Big Sky Conference

Montana plays at old rival in Moscow on Thursday

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Montana heads out onto the road for the first time since conference play began one week ago. The Grizzlies’ first stop is in Moscow to play Idaho, before heading to Cheney to play Eastern Washington on Saturday.

The last time Montana played its old rival, the Vandals, was in March in Reno during the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament. The Grizzlies’ second-half performance was in stark contrast from a loss Idaho handed UM just a few weeks prior when the Vandals put the clamps on Montana and didn’t allow a bucket for the first seven minutes of the second half. In Reno, however, Montana hit 15 of its 21 second-half shots on its way to victory.

Idaho head coach Don Verlin/ by Brooks Nuanez

Idaho head coach Don Verlin/ by Brooks Nuanez

“I think they’re always going to have a chip on their shoulder with us, anyway,” Montana head coach Travis DeCuire said of the Vandals after Montana’s practice session Wednesday afternoon. “We’re an old-school rivalry. (We have) coaching tree familiarity. They come from behind and beat us at their place two years ago. Last year they came in here and gave us a good butt whoopin’. We had to return the favor. I think it’s going to be a tit-for-tat forever with Montana and Idaho.”

Idaho, playing without point guard Perrion Callandret since the senior suffered a bone bruise in his knee in the second game of the season, opened Big Sky play with a loss at Eastern Washington. Victor Sanders, a preseason All-Big Sky pick, scored Idaho’s final 18 points in the 69-62 win. Sanders scored 20 points in the final six minutes, hitting 6 of his 8 shots and 7 of his 8 free throws but the Vandals could not overcome a deficit that once reached 20 points.

RELATED: Relentless Vandals looking for return to NCAA tourney

Idaho and Weber State are similar in certain areas, does that make the preparation easier?

“In terms of their sets and their philosophies offensively, yes. I think there is similarities in their two guards in terms of the fact they’re green lights, gonna take deep threes, attack and gonna try to score 30. The ball is going to go inside. So as far as their playbook is concerned, the prep is very similar and in some ways identical.

“Personnel kind of changes a little bit. For us, the physical play and then their defensive approach is a lot different and that is where we’re gonna have to make adjustments.”

Do you expect Idaho point guard Perrion Callandret to play?

“No, I think he’s done for the season. I’m not 100 percent sure, but I thought I heard it.”

Idaho's Victor Sanders and Ty Egbert (41) celebrate during the Big Sky Tournament last season/by Brooks Nuanez

Idaho’s Victor Sanders and Ty Egbert (41) celebrate during the Big Sky Tournament last season/by Brooks Nuanez

What’s the scouting report on (Idaho leading scorer) Victor Sanders?

“He shoots the ball. He’s a big guard so when you’re late it’s just very difficult to have any impact on his ability to make shots. The biggest thing for us is he is a guy who draws a lot of fouls, sticks his leg out on threes — he does a lot of things that make him very difficult to officiate and so we’ve got to be there before he rises to take a shot to avoid running through and the fouls and giving him three shots at the free-throw line and things like that. The other piece for him is he is a guy who plays through emotion very well. The more emotional the game is for him probably the better he is going to play. We need to keep him even keel.”

Has the team put the Weber loss behind them?

“Yeah, that’s why you have the schedule you have. If you come into this thing 10-1, 11-1 and think pretty good of yourself and lose a close game you start second guessing who you are and those types of things. I think we’ve been through enough adversity that we expect tough games that we’ll be able to bounce back and keep moving forward.”

Other key information:

Montana is ranked No. 171 in the kenpom.com rankings and is No. 223, fifth in the Big Sky, in ESPN RPI rankings.

Idaho, led by ninth-year coach Don Verlin, is ranked No. 244 in the kenpom.com rankings and is No. 267, seventh in the Big Sky, in the ESPN RPI rankings.

When: Thursday, 8 p.m. MDT

Where: Cowan Spectrum, Moscow (6,000)

Radio: KGVO 101.5 FM

Watch: watchbigsky.com

Series: Idaho leads, 108-85 (gogriz.com)

Last: 2016, Montana beat Idaho 81-72 in March in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference tournament

kenpom Prediction: Idaho 51 percent (Idaho, 68-67)

Probable starters

Montana Grizzlies

G – Ahmaad Rorie, 6-1, So., 16.5 ppg

G – Michael Oguine, 6-2, So., 8.2 ppg

G – Sayeed Pridgett, 6-5, Fr., 8.6 ppg

F – Jack Lopez, 6-6, Sr., 7.3 ppg

F – Fabijan Krslovic, 6-8, Jr., 6.3 ppg

Idaho Vandals

G – Victor Sanders, 6-5, Jr., 18.5 ppg

G – Chad Sherwood, 6-2, Jr., 4.8 ppg

G — Trevon Allen, 6-2, Fr., 5.4 ppg

F – Nate Sherwood, 6-8, So.,  5.9 ppg

F – Jordan Scott, 6-6, Jr., 4.4 ppg

About Kyle Sample

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