SEASON RECAP: Montana returns to NCAA Tournament in record setting season

It seemed like an impossibility at the start of the season that the Montana men's basketball team, which added nine newcomers while returning less that 22 percent of its starts, would reach the NCAA Tournament.

And yet it also seemed like an inevitability. It's a testament to the program that head coach Travis DeCuire has built in his 11 seasons at Montana. The Grizzlies were the preseason favorites in the Big Sky Conference, and they made good on that prediction by winning the regular season for the 13^th time in program history and Big Sky Tournament for the 12^th time.

Along the way, Montana broke records and brought crowds to their feet with an exciting style of basketball. The final weeks of the season read like something straight out of a storybook with DeCuire breaking Montana's all-time wins record, Brandon Whitney passing his own head coach for the career assists record, and the Grizzlies going 3-0 on ESPN 2 in the final 10 days of the season.

They had one of the most efficient offenses in the country, shooting nearly 50 percent on the season to rank 4^th in the NCAA. Montana went on one of the best runs of play in recent years, going 14-1 over the final months of the regular season and the Big Sky Tournament.

Montana finished the year 25-10 overall, reaching the 25-win mark for the 8^th time in program history and first time since 2019. The .833 winning percentage is the 7^th best in program history.

DeCuire has been at least .500 in all 11 of his seasons, and Montana is one of 14 schools in the country with at least 17 straight seasons at .500 or better.

They won 10 straight games from Jan. 20 through Feb. 27, the longest winning streak for the program since 2019. There were memorable victories along the way, including a sweep of Montana State and a road victory over then first-place Northern Colorado.

Montana lost in regulation just three times during 2025, and the only thing denying them of a 15-game winning streak heading into the NCAA Tournament was a 3-point overtime loss at Portland State in a gym where the Vikings finished undefeated in Big Sky play.

DeCuire and his team celebrated a record-tying 221^st career win at Montana State on Feb. 22, and he officially passed George "Jiggs" Dahlberg on Feb. 27 at Sacramento State.

The Grizzlies tested themselves in the non-conference, traveling for six road games against a group of teams that combined to go 87-12 (.879) at home in 2024-25. It prepared them for Big Sky play where they swept multiple road trips for the first time since 2019 and finished 7-2 on the road.

Inside Dahlberg Arena, Montana was nearly perfect, winning 14 of 15 home contests. They were 7-0 in the non-conference, and 8-1 in Big Sky play. DeCuire improved to 130-31 overall at home, the 43^rd best winning percentage in the NCAA in the last 11 years.

Brandon Whitney made plenty of history for himself in his fifth year at Montana. He became the program's all-time leader in assists on March 3 at home against Eastern Washington, setting Malik Moore up for a three-pointer late in the game that broke a 70-70 tie and put Montana ahead for good.

Whitney also became the Big Sky Conference's all-time leader in minutes played (4,751) and games started (151) during the year while becoming Montana's leader in appearances at 157. He closed his career with 1,620 points, the 9^th most in program history.

Money Williams and Te'Jon Sawyer both returned from the 2023-24 team that won 24 games. Along with Whitney, the trio blended well with the newcomers to create a solid seven-man rotation down the stretch of the year.

Four different Grizzlies averaged between 11.2 and 13.2 points per game, led by Williams. Moore, Joe Pridgen, and Kai Johnson all averaged double figures in the balanced Grizzly offense.

The Grizzlies scored at least 80 points 17 times this season, a new program record, and shot at least 50 percent in 21 games, also a program record. They were 2^nd in the NCAA this year in games above 50 percent shooting behind only Northern Colorado.

Montana also shot over 60 percent in four different games this year, another program record. That includes the Big Sky Championship game against Northern Colorado where Montana shot 65.2 percent from the floor.

It was the best single game shooting percentage for Montana since 2011, and just the fifth time this century they shot over 65 percent from the floor against a D-1 opponent.

The Big Sky Postseason awards also showed the balance of the Grizzlies. Despite sharing the regular season conference title, Montana had just one player earn First Team All-Big Sky honors.

Joe Pridgen provided the beat the Montana played to all season, averaging 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He was highly efficient from the floor, shooting 63.3 percent from the field to rank 9^th in the NCAA. Pridgen provided highlight after highlight with 39 total dunks on the year and represented Montana as a First Team All-Big Sky selection.

The Grizzlies placed three on the Second Team. Malik Moore was second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game and led the team with 61 made threes on 40.9 percent shooting from the arc. Money Williams was a Second Team selection and the league's Top Reserve, coming off the bench for the final 15 games of the year.

Whitney was a Second Team selection and a member of the league's All-Defensive team.

Coach DeCuire did bring home the Coach of the Year Award in the Big Sky Conference for the second time in his career. He has won four regular season championships in 11 years at the helm.

At Starch Madness in Boise, Montana rolled to three wins in four days to cut down the nets inside Idaho Central Arena. The Grizzlies led by at least 14 in all three wins, and once again showed their balance with a different player stepping up for a big performance in each game.

Whitney scored a season-high 24 points in the quarterfinal win over Northern Arizona.

Austin Patterson was the story of the semifinal. Patterson came to Montana after two years at Sacramento State, and took a lesser role to be a part of a championship team. He had his moment to shine in the win over Idaho, scoring a season-high 20 points on five made threes.

In the championship, Kai Johnson took over to lead Montana past Northern Colorado and into the NCAA Tournament. Johnson, who was snubbed of any regular season accolades, had 23 points in the title game.

Johnson, Whitney, and Williams were All-Tournament selections with Whitney claiming the Tournament MVP honors.

Montana claimed its 12^th Big Sky Tournament crown, which is 2^nd most in league history behind only Weber State. The Grizzlies did pull ahead of Weber State for championships this century with their 9^th since 2000.

It all led to the NCAA Tournament and a matchup with 3-seed and 13^th ranked Wisconsin. The Grizzlies hung with the Badgers into the second half, but a late run allowed the favorites to pull away and ended Montana's season in the First Round of the Big Dance.

Montana has 49 wins over the previous two seasons, tied with notable programs BYU, Oregon, and their First Round opponent Wisconsin for the 36^th most in the country. The 2024-25 version of the Grizzlies came together when it mattered most and delivered a run for the ages to establish Montana as the top team in the league once again.

The history books will remember the 2024-25 Montana Grizzlies as the team that ended the longest championship drought in over 30 years. It will also remember a group of student-athletes that came together, played an exciting brand of basketball, and celebrated records and trophies together as a result.

University of Montana Athletics

SEASON RECAP: Montana returns to NCAA Tournament in record setting season

Players Mentioned

Kai Johnson

Malik Moore

Austin Patterson

Joe Pridgen

Te'Jon Sawyer

Brandon Whitney

Money Williams

Related Videos