Griz aim for 100th home win over Cats

Saturday, February 14

Missoula, Mont.

7:00 PM

Montana

Montana State

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Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana

2/12/2026 2:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

By: Montana Sports Information

MONTANA (14-11, 8-4 BIG SKY) vs. MONTANA STATE (14-11, 8-4 BIG SKY)
Saturday, Feb. 14 / 7:00 PM / Watch / Listen / Live Stats / Tickets

MAROON OUT
The game will be a "Maroon Out" with fans asked to wear the color to match with the team on the floor.

WINTER PEP RALLY
In between the women's game (2 PM start time) and the men's game, fans are invited to a free Winter Pep Raly on the River Bowl Field outside of Dahlberg Arena. The event will feature a giant bonfire, fireworks, a rail jam ski/snowboard competition, music, beer garden, and more.

STUDENT GIVEWAWAYS
The first 250 students in attendance will receive free pizza and a Griz Basketball headband.

PREVIEW
The 312^th all-time meeting between the Montana Grizzlies and the Montana State Bobcats on the hardwood will have plenty on the line as the two sides face off this Saturday in Dahlberg Arena.

The two teams enter with identical records, both overall and in league play, and sit tied for second in the league standings with just six games remaining on the schedule. The Montana schools currently sit in a tier of their own, two games clear of 4^th place and 2.5 games out of first.

The top two seeds at the Big Sky Tournament in Boise get an extra days rest, if they are able to win their first round game. The situation helped Montana, as the No. 2 seed last season, win Starch Madness and reach the NCAA Tournament.

If the Grizzlies win, they move into second place on their own having split the season series with the Cats. Montana, as things currently stand, would own the tiebreaker by way of their win over Portland State.

If the Bobcats win, they will own the tiebreaker and Montana would need to overtake MSU in the league standings with just five games left in the season. In other words, Saturday's game could have a massive impact on the final seeding in Boise.

There are not only playoff implications, but historical ones as well. Montana leads the all-time series 158-153 and the Grizzlies are searching for win number 100 at home over the Bobcats.

Montana State claimed the first meeting 76-67 in Bozeman on Jan. 17. The two teams have changed significantly since that date, while keeping pace at the top of the conference standings.

Davian Brown scored 24 points to lead both teams in Bozeman, but is out for the season with an injury. Montana has gone 5-2 since the rivalry game after inserting Grant Kepley into the starting lineup. He had appeared in in just 11 out of 17 games entering the first edition of the Brawl.

The Grizzlies are hoping that a long run of success at home in the series will continue into 2026. Coach DeCuire is 9-1 against the Bobcats inside Dahlberg Arena, including wins in the last two.

The game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. and will be televised locally on Scripps Sports and streamed on ESPN+. Ben Creighton and Jeff Riggs will be on the call with Kyle Hansen providing sideline reporting.

HOME DOMINANCE IN THE RIVALRY
Montana has been dominant in the Brawl of the Wild series at home under DeCuire and extending even further back. The Grizzlies have a .664 overall home winning record, but it has been much higher in the last 50 years.

Under DeCuire, Montana is 9-1 (.900) at home against the Cats. In the last 20 meetings in Missoula, the Griz are 17-3 (.850). In the last 30, Montana is 24-6 (.800). They are 32-8 (.800) in the previous 40, and 41-9 (.820) in the last 50 meetings in Missoula.

STATE OF THE BIG SKY
Portland State has separated atop the Big Sky Conference standings at 10-1 with seven games remaining on the schedule. The Vikings' only loss was to Montana in Portland on Jan. 29.

They have a 2.5 game lead on the two Montana schools. The Griz and Cats are tied at 8-4 in the league standings after both splitting the home set last weekend to Eastern Washington and Idaho.

Weber State is currently in sole possession of fourth place at 6-6 with four teams all currently sitting at five wins in a very tight league. There will be four games played on Thursday night.

DeCUIRE CLOSES IN ON DURHAM
Head coach Travis DeCuire's 240 career wins are the 3^rd most by a head coach in Big Sky Conference history. He is closing in on Montana State's Mick Durham for 2^nd place. Durham won 246 games across 16 seasons in Bozeman in the 90s and early 2000s.

REGULAR SEASON RIVALRY SWEEPS
Head coach Travis DeCuire has swept the regular season series over Montana State seven times in his first 11 seasons at Montana, including each of the previous two seasons. The rivalry series has been split only once in those 11 years.

In the rivalry, the winner of the first game has gone on to sweep the season series 14 of the previous 16 times. Since the 2008-09 season, the Griz and Cats have split the regular season series just twice, most recently in 2021-22.

Montana is responsible for 12 of the season sweeps in that time. Montana State has swept just twice.

THE .500 SEASON STREAK
Montana has been .500 or better every single season since 2007-08. They are one of 14 schools nationally with 17 straight seasons at .500 or better, joining Arizona, Baylor, Belmont, Cincinnati, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan State, Montana, Saint Mary's, San Diego State, Vermont, VCU.

Head coach Travis DeCuire has never had a losing season at Montana. The Grizzlies need two more wins to guarantee a .500 or better record this season. Baylor (13-11), Cincinnati (13-12), and Memphis (12-11) are all hovering near the .500 mark.

GRIZ NOTES

The Grizzlies scored 19 straight points in the win over Idaho, fueling a big second half comeback. It's the longest scoring run for the Grizzlies since scoring 23 straight against Northwest Indian in the first game of the 2023-24 season.
Montana is now 10-1 this season when going on a scoring run of at least 10 points.
Montana is 2-8 when allowing 80+ points.
The Grizzlies have been outshot six times this season and are 0-6 in those games. They are 14-5 when shooting a better field goal percentage than their opponent.
Against Idaho, the Grizzlies made 11 threes. They are now 5-1 when making 11+ 3-pointers in a game.
The Griz are 6-0 when committing the same or fewer turnovers than their opponent. They have more turnovers in 19 of 25 games this season.
In the first half against Idaho, Montana scored a season-low 19 points. They followed it with 54 points, their 2^nd highest scoring half of the season.
Allowed 80+ points in a Big Sky game for the first time this season at Sacramento State. The Hornets shot season-best number for a Griz opponent from the field (.492) and from three-point range (.458).
All 11 of Montana's losses have come when the Grizzlies commit more turnovers than their opponent. They are 6-0 when committing the same or fewer turnovers, but just 8-11 when committing more.
When playing on Saturday, Montana is 4-5.
Shooting 53.2 percent in wins and just 45.6 percent in losses.
Montana is 8-4 or better for the 8th time in 12 years under DeCuire. They have been 9-4 or better through 13 games seven times.
Lucky #13? Montana is 10-1 in the 13^th game of the Big Sky schedule under DeCuire. The only loss came in 2021. It's the best record for a single game number for DeCuire.
In the last two Big Sky Conference seasons, Montana has shot better than 62 percent five times. They had done so just five times total from 2003-2024.
The Grizzlies have outshot their opponent from the field in 19 of 25 games this season. They are 14-5 with a better field goal percentage, and 0-6 when they are outshot.
Montana won while scoring fewer than 70 points for the second straight game at Portland State on Jan. 29. The Grizzlies were 0-5 previously. They are now 2-5 this season when held under 70 points.
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. The Grizzlies then matched it by holding PSU to 60 points on 38.3 percent shooting.
They have held opponents under 40 percent from the field nine times this year and are 8-1 in those games.
UM has scored 90+ five times this season and has won all five games.
They have shot better than 50 percent in 11 games this year, going 8-3 when doing so.
The halftime leader is 18-5 this season in Montana's games. Last weekend, the halftime leader lost both games in Missoula. The Grizzlies blew a halftime lead for just the second time this year in the EWU loss, but overcame a halftime deficit for the third time in the Idaho win.
UM is 10-3 when shooting a better percentage from 3-point range and 9-3 when making more threes than their opponent.
They have scored 50 points or more in a half nine times this season. They have done it six 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 13-point deficit to defeat Idaho last weekend, 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 148-65 (.694) 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 8th best shooting percentage in the NCAA this year.
Montana is 0-1 in one-possession games and 4-3 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 17 total games decided by single digits.
Money Williams has led Montana in points, rebounds, and assists in the same game five times this season.
When Tyler Thompson scores 10+ points, the Grizzlies are 9-2.

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE (14-11, 8-4 BIG SKY)

The Bobcats are coming off a close loss to Eastern Washington in Bozeman last Saturday. The Eagles came from behind for a 72-71 win, which was the third loss of the last four game for MSU.
Head coach Matt Logie is 46-47 overall and 26-22 in Big Sky play at Montana State. He is in his 3^rd season with the Cats and 15^th overall as a head coach with a career record of 322-105 (.754).
Montana State is averaging 76.25 points per game in league play, tied for 6^th in the conference. They are holding opponents to 72.33 points per game, the 3^rd best mark in the Big Sky.
The Bobcats have made more 3-pointers (112) in league play than any other team and shoot the 2^nd best percentage in the conference (.385). Over 36 percent of their field goals are from beyond the arc in conference play.
MSU is just 4-9 on the road this season and has lost its last two away from Worthington Arena. The Bobcats are 2-3 in road games in league play.
They turn the ball over just over 10 times per game, the best mark in the Big Sky and just outside of the top 50 in the league. They also have the best turnover margin in the league at 1.4.
Jed Miller leads Montana State in nearly every major statistical category. He plays nearly 34 minutes per game and averages 14.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, all team highs.
Miller has made 70 3-pointers this season, the 2^nd most in the league and a top 50 mark in the country. He his shooting 41.7 percent from the arc.
The guard also has 43 steals this year, which ranks 2^nd in the league.
The Bobcats have four players averaging over 12.0 points per game, although Davian Brown (12.7 PPG) is out for the season with an injury. Patrick McMahon is 2^nd on the team with 13.5 points per game and Christian King is 3^rd with 12.2 points.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BOBCATS
This is the 312^th all-time meeting between Montana and Montana State, which is tied for the 3^rd most played rivalry in NCAA Basketball history as of Saturday. The Grizzlies lead the all-time series 158-153. In Missoula, Montana is 99-50 against Montana State.

The Grizzlies have won 4 of the last 6 meetings and 11 of the last 16 against the Bobcats. Coach DeCuire is 16-6 against his rival, including a 9-1 mark at home. It's tied for the 4^th most wins against an opponent for DeCuire, trailing only Idaho State, Northern Arizona, and Idaho.

Oregon and Oregon State have met 365 times, Oregon and Washington 317. Griz-Cat is tied with North Dakota and North Dakota State for 3^rd. The Fighting Hawks and Bison also play each other on Saturday, and then close the regular season vs. each other.