Big Sky Conference

Surging Bobcats face struggling Griz in Missoula

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The Bobcats were in the same boat as the Grizzlies not too long ago. In fact, Montana State’s December spiral was much worse than the four-game losing streak Montana brings into the showdown between the archrivals Saturday night in Missoula.

“That’s a big thing to not look at those things,” Montana State star sophomore shooting guard Tyler Hall said on Tuesday. “They are a great team and they have great players. We don’t really look at numbers. We were on like a 10-game losing streak but we know we aren’t that team. They are looking to turn around and we are looking to keep it going. We can’t over look them because they are a great team.”

In December, the scenario that will play out Saturday night would’ve been impossible to predict. MSU jolted to a 5-2 start thanks to a collection of early-season home games only to go into a tailspin the second half of its non-conference schedule. The Bobcats battled against Utah in Salt Lake City, came up short at home against Milwaukee despite 42 points from Hall, got whipped twice by South Dakota and lost shootouts at Omaha and to Central Michigan at home to end the non-conference 5-8, same as Montana.

With the beginning of Big Sky play, Montana State’s losing streak reached seven straight with a home loss to Weber State. The Bobcats bounced back for their first Big Sky victory against hapless Idaho State only to lose their next three to sit at 1-4 in the standings.

Meanwhile in Missoula, the Grizzlies affirmed head coach Travis DeCuire’s notion that the toughest non-conference schedule in school history would pay dividends in league play. The Griz surged to a 5-1 start that included Montana’s first road sweep t Eastern Washington and Idaho since 1994. An 84-81 overtime loss to Weber State in Missoula served as the only defeat.

MSU forward Zach Green (0)

MSU forward Zach Green (0)

The ebbs and flows of the season can be striking. On November 28, Montana State was 5-2 while Montana was 1-6. On January 12, MSU lost to North Dakota 95-90, its 10th defeat in 11 outings while Montana drilled Northern Colorado to move to 4-1 in league play. The Griz earned their fifth conference win two nights later over UND while Montana State earned a win over UNC to spark its current hot streak.

Saturday, Montana State enters the rivalry game on a five-game winning streak after defeating Idaho in double overtime and Eastern Washington in overtime last week in Bozeman. Montana has lost four straight after giving up lofty point totals — 88 in a nine-point loss at Portland State and 92 two nights later in a nine-point loss at Sac State — on the road and failing to protect home court against EWU (72-60) and Idaho (85-77 in overtime) last weekend.

Like his star, Montana State third-year head coach Brian Fish is not buying the notion of momentum or a struggling Grizzlies’ squad. He knows in rivalry games, especially playing in the hostile confines of Dahlberg Arena, means records go out the window.

“We will get their best,” said Fish, who will try to help MSU snap its 12-game losing streak to its rival, a stretch that dates back to 2010 when Brad Huse was still at the helm for the ‘Cats. “I know they will play very well, they will play very inspired and their crowd will be into it. We will see their best and this week, we won’t watch a lot of tape of when they struggled and I’m sure they won’t spend a lot of time watching when we struggled.”

Montana’s recent struggles can be attributed to a multitude of factors ranging players like senior Jack Lopez and sophomore Bobby Moorehead playing out of position to UM relying heavily on its guards to make up the different in rebounding margin with just one true post player — junior Fabijan Krslovic — in the rotation.

UM guard Walter Wright (L) & Ahmaad Rorie (R) did not play in Thursday nights loss vs. EWU

UM guard Walter Wright (L) & Ahmaad Rorie (R) did not play in Montana’s loss to EWU

Internal issues have also affected the Griz during the losing streak. Walter Wright, an All-Big Sky point guard last season, has struggled to find flow his senior year. He has moved into a reserve role because of the eligibility of Oregon transfer Ahmaad Rorie. In UM’s loss at PSU, wright was just 2-of-10 from the floor and committed four turnovers. Two nights later in Sacramento, DeCuire sat Wright for the entire first half.

Last week with Eastern Washington in Missoula, both Wright and Rorie dressed in street clothes, suspended for what DeCuire deemed a violation of team rules. The prolific scoring duo returned for the Idaho game but the Griz still came up short to lose their fifth conference game, more than the total number of Big Sky losses in either of DeCuire’s first two seasons at the helm for his alma mater.

If anything, the emergence of Rorie has provided Montana with an abundance of talent at the guard spot with not enough minutes to go around. Sophomore Michael Oguine has filled a similar role as he did during a breakout freshman season, providing stellar perimeter defense and creating his own offense with his slashing style. He is averaging 13.6 points per game in conference play while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and leading the Griz with 7.7 rebounds per game.

Wright is playing 23 minutes a game despite being a preseason All-Big Sky pick. Senior Brandon Gfeller, a starter for nearly 60 games over the last three seasons, is playing 13 minutes a night. Senior Mario Dunn, an All-Big Sky selection as a sophomore, is playing 15.5 minutes per game. True freshman Sayeed Pridgett has emerged to land a spot in the rotation, earning nearly 20 minutes a night and averaging 8.1 points per game, fourth in the Griz.

Harald Frey oh shit face

Montana State true freshman point guard Harald Frey

The result has been an inconsistent offense that ranks in the middle of most Big Sky categories and a defense that has struggled to find the chemistry that helped Montana smother opponents its first six games of conference play. Yet Fish looks beyond any statistic to see a rival flush with talent.

“It’s a guard’s league,” Fish said. “Ahmaad is really good, started in the Pac 12. Walter Wright is really good. I’m really impressed with Oguine and the development of his body. Sayeed has been very impressive. Dunn is finding his way after being hurt. They throw a lot of guys at you. We will just find a way to slow them down.”

The Bobcats counter with a guard-heavy rotation devoid of any real post presence outside talented but raw 6-foot-9 junior Benson Osayande, a reserve. MSU starts 6-foot-5 sophomore Sam Neumann at center and surrounds him with a lineup that includes the 6-5 Hall, 6-1 true freshman point guard Harald Frey, 5-10 sophomore Devonte Klines and 6-4 junior Zach Green.

Montana State’s offense is among the best in the Big Sky, scoring more than 80 points per game. The attack starts with Hall, a smooth shooter with flawless footwork who is averaging 23.3 points per game, fourth in Division I. Frey has emerged as one of the steadiest point guards in the league while finding his shooting stroke and pouring in nearly 16 points per night in Big Sky games.

Frey, Klines, Osayande and a collection of MSU reserves will be making their Cat-Griz debuts on Saturday night in Dahlberg Arena. If the Bobcats are to stay hot and keep the Griz on a losing skid, Montana State will have to ignore the outside noise, Hall said.

“Simple plays, don’t try to do too much,” Hall said. “Adrenaline will be going. We just have to settle down and play basketball.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez and Jason Bacaj. All Rights Reserved. 

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About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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