Wednesday, March 12
Boise, Idaho
9:30 PM
Montana
25-9,15-3Big Sky
91
vs
83
No. 1 Northern Colorado
25-9,15-3Big Sky
1
2
F
Montana
48
43
91
Northern Colo.
39
44
83
Photo by: Montana Photography
Montana wins Big Sky Tourney for record 12th time to advance to NCAA Tournament
3/13/2025 5:53:00 AM | Men's Basketball
It was a battle three months in the making. Montana and Northern Colorado, the co-regular season champions, had separated from the rest of the Big Sky Conference over the league's 18-game regular season and arrived in Boise as the heavy favorites.
The two teams rolled into the championship game with blowout semifinal victories, setting the ultimate stage inside Idaho Central Arena. Two of the three best shooting teams in the country put on one of the best offensive displays possible to a national stage on ESPN 2.
In the end, Montana (25-9) soared past Northern Colorado (25-9) 91-83 for a Big Sky record extending 12th tournament title and the first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2019. It's the third Big Sky Tournament Championship for head coach Travis DeCuire, and the first for Montana since 2019.
"They all feel great," DeCuire said. "Every championship has its own storyline. I love every player I've ever coached, I'll never say I loved any one individual any more than the other because they all were special in my heart. "
This year's team reaches the Big Dance by way of shooting 65.2 percent from the field over the course of 40 minutes and putting up 91 points in a conference championship game. It's the best shooting percentage for Montana against a D-1 opponent since 2011.
Montana opened the game with six straight made field goals, ended the first half with nine straight makes, and carried that into the second half for a grand total of 14 straight shots that found the bottom of the net.
From the time the clock read 9:31 in the first half to the 16:22 minute mark of the second half, Montana was perfect from the floor. They didn't miss a shot for over 13 minutes of game time, which equated to well over a half an hour of real time for those in attendance in Boise or watching at home.
The Grizzlies missed consecutive shots just four times throughout the entire 40 minutes, dominating on the offensive end on their way to a title.
Brandon Whitney brought home the Tournament MVP honors behind an 18 points performance on Wednesday night. The 5th year guard returned to Montana after falling short in this game one year prior, and saw his decision pay off all season long.
The decorated veteran of the Grizzly program, starting his Big Sky record 150th career game, made seven of his nine shots from the floor. He connected on two three pointers in the first two minutes of the game to set the tone early.
"Where college basketball is right now, Brandon Whitney five years in one program to hang in there, he could have gone a lot of different directions for a lot of reasons, as much money is being tossed out there," DeCuire said. "He hung in there with us for five years, committed to winning, wanted to get to the NCAA Tournament. His role was decreased in terms of scoring, he knew he had weapons around him, he assumed the role as a silent leader and it makes it extra special that he gets his MVP in the tournament."
Whitney led Montana over the three games, averaging 16.3 points per game on 72.0 percent shooting. He made 18 of his 25 shot attempts in Boise, including 4-of-6 from three-point range.
The Grizzly veteran claimed MVP honors, but he was joined on the All-Tournament team by Kai Johnson and Money Williams.
Johnson, who missed out on any All-Conference honors this season despite being one of the central figures to Montana's championship year, proved his worth in Boise. The transfer guard, who has battled an injury over the final weeks of the season, put the team on his back in the late stretches of the game.
He finished with a team-high 23 points, shooting 70 percent from the field and perfect from three-point range. He scored eight straight Grizzly points over an eight-minute stretch in the second half, and had 14 of his points in the second half to lead the Grizzlies to victory.
Montana had built a 14-point lead early in the second half before Northern Colorado started to climb back into the game. It was at that point that DeCuire put the ball in Johnson's hands, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"We found some things that we thought we could attack defensively, they played us completely different defensively than they've been playing, and it took us a while to kind of get a flow," DeCuire said. "But I knew in my back pocket that I had Kai Johnson."
After leading by double digits for much of the second half, the Grizzlies saw their lead slip to just a single point inside the four-minute mark after two Northern Colorado free throws made it 74-73.
Johnson drove into the lane, hung in the air, and finished off a three-point play on Montana's next offensive possession. The Grizzlies got a stop on the other end, and put the ball in Johnson's hands yet again inside of three minutes.
The Olympia, Wash. product hesitated, stepped back, and drilled a three-pointer that gave Montana an 80-73 lead with 2:24 left on the clock.
"I thought that we needed to turn him loose a little, but to do that some guys are going to have to assume a lesser role than they've had the last couple weeks," DeCuire said. "I thought that was the safest way for us to bring us home because we knew he would draw fouls and wouldn't settle. That step back three was big time."
Johnson, who passed the 1,500 point mark for his career on Wednesday, went 7-of-8 from the free throw line, and Montana shot 85.7 percent from the line as a team. It's the best percentage by the team when attempting at least 20 free throws since the first game of Big Sky play back on Jan. 2 in Cheney, Wash.
Northern Colorado were never able to pull back within a possession following Johnson's three.
Williams, Montana's third All-Tournament team member, had a relatively quiet championship game. It's all the more proof of the depth that this team has that he scored just seven points on four shots and earned a place on the All-Tournament team.
He didn't play in the final five minutes, the type of sacrifice a player of his caliber would rarely show on another team. But this year's Grizzly squad has come together, accepted the roles that the coaching staff has given them, and will leave Boise as champions as a result.
"I've had some teams where some guys were really close, and some guys were acquaintances. I truly believe that every guy in this program loves each other, the way they treat each other, the way they sacrifice for one another, the time they spend when you walk around Boise or when we're on the road, you see different guys with different guys," DeCuire said. "Not just with their roommates or their same friends. I knew when I started seeing that in September that we had a chance."
Montana's perfect 6-for-6 start from the field allowed them to jump out to a 16-10 lead early, but Northern Colorado countered back, largely behind the play of veteran guard Jaron Rillie.
He ended the night with 24 points on 75 percent shooting, adding six assists and four rebounds in a fantastic performance. For as good as Montana shot the ball from the field, the Bears were able to match them.
Rillie led a personal 8-0 run for UNC near the midway point of the first half that gave Northern Colorado a 24-18 lead. The teams had split the lead evenly at five minutes each through the first 10 minutes of the game.
After an early Griz lead, Northern Colorado strung together runs of six and eight points to regain the edge.
"We knew they would make some runs," DeCuire said. "When we played them at their place, we had a larger lead before they made their run. We knew there would be fight in that dog. They are a good team, they are an explosive offense."
Montana retook the lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half, and didn't relinquish it the rest of the way. They usded a 7-0 run to take back the momentum, and closed the half on a 25-13 run.
Malik Moore hit a pair of first half threes and ended the night with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The junior's play was critical for Montana as he hit timely shots all night long in his best performance of the week in Boise.
Montana's unprecedented hot streak to end the half – nine straight made field goals - allowed them to take a 48-39 lead into the locker rooms at halftime. They pushed the lead to as many as 14 points in the opening four minutes of the second half before Northern Colorado started to climb back into the game.
Johnson kept Montana ahead with his play on the offensive end, but the Bears were responding with points in bunches on the other end of the floor. They cut the lead down to one possession with five minutes to play at 71-69.
On Montana's next possession, Joe Pridgen was fouled going to the rim. He made the first free throw, but missed the second. Austin Patterson tracked down the rebound to give Montana another possession.
Tuesday night belonged to Patterson offensively as he scored a game-high 20 points. On Wednesday, he attempted just a single shot. His impact was felt in a massive way as the offensive rebound was one of a team-high six boards for the guard on the night.
Pridgen put it to great use, soaring through the sky for a slam that put Montana back up ahead by five. He ended the night with 17 points and five rebounds.
"The teams that we had that made it (to the NCAA Tournament), we had some tough guys. We had talent, we had skill, but we had some guys that were tough. Physically, mentally tough, and not afraid to fail," DeCuire said. "We were short of that the last few years coming out of COVID. It was hard to evaluate guys, and along came Joe Pridgen to set the tone for us and make us the toughest team in the conference."
The final dagger came, fittingly, from Johnson. He stepped back into a three-pointer with two minutes left to give Montana an 80-73 lead. The Grizzlies made their free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win and punch their ticket to March Madness.
It caps off a 25-9 year season for Montana. The Grizzlies tested themselves in the non-conference schedule, playing one of the 10 hardest schedules in the NCAA through the first week of league play, and it paid dividends down the stretch.
They battled adversity off the court as a collective unit, and faced injuries on the court as well. But when February and March rolled around, Montana was ready. They ended the season winning 14 of 15 games with the only loss coming on the road in overtime to a team that was perfect in 2025 on its home floor.
"The most important thing for us was to get healthy, and when we got healthy I was going to start defining roles. It's hard when you have to define roles in December or January," DeCuire said. "We were in the second half of conference and we were finally figuring out who we are as a team. It led to to that streak."
Montana won its 51st Big Sky Tournament game on Wednesday night, the most in conference history. They extended their own record by claiming a 12th Big Sky Tournament title, and did it for the third time under DeCuire, which matches Wayne Tinkle's program record.
The Grizzlies scored 90 points for the fifth time this season, one off the program record set by the 1990-91 team. They shot over 50 percent for the 21st time in 34 games, which is a program record and the most in the NCAA this season.
The run that has dated back to the middle of January will continue next week as the Grizzlies return to the NCAA Tournament seeking the first win for the Big Sky Conference since the 2006 Grizzlies upset Nevada.
"Now we can bask in it. I'll enjoy it now. We don't know who we play, so there's not a lot of film for me to watch. I'm going to enjoy my family," DeCuire said. "It's hard for my wife and daughter to travel because my daughter dances competitively so she can only miss so many times. I figured with the luck of the draw and with permission I can pull her out of dance next week to get her to the tournament. I'm going to go to my room, call my family, and then enjoy the family that I've got in town."
The two teams rolled into the championship game with blowout semifinal victories, setting the ultimate stage inside Idaho Central Arena. Two of the three best shooting teams in the country put on one of the best offensive displays possible to a national stage on ESPN 2.
In the end, Montana (25-9) soared past Northern Colorado (25-9) 91-83 for a Big Sky record extending 12th tournament title and the first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2019. It's the third Big Sky Tournament Championship for head coach Travis DeCuire, and the first for Montana since 2019.
"They all feel great," DeCuire said. "Every championship has its own storyline. I love every player I've ever coached, I'll never say I loved any one individual any more than the other because they all were special in my heart. "
The 2025 Big Sky Champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/y9uPCuToje
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) March 13, 2025
This year's team reaches the Big Dance by way of shooting 65.2 percent from the field over the course of 40 minutes and putting up 91 points in a conference championship game. It's the best shooting percentage for Montana against a D-1 opponent since 2011.
Montana opened the game with six straight made field goals, ended the first half with nine straight makes, and carried that into the second half for a grand total of 14 straight shots that found the bottom of the net.
From the time the clock read 9:31 in the first half to the 16:22 minute mark of the second half, Montana was perfect from the floor. They didn't miss a shot for over 13 minutes of game time, which equated to well over a half an hour of real time for those in attendance in Boise or watching at home.
The Grizzlies missed consecutive shots just four times throughout the entire 40 minutes, dominating on the offensive end on their way to a title.
Brandon Whitney brought home the Tournament MVP honors behind an 18 points performance on Wednesday night. The 5th year guard returned to Montana after falling short in this game one year prior, and saw his decision pay off all season long.
The decorated veteran of the Grizzly program, starting his Big Sky record 150th career game, made seven of his nine shots from the floor. He connected on two three pointers in the first two minutes of the game to set the tone early.
"Where college basketball is right now, Brandon Whitney five years in one program to hang in there, he could have gone a lot of different directions for a lot of reasons, as much money is being tossed out there," DeCuire said. "He hung in there with us for five years, committed to winning, wanted to get to the NCAA Tournament. His role was decreased in terms of scoring, he knew he had weapons around him, he assumed the role as a silent leader and it makes it extra special that he gets his MVP in the tournament."
Whitney led Montana over the three games, averaging 16.3 points per game on 72.0 percent shooting. He made 18 of his 25 shot attempts in Boise, including 4-of-6 from three-point range.
The Grizzly veteran claimed MVP honors, but he was joined on the All-Tournament team by Kai Johnson and Money Williams.
Johnson, who missed out on any All-Conference honors this season despite being one of the central figures to Montana's championship year, proved his worth in Boise. The transfer guard, who has battled an injury over the final weeks of the season, put the team on his back in the late stretches of the game.
He finished with a team-high 23 points, shooting 70 percent from the field and perfect from three-point range. He scored eight straight Grizzly points over an eight-minute stretch in the second half, and had 14 of his points in the second half to lead the Grizzlies to victory.
Montana had built a 14-point lead early in the second half before Northern Colorado started to climb back into the game. It was at that point that DeCuire put the ball in Johnson's hands, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"We found some things that we thought we could attack defensively, they played us completely different defensively than they've been playing, and it took us a while to kind of get a flow," DeCuire said. "But I knew in my back pocket that I had Kai Johnson."
After leading by double digits for much of the second half, the Grizzlies saw their lead slip to just a single point inside the four-minute mark after two Northern Colorado free throws made it 74-73.
Johnson drove into the lane, hung in the air, and finished off a three-point play on Montana's next offensive possession. The Grizzlies got a stop on the other end, and put the ball in Johnson's hands yet again inside of three minutes.
The Olympia, Wash. product hesitated, stepped back, and drilled a three-pointer that gave Montana an 80-73 lead with 2:24 left on the clock.
"I thought that we needed to turn him loose a little, but to do that some guys are going to have to assume a lesser role than they've had the last couple weeks," DeCuire said. "I thought that was the safest way for us to bring us home because we knew he would draw fouls and wouldn't settle. That step back three was big time."
𝑲𝑨𝑰 𝑱𝑶𝑯𝑵𝑺𝑶𝑵 𝑯𝑨𝑺 𝑻𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑵 𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹 💥@LetItFlyKai | #GrizHoops | 📺ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/jnzUDkIFJs
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) March 13, 2025
Johnson, who passed the 1,500 point mark for his career on Wednesday, went 7-of-8 from the free throw line, and Montana shot 85.7 percent from the line as a team. It's the best percentage by the team when attempting at least 20 free throws since the first game of Big Sky play back on Jan. 2 in Cheney, Wash.
Northern Colorado were never able to pull back within a possession following Johnson's three.
Williams, Montana's third All-Tournament team member, had a relatively quiet championship game. It's all the more proof of the depth that this team has that he scored just seven points on four shots and earned a place on the All-Tournament team.
He didn't play in the final five minutes, the type of sacrifice a player of his caliber would rarely show on another team. But this year's Grizzly squad has come together, accepted the roles that the coaching staff has given them, and will leave Boise as champions as a result.
"I've had some teams where some guys were really close, and some guys were acquaintances. I truly believe that every guy in this program loves each other, the way they treat each other, the way they sacrifice for one another, the time they spend when you walk around Boise or when we're on the road, you see different guys with different guys," DeCuire said. "Not just with their roommates or their same friends. I knew when I started seeing that in September that we had a chance."
Montana's perfect 6-for-6 start from the field allowed them to jump out to a 16-10 lead early, but Northern Colorado countered back, largely behind the play of veteran guard Jaron Rillie.
He ended the night with 24 points on 75 percent shooting, adding six assists and four rebounds in a fantastic performance. For as good as Montana shot the ball from the field, the Bears were able to match them.
Rillie led a personal 8-0 run for UNC near the midway point of the first half that gave Northern Colorado a 24-18 lead. The teams had split the lead evenly at five minutes each through the first 10 minutes of the game.
After an early Griz lead, Northern Colorado strung together runs of six and eight points to regain the edge.
"We knew they would make some runs," DeCuire said. "When we played them at their place, we had a larger lead before they made their run. We knew there would be fight in that dog. They are a good team, they are an explosive offense."
Montana retook the lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half, and didn't relinquish it the rest of the way. They usded a 7-0 run to take back the momentum, and closed the half on a 25-13 run.
Malik Moore hit a pair of first half threes and ended the night with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The junior's play was critical for Montana as he hit timely shots all night long in his best performance of the week in Boise.
Montana's unprecedented hot streak to end the half – nine straight made field goals - allowed them to take a 48-39 lead into the locker rooms at halftime. They pushed the lead to as many as 14 points in the opening four minutes of the second half before Northern Colorado started to climb back into the game.
Johnson kept Montana ahead with his play on the offensive end, but the Bears were responding with points in bunches on the other end of the floor. They cut the lead down to one possession with five minutes to play at 71-69.
On Montana's next possession, Joe Pridgen was fouled going to the rim. He made the first free throw, but missed the second. Austin Patterson tracked down the rebound to give Montana another possession.
Tuesday night belonged to Patterson offensively as he scored a game-high 20 points. On Wednesday, he attempted just a single shot. His impact was felt in a massive way as the offensive rebound was one of a team-high six boards for the guard on the night.
Pridgen put it to great use, soaring through the sky for a slam that put Montana back up ahead by five. He ended the night with 17 points and five rebounds.
"The teams that we had that made it (to the NCAA Tournament), we had some tough guys. We had talent, we had skill, but we had some guys that were tough. Physically, mentally tough, and not afraid to fail," DeCuire said. "We were short of that the last few years coming out of COVID. It was hard to evaluate guys, and along came Joe Pridgen to set the tone for us and make us the toughest team in the conference."
JOE JAMS™️ COMING TO SCREENS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ✈️ https://t.co/B7cZ8Ub5ax pic.twitter.com/WHRONHVKEk
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) March 13, 2025
The final dagger came, fittingly, from Johnson. He stepped back into a three-pointer with two minutes left to give Montana an 80-73 lead. The Grizzlies made their free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win and punch their ticket to March Madness.
It caps off a 25-9 year season for Montana. The Grizzlies tested themselves in the non-conference schedule, playing one of the 10 hardest schedules in the NCAA through the first week of league play, and it paid dividends down the stretch.
They battled adversity off the court as a collective unit, and faced injuries on the court as well. But when February and March rolled around, Montana was ready. They ended the season winning 14 of 15 games with the only loss coming on the road in overtime to a team that was perfect in 2025 on its home floor.
"The most important thing for us was to get healthy, and when we got healthy I was going to start defining roles. It's hard when you have to define roles in December or January," DeCuire said. "We were in the second half of conference and we were finally figuring out who we are as a team. It led to to that streak."
Montana won its 51st Big Sky Tournament game on Wednesday night, the most in conference history. They extended their own record by claiming a 12th Big Sky Tournament title, and did it for the third time under DeCuire, which matches Wayne Tinkle's program record.
The Grizzlies scored 90 points for the fifth time this season, one off the program record set by the 1990-91 team. They shot over 50 percent for the 21st time in 34 games, which is a program record and the most in the NCAA this season.
The run that has dated back to the middle of January will continue next week as the Grizzlies return to the NCAA Tournament seeking the first win for the Big Sky Conference since the 2006 Grizzlies upset Nevada.
"Now we can bask in it. I'll enjoy it now. We don't know who we play, so there's not a lot of film for me to watch. I'm going to enjoy my family," DeCuire said. "It's hard for my wife and daughter to travel because my daughter dances competitively so she can only miss so many times. I figured with the luck of the draw and with permission I can pull her out of dance next week to get her to the tournament. I'm going to go to my room, call my family, and then enjoy the family that I've got in town."
Team Stats
Mont
UNC
FG%
.652
.588
3FG%
.636
.429
FT%
.857
.850
RB
22
19
TO
10
8
STL
4
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
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