Montana Grizzlies: 26-7, 16-2 in the Big Sky
Head Coach: Travis DeCuire (4th season)
Players to watch: Ahmad Rorie (17.3 PPG, 3.7 APG); Michael Oguine (15.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG)
Season recap: After alternating wins and losses through nonconference play, the Grizzlies finally hit their stride in conference play. Aside from dropping back-to-back contests mid-February, Montana was undefeated in the Big Sky.
After nabbing an easy No. 1 seed in their conference tournament, the Grizzlies downed North Dakota easily in the quarterfinals, but barely escaped an aggressive onslaught from Northern Colorado in an overtime thriller in the semifinals. But Montana removed any doubt that they were the dominant force in the Big Sky by crushing Eastern Washington 82-65 to punch its ticket to the Big Dance.
Montana’s only power conference win came against a downtrodden Pittsburgh squad. In fact, the Grizzlies fell to Stanford and Washington—teams far from the top of the Pac-12. Without much exposure to the level of competition it will face in the opening rounds of the tournament, Montana will have a tough time in notching tournament wins.
Led by junior Ahmad Rorie, the Grizzlies boast three players who average more than 10 points per game. Montana also has multiple players consistently crashing the glass, with four players with more than five rebounds per game. This is largely thanks to the Grizzlies penchant for playing within the arc—Rorie’s specialty this season has been the 2-point jumper, while juniors Michael Oguine and Jamar Okoh favor driving the rim.
How they make a run: The Grizzlies’ multitude of scoring threats spreads the floor, pulling apart opposing defenses. Oguine’s versatility pays dividends, and Montana notches enough timely shots from the perimeter to build a lead and close out an upset.
How they falter: Pressure on Oguine shuts him down, and Montana is forced to rely on points from down low to build an offensive rhythm. This predictability becomes their downfall, and more experienced defenses adjust accordingly for the Grizzlies to face another early exit.
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