MISSOULA, Montana — Little about the last few years has been normal for the University of Montana men’s basketball program.
From the evolution of a hyperactive transfer market spurred on by an NCAA-approved one-time transfer rule and the advent of the transfer portal to consecutive seasons with the overwhelming, overshadowing theme shared by every program in the country that is the Covid-19 global pandemic looming at every corner, the Griz and every team they’ve played have had to navigate unchartered waters.
Who knows what Travis DeCuire’s postseason resume and trophy case might look like if a team guided by all-time great Grizzly Sayeed Pridgett would’ve been able to play in March at the Big Sky Tournament back in 2020? Maybe DeCuire would’ve led his alma mater to their third NCAA Tournament appearance in his six seasons at the helm to that point.
Instead, Pridgett did not win the Big Sky MVP many believed he deserved, Montana did not get to play in the Big Sky Tournament in Boise after the first wave of the pandemic hit and the Griz have been searching for a semblance of steadiness ever since.
That Pridgett-led Griz team also featured a trio of freshmen in Kyle Owens, Derrick Carter-Hollinger and Josh Vazquez who seemed to form a foundation for a bright future. Carter-Hollinger was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year and Owens earned Griz team MVP honors the following year when the trio were sophomore.
Last season, DeCuire and his staff brought in another trio of talented freshman. But Josh Bannan, Brandon Whitney and Robby Beasley III didn’t get to experience most of the alluring parts of playing for one of the most tradition-laden programs in the West. Meanwhile, the aforementioned rookie trio from two years ago didn’t evolve like many expected.
Last season’s new Griz either left the program before the season ended (Cam Satterwhite, Michael Steadman, Darius Henderson) or didn’t get to experience the Garden City at its best. Those that stayed played in empty arenas. They didn’t get to play in front of the passionate Dahlberg Arena faithful. They didn’t get to see for themselves so much of what DeCuire sold them on to lure them to the University of Montana. And perhaps most abnormally, they didn’t get to experience winning.
UM did end the season by winning a pair of games in the Big Sky Tournament to finish with a winning record for the 13th year in a row. But three of those came over the likes of Yellowstone Christian and Warner Pacific (twice), a pair of teams that next to no college basketball follower has ever heard of.
During a Sunday afternoon matinee broadcast on ESPNU, for a moment, Montana saw a glimpse of what gave Griz basketball so much glimmer for so long. Although the crowd of 5,285 was a couple thousand short of a typical rivalry showdown showing, the rabid were raucous in defiance of a Montana State team chasing its first Big Sky Conference regular-season title in 20 years and its first regular-season sweep of the Griz since 2009.
When Bannan drilled a 3-pointer at the first half buzzer, to give Montana an 11-point lead at the break, many of the newer faces for the Griz started to get a taste of the fiercest rivalry in the Big Sky, Garden City style.
When Beasley drew a foul with 33 seconds left, he flashed a smile and let out a yell while slapping the ball exuberantly as Montana closed in.
And as the final buzzer sounded following Montana’s 80-74 win, DeCuire first stopped for one of the longest post-game hand shakes of his time roaming the sideline at an arena he once starred as a point guard for Stew Morrill and Blaine Taylor. Once DeCuire shared respect with Montana State head coach Danny Sprinkle, also coaching at his alma mater, the fiery Griz head coach confidently charged over to the student section and enthusiastically waved his arms, soaking in a moment gone too long for more than two long years.
“Big win,” DeCuire said. “I watched our game in Bozeman (a 66-59 MSU win) in Bozeman probably four or five times and it was a hard one to swallow because I thought our game plan was on point and I thought we did a good job of executing things we wanted to execute. The biggest thing that was hard to swallow is we just didn’t make shots. We played that game well enough to win.
“We walk away fairly emotional about that loss. But at the same time, it gives you confidence at home because we shoot better at home. We had a lot of confidence going into this one.”
Whitney and Bannan set the tone, combining to hit eight of their first nine field goal attempts, Whitney converting at the rim and Bannan scoring from all over the floor, including an emphatic dunk that got the first big ovation from the Griz faithful on hand.
Bannan scored 23 points, Whitney added 17 and Beasley scored 13 as Montana proved that one thing still remains the same despite the twilight zone that has been Division I men’s college basketball for more than two years: the Griz are tough to beat at home. And if it’s against the rival, Montana is unbeatable at Dahlberg Arena, at least during the DeCuire era.
Montana hit 11 3-pointers and held MSU to one triple. The Griz turned most of Montana State’s role players into non-factors. Montana shot 52 percent and forced 15 turnovers on the way to an 80-74 victory to halt a slide while also extending a winning streak against the ‘Cats on UM’s home court that dates back to 2010.
“This might’ve been the biggest game I’ve ever played in in my life,” Whitney said. “Last year, not being able to play them, this year, having the fans, that atmosphere, it’s just crazy.”
And for the first time in the careers of most of these current Griz, DeCuire’s squad got to experience a rocking rivalry atmosphere on their home court.
“That was sick,” Bannan said. “That was probably one of my best basketball experiences of my life, definitely. That’s the most fans I’ve ever played in front of. The students were awesome. I love to see the students getting out to games and it would be great if they continued to do so. You can’t really top that. When the other team goes on a run and we make a play and the home crowd just rocks, that swings the momentum even if the momentum is not in our favor.”
Whitney’s slashing layup with 8:30 left in the first half gave Montana it’s first double-digit lead. The advantage swelled to 12 when Owens, a player who was UM’s team MVP last year but hadn’t played more than 19 minutes in 2022, hit a 3-pointer as part of an important game simply because he’s one of just three players, along with Vazquez and Carter-Hollinger, who had ever played in a Cat-Griz game in Missoula with fans.
Led by the dynamic inside-out combination of hulking junior center Jubrile Belo and slick, slashing senior point guard Xavier Bishop, the Bobcats hung around. RaeQuan Battle, the leading candidate for Big Sky Top Reserve honors and perhaps Newcomer of the Year after transferring to MSU from Washington, slashed his way to the rim with 91 seconds in the first half, converting one of just two buckets he would score to cut the gap to 39-33.
But Bannan’s triple at the first half buzzer gave Montana a 44-33 lead and gave Bannan 18 points on a sizzling 7-of-9 shooting.
“I came into the game knowing I was going to be aggressive, score, rebound, that was the plan,” Bannan said. “I felt like last time I personally, physically didn’t do the things I needed to do help us win.”
Out of the break, Whitney splashed a 3-pointer less than three minutes into a second half that saw six offensive fouls called in the first four minutes. Whitney’s trey gave UM a 52-35 lead, the largest for the hosts Sunday afternoon.
“They came out with an energy and a purpose today that we didn’t,” Sprinkle said. “For whatever reason, it is embarrassing the purpose we came out with. We were on our heels from the jump. They were driving us, they were attacking us and we were like flat footed, stuck in stand. That is probably the worst defensively we’ve played.
The Bobcats spent the next 17 minutes chipping away to the surprise of no one that has followed their stellar season in Sprinkle’s third year at the helm. MSU entered the contest with 13 Big Sky wins, the most ever by the ‘Cats during the Big Sky era dating back to 1963. MSU’s 21-6 start overall is tied for the best in program history and included an 11-game winning streak, one of those victories coming in Bozeman over Montana on January 9.
Beasley converted in traffic with 5:56 left to stretch the UM lead to 69-56. Then Bishop sparked a Bobcat charge as the ignited yet apprehensive Dahlberg faithful sat on pins and needs. After all, Montana’s last two years have been trademarked by letting second half leads slip away.
Over the next three minutes, MSU went on a 10-1 run to cut the margin to 70-66 with 2:34 left. Montana entered this game having lost five of its last seven, including perplexing losses to Idaho State, Northern Arizona and Idaho, three teams in the bottom of the Big Sky standings. Yet Sunday, the Griz closed despite Bishop’s assault of acrobatic makes in the lane.
Bishop scored 19 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, including 15 int eh final eight minutes. He converted three different circus shots through contact in the last 19 seconds .
“They are a good defensive team, physical, try to bump you out of your cuts, your actions,” Bishop said. “Give them credit. They did what they were supposed to do. But we weren’t aggressive and we played on our heals. That wasn’t a recipe for success for us. We weren’t the aggressors tonight and that cost us.”
But Bannan’s step back at the end of the shot clock with 88 seconds left proved to be a dagger and Beasley’s four consecutive made free throws in the final 43 seconds slammed the door on MSU’s aspiration of a rivalry sweep and clinching the share of the conference title.
“We have a tough group and we have a bunch of guys who are willing to put their bodies on the line for the team,” Bannan said. “Those are the things that win you these basketball games that come down to effort. I think our effort is super tonight.”
Montana State has already clinched a first round bye in the Big Sky Tournament in two weeks. MSU can sew up at least a share of the conference title with one more win. The Bobcats host Southern Utah, a team with a 12-5 league record that trails MSU by a game in the standings, on Tuesday in Bozeman.
“We have 48 hours and we have Southern Utah at our place,” Sprinkle said. “We have to up the ante, we got to raise the toughness, we have to get better.
“We have to learn from it. As emotional as this game is, Tuesday’s game is now the most important game. I believe if we win that game, we at least have a share of the championship. We have three straight at home and hopefully, the crowd comes out and we play with the energy and purpose we need to win a championship.”
Now each team must turn the page. Montana has proven it can play with the top teams in the conference. The Griz own wins over Montana State, Weber State and Southern Utah, three of the four teams ahead of UM in the Big Sky standings. The Griz also swept Eastern Washington. But Montana is 14-1 at home after Sunday and 4-10 on the road and 4-6 in Big Sky road games.
Montana needs one more win in its final two games, each played at home, to secure a first-round bye in the Big Sky Tournament. The Griz host Northern Colorado, a team that beat UM 78-75 back in December, on Thursday before playing Sac State, a team that sat in last place all season before forging a three-game winning streak over the last week.
“We told them before the game, ‘We’ve outplayed pretty much everyone in this league for 20 minutes, whether it was the first 20 minutes or the second 20. Let’s put 40 together and see what happens,” DeCuire said. “I just don’t think when we play the way we are supposed to play and we stick to the plan and we stick together, there’s no one we can’t beat if we do it for 40 minutes. But that’s hard to do.”
