two weeks. They have outscored their opponents by 10.8 points per game during the winning streak overall, leading for at least 32 minutes in every single contest.
Over the last 240 minutes on the floor, Montana have trailed for just over nine total minutes. The Grizzlies have held a double digit lead in all six games while never trailing by more than four points.
The balance on offense has been pretty remarkable. The Grizzlies have six players averaging at least 9.0 points per game during the stretch, led by Kai Johnson's 14.7 points per game. The core rotation of seven players have all averaged at least 6.5 points per game.
They have four players shooting better than 50 percent from the arc on at least 1 attempt per game during the winning streak, and every player that has attempted a three pointer is shooting at least 38 percent.
The turning point of the season for Montana was the loss at Idaho State. Since then, the team has shifted roles, and figured things out on both ends of the floor, winning every game since that day in Pocatello.
On Thursday, Montana will have a chance to not only get some revenge on the Bengals, but also make a statement that they can beat any team in the Big Sky.
SENIOR NIGHT
Montana will celebrate Senior Day this weekend before tipping off against Weber State. The Grizzlies will honor six seniors - Kai Johnson, Austin Patterson, Joe Pridgen, Te'Jon Sawyer, Adam Shoff, and Brandon Whitney - during a pregame celebration.
The group have all come to Montana through different paths, but have combined this season to lead the program to its best start in league play since 2019.
RED-HOT SHOOTING
Montana has been one of the best offenses in the entire country over the past few weeks. In the last two weeks, the Grizzlies lead the NCAA in both field goal percentage (.607) and three-point percentage (.545).
Montana is also ranked 5th in the NCAA in scoring over the last two weeks, averaging 87.0 points per game. They have shot better than 60 percent in three of the last four games.
Since the start of Big Sky play, Montana has the second-best offense in the league at 77.0 points per game. They lead the conference in three-point percentage, shooting 42.9 percent from the arc in 12 conference games.
CLOSE GAME SUCCESS
In games decided by single digits this season, Montana is 10-2. They have been very good in close game situations, winning all three games that came down to one possession, including on Saturday at Northern Arizona.
Montana is 5-1 in games decided by 1-4 points, and 5-1 in games decided by 5-9 points.
WHITNEY WATCH
Graduate guard Brandon Whitney is currently 3rd in program history in career assists and tied for 10th in scoring. Whitney has 421 career assists. He passed Scott Zanon for 3rd in the win over Sacramento State (2/1).
He now trails Shane Christensen by 10 for second, and needs 14 more to tie Coach DeCuire for the program's all-time record.
Whitney has 1,500 points in his career. He tied Wayne Tinkle for 10th by scoring his 1,500th career point at Northern Arizona (2/8), becoming just the 11th player in program history to score 1,500 career points.
Whitney has also played more minutes than any other player in program history, and needs to play in 8 more games to tie Josh Vazquez for the most appearances in program, and Big Sky Conference, history. The Grizzlies have six regular season games left.
Whitney is also currently tied as the NCAA leader for most career starts at the same school with 141 starts in a Grizzly uniform.
DeCUIRE CLOSES IN ON DAHLBERG
Head coach Travis DeCuire is closing in on the Montana all-time record for wins. He won his 218th game on Saturday and now needs just three more in the final six games to tie George "Jiggs" Dahlberg for the record.
DeCuire has also passed Boise State's Bobby Dye for third-most wins by a Big Sky coach. He now trails only Mick Durham (246) and Randy Rahe (316).
FANTASTIC IN FEBRUARY
Montana has typically improved as the season progresses under Coach DeCuire, as is evident by the head coach's record in games played in the month of February. Now in his 11th season, DeCuire is 54-23 (.701). The 54 wins are tied with Wichita State, UCLA, and others for 26th most in the NCAA during the span.
THE .500 STREAK
Montana is one of just 14 teams in the entire country that has been .500 or better in 16 straight seasons. They extended that streak to 17 seasons with the win over Northern Colorado on Feb. 6.
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.
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE (11-11, 6-5 Big Sky)
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BENGALS
Montana has dominated the series against Idaho State with a 115-46 overall record. The Griz have a 72-14 record in Missoula against the Bengals, winning 14 in a row. The last home loss to Idaho State came on Jan. 17, 2008. In the last 50 years, Montana have lost just five times at home against ISU.
Head coach Travis DeCuire is 19-2 against Idaho State, including wins over the Bengals at the Big Sky Tournament in Boise the last two years. Montana has won 27 of the last 29 games against Idaho State. They are 39-11 in the last 50 games dating back to 2000.
SCOUTING WEBER STATE (9-16, 3-8 Big Sky)
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS
Weber State is one of just two teams in the Big Sky that leads the all-time series against Montana. The Wildcats have a 76-67 advantage over the Grizzlies.
Montana has been good at home, going 42-25 in Missoula in the series. The Grizzlies have won three of the previous four meetings, and DeCuire is 14-10 overall against the Wildcats.
Thursday, Feb. 13 / 7:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets
MONTANA vs. WEBER STATE (9-16, 3-8 Big Sky)
Saturday, Feb. 15 / 7:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets
The Montana men's basketball team returns home as the co-leaders in the Big Sky Conference with just three weeks left in the schedule. The Griz will host Idaho State and Weber State inside Dahlberg Arena this week with Senior Night celebrations on tap for Saturday's contest.
After sweeping the Northern Colorado-Northern Arizona road trip to increase their winning streak to six games, Montana now sits in a tie for first with the Bears having split the season series.
The two sides have separated themselves from the rest of the Big Sky Conference at this stage of the season. There is a three-game gap between the top two teams and the rest of the league. Portland State and Idaho State are tied for third at 6-5 in conference play.
It sets them up with everything to play for in a fast and furious final three weeks that features three road games and three home games. Montana will start the final stretch of the season looking to improve on its 12-1 home record with a pair of games inside Dahlberg Arena.
The first is a revenge game for the Grizzlies, as Idaho State is one of just two teams to defeat Montana in league play this season and the only team in the league that Montana is yet to win against.
The Bengals had a ridiculous second half performance against Montana, winning the rebounding battle 27-5 to pull away for an 86-61 victory.
Montana won the first meeting against Weber State in Ogden. The Wildcats are a much different team from the one that played back on Jan. 16. Miguel Tomley and Dyson Koehler, who combined for 26 of WSU's 59 points in that game, are both out for the season.
The Wildcats do get Blaise Threatt back. Threatt missed the first meeting due to an illness, but returns as the piece that makes everything go for the Wildcats. He averages 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
The Grizzlies will enter this weekend as one of the hottest teams in the NCAA, and look to keep that momentum rolling in a Big Sky title hunt. The six-game winning streak is tied for the 12th longest in the NCAA, and it's the way that Montana has been able to win games that has been the most impressive thing.
The whole team has bought into their roles, and it's led to the best offensive output in the entire country over the previous two weeks. In Montana's last four games, they lead the NCAA in field goal percentage (.607) and three-point percentage (.545).
It's led to 87.0 points per game, the 5th-best mark in the NCAA over the last two weeks. They have outscored their opponents by 10.8 points per game during the winning streak overall, leading for at least 32 minutes in every single contest.
Over the last 240 minutes on the floor, Montana have trailed for just over nine total minutes. The Grizzlies have held a double digit lead in all six games while never trailing by more than four points.
The balance on offense has been pretty remarkable. The Grizzlies have six players averaging at least 9.0 points per game during the stretch, led by Kai Johnson's 14.7 points per game. The core rotation of seven players have all averaged at least 6.5 points per game.
They have four players shooting better than 50 percent from the arc on at least 1 attempt per game during the winning streak, and every player that has attempted a three pointer is shooting at least 38 percent.
The turning point of the season for Montana was the loss at Idaho State. Since then, the team has shifted roles, and figured things out on both ends of the floor, winning every game since that day in Pocatello.
On Thursday, Montana will have a chance to not only get some revenge on the Bengals, but also make a statement that they can beat any team in the Big Sky.
SENIOR NIGHT
Montana will celebrate Senior Day this weekend before tipping off against Weber State. The Grizzlies will honor six seniors - Kai Johnson, Austin Patterson, Joe Pridgen, Te'Jon Sawyer, Adam Shoff, and Brandon Whitney - during a pregame celebration.
The group have all come to Montana through different paths, but have combined this season to lead the program to its best start in league play since 2019.
RED-HOT SHOOTING
Montana has been one of the best offenses in the entire country over the past few weeks. In the last two weeks, the Grizzlies lead the NCAA in both field goal percentage (.607) and three-point percentage (.545).
Montana is also ranked 5th in the NCAA in scoring over the last two weeks, averaging 87.0 points per game. They have shot better than 60 percent in three of the last four games.
Since the start of Big Sky play, Montana has the second-best offense in the league at 77.0 points per game. They lead the conference in three-point percentage, shooting 42.9 percent from the arc in 12 conference games.
CLOSE GAME SUCCESS
In games decided by single digits this season, Montana is 10-2. They have been very good in close game situations, winning all three games that came down to one possession, including on Saturday at Northern Arizona.
Montana is 5-1 in games decided by 1-4 points, and 5-1 in games decided by 5-9 points.
WHITNEY WATCH
Graduate guard Brandon Whitney is currently 3rd in program history in career assists and tied for 10th in scoring. Whitney has 421 career assists. He passed Scott Zanon for 3rd in the win over Sacramento State (2/1).
He now trails Shane Christensen by 10 for second, and needs 14 more to tie Coach DeCuire for the program's all-time record.
Whitney has 1,500 points in his career. He tied Wayne Tinkle for 10th by scoring his 1,500th career point at Northern Arizona (2/8), becoming just the 11th player in program history to score 1,500 career points.
Whitney has also played more minutes than any other player in program history, and needs to play in 8 more games to tie Josh Vazquez for the most appearances in program, and Big Sky Conference, history. The Grizzlies have six regular season games left.
Whitney is also currently tied as the NCAA leader for most career starts at the same school with 141 starts in a Grizzly uniform.
DeCUIRE CLOSES IN ON DAHLBERG
Head coach Travis DeCuire is closing in on the Montana all-time record for wins. He won his 218th game on Saturday and now needs just three more in the final six games to tie George "Jiggs" Dahlberg for the record.
DeCuire has also passed Boise State's Bobby Dye for third-most wins by a Big Sky coach. He now trails only Mick Durham (246) and Randy Rahe (316).
FANTASTIC IN FEBRUARY
Montana has typically improved as the season progresses under Coach DeCuire, as is evident by the head coach's record in games played in the month of February. Now in his 11th season, DeCuire is 54-23 (.701). The 54 wins are tied with Wichita State, UCLA, and others for 26th most in the NCAA during the span.
THE .500 STREAK
Montana is one of just 14 teams in the entire country that has been .500 or better in 16 straight seasons. They extended that streak to 17 seasons with the win over Northern Colorado on Feb. 6.
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.
MONTANA NOTESWe're bringing the hottest offense in the country back home this week 🔥
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 11, 2025
🎟️ https://t.co/qRxs3U1HJq#GrizHoops | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/dkGU11MHkR
- The Grizzlies are one of just 17 teams in the country this season with at least three games shooting 60 percent or better.
- This is the best 12-game start in conference play since the 2019 season. The Grizzlies started 13-2 in league play that year, and finished the year 16-4 and regular season and tournament champions.
- Montana swept a Big Sky road trip for the second time this season at Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. It's the first time that Montana has swept multiple road trips in the same season since 2019.
- Montana's six-game winning streak is tied for the 12th longest active streak in the NCAA.
- The current six-game winning streak is the longest in Big Sky play for the Grizzlies since 2019-20. The Grizzlies also won six straight that year. The last time that Montana won at least seven games in a row was 2018-19 when they won 10 straight on their way to the Big Sky title.
- The Griz lead the Big Sky Conference in turnovers at just 9.42 per game.
- Montana is 13-1 when shooting a better percentage from the three-point line than their opponent this season. They are 12-2 when making the same or more threes as their opponent.
- Montana is 11-0 vs. Quad 4 opponents this season. They have the fourth most wins against Quad 4 teams in the country. Both games this week will be considered Q4.
- The top six players on Montana's roster are all averaging at least 8.7 points per game in Big Sky play. They do not have a single player in the top 10 in the league in scoring. Malik Moore, at 13.0 points per game, ranks 11th in the Big Sky.
- This is the 8th best scoring average in Montana history. The Griz average 76.7 points per game. They averaged 76.9 points per game last season, which is the 7th best average in history.
- Five different Grizzlies average at least 10.0 points per game at home this season. Kai Johnson has been Montana's leading scorer in Missoula at 13.2 points per game.
- During the current six-game winning streak, Montana has led by double figures at halftime in four of the games. They have also been outscored in the second half of four of the six games.
- Kai Johnson led Montana in points (22), assists (7), and rebounds (5) at Northern Arizona. It's the first time this season that one player has led Montana in all three categories.
- Idaho State is the only team in the Big Sky that Montana has not defeated this season. The Grizzlies have at least one win against the other eight league members.
- The Grizzlies do not have a single player in the top 15 of the Big Sky Conference in minutes per game.
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE (11-11, 6-5 Big Sky)
- The Bengals come into Thursday night's contest coming off a road win over Weber State in the only game of the week for ISU. They defeated the Wildcats 72-67 in Ogden, picking up their third road win of the season in the process.
- Since the last meeting between Montana and Idaho State, the Bengals are 3-3. They were swept on the Sacramento State-Portland State road trip and also lost a home game to Northern Colorado. They have wins over Eastern Washington and Idaho at home to go with the WSU victory.
- Head coach Ryan Looney is in his 6th season at Idaho State. He has a 64-108 (.372) record with the Bengals.
- The Bengals' strength is on the glass, where they rank 5th in the NCAA in rebounding margin (+9.7) and 5th in offensive rebounding (14.45/game). They are relentless on the offensive glass, which is what led them to the win in Pocatello in the first meeting between UM and ISU. The Bengals had 10 offensive rebounds in the second half alone in the win.
- Idaho State also has the best defense in the Big Sky, holding opponents to 69.2 points per game. They block 5.0 shots per game, the 24th best mark in the country.
- Dylan Darling has emerged as an MVP candidate in the Big Sky Conference. He leads the league in scoring, averaging 22.3 points per game against league opponents. He is also second in the conference in assists with 5.7 per game.
- Darling has won the Player of the Week award in consecutive weeks. He did so despite playing just one game last week, scoring 30 points to go with four rebounds and three assists in the win over Weber State.
- Jake O'Neil averages a double-double for the Bengals, scoring 13.3 points and grabbing 10.3 rebounds per game. He is 11th in the nation in rebounding, and is the 7th best offensive rebounder in the country at 3.9 per game.
- Evan Otten is blocking 2.45 shots per game, the top mark in the Big Sky and 10th best number nationally.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BENGALS
Montana has dominated the series against Idaho State with a 115-46 overall record. The Griz have a 72-14 record in Missoula against the Bengals, winning 14 in a row. The last home loss to Idaho State came on Jan. 17, 2008. In the last 50 years, Montana have lost just five times at home against ISU.
Head coach Travis DeCuire is 19-2 against Idaho State, including wins over the Bengals at the Big Sky Tournament in Boise the last two years. Montana has won 27 of the last 29 games against Idaho State. They are 39-11 in the last 50 games dating back to 2000.
SCOUTING WEBER STATE (9-16, 3-8 Big Sky)
- The Wildcats are coming off a home loss to Idaho State in their only game of the week. They have lost three of their last four games, with a 77-73 home win over Northern Arizona in the middle of the run.
- Weber State has actually been better on the road than at home this season. They have just one Division I win at home, and are 2-3 on the road in league play.
- Head coach Eric Duft is in his third season at Weber State. Duft, a long-time assistant under the Big Sky's winningest coach Randy Rahe, has a 47-43 overall record in charge of the Wildcats.
- The Wildcats rank outside of the top 200 nationally in both scoring offense (73.6) and scoring defense (72.3). In Big Sky play, they have the league's worst defense, allowing 75.9 points per game.
- WSU also has the worst turnover margin in the conference at -1.55 per game. They average 12.18 turnovers per game, tied for the third most, and only force 10.64 per game.
- Weber State has been decimated by injuries in an incredibly unlucky season. Miguel Tomley has stepped away from the team for a health issue, and Dyson Koehler is out for the rest of the season with an injury. It leaves the Wildcats without two of their top three scorers that have combined for over 200 career games.
- Blaise Threatt has carried the load for Weber State, averaging 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He has increased all of those numbers in Big Sky play. In league games, he ranks 2nd in scoring (20.3), 4th in assists (4.4), and 6th in rebounding (6.3).
- Threatt also ranks 38th nationally and second in the Big Sky with over two steals per game.
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS
Weber State is one of just two teams in the Big Sky that leads the all-time series against Montana. The Wildcats have a 76-67 advantage over the Grizzlies.
Montana has been good at home, going 42-25 in Missoula in the series. The Grizzlies have won three of the previous four meetings, and DeCuire is 14-10 overall against the Wildcats.
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