Montana Grizzlies
Big Sky (26-8, 16-4)
For the second straight season Montana has won the Big Sky regular season title and the conference tournament title. Last season the Grizzlies fell to Michigan by a score of 61-47 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Coach Travis DeCuire has much of that team returning and this is an experienced group that will be ready to give another top team their best shot.
Big Wins: 11/9 Georgia State (81-74), 12/22 at South Dakota State (85-74), 1/12 at Northern Colorado (88-64)
Bad Losses: 1/5 Portland State (74-77), 1/10 at Eastern Washington (71-78), 3/7 at Portland State (69-81)
Coach: Travis DeCuire
Why They Can Surprise:
Injuries have been a problem for the Grizzlies, most notably big man Jamar Akoh who was leading the team in points and rebounds per game, but has suited up just 15 times. Akoh was part of the reason Montana ranks eighth in the nation in field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive 49.6 percent from the floor, but the rest of the team has certainly picked up the slack. Ahmaad Rorie, Sayeed Pridgett and Michael Oguine are three dynamic and dangerous scorers. Rorie is the most prolific shooter of the bunch and also dishes out 4.0 assists per game. Pridgett is a big 6-5 guard who shoots 61.0 percent from the floor and averages 15.1 points per game. Oguine is a tough rebounder for a 6-2 guard and that has proven to be very important after Akoh went down with the injury.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Even with Rorie and Pridgett providing some help on the glass, Montana really misses Akoh on the glass and on the defensive side of the floor. Technically there is just one forward in the regular rotation and Mack Anderson is barely in the regular rotation averaging under ten minutes per game. Bobby Moorehead and Donaven Dorsey are big 6-7 guards so it is not quite as bad as it sounds, but it is still a concern. Against a team that has a couple decent interior scoring threats, Montana will give up quite a few easy points and be forced to hope that their talented backcourt can keep up with scoring of their own.
Probable Starters:
Michael Oguine, Senior, Guard, 13.2 ppg, 1.9 apg, 5.4 rpg
Timmy Falls, Sophomore, Guard, 4.5 ppg, 2.3 apg
Ahmaad Rorie, Senior, Guard, 15.1 ppg, 4.0 apg, 4.1 rpg
Sayeed Pridgett, Junior, Guard, 15.0 ppg, 2.3 apg, 5.0 rpg
Bobby Moorehead, Senior, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 1.6 apg, 5.1 rpg
Key Role Players:
Mack Anderson, Freshman, Forward, 2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Donaven Dorsey, Senior, Guard, 6.1 ppg
Kendal Manuel, Junior, Guard, 8.9 ppg, 1.3 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.9 (72nd in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.0 (112, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.6 (8, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.3 (156, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (124, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.9 (33, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 68.6 (250, 11)
Rebound Margin: 2.7 (97, 3)
Assists Per Game: 14.6 (81, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.2 (93, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 loss to Michigan |
| 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 3/10
