Griz head to Bozeman with streak, records, and sweep on the line

MONTANA (19-8, 12-2 Big Sky) at MONTANA STATE (12-15, 7-7 Big Sky)
Saturday, Feb. 22 / 7:00 PM / Bozeman, Mont. / Watch / Live Stats

It's always a big occasion when the Montana and Montana State basketball teams come together on the hardwood. This Saturday, when the Grizzlies travel to Bozeman for the second rivalry game this season, there is much more than just bragging rights on the line.

The first-place Grizzlies are one game in front of Northern Colorado with four games remaining in the regular season as they chase the program's 13^th regular season Big Sky title. It won't be an easy road as the MSU game is one of two road contests against top four teams still remaining on the Montana schedule.

The focus for Montana will be to just win the game in front of them, something that they have successfully done eight straight times. The Griz will head to Bozeman with the 5^th longest winning streak in the country having not lost in over a month.

As the Griz aim to keep control of first place and extend their winning streak up to nine, there will also be a bit of history on the line for head coach Travis DeCuire. DeCuire picked up career win number 220 last Saturday with a 65-58 victory of Weber State.

DeCuire is now just one win away from tying George Dahlberg's Montana record of 221 wins as head coach. The 11^th year head coach could move into a tie with Dahlberg, the man the arena that the Grizzlies play inside is named after, with a win over his rival.

Oh, and it would also complete a season sweep of the Bobcats and improve DeCuire to 16-5 against his biggest rival. It doesn't get much bigger than that in the regular season.

The Grizzlies won the first meeting 77-70, leading by as many as 17 points after a big first half. It was the first game that really shifted the narrative of the Montana season as Kai Johnson entered the starting lineup for the first time since November.

The move paid off in that game as Johnson erupted for 25 points, his most against a D-I opponents, and it started a streak of seven straight starts for the Western Washington transfer.

Since that day, Johnson has led Montana in scoring at 15.0 points per game on 58.2 percent shooting.

The Griz outscored the Bobcats 17-6 off of turnovers in the game and 48-36 in the paint. Johnson provided the spark to the win, and Joe Pridgen added 14 points with Malik Moore scoring 13.

It was the second game of the current eight-game winning streak, which is the longest for the program in six years. The 12-2 start to Big Sky play is also Montana's best since that memorable 2018-19 campaign.

Home wins over Idaho State and Weber State guided the winning streak along last weekend. The first was a revenge game for Montana, as they bounced back from a frustrating loss in Pocatello earlier this season.

It also gave them a win over every single team in the Big Sky Conference. They followed that win up with a different type of victory against Weber State. The offense has been the catalyst of much of Montana's success in the last month, but they leaned on their defense in the win over the Wildcats.

The Grizzlies gave up a season-low 58 points in the win, which completed a regular season sweep of Weber State for the first time since 2018-19.

Since the calendar flipped to February, Montana has had the best field goal percentage and three point percentage in the country. They will hope that the hot-shooting can continue in Bozeman, where Montana State has been good defensively on the arc.

The Bobcats hold opponents to just 30.0 percent from three-point range, the 30^th best defensive number in the country. Montana, meanwhile, have climbed up to 81^st in the national rankings this season by making 36.0 percent of their threes.

The number has dramatically increased in conference play where Montana has a wide lead atop the Big Sky statistical leaderboard. The Griz have converted 42.5 percent of their attempts from deep in league play.

Montana is also in search of win number 20 this season. It would be the second straight season reaching the milestone, and the sixth time overall under Coach DeCuire.

Records, streaks, rivalry bragging rights, it will all be on the line when the Grizzlies and Bobcats meet for the 310^th time. The 5^th most played rivalry in all of college basketball will have plenty on the line this Saturday in Bozeman.

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8 straight wins. First place in the @BigSkyConf with four games to go.#GrizHoops | #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/3HJEc2gc9f
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 17, 2025

8-GAME WINNING STREAK

It's the longest winning streak for Montana since 2018-19 when they won 10 straight games.
It's tied for the 5^th longest active streak in the country with New Mexico, High Point, and Central Connecticut State.
Six of the wins have come at home with two on the road.
The Grizzlies are averaging 80.4 points per game during the streak and winning by an average margin of 10.6.
Montana has shot 56.2 percent from the floor and 47.1 percent from three point range during the streak.
The top six scorers for Montana all average between 9.8 and 13.4 points per game. Kai Johnson has led Montana during the stretch with 13.4 points on 57.4 percent shooting.
They average 15.5 assists per game, which is 5.0 more than their opponents.
The Griz have actually outrebounded their opponents during the stretch, averaging 28.8 and holding opponents to just 28.5.
Three players (Moore, Patterson, Williams) have attempted at least 20 three pointers during the stretch and all three are shooting better than 43 percent from the arc.
Zero players have averaged over 30 minutes per game during the winning streak.
Malik Moore is shooting 21-of-38 (.553) from three during the eight games.

FEELS A LOT LIKE 2018-19…
Montana's last Big Sky Championship came in 2018-19 as they finished off back-to-back regular season championships with a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. This season's team has hit some marks that haven't been seen in Missoula since that 2019 run.

Longest winning streak (8, active) since winning 10 straight in 2019.
Two Big Sky Conference road trip sweeps.
12-2 start to Big Sky play is the best since the 2019 team started 13-2.
The final road trip of the season in 2019 was also the Portland State-Sacramento State trip.
The .704 winning percentage for Montana is the best since the 2018-19 team went 26-9 (.743).
First regular season sweep of Weber State since 2018-19.

NO BAD LOSSES
The Grizzlies have taken care of business in the games that they have been expected to win this season. Montana's eight losses have come against opponents with a combined record of 149-61 (.710).

Of the eight teams that have defeated Montana this season, seven of them have at least 17 wins this year. Six of the non-power four teams are in the top three of their respective conferences with Oregon and Tennessee also in the mix. Montana is 13-0 in Quad 4 games this season.

RIVALRY SWEEPS
Montana is looking for the season sweep over Montana State on Saturday after winning the opening matchup 77-70 in Missoula on Jan. 25. It would be the seventh time that Montana swept the season against the 'Cats under DeCuire and the 10th time overall since 2010.

BRINGING JOE BACK
Prior to Saturday's win over Weber State, Joe Pridgen announced to the crowd inside Dahlberg Arena that he will be returning for one more season in 2025-26.

The transfer has been a breakout star this season in Missoula, averaging 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in his first season as a Grizzly. He is shooting 63.6 percent from the floor, which ranks 10^th nationally.

Pridgen has thrilled Montana fans this season, registering 29 dunks that include some massive poster slams. He earned the No. 2 play on SportsCenter's Top 10 earlier this season.

MONTANA GAME NOTES

The Grizzlies have won 14 games at home this season, matching the most in a single year since winning 15 in 2012. This is the best winning percentage (.933) for Montana at home since the 2017-18 team finished undefeated at 14-0.
Montana is aiming for a 20-win season for the 26^th time in program history and the 6^th time under DeCuire.
At 12-2 in league play, Montana currently has a winning percentage of .857. It's the best for Montana since the 2017-18 team went 16-2 (.889).
The bench had scored at least 20 points in five straight games going into Saturday. They had a season-low six points against Weber State.
Since changing the starting lineup in the first Brawl of the Wild game, Montana has been unbeaten (7-0). Kai Johnson entered the lineup for Money Williams, and both players have excelled in their new roles.
Montana is 11-2 in games decided by single digits this season. Five of their eight losses have come by 20-plus points.
The Griz are 10-0 when holding opponents under 70 points.
They are 15-1 when shooting better from three point range than their opponents.
Montana is 8-0 this year when committing 10-or-fewer turnovers in a game. They are 11-2 with fewer turnovers than their opponent.
In the first half this year, Montana has outscored its opponents by 83 points this season. They have lost the second half overall, being outscored by seven points in the second half.
The top six Grizzly scorers in Big Sky play have all averaged at least 8.5 points per game. They do not have any players in the top 10 of the league in scoring.
The Grizzlies do not have any players in the top 15 in the conference in minutes this season.
UM tops the Big Sky Conference in field goal percentage (.517) and three-point percentage (.425) during league play.
Montana's .704 winning percentage is the 14^th best in program history. The Grizzlies have won over 80 percent of their games in a single season 16 times in program history.
Money Williams has been Montana's leading scorer in road games this season, averaging 15.8 points per game. Malik Moore is right behind him at 15.1 points per game. The trio of Moore, Pridgen, and Williams combine for 42.0 of Montana's 72.5 points per game on the road.
The Griz are shooting 49.8 percent from the field this year, which is the 5^th best single season mark in program history.
This is the best effective field goal percentage (.565) and two-point field goal percentage (.580) in Montana program history.

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE (12-15, 7-7 BIG SKY)

The Bobcats enter the weekend having won two straight games, sweeping the home stand against Weber State and Idaho State. The Bobcats have been impressive in Bozeman this season with a 10-2 record inside Worthington Arena.
Head coach Matt Logie is in his second season at Montana State. Logie has an overall record of 29-33 in charge of the Bobcats.
Montana State is right in the middle of the Big Sky standings in a clump of teams vying for a top four seed. The Bobcats are in sole possession of fourth place at the moment, but are just a game ahead of Northern Arizona for eighth place. There are only 2.5 games separating 3^rd from 8^th in the league standings.
The 'Cats have been excellent defensively in Big Sky play, holding opponents to just 68.8 points per game. It's the second best scoring defense in the league.
Brandon Walker ranks 8^th in the league in scoring at 14.2 points per game, and 12^th in rebounding at 4.9 per game. He leads the Bobcats in both categories during Big Sky play.
Walker has a 35.4 percent usage rate, the 5^th highest in the NCAA this season.
Max Agbonkpolo is second on the team, averaging 10.8 points per game. In Big Sky play, Patrick McMahon has been the second leading scorer for MSU at 10.9 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BOBCATS
Montana leads the all-time series 157-152. It's the 5^th most played rivalry in the history of college basketball. The Grizzlies are 53-96 all-time in Bozeman.

Montana has won three of the previous four meetings, including the first game this season in Missoula. The Grizzlies won in Bozeman last year 87-77.

Griz head to Bozeman with streak, records, and sweep on the line

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Players Mentioned

Kai Johnson

Malik Moore

Joe Pridgen

Money Williams

University of Montana Athletics

Griz head to Bozeman with streak, records, and sweep on the line

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Next Event

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Kai Johnson

Malik Moore

Joe Pridgen

Money Williams

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