Montana earned its coach, Travis DeCuire, his 50th win on Thursday night, making him the second fastest coach in school history to reach the mark. The Griz dispatched Northern Colorado with a season-high 89 points on a season-high 15 threes. It allowed the Griz to even their overall record at 9-9. In the process, Montana improved its Big Sky Conference record to 4-1, the same mark that North Dakota bring to Missoula on Saturday night.
North Dakota is towing with it a four-game winning streak and the conference’s preseason player of the year in Quinton Hooker. Hooker, a 6-foot senior guard, has scored at least 20 in each of the Fighting Hawks conference wins. A 90-85 win over Montana State on Thursday night has helped UND fully recover from a surprising 37-point loss to Portland State on the Big Sky’s opening night that was marred by brutal travel.
Since that loss the Hawks have reeled off wins over Sacramento State, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah and the Bobcats.
The Fighting Hawks have one of the most dynamic backcourts in the Big Sky. Along with Hooker, North Dakota boasts sophomore guard Geno Crandall. Crandall is averaging nearly 13 points per game, slashing to the hoop, while Hooker is one of the more lethal outside shooters in the league at 46 percent.
The Fighting Hawks are nursing one major injuries. Drick Bernstine, the team’s leading returning rebounder, suffered a knee injury in a win over Northern Arizona. He returned against Montana State, but played just nine minutes.
RELATED: Preseason POY Hooker leads UND’s title hopes
On Friday, Skyline Sports caught up with DeCuire for his thoughts on the crucial tilt.
UND sophomore Geno Crandall
What makes North Dakota tough?
“North Dakota is the same team they were last year in terms of personnel; they didn’t lose anyone. … Hooker is a guy who was voted player of the year by the coaches so we have a great deal of respect for him. He’s scored 35, 40 on a lot of teams in this conference and we refuse to be one of the teams that gives that up. That being said, they have other players; (Geno) Crandall, their posts are aggressive and they’re a very balanced team. I think they had five guys in double figures Saturday, maybe six. So they’re a team that you have to bring a high level of respect for or you will be in trouble.”
How do you contain Hooker and Crandall?
“It’s very similar to tonight. We have to stay in front of them and handle the ball screens. We have to change up some schemes here and there defensively. As they start to get into the flow we have to take that flow away. We’ll mix up defenders; go with length, go with speed, go with strength and see what works best and then go down the stretch with that.”
What is it about Hooker that makes him so effective?
“He can shoot it. I think he has a really good feel for the game. He’s shifty. But at the end of the day when you have a point guard that can shoot with the percentages like him you’re very hard to defend as a team. Then (Geno) Crandall next to him can create a shot for himself in any situation. It’s an explosive backcourt together.”
Montana sophomore Ahmaad Rorie/ by Jason Bacaj
Last year they went to a kind of freelance system where they were a little more wide open offensively. Are they still like that?
“They’re false motion, false motion, ball screen, ball screen — it’s really ball screen at the end of the day. If they’re not getting much out of the ball screens they kind of spread you out and dribble drive, penetration kind of thing. It’s kind of how they play, very loose, but there is some structure to it in terms of how they get to that play. We just can’t fall asleep.”
You guys have this opportunity with four home games in the next six. Is this important to solidify yourself atop the conference for a run at the title?
“You want to try to stay in this thing. We’ve got a team ahead of us and North Dakota is the other 4-1 team now. We just had one that was 3-1 that we put behind us so each game is another opportunity to put someone behind you. Next week Portland State is playing good basketball and another opportunity to put someone behind you. Each game is another opportunity to put someone behind. But having more games at home right now is an opportunity to kind of just hold your ground really. If you win at home you’re always going to be in a good situation and you can’t let those slip up. We’ve given one up and I’m not sure we can afford to give another one up.”
Other key information:
Montana is ranked No. 154 in the kenpom.com rankings and is No. 192, second in the Big Sky, in ESPN RPI rankings.
North Dakota led by 11th-year coach Brian Jones, is ranked No. 236 in the kenpom.com rankings and is No. 247, fifth in the Big Sky, in the ESPN RPI rankings.
When: Saturday, 7 p.m. MDT
Where: Dahlberg Arena (7,500)
Radio: KGVO 101.5 FM
Watch: watchbigsky.com
Series: Montana leads 19-9 and is 11-4 in Missoula.
Last: 2016, Montana beat North Dakota 71-46 last March in Missoula.
*kenpom Prediction: Montana 73 percent (Montana, 78-71)
*Probable starters
North Dakota
G – Quinton Hooker, 6-0, Sr., 18.8 ppg
G — Geno Crandall, 6-3, So., 12.9 ppg
G – Corey Baldwin, 6-4, Sr., 3.5 ppg
F – Josh Collins, 6-6, So., 9.6 ppg
F – Conner Avants, 6-7, So., 11.9 ppg
Montana
G – Ahmaad Rorie, 6-1, So., 16.6 ppg
G – Michael Oguine, 6-2, So., 10.3 ppg
G – Brandon Gfeller, 6-4, Sr., 5.1
F – Jack Lopez, 6-6, Sr., 7.4 ppg
F – Fabijan Krslovic, 6-8, Jr., 6.0 ppg
