Montana Grizzles
Big Sky (26-7, 16-2)
Montana can be a very difficult team to play. They force plenty of turnovers and just about everybody on the team is extremely tough on the glass. The Grizzlies beat Pitt and nearly knocked off Washington early in the season and then they cruised through the Big Sky and won the regular season title.
Big Wins: 12/19 UC Irvine (86-68), 1/13 at Portland State (92-89), 2/1 at Northern Colorado (88-79)
Bad Losses: 11/21 vs UCSB (73-80), 12/9 at Georgia State (68-71), 2/15 at Eastern Washington (65-74)
Coach: Travis DeCuire
Why They Can Surprise:
This team is all about generating turnovers and everybody in the regular rotation will pick up an occasional steal. That often leads to easy buckets the other way. Ahmaad Rorie and Michael Oguine are often at the end of those buckets. Rorie averages 17.2 points per game, while Oguine adds 15.8. The junior guard duo is also the team’s main ball handlers and deserves much of the credit for the Grizzlies impressive turnover margin. With Bobby Moorehead, Sayeed Pridgett and Timmy Falls, Montana has plenty of weapons on the perimeter.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The frontcourt is much bigger this year and Jamar Akoh has turned into the team’s best big man, averaging 13.1 points and 6.7 rebounds. Fabijan Krslovic has had a solid senior season as well and Montana at least has a couple big guys they can throw into the mix. However, depth after Akoh and Krslovic is a major issue. Shooting the basketball has not gone particularly well either. Rorie, Oguine and Moorehead are capable of making three-pointers, but none of them have been very consistent. To their credit, the Grizzlies will not force up too many three-pointers. But if they are not getting easy buckets from turnovers, Montana will need to hit some long balls in order to keep the offense going.
Probable Starters:
Ahmaad Rorie, Junior, Guard, 17.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.7 apg
Michael Oguine, Junior, Guard, 15.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.9 apg
Bobby Moorehead, Junior, Guard, 7.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.2 apg
Jamar Akoh, Junior, Forward, 13.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.2 apg
Fabijan Krslovic, Senior, Forward, 7.5 ppg, 5.a rpg, 1.4 apg
Key Role Players:
Sayeed Pridgett, Sophomore, Guard, 8.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.3 apg
Timmy Falls, Freshman, Guard, 4.5 ppg1.5 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.4 (82nd in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.9 (63, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.7 (79, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.3 (76, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.5 (330, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.1 (272, 11)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.7 (201, 6)
Rebound Margin: 4.7 (47, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.0 (225, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (154, 8)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 CBI First Round loss to Nevada
2015 NIT First Round loss to Texas A&M
2013 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Syracuse
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Wisconsin
2011 CBI First Round loss to Duquesne
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to New Mexico
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Nevada
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Boston College
2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Washington
2002 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Oregon
*all team stats through 3/4
