Montana State’s record-setting season looked like it would have a chance to continue for much of the first 20 minutes of its first round of the NCAA Tournament matchup against the Buckeyes. The teams traded runs, but the Big Sky Conference champions certainly looked like they belonged.

The No. 13-seeded visitors closed the first quarter tied with the fourth-seeded hosts at Value City Arena. In the second quarter, Montana State answered a 6-0 Ohio State run with a 10-0 run of its own to take a four-point lead late in the first half. And even at halftime, the Bobcats remained strongly competitive, trailing 32-27 at the break.

MSU entered the NCAA Tournament with a Big Sky-record 30 wins on the strength of a defense that forced 23 turnovers a game and led the entire NCAA Division I in steals per contest. During conference play, Montana State made opponents melt down with its high-pressure defense, forcing 30+ turnovers on multiple occasions on the way to a 17-1 league record.

Although the Bobcats turned the ball over 14 times in the first half against Ohio State, they also forced 11 Buckeye turnovers to keep the underdogs in the game.

But in the blink of an eye, Ohio State erased any hope of an upset and abruptly ended Montana State’s historic season.

The Buckeyes forced a flurry of turnovers to begin the second half on a 15-0 run after closing the first half on a 9-0 run, turning a slug fest into a runaway. Chance Gray hit three 3-pointers in the first 1:16 of the second half and the Buckeyes forced four turnovers and four missed field goal attempts in the first three minutes of the third quarter. By the time Taylor Thierry drilled a 3-pointer in rhythm, Ohio State had pushed the run to 32-3 and the lead to 55-30 with 2:46 in the third quarter to basically end MSU’s third NCAA Tournament appearance under 20^th-year head coach Tricia Binford.

MSU and Ohio State were even in the fourth quarter but the damage had been done. Ohio State forced 26 turnovers and shot 51 percent from the floor in cruising to a 71-51 win to end MSU’s dream season.

“All the credit goes to Ohio State. They came out in that third quarter, really jumped on us super fast,” Binford said after her team finished its season 30-4. “It was like a blink of an eye.”

Natalie Picton sparked Montana State’s 10-0 run. The sophomore from Canada hit a pair of triples during the spurt and finished with 12 points overall.

“I grew up watching basketball and everybody going into those tough games in March Madness,” Picton said. “It was just awesome. I loved it.”

Montana State’s loss continued a trend of No. 13 seeds having a pretty much impossible time against No. 4 seeds. Since 1994, No. 13 seeds have won seven times out of 124 possible matchups. The most recent winner was when Wright State beat Arkansas in 2021. Before that, it was Marist beating George in 2012.

Although the odds were steep, at least they were not impossible. No. 14 and No. 15 seeds in the NCAA Tournament have never won a first-round game.

A 12-seed, however, would’ve yielded a neutral site. A total of 26 teams that were No. 12 seeds have won first-round games since 1994. And a total of 37 No. 11 seeds have won during that same span.

Many thought Montana State would get a 12-seed after winning the most games in Big Sky history, a slate that included beating Central Florida and winning at Florida Gulf Coast during its non-conference schedule. The ‘Cats also set a program record with 19 straight victories and nearly ran the table in the Big Sky. But a 30-3 record wasn’t enough to avoid playing on Ohio State’s home court.

“The No. 1 thing that we’re really searching for that fourth ring is not to play on somebody’s home floor for your first-round game. And we had 30 wins,” Binford said. “We thought we had a really strong resumé, a very competitive one.

“I think we’re going to have to probably get a win within the top 50 in the NET. I think that’s something that we’re going to really have to focus on. But we had a very competitive preseason schedule. We had some in that 50 to 100. But it is difficult.

“That crowd gets on you. It’s on somebody’s home floor. At the same time, I’m really proud of how our kids handled that the first half, the way they got the crowd engaged when that kind of happened, I’m, like, this is Bobcat basketball. They handled it really well in that first half. It just took a few minutes in the third quarter. If we could have that first few minutes back and just trust our composure and trust our process, I think this game’s a little bit tighter.

“But we certainly had some kids show out. And I think maybe I would like to see some WNBA coaches see a young lady for a potential kid in in the training camp because Esme really showed some incredible stuff today.”

Esme is Esmeralda Morales, Montana State’s bright senior guard. After winning Big Sky regular-season and conference tournament MVP, the Spanaway, Washington product ended her Bobcat career with a flurry, hitting five 3-pointers and pouring in 20 points in her final game at MSU.

“I felt like it was family here,” Morales said. “Because when you’re playing against a community like this you just don’t get the sense of it. But being part of the family, it’s like, wow, it’s amazing. I’m so blessed I was able to do this for one year and do what we did in a year. But the biggest thing is just like the community, how they were like, we’re family and we’re here for you.”

Regardless of the loss, Morales called the NCAA Tournament experience amazing.

“It felt like March Madness,” she said. “It just felt great. I loved the energy, especially when they were booing us. That’s what I love. It kind of just gets me going.”

The banners and records were prevalent this season for Montana State. MSU won its eighth Big Sky regular season title and its fourth tournament crown in 2024-25.

And although the third quarter Friday doomed MSU, Binford chose to focus on the journey.

“I’m definitely going to remember how they were so selfless this entire season and they were all bought in,” Binford said. “It took everybody to be all bought in. We did talk about the hashtag. It’s hard to live out a hashtag when it’s in a grind, it’s really difficult. This team at some point will go down as one of the greatest if not the greatest Bobcat teams of all times.

“I know 30 wins, we were asking how long has the Big Sky been in existence to get 30 wins. And to do that, to play that consistently for that long of a season, just so proud of the way that we did our journey together this year. They had so much fun. They brought out the best in each other. A coach could not be prouder of that.”

On Thursday, the Grizzlies fell 85-66 to the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The appearance in March Madness was the Grizzlies’ first since 2019.

“We couldn’t string our stops with our buckets,” senior guard Kai Johnson said after the loss. “I guess shots just didn’t fall after that run. Just it is what it is.”

Only one team ends the NCAA Tournament with smiles on their faces, and that team won’t be Grizzlies.

But even without a Cinderella run through sports’ best tournament, the Grizzlies take pride in the magical run they created in the past two months.

Back in December, the Grizzlies were a 7-6 team lacking identity. They entered Big Sky play with as many questions as answers.

The Grizzlies were not special.

Then they were.

“How this group came together and learned to play together, then playing together throughout the entire year, the season, I think that shows with our 25 wins,” senior guard Kai Johnson said on Thursday, a few minutes after the season ended.

After a 4-2 start to the conference season, the Grizzlies rattled off 10 consecutive wins. The run included a road win against Northern Colorado, whom Montana would go on to split the Big Sky regular season title with and beat in the Big Sky Championship Game. The run also included a sweep of the Montana State Bobcats, who had won the three previous Big Sky titles.

After an overtime loss to Portland State, the Grizzlies ripped off four more wins, including a run through the Big Sky Tournament for their first conference title in six years.

The final tally on the second-half run: 14 wins in 15 games.

Something clicked for Montana.

“This is the most talented team I’ve ever been a part of, probably one of the most talented teams out of this conference,” Johnson said. “Sometimes that’s hard when you got a lot of talent on a team, to come together and be able to play together. I’ve been on teams with a lot of talent. You just can’t mesh because there’s egos, people that want the ball, whatever it may be.”

The Grizzlies added nine new faces to the 2024-25 version of the squad. Of the nine players who were occasional members of the Grizzlies’ postseason rotation, six weren’t on last year’s squad.

“Like Kai said, we came together,” Te’Jon Sawyer, one of the three holdovers, said. “We had a group talk when we was struggling in the pre-season. Small group talk. Talked it out. Like he said, it could be egos. We said we’re going to buy in. This team really bought in, and that’s what I’m happy about for the season.”

The team that came out of that discussion was physical and fearless. They didn’t take no for an answer.

The grit that became Montana’s identity spawned from the off-court battles the team faced. Some dealt with injuries. Some dealt with death. Some dealt with fatherhood. Some dealt with holding father-like responsibilities.

“All 16 had some type of adversity,” Sawyer said. “It was us showing we can fight through battles. We had a lot of close games, showing we had heart. I think that’s a team to be remembered, just by our fight.”

The buy-in created the winning streak.

The buy-in helped head coach Travis DeCuire become the program’s all-time winningest coach.

The buy-in helped Brandon Whitney become the program’s all-time assist leader.

Conference Coach of the Year. Conference Reserve of the Year. Multiple All-Big-Sky and All-Big Sky Tournament performers.

How did they do it?

“I think that just comes with us not caring about those types of things,” Johnson said. “When you don’t care about those things, they come to you naturally instead of looking for rewards as a team or even individually.”

When life provides big challenges, sports problems seem small. Prioritizing winning over ego becomes easier.

The starting lineup shifted throughout the season. Those who were benched accepted their roles. Those who were bumped from the rotation altogether cheered their teammates on.

In the NIL era, creating a culture of selflessness isn’t easy. Even DeCuire, who built a back-to-back champion in Missoula struggled to brew a championship culture as the college basketball landscape shifted.

Then he struck gold with his program-record-tying third Big Sky champion.

DeCuire says his strategy didn’t change.

“From day one, before COVID, I always believed that you replaced seniors with freshmen, high school kids, and replaced transfers with transfers,” he said. “You’re losing experience. Experience can’t be replaced by 17-, 18-year-olds. The same thing has continued with us in the new age of the portal.”

The end of any season creates a reset. Seniors move on. Transfers do, too.

“If the guys that have eligibility, if they walk out the door, we’ll go find some replacements,” DeCuire said.

Time will tell whether Montana’s return to the mountaintop will spark an era of championship basketball in Missoula, but this year’s version of the Grizzlies did its part by putting team over self and reaping the benefits.

The recipe has been written.

“What I want to be remembered for,” Johnson said, “is how close this team is on and off the court.”

The Montana Grizzlies lost 85-66 to the Wisconsin Badgers at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The game was Montana’s first March Madness appearance since 2019, an opportunity the Grizzlies earned by winning the Big Sky Conference Tournament last weekend.

“A good basketball team met a better basketball team today,” Montana head coach Travis DeCuire said after the game.

The 14-seed Grizzlies entered the game as underdogs against the 3-seed Badgers, who were matched up in the NCAA’s East Region. The Badgers will move on to play the winner of 6-seed BYU and 11-seed VCU in the second round on Saturday.

For the Grizzlies, the loss marks the end of the season.

“How this group came together and learned to play together, then playing together throughout the entire year, the season, I think that shows with our 25 wins,” senior guard Kai Johnson said. “That’s what I want to be remembered for is how close this team is on and off the court.”

Wisconsin guard Xavier Amos delivered the fatal blow with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game when he hit a 3-point shot to extend the Badger lead to 16. Montana was able to cut that lead to a dozen before it ballooned again in the game’s final minutes.

Up until those final 10 minutes, Montana had well-founded hope. For example, the Grizzlies won the first five minutes of the second half, pulling within four points of the Badgers.

“For stretches of the game we showed that we could play with them,” DeCuire said. “We just couldn’t sustain it. We had long stretches where I don’t think we were executing very well on either side of the ball.”

While Wisconsin’s height prevented the Montana bigs from converting in the post, the bigger Grizzly guards provided points in the paint. Joe Pridgen outmuscled Badger defenders off of cuts and drives, creating good looks inside.

“They’re bigger than us, but I felt like we were as strong,” senior forward Te’Jon Sawyer said. “We tried to make it hard for their guards, seeing if the bigs can try to beat us. They made shots, but I think down low, we was pretty physical.”

Meanwhile, smaller Montana guards Brandon Whitney and Malik Moore created open shots in the mid-range in the first half, and knocked down a couple of them.

Throw in a 5-for-11 first-half shooting performance from deep, and the Grizzlies had a recipe for a well-rounded offensive attack, even if nothing came easy.

Fastbreak points, for example, were tough to come by.

With four seconds left before halftime, sixth-man guard Money Williams stole the ball at the top of the defensive key. He had an opportunity to score the Grizzlies’ first fastbreak points of the game, but he couldn’t get a three-point attempt up before the buzzer because of pesky transition defense from Wisconsin.

Still, the Grizzlies held within eight points in the first half, trailing 40-32. Montana had found a blueprint. They were within reach of the Badgers. A hot-shooting second half could spark an upset.

But the Grizzlies parlayed a 5-for-11 deep shooting performance in the first half into a 2-for-13 showing in the second half.

“You can’t win these kind of games shooting 39% and giving up 55% to your opponent,” DeCuire said. “Got beat tonight on both sides of the ball.”

By combining the poor second-half shooting with foul trouble, the Grizzlies killed their upset bid.

Six minutes into the second half, Pridgen was called for an offensive foul when he put his shoulder into a defender in the paint. The foul was Montana’s fifth of the half and Pridgen’s fourth of the game.

Pridgen, a key piece for Montana on both ends of the floor, went to the bench.

Guard Kai Johnson picked up his fourth foul three minutes later, with less than 12 minutes to play. And five minutes after that, Williams joined the four-foul club.

“We needed to do a better job of defending without fouling,” DeCuire said. “I thought that was one of the things that killed our momentum.”

Wisconsin leads the nation in free-throw shooting percentage. When the Badgers entered the bonus with 11:38 to play, the barrier preventing a Grizzly comeback became impenetrable.

“One of the things we talked about going into this game was try to keep them off the free-throw line,” DeCuire said. “You can’t have a guy score [14] points on five attempts and think you’re going to win a basketball game.”

That guy was star guard John Tonje, a top-10 scorer among major-conference players this season. Tonje led the way as the Badgers hunted contact in the second half and found the whistle they hoped for.

Montana shut Tonje down for most of the game, allowing five points from the field on five attempts. But Tonje drew a game-high nine free-throw attempts, eight of them in the second half, and hit all nine.

Wisconsin guard John Blackwell led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

Badger big man Steven Crowl poured in 18 points of his own in an efficient 8-for-10 outing. Crowl dropped easy buckets in over smaller defenders in the paint, while also hitting two of his three 3-point attempts.

Tre’Jon Sawyer and Kai Johnson led the way for Montana with 15 points apiece. Johnson was the only Grizzly with multiple 3-point makes, hitting four of his seven attempts.

Pridgen was the other Grizzly in double-figures, posting 12 shots on 11 attempts.

UM will play No. 3 Wisconsin at Thursday at 11:30 a.m. in Denver, Colorado.

UM head coach Travis DeCuire along with seniors Austin Patterson & Joe Pridgen addressed the media on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Sunday, the Griz hosted a watch party to find out their NCAA Tournament seeding. Montana received a No. 14 seed and will play No. 3 Wisconsin in Denver, Colorado on Thursday.

Montana 11th-year head coach Travis DeCuire addressed the media following the selection.

The Grizzlies claimed the Big Sky Tournament title for the first time since 2019 to advance to the program’s 13^th overall NCAA Tournament. They will once again face off against a Big 10 opponent for the fourth time in their last five appearances.

This will be the second meeting between the Grizzlies and Badgers at the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin defeated Montana 73-49 in 2012 in a 4-13 matchup.

Wisconsin finished the season just minutes before the selection show tipped off, losing to Michigan in the championship game of the Big 10 Tournament. The Badgers are 26-9 overall and went 13-7 in Big 10 play to finish fourth.

They reached the Big 10 title game with wins over Northwestern, UCLA, and Michigan State. They dropped the championship game 59-53 to Michigan.

The Badgers were ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll in Week 19. They are 14^th in the NCAA Net Rankings and 13^th in the KenPom Ratings.

Guard John Tonje is a finalist for the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Award. Tonje averages 19.5 points per game, 28^th most in the NCAA. He has 80 made three-pointers on 38.8 percent shooting, and also averages 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Wisconsin has one of the top offenses in the country, averaging 80.5 points per game. They allow just over 70 points, giving them the 28^th best scoring margin in the country at 9.7.

MONTANA’S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

This will be Montana’s 13^th appearance at the NCAA Tournament, and third under head coach Travis DeCuire. The Grizzlies are 2-13 all-time at the Big Dance with the last win coming in 2006.

The win was also the last by a team from the Big Sky Conference as the Grizzlies will look to end the conference’s 18-game losing streak at the NCAA Tournament.

BIG SKY CHAMPS AGAIN

Montana won the Big Sky Conference Tournament for a record-extending 12^th time this season. The Grizzlies have more Big Sky Tournament Championships than any other school, and have also won the most games (51) at the tournament.

This is the third title under DeCuire in six appearances in the championship game. He’s reached the title game in 60 percent of his appearances, winning it in 30 percent.

The Grizzlies have 18 wins at the Big Sky Conference Tournament under Coach DeCuire. It’s the 14^th most conference tourney wins in the NCAA in that time.

Montana also shared the regular season championship with Northern Colorado. It was the 13^th regular season Big Sky Championship for Montana, the 2^nd most in league history.

The Grizzlies have now won seven Big Sky Regular Season Championships this century, more than any other school in the Big Sky.

ADDITIONAL GRIZ NOTES AND NUGGETS

• Montana is one of just 14 teams in the entire country that has been .500 or better in 17 straight seasons.
• The Grizzlies have reached 20 wins 10 times in the previous 16 years, and have reached the 20 win mark 26 times in program history.
• Montana has had just one losing season in the last 20 years, and they have also had just five losing seasons in the previous half century. Since 1970, Montana has gone .500 or better 48 times.
• Montana has won 49 games over the previous two seasons. It is the fourth most in a two-year span in program history. The 2018 and 2019 teams won 52 games, followed by 50 wins from the teams in ’91 & ’92 and ’12 & ’13.
• The 49 wins are tied for the 29th most in the NCAA during that time, and it is the 16th among mid-major teams.
• Since Jan. 20, Montana has gone 14-1. The 14 wins are tied for the 6^th most in the NCAA during that time.
• Travis DeCuire was named the 2025 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year. It’s just his second career honor despite winning four regular season titles and three Big Sky Tournament championships.
• Senior guard Brandon Whitney was named the Big Sky Tournament MVP. He was also a Second Team All-Big Sky selection this year and a member of the league’s All-Defensive Team.
  • Whitney is Montana’s career leader in assists (442), minutes (4,727), appearances (156), starts (150), and is 9^th in scoring (1,618).
  • Whitney has started more games at the same school than any other player in the NCAA.
• Kai Johnson and Money Williams also earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Big Sky Championship.
• Joe Pridgen was a First Team All-Big Sky member this season after averaging 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Malik Moore, Brandon Whitney, and Money Williams were all Second Team selections. Williams was also named the league’s Top Reserve.
• Montana is shooting 50.2 percent from the floor this season, the 2^nd best percentage in the entire country. They are one of only two teams that have made at least half of their attempts from the field entering the NCAA Tournament, and the only team that reached the tournament to do so.
• Montana shot over 60 percent from three-point range for the third time this season in the Big Sky title game. It’s the 2^nd-most games in the NCAA shooting at least 60 percent from arc.
  • The Grizzlies are 21-1 when shooting a better percentage from three-point range than their opponents.
• DeCuire has equal-or-more title game appearances (6) as head coach than five of the other nine Big Sky programs do in their histories.
• Montana has a legendary coaching tree that includes two College Basketball Hall of Famers in Jud Heathcote and Mike Montgomery. Jim Brandenburg, Stew Morrill, Blaine Taylor, Larry Krystkowiak, and Wayne Tinkle have all coached at Montana before moving up to have success at the higher levels.
• Brandon Whitney became the Big Sky’s all-time leader in career minutes played on Tuesday night. He now has over 4,700 minutes in a Montana uniform, passing Northern Colorado’s Jonah Radebaugh for the league record. It also moves him into the top 100 in minutes played in NCAA history, according to Stathead.com.
• The Grizzlies have won at least 24 games for the second straight season. They are one of 19 teams in the country with at least 24 wins in each of the last two years.
• The Grizzlies claimed the Big Sky Tournament for the 3^rd time under head coach Travis DeCuire. Since DeCuire started at Montana, the Grizzlies are 33-19 in games played in March. The 33 wins are 31^st most in the NCAA during the time.

Jamie Loera left it all on the court, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 10-of-23(43.5%) shooting.

“I’m just super proud of our team and what we accomplished, breaking records and making history .That wasn’t really on our goals this season, but it just happened,” Loera reflected. “I think it’s just something to highlight and be really proud of. Just as an older player, I’m just proud of the growth that I’ve seen from my teammates and just being a part of that and helping them, supporting them anyway I can. It has been a really amazing experience. And, yeah, even just Jaydia [Martin] right here. She’s grown a lot since I’ve been here the past couple years, and I’m just super proud of her and what she’s been through and what she’s battled through. So, yeah, it’s been a great season, and definitely, definitely proud to be an Eag.”

Eastern set the tone early, jumping out to a 7-4 lead as Loera had her shot working early with five points. The teams stayed close through the majority of the first quarter. With 2:04 on the clock, Jaydia Martin hit a three to put the Eagles up 16-10. A jumper from Loera made the lead 18-10. The Beavers closed the quarter strong with five-straight points and EWU was up 18-15 at the break. Loera had 11 of the team’s points in the quarter. 

Oregon St. pushed to take the lead back to begin the second quarter, tying the score at 20 at the 8:01 point. The Beavers took the lead on its next possession with a three. The lead ballooned to 28-20 at 6:24, part of an 11-0 run for Oregon St. Loera stopped the run with a pullup jumper at 6:15. The Beavers scored well and stretched the lead out to 39-27 at halftime. Eastern was held to 21.1 percent shooting in the quarter.

Out of halftime, the Beavers continued to extend its lead over the Eagles. EWU struggled to score against the Oregon St. defense, going three-and-a-half minutes with a point. The Beavers had a 50-31 lead at the 3:23 point of the quarter. Despite the deficit, Eastern closed the quarter strong with a 7-1 stretch and trailed the Beavers, 56-39. 

In the fourth quarter, Oregon St. looked to close out the Eagles, building its lead to as much as 25. The Beavers shot 53.8 percent in the quarter and had a 17-12 scoring advantage over Eastern. EWU was limited to 20.0 shooting. 

Eag Notes

• The Eagles season ends with 29 wins, eight more than the previous program record for a single season. 
• Jamie Loera tallied her fourth 20-point game of the season. She led the team with four steals and four assists. 
• Eastern posted its 15th game this season with 10 or more steals, finishing with 13. Overall, the Eagles forced 19 Beaver turnovers. They scored 23 points off of those mistakes. EWU committed only seven turnovers in the game.
• Jacinta Buckley scored 12 points and led the team with five rebounds. It was Buckley’s 12th game scoring in double figures this season and 44th for her career. 
• Oregon State had a 45 to 26 advantage in rebounding.