Griz face league leaders on Thursday

Thursday, January 29

Portland, Ore.

8:00 PM (MT)

Montana

Portland State

Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana

1/27/2026 4:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

By: Montana Sports Information

MONTANA (12-9, 6-2 BIG SKY) at PORTLAND STATE (13-5, 7-0 BIG SKY)
Thursday, Jan. 29 / 8:00 p.m. (MT) / Watch / Live Stats

MONTANA at SACRAMENTO STATE (6-13, 2-5 BIG SKY)
Saturday, Jan. 31 / 8:00 p.m. (MT) / Watch / Live Stats

Montana will play its biggest game of the season this Thursday when it heads to Portland to face off against the undefeated, league leading Vikings of Portland State. The Griz will try to do what no Big Sky school has done in the last two years; beat Portland State in Viking Pavilion.

The Vikings are on a 15-game conference winning streak inside their home gym dating back to 2024. But it has been their performances on the road this year that have them on top of the league standings.

Portland State is 4-0 on the road and returns home for just its fourth home game of the conference season as teams begin to hit the midway point of Big Sky play. The Grizzlies' 10-game winning streak last season came to an end in overtime on the Park Blocks.

Now, the Grizzlies will look to end the Vikings streak and exact a bit of revenge. It's a big game in the race for a Big Sky Championship, and a big weekend overall for Portland State. The Vikings host 3^rd place Montana and 2^nd place Montana State.

Since the league went back to 10 teams in the 2022-23 season, the regular season champion has never had more than three losses. The Vikings have a chance to hand one of their closest competitors loss number three on Thursday.

The Grizzlies also enter the game on a hot streak having won three straight contests since making a change to the starting lineup at Northern Arizona. They won on the road and followed that up with home wins over Weber State and Idaho State to improve to 6-2.

This is the 8^th time in 12 seasons under Coach DeCuire that Montana has started 6-2 or better through the first eight games in league play. They were 6-2 last year, and as part of the 10-game winning streak built the record all the way up to 14-2 before the loss in Portland.

It's a matchup between the preseason No. 1 team (Montana) and No. 2 team (Portland State) in both the coaches and the media poll. The matchup will also feature the Preseason MVP (Money Williams) and three of the other five players on the Preseason All-Conference team (PSU's Jaylin Henderson, Terri Miller Jr., and Tre-Vaughn Minott).

It's a matchup well worth the wait as the Grizzlies and Vikings meet for the first time this season in the 9^th game of the conference slate. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Matt Richert on play-by-play and Devon Pouncey providing analysis.

The Grizzlies will then head south to face off against Sacramento State. It will be the final Big Sky game in Sacramento for Montana as the Hornets are moving to the Big West next season. It will also be Montana's first game in the new Hornet Pavilion.

Sacramento State made splashes in the offseason with the hiring of new head coach Mike Bibby and GM Shaquille O'Neal. They also signed Mikey Williams along with several other headline transfers. The Hornets are currently 6-13 overall and 2-5 in Big Sky play.

The Griz and Hornets tip off at 8:00 p.m. (MT) on Saturday night.

BALANCED WEEK
In Montana's 2-0 week at home against Weber State and Idaho State, the Grizzlies were incredibly balanced. The top six scorers all averaged between 9.0-12.0 points over the two contests and all six of them also averaged between 2.5 and 4.5 rebounds.

The Grizzly rotation was shorter than other games this year with eight players averaging 15 minutes per game or more. There were only seven total minutes played by numbers 9-11 in the rotation.

THOMPSON TORCHES THE WILDCATS
Redshirt-freshman Tyler Thompson put on one of the best shooting displays in program history in Montana's win over Weber State. The sharpshooter made seven straight 3-pointers to turn the tides of the game and deliver a Grizzly win.

Montana trailed by 8 points when Thompson made his first three. In just 10 minutes of game time from late in the first half to early second half, Thompson connected on 7 shots from the arc that turned that deficit into an 8-point Grizzly lead.

He's just the fourth Grizzly in the last decade to make 7-or-more threes in a game, joining Aanen Moody, Michael Oguine, and Bobby Moorehead.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR PUSH?
Tyler Thompson is making his case as the top freshman in the Big Sky Conference. The redshirt-freshman is averaging 9.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He's shooting 43.2 percent from three-point range and has 28 assists, 13 steals, and 11 blocks.

He's the 35^th Grizzly freshman since 2000 to score 20+ in a game, scoring a season-high 21 in a win over Weber State. He's just the 2^nd Grizzly freshman to ever make 7 threes in a game, joining Bobby Moorehead (8, at Idaho State – 2/25/16).

BEST BIG SKY STARTS
Montana is 6-2 through the first eight games and have guaranteed a winning record through 10 games for the 10^th time under Coach DeCuire. The 6-2 record is tied for the 5^th best start to league play under DeCuire.

Montana has started 7-2 or better in conference play seven times under DeCuire. They will look to make it eight on Thursday night.

ELITE SHOOTING
Montana has been one of the best shooting teams in the country this season, ranking 21st in field goal percentage (.501), 14th in free throw percentage (.780), and 67th in three-point percentage (.362). The Grizzlies are one of just 13 programs nationally to rank in the top 70 in all three major shooting categories.

Over the last three seasons, Montana is shooting .494 from the floor. It's tied for the 3rd best mark in the NCAA and tied with Northern Colorado for the best in the Big Sky. Since DeCuire took over in 2014, Montana is shooting .472 from the field as a team, the 8th best percentage in the country and the best in the Big Sky.

GRIZ NOTES

Montana won while scoring fewer than 70 points for the first time all season against Idaho State on Jan. 24. The Grizzlies were 0-5 previously.
The Grizzlies are now 12-5 when shooting a better field goal percentage. They have been outshot just four times this year, all losses.
The Griz held Idaho State to 60 points, the fewest by a D-1 opponent against Montana this year. The Bengals shot just 36.2 percent, also a season low.
They have held opponents under 40 percent from the field seven times this year and are 6-1 in those games.
The Griz had fewer turnovers than their opponent for just the 3^rd time this season on Saturday against Idaho State. They are 3-0 when doing so, and 5-0 when finishing with the same or fewer turnovers.
They have scored 90+ five times this season and have won all five games.
Montana is 9-1 when going on a 10-point scoring run during the game.
Montana is the only team in the Big Sky to rank inside the top two in both offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency in league play, according to KenPom.com. Montana is the 2nd best offense and 2nd best defense in the league according to the site.
They have shot better than 50 percent in nine games this year, going 7-2 when doing so.
The halftime leader is 16-3 this season in Montana's games. The Grizzlies are 9-1 when going into the locker rooms with the lead.
UM is 9-3 when shooting a better percentage from 3-point range and also 9-3 when making more threes than their opponent.
The Griz are averaging 87.1 points per game in the 12 wins this year. In losses, they average just 70.2 points.
They have scored 50 points or more in a half eight times this season. They have done it five times vs. D-I opponents.
Coach DeCuire picked up his 20th career win over Northern Arizona earlier this season as he improved to 20-5 against the Lumberjacks. They are the 2nd team that he has reached 20 wins against, going 21-2 vs. Idaho State.
Montana blew a 10-point lead at Montana State, the largest that they have given up this season. They overcame an 11-point deficit to defeate Weber State, the largest come from behind win this year.
Tyler Thompson and Kenyon Aguino are the first pair of freshmen to average at least 8.0 points per game in the same season since the trio of Josh Bannan, Robby Beasley, and Brandon Whitney did it in 2020-21.
Coach DeCuire is 146-63 (.698) in Big Sky Conference play.
The Grizzlies have scored 100+ points in three games already this season. It's tied for the most 100-point games in a single season in program history. The Grizzlies also reached the century mark three times in 1965-66 and 1990-91.
Montana shot 70.5 percent from the floor against Salish Kootenai. It's the first time since 1968 that Montana has shot over 70 percent in a game, and the 5th best shooting percentage in the NCAA this year.
Montana is 0-1 in one-possession games and 2-3 in games decided by 6-or-fewer points.
Money Williams has now scored 30+ points in five games this season and seven games in his career. He passed Hall of Famer Larry Krystkowiak for second in program history in both season and career 30-point games. He now trails only former NBA first round draft pick Michael Ray Richardson, who had eight 30-point games as a senior and 11 in his career.
• The Griz improved to 8-2 when playing the team they faced in the Big Sky Championship game the previous year under Coach DeCuire with the win over Northern Colorado (1/3).
Montana led wire-to-wire against Northern Colorado, taking the lead 27 seconds into the game and holding it the rest of the way. It's the only time this year they've done it against a D-I team.
The 26-point win at Northern Arizona (1/19) was the largest this season against a D-I opponent.
The Griz played in seven straight games decided by single digits from Nov. 11 to Dec. 6. They have played in 13 total games decided by single digits.
Money Williams has led Montana in points, rebounds, and assists in the same game five times this season.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE (13-5, 7-0 BIG SKY)

The Vikings are in first place in the Big Sky Conference on the back of an undefeated 7-0 start. They enter the week on a seven-game winning streak, which is the longest for the program in 18 years.
Portland State is 7-1 inside Viking Pavilion this year. They have won 15 straight league games at home dating back to 2024, matching a school record.
Head coach Jase Coburn is in his 5^th season as head coach on the Park Blocks. Coburn has a 75-69 overall record in charge of the Vikings.
Viking players comprised half of the Big Sky's Preseason All-Conference team this year. Jaylin Henderson, Terri Miller Jr., and Tre-Vaughn Minott were all picked to the team. The Vikings were picked 2^nd in the league behind Montana.
PSU has won behind its defense in recent weeks. They haven't scored 70 points in a game since Jan. 15 but are 3-0 in that time with opponents averaging just 59.7 points per game.
Last season, the Vikings were 9-0 at home in league play but just 2-7 on the road. This year, they've kept up the unbeaten record at home while also starting 4-0 on the road.
Terri Miller Jr. leads the Big Sky this season with 19.6 points per game. He's averaging 6.3 rebounds per game and has also dished out 70 assists while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from three-point range.
Jaylin Henderson plays nearly 37 minutes per contest to rank 7^th nationally in minutes. He is 4^th in the Big Sky in scoring at 17.6 points, 2^nd in assists with 6.3, and 2^nd in steals with 1.72 per game.
Tre-Vaughn Minott rounds out the big three for PSU. The center leads the league in rebounding with 8.8 per game and is also 3^rd in blocks with 1.11 per game. Minott averages 11.3 points per game.
Keyon Kensie Jr. joins the top three scorers in double figures at 11.2 points per game. Kensie also ranks 3^rd in the Big Sky with 7.6 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE VIKINGS
Montana leads the all-time series 46-29 over Portland State but have struggled in the Rose City in recent years. The Grizzlies are 17-21 overall in Portland and have lost five of the last seven road games in the series.

Last year, Money Williams scored 36 points to almost single-handedly lead Montana to a regular season title-clinching win. The Vikings won in overtime 79-76. DeCuire is 14-6 vs. the Vikings, but just 6-5 in Portland.

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE (6-13, 2-5 BIG SKY)

The Hornets are on a two-game losing streak entering the week, but have been much better at home, going 6-1 in the new Hornet Pavilion. They are 0-12 on the road this season.
Sacramento State is 6-13 overall. They average 77.5 points per game and allow 82.2 points per game, the worst defense in the Big Sky and a bottom 30 defense in the NCAA.
Head coach Mike Bibby is in his 1^st season at Sacramento State. The former NBA All-Star is 6-13 with the Hornets and has added former Sacramento King Brad Miller to his staff as an adviser.
Sacramento State is just 3-13 against D-I opponents in Bibby's first year and they come into this week ranked 284^th in the NCAA Net Rankings.
Mikey Williams leads the Hornets in scoring at 16.8 points per game. He's also the team leader in assists at 4.5 per game, ranking inside the top six in the Big Sky in both categories.
Prophet Johnson averaged 16.3 points per game and is Sacramento State's leading rebounder at 8.2 per game. He ranks 2^nd in the Big Sky in rebounding and leads the league in steals (2.56 per game).
Johnson was named the Big Sky Player of the Week on Jan. 20. He averaged 29.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 4.5 steals per game in a home sweep of Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado.
Shaqir O'Neal has started all 19 games this year for the Hornets. He averages 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HORNETS
Montana leads the all-time series 52-12 over Sacramento State and are currently on a five-game winning streak in the series. The Grizzlies are 22-9 in Sacramento all-time and have won two straight.

Coach DeCuire is 16-7 against Sacramento State and 7-5 on the road. The Grizzlies have won 14 of the last 17 against the Hornets.