Montana Grizzlies
Big Sky (20-12, 14-4)
The Big Sky was extremely tough this season, but it was Montana who ended up sharing the regular season conference title and earning the #1 seed in the Big Sky Tournament. The Grizzlies tough non-conference schedule did not result any big wins, but it did get the team prepared for the Big Sky.
Big Wins: 12/7 North Dakota State (69-57), 1/22 Northern Arizona (64-57), 2/2 at Eastern Washington (77-76)
Bad Losses: 12/14 at Milwaukee (58-73), 1/8 at Weber State (60-68), 2/26 at Idaho (87-92)
Coach: Travis DeCuire
Why They Can Surprise:
Jordan Gregory and Brandon Gfeller are both superb outside shooters. Gfeller rarely comes inside of the arc, but he can have some huge games shooting the three, like his 7-of-12 outing against Idaho State back in January. Gregory is much more dynamic. He will hit just as many three-pointers as Gfeller, but Gregory is also very effective attacking the basket. Martin Breunig is the interior scorer on the team. The 6-8 forward has had a great year, averaging 16.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. When Breunig and Gregory are firing on all cylinders, which they usually are, Montana’s offense can keep up with just about anybody. They do get plenty of help from point guard Mario Dunn. He is a great ballhandler and is emerging as a solid scoring threat too.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Even with Gregory attacking the basket and Breunig hanging out in the paint, this Grizzlies squad does not spend much time at the charity stripe. That means this team often must rely on their outside shooting. If the shots are not falling, Montana will have trouble keeping up offensively. The other potential issue is in the frontcourt. The Grizzlies have size, but Fabijan Krslovic is a young freshman and the frontcourt depth does not have a lot of size. Battling bigger, stronger teams in the frontcourt will be a problem for Montana throughout the postseason.
Probable Starters:
Mario Dunn, Sophomore, Guard, 9.0 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.9 rpg, 1.8 spg
Jordan Gregory, Senior, Guard, 16.9 ppg, 3.2 apg
Brandon Gfeller, Sophomore, Guard, 8.7 ppg, 1.1 apg
Martin Breunig, Junior, Forward, 16.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.9 apg
Fabijan Krslovic, Freshman, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.0 apg
Key Roleplayers:
Riley Bradshaw, Sophomore, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 1.0 apg
Chris Kemp, Senior, Center, 3.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Jack Lopez, Sophomore, Forward, 1.7 ppg
Michael Weisner, Senior, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.4 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.8 (70th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.8 (178, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.9 (40, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.5 (199, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.5 (21, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.9 (54, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.4 (91, 8)
Rebound Margin: 0.0 (200, 4)
Assists Per Game: 14.6 (52, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.0 (112, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Second Round loss to Syracuse
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Wisconsin
2011 CBI First Round loss to Duquesne
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to New Mexico
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Nevada
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Boston College
2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Washington
2002 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Oregon
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
