Mid-Season Recap: Montana all alone at the top
We’re about halfway through the Big Sky Conference basketball season, and we break down where things stand. There is a little present at the bottom of the article for you – we give out our mid-season awards.
The We Stand Alone Tier
Idaho
Record: 4-17
Conference: 1-9
Last Week: at Sac. St. (48-69), at PSU (53-69), vs. NAU (73-86), vs. SUU (64-75)
Upcoming: at Montana (2/7), at MSU (2/9), vs. UNC (2/14), at EWU (2/18)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Trevon Allen, Guard, Jr.
14.8ppg, 3.9rpg, 45.8 fg%, 40 3fg%
Cameron Tyson, Guard, Fr.
13.6ppg, 39.5 3fg%, 7.6 3fga, 41.8 fg%
Jared Rodriguez, Forward, Fr.
10.9ppg, 6.6rpg, 45.9 fg%
After a run of four games against the lower tier of the conference, Vandal fans have clarity: this is the worst team in the Big Sky. Due to the extreme youth of the roster (one junior plays, zero seniors on the roster) a down year was expected, but Idaho has moved beyond a simple season of growing pains. The Vandals have had two total games in 2019 decided by single-digits: their lone win at home against EWU on January 3 (74-71), and an overtime loss to Northern Colorado in Greely on January 5 (79-83). Since the UNC game, Idaho has run a calendar month of conference double-digit losses, and there is no single statistical area to assign as the source of the Vandals’ woes. Idaho has zero conference games with a defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) below 100, and they combat a porous defense with the league’s worst scoring offense, with only three Vandals averaging more than six-and-a-half points per game. To make matters worse, Idaho’s lone All-Big Sky candidate, junior guard Trevon Allen, has shot only 12-for-45 since single-handedly keeping the Vandals competitive at home against Montana, and with how few of his teammates are able to contribute on the offensive end, the Vandals cannot afford to have their lone upperclassman struggle and remain a threat to grab a second conference win.
Idaho stands a great chance of spanning more than 45 days between wins given their upcoming games against four of the top five teams in the league. The Vandals did keep it close on the road against UNC, and their one win did come against EWU, which might be the only source of hope for Idaho through the beginning of February. Montana is a singularly bad matchup for the Vandals based on their defense and frontcourt strength, and there’s no reason to expect Montana State shouldn’t threaten to score around 100 against the Vandals in Bozeman. The formula for the Vandals to stay in any of these games will be for Allen, and freshmen duo Cameron Tyson and Jared Rodriguez to combine for around sixty points and hope for nominal production from players four-through-nine. Otherwise, Idaho should be looking for moral victories, like a third single-digit Big Sky loss, before presuming a second win is on the table.
The At Least We’re Not Them Tier
Idaho State
Record: 8-12
Conference: 4-7
Last Week: at Montana (69-80), at MSU (84-104), vs. Sac St. (58-74), vs. PSU (69-67)
Upcoming: at NAU (2/7), at SUU (2/9), vs. MSU (2/14), vs. Montana (2/16)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Balint Mocsan, Guard, Jr.
12.8ppg, 42.9 3fg%, 6.4 3fga, 49.5 fg%, 9fga
Brandon Boyd, Guard, Jr.
13.7ppg, 38.6 fg%, 12fga, 20.9 3fg%, 3.9 3fga, 3.6apg, 81.6 ft%, 4.5fta
Kelvin Jones, Center, Jr.
7.6ppg, 6.3rpg, 50 fg%, 6.9fga, 1.8blk
Since starting the Big Sky season 3-2 and looking like a top-six team, the Bengals have lost five of their last six with every loss coming by eleven or more, and have not recorded a defensive rating below 100 since January 3. The loss to Montana was expected, but giving up 104 to Montana State is as indefensible as scoring 58 against Sacramento State, and indicative of why the Bengals look like they will not climb into the top half of the Big Sky—Idaho State’s defense is too weak to support an inconsistent at best offense. Brandon Boyd is the only reliable shot creator for Idaho State, but as long as he is shooting worse than 40% from the field (including 20.9% from three), opposing coaches will likely hope he’s tasked with generating offense while staying home on shooters like Balint Mocsan and Jared Stutzman.
Road games at NAU and SUU feel like must-wins for the Bengals before hosting Montana State and Montana. The Lumberjacks field a quite similar roster to Idaho State, and the Thunderbirds up-and-down play on both ends of the court could be the medicine ISU needs. Projecting wins against either Montana school is a bit farfetched considering the Bengals’ poor defense makes them an ideal matchup for the Bobcats, while the Grizzlies have the talent to beat anyone. Staying in the hunt for a first round bye is still not out of the picture for Idaho State due to that 3-2 opening, but as the season wears on, the stability we expected from a junior-heavy roster seems to exist in ways Bengal fans wish it would not.
Sacramento State
Record: 9-10
Conference: 3-7
Last Week: vs. Idaho (69-48), vs. EWU (92-94 OT), at ISU (74-58), at Weber St. (65-75)
Upcoming: at UNC (2/9), vs. PSU (2/11), vs. SUU (2/14), vs. NAU (2/16)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Marcus Graves, Guard, Sr.
17.1ppg, 5.4apg, 3.8rpg, 41.8 fg%, 37.5 3fg%
Joshua Patton, Center, Jr.
13.4ppg, 4.8rpg, 60.7fg%, 3.5pf
Bryce Fowler, Forward, So.
8.6ppg, 4.2rpg, 2.9apg, 45.5 fg%
It may last less than a week, but Hornets fans have reason to celebrate. In wins over both Idaho schools and an overtime loss to EWU, Sacramento State recorded their three best offensive ratings of the conference season, and against Idaho and Idaho State, the defense showed up too (defensive ratings of 80 vs. Idaho and 85.3 vs. Idaho State). The loss at Weber State was competitive until the final few minutes, marking by far the best stretch of basketball we’ve seen from the Hornets this season.
A lot of the progress has to do with the improved play of Marcus Graves. The senior guard shot a combined 37% through Sacramento State’s first six conference games, but in their most recent four games Graves shot 48% from the field while averaging more than seven assists per game. That’s the kind of production Sacramento State expected out of their senior guard returning from a back injury that forced him to miss the entire 2017-18 season, and if Graves can maintain his recent run of All-Big Sky level performance, Sacramento State will become a viable threat to pick off wins against more than just the league’s worst.
In the upcoming weeks the Hornets will have a tough matchup in Greeley we expect them to lose, but games at home against Portland State, Southern Utah, and Northern Arizona are all winnable if their improved play at both ends is more than an aberration, with the Thunderbirds and Lumberjacks being the most likely candidates to push the Hornets beyond last season’s mark of four total Big Sky wins.
Southern Utah
Record: 10-10
Conference: 5-6
Last Week: at UNC (68-79), at NAU (77-80 OT), at EWU (79-82), at Idaho (75-64)
Upcoming: vs. Weber St. (2/7), vs. ISU (2/9), at Sac St. (2/14), at PSU (2/16)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Cameron Oluyitan, Guard, Jr.
13.5ppg, 3.8rpg, 45.5 fg%, 38.8 3fg%
Brandon Better, Guard, Sr.
14.2ppg, 36 fg%, 10.1fga, 32.9 3fg%
Andre Adams, Forward, So.
11.3ppg, 6.8rpg, 56.8 fg%, 7.4fga
The Thunderbirds have been a team of runs. SUU dropped their first three games (all by double-digit margins), won their next four, then lost three in a row again before going to Moscow and leaving with an inevitable double-digit margin of victory. Their up-and-down play has been embodied by their top two players. Arizona State transfer Andre Adams and Boise State transfer Cameron Oluyitan have each alternated scoring well into double-digits, then following the performance up with a single-digit outing for the last five games, with SUU finishing 2-3 through that run, which is emblematic of who SUU looks like they are more than halfway through the season: a team that can beat, or lose to anyone.
A positive story for the Thunderbirds has been the improved play of senior guard Brandon Better, who opened Big Sky play with a night-on-night-off rhythm similar to the recent play of Adams and Oluyitan, but has settled into a steadier version of himself while scoring in double-digits in five of the last six games for SUU. Consistent play from upperclassmen like Better will be essential if SUU is going to compete for a first round bye in the Big Sky tournament. It’s conceivable to picture the Thunderbirds finishing as a top-five team, but when evaluating their absolutely inconsistent play at both ends, where half they time the offense does not show up (offensive rating below 100 in six of eleven games), and the other half the defense bails (defensive rating above 100 in six of eleven games), projecting anything above the lower-middle of the conference is too much to grant SUU.
The Thunderbirds have a mostly favorable two weeks with three of their four games coming against teams with a sub .500 conference record, but considering the lack of rhyme or reason to SUU’s instability, it’s hard to imagine the Thunderbirds winning three of four and moving past EWU or Montana State. Games against Idaho State and Sacramento State against the number ten and number nine (respectively) scoring offenses give the SUU defense a chance to look like it’s come together, while their bookend games at home against Weber State and on the road against Portland State look like the ideal environments to see the less-than-ideal version of SUU basketball.
The Hope Is Not A Four Letter Word Tier
Portland State
Record: 9-12
Conference: 4-6
Last Week: vs. EWU (68-75), vs. Idaho (69-53), at Weber St. (76-75), at ISU (67-69)
Upcoming: at UNC (2/7), at Sac St. (2/11), vs. NAU (2/14), vs. SUU (2/16)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Holland Woods, Guard, So.
14.4ppg, 5.2apg, 4.7tov, 37 fg%, 12.7fga, 22.2 3fg%
Sal Nuhu, Forward, Jr.
9.1ppg, 52.5 fg%, 6.1fga, 5.4rpg
Robert McCoy, Forward, Jr.
8.1ppg, 6rpg, 36.5 fg%, 7.4fga, 20.6 3fg%, 3.4 3fga
The solid overall performance fans expected from Portland State came to fruition in the Vikings’ run of three wins (that could easily have been four) that pushed Portland State back into play for a run at one of the five first round byes in the conference tournament. From a macro-perspective, there isn’t a single underlying factor we can pin as to why the Vikings look so much better than they did through the opening four weeks. Against Idaho, Portland State recorded its best defensive rating of the season (79.1) while holding the Vandals to 53 points. Against EWU, the Vikings rode the hot hand of their entire roster with five players scoring in double-figures and the team shooting over 60% from the field. At Weber State, the Vikings outrebounded the Wildcats by 16 to win a game they probably should not have, then allowed Idaho State to shoot better than 50% from the field and lost a game they should not have.
Point guard Holland Woods’ improved shooting (45.6% in their last four games) helped stabilize part of the Vikings’ offensive attack, though the sophomore guard by no means carried the load by himself. Senior forward Jamie Ormie scored above double-figures in all of Portland State’s last four games after doing so only once through the Vikings’ first six conference games. If Ormie and Woods can play with some of the consistency we saw in the last two weeks, the Vikings favorable next two weeks give them a shot at cementing their position in the middle of the conference.
The stable play of Northern Colorado will be a challenge for Portland State, but home games against NAU and SUU give the Vikings a good chance at moving toward .500 in conference. Portland State cannot expect to shoot like they did against EWU on a nightly basis, but in wins over Idaho and Weber State and in the narrow loss to Idaho State, the Vikings had an average rebounding margin of +9.3. For a team without consistent scorers, earning extra possessions is essential, and will likely track whether the Vikings continue to ascend or drop back to the bottom tier over the next two weeks.
Northern Arizona
Record: 7-14
Conference: 5-6
Last Week: vs. UNC (48-63), vs. SUU (80-77 OT), at Idaho (86-73), at EWU (64-82)
Upcoming: vs. ISU (2/7), vs. Weber St. (2/9), at PSU (2/14), at Sac St. (2/16)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Bernie Andre, Forward, So.
13.8ppg, 8.6rpg, 44.8 fg%, 12.2fga
Ted McCree, Guard, Jr.
12.7ppg, 47.1 3fg%, 6.4 3fga, 43.5 fg%
Carlos Hines, Guard, So.
11.2ppg, 4.8apg, 2.3rpg, 36.4 fg%
Different from the youngest team in the Big Sky (Idaho), NAU and their second-youngest team of underclassmen are showing the type of growth that could put the Lumberjacks into the top third of the conference next season. Aside from the early season win at Montana State, NAU has shown a pattern of losing to solid-to-good teams (UNC and EWU in the last two weeks), while finding success against the okay-to-bad teams (SUU and Idaho). Results like that coupled with their number seven scoring offense and number six scoring defense paint NAU as the top of the bottom half of the Big Sky. Considering the 19 totals wins NAU accrued from the 2016 to 2018 seasons, Lumberjack fans should call this progress.
The highlight of this season has been the play of sophomore Bernie Andre, who has averaged around 16 points and six rebounds while leading the Lumberjacks to a 4-3 record over the past seven games. Through the same time span, junior guard Ted McCree has emerged as a second contributor while scoring in double-figures in seven of the last eight games. Those two players have given NAU reliable scorers they did not have through the first quarter of the conference season, and the likelihood of NAU stealing a bye in the Big Sky tournament will likely track the continued progress of the Lumberjacks’ top two scorers in conference.
NAU opens and closes the next two weeks with games they should expect to win against Idaho State and Sacramento State, provided the growth we’ve seen from the sophomore heavy roster continues through February. How the offense fares will likely dictate the Lumberjacks’ status after Valentine’s Day: in games with an offensive rating below 100, NAU is 1-3. Matchups with Weber State and at Portland State will be tougher, but if the Lumberjacks can go 1-1 in those games, there’s a strong chance NAU moves into the top half of the league for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
The Something More Than Something Less Tier
Eastern Washington
Record: 8-13
Conference: 6-4
Last Week: at PSU (65-78), at Sac St (94-92 OT), vs. SUU (82-79), vs. NAU (82-64)
Upcoming: at MSU (2/7), at Montana (2/9), vs. UNC (2/16), vs. Idaho (2/19)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Mason Peatling, Forward, Jr.
17.4ppg, 7.3rpg, 60.2 fg%, 11.6fga
Jesse Hunt, Forward, Sr.
12.8ppg, 9.2rpg, 3.5apg, 51.7 3fg%
Jacob Davison, Guard, So.
18.1ppg, 47.4 fg%, 34.8 3fg%
EWU is another team with a clear upward trajectory as the conference season has worn on. After opening conference play 1-3 including a loss at Idaho, the entire Eagles’ roster minus returning 2017-18 Honorable Mention All-Big Sky selection Mason Peatling was shooting a combined 36% from the field. A month later, EWU has won five of their last six, including a home sweep of the Montana schools, with their lone loss at Portland State coming by single-digits, and Peatling is no longer even the Eagles’ leading scorer in conference play.
At present, EWU sits in fourth place in conference and in the driver’s seat for a first round bye in the conference tournament, and much of that has to do with the improved play of Jacob Davison. After a slow start, the sophomore guard has scored in double-figures in six consecutive games, eclipsing 20 points in four of those outings including a 41 point explosion in a win over NAU. If Peatling returns from injury, Davison gives the Eagles an outside force to complement Peatling’s inside play, creating a similar version to what Montana has with likely All-Big Sky selections Ahmaad Rorie and Jamar Akoh.
The next two weeks will be challenging for EWU, and will give fans a chance to understand whether the Eagles are a midlevel team or a true threat to do damage in the conference tournament. Hosting Idaho is the lone theoretical night off for the Eagles, who play three of the league’s top five teams in Montana, Montana State, and Northern Colorado. EWU should be happy to finish 2-2 through the next two weeks, as Montana has long since rebounded from their loss in Cheney. Picking up a win against either the Bobcats or Bears will be important for the Eagles to maintain their momentum from the past few weeks, though the scoring margin for EWU (+.4) when compared to Montana State (+5.5) and Northern Colorado (+4.2) make it look like the Eagles are not yet a top four team.
Montana State
Record: 9-12
Conference: 6-5
Last Week: vs. Weber St. (84-93), vs. ISU (104-84), vs. Montana (78-83), at UNC (69-66)
Upcoming: vs. EWU (2/7), vs. Idaho (2/9), at ISU (2/14), at Weber St. (2/16)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Harald Frey, Guard, Jr.
17.3ppg, 5.5apg, 4.4rpg, 38.1 3fg%
Tyler Hall, Guard, Sr.
22.3ppg, 4.7rpg, 47.8 fg%, 39.8 3fg%, 9.4 3fga
Keljin Blevins, Forward, Sr.
11.6ppg, 6.1rpg, 45 fg%
The Bobcats’ win at Northern Colorado, the Bobcats had dropped four of their last five, did not possess a single conference win against a team with a conference record over .500, and looked ready to reenact the collapse of their 2017-18 season. The game at UNC was a defensive affair, making it the style of play the Bears prefer, and UNC limited Montana State’s second-leading scorer but their likely most important offensive weapon, junior Harald Frey, to nine points. Somehow, largely due to 23 points from senior Tyler Hall, Montana State picked up the win, and may have saved their season.
It feels hyperbolic to describe Montana State, a team with two likely All-Big Sky selections, in such dire terms, but that is how the season in Bozeman has felt. Montana State started out 4-1, largely due to a soft opening schedule, then struggled against the conference heavyweights. Tyler Hall has been steadily excellent while scoring twenty or more in eight of eleven conference games, though Harald Frey has more or less been the bellwether for the Bobcats: in January losses to Northern Colorado, EWU, Weber State, and Montana, Frey averaged 12 points per game. In all six Montana State wins, the junior guard averages just below twenty.
The next three games for Montana State give the Bobcats a chance to separate themselves from the middle tier of the conference. Idaho and Idaho State should be penciled in as wins, with games at home against EWU and at Weber State indicative of whether Montana State truly turned their season around in Greeley, or whether this version of the Bobcats is just the best of the bottom few Big Sky rungs. Expect a repeat loss in Ogden, but with EWU possibly shorthanded in Bozeman, finishing the next two weeks 3-1 and nearing .500 on the season is a realistic expectation for Montana State.
The Normally Things Go Right Tier
Northern Colorado
Record: 14-8
Conference: 8-3
Last Week: vs. SUU (79-68), at NAU (63-48), vs. MSU (66-69)
Upcoming: vs. PSU (2/7), vs. Sac St. (2/9), at Idaho (2/14), at EWU (2/16)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Jordan Davis, Guard, Sr.
23.6ppg, 4.5rpg, 4.8apg, 49.7 fg%
Bodie Hume, Guard, Fr.
12.4ppg, 4.7rpg, 41.4 fg%, 35.8 3fg%
Jonah Radebaugh, Guard, Jr.
7.3ppg, 2.7apg, 29.1 fg%, 17.6 3fg%
There is no Big Sky team with a simpler statistical profile to understand than Northern Colorado. UNC has only lost to stronger teams (Montana, Weber State, and Montana State), and all three losses represent the only conference games where the Bears have earned an offensive rating below 100. In general terms, UNC’s defense almost always shows up, but for the Bears to compete for a spot in the NCAA tournament, the players surrounding possible player of the year Jordan Davis will have to step up in a way we have not yet seen.
Initially, Bodie Hume’s outside shooting looked like the ideal complement to Davis’ attacking offensive game, but in the last six outings, the freshman guard has hit a combined 9-of-47 from the field. Though we expect inconsistency from even the best freshmen, stronger teams have upperclassmen who provide stability to counter the up-and-down play of younger contributors, but outside of Jordan Davis, UNC is not receiving the type of supporting play a top-three conference team normally shows. Only four Bears score more than six points per game, while three rotational guards other than Davis and Hume all shoots below 40% from the field. Thus far, their league best scoring defense (67.4ppg) has made up for the offense against the bad-to-okay teams in conference, but until UNC sees reliable scoring outside of Jordan Davis, they will be a threat to look more like an EWU or Montana State-caliber team than a Montana or Weber State level performer.
Fortunately for UNC, the upcoming schedule will grant them enough margin-for-error to expect their winning ways to continue. Though Portland State and EWU may be different threats to the Bears than they were the first time around, games against Sacramento State and Idaho mean 2-2 is a worst case scenario before back-to-back games against Montana and Weber State to close out February. UNC fans should not worry about losing a first round bye, but until we see reliable secondary production from some combination of Hume, Jalen Sanders, Jonah Radebaugh, Kai Edwards, or Trent Harris, the ceiling for UNC will be another CIT or CBI run.
Weber State
Record: 14-8
Conference: 8-3
Last Week: at MSU (93-84), at Montana (68-75), vs. PSU (75-76), vs. Sac St. (75-65)
Upcoming: at SUU (2/7), at NAU (2/9), vs. Montana (2/14), vs. MSU (2/16)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Jerrick Harding, Guard, Jr.
22.5ppg, 49.1 fg%, 15.5fga, 34.4 3fg%
Brekkott Chapman, Forward, Sr.
14.4ppg, 10.5rpg, 2blk, 50 fg%, 37.5 3fg%
Zach Braxton, Forward, Sr.
11.4ppg, 6.8rpg, 68.9 fg%, 5.5fga
Weber State faithful have to be disappointed after following up a loss at Montana with a home loss to Portland State. The Wildcats are still clearly one of the top three teams in the league, are still in control of a first round bye in the conference tournament, and have one of the two best starting lineups in the league, but we are beginning to see chinks in the Weber State armor, and those chinks have tracked the play of senior forward Brekkott Chapman and junior guard Cody John.
Chapman had looked like a clear First Team All-Big Sky player heading into the Montana game, but in back-to-back losses the forward shot a combined 33% from the field while struggling with foul trouble in both games. Chapman did pick up his play in a win against Sacramento State, and can contribute without scoring (16 rebounds vs. Montana), but the Wildcats had been able to count on efficient scoring out of the forward, and if they’re going to contend for an NCAA tournament berth, they will need to see more of the Brekkot Chapman who scored 19 points on 11 shots while grabbing 11 rebounds in their earlier win against the Vikings, than the Chapman who scored 10 points on eight shots and fouled out in their recent loss to Portland State. John’s performance has been similar to Chapman’s, in that he started the season strong, scoring in double-figures in all of the Wildcats’ first five games, but in the following six, the junior has only done so twice. Different from Chapman, John does not fill up the box score in other ways, meaning his shot has to fall for him to produce.
Weber State has favorable games on the road against NAU and SUU, where the Wildcats’ offense will likely be too much for either the Lumberjacks or the Thunderbirds, and will provide Weber State a chance to tune up before rematches against the Montana schools in Ogden. The Wildcats should feel like the Grizzlies have not yet seen them at their best, considering the forward combination of Chapman and senior Zach Braxton (two All-Big Sky candidates) combined for nearly as many fouls (8) as points (10), a scenario that cannot materialize a second time if Weber State expects a different outcome away from Missoula. The Bobcats’ offense makes them a threat to win any game, though the Weber State offense had no trouble with the Montana State defense in Bozeman (93 points, offensive rating of 119.2) and will likely thrive in their second matchup with the Bobcats.
The It’s Ours To Lose Tier
Montana
Record: 15-6
Conference: 8-2
Last Week: vs. ISU (80-69), vs. Weber St. (75-68), at MSU (83-78)
Upcoming: vs. Idaho (2/7), vs. EWU (2/9), at Weber St. (2/14), at ISU (2/16)
Key Players (Conference only stats):
Ahmaad Rorie, Guard, Sr.
17.4ppg, 47.8 fg%, 40 3fg%, 3.5apg, 4.1rpg
Jamar Akoh, Forward, Sr.
17ppg, 9.4rpg, 57.8 fg%, 7.3fta
Michael Oguine, Guard, Sr.
12.9ppg, 8fga, 4.9rpg, 41.4 3fg%
The two early losses to Portland State and EWU feel like blips on the University of Montana radar. The Grizzlies have won five consecutive conference games since the road loss to the Eagles, including a seven point win over Weber State where the Grizzlies built a 30-10 lead early in the first half. If we’re looking to nitpick, Montana did allow the Wildcats back in the second half, and in a road win at Montana State, the Grizzlies played the style of game the Bobcats needed for the game to remain competitive. But we are still looking at a team that talentwise seems a step ahead of the rest of the conference, and a charitable interpretation of the Montana State win is that Montana proved they can win in the Big Sky playing any style they choose.
In macro terms, Montana has mixed strong defense (six conference games with defensive ratings below 100), with efficient offense (only one game with an offensive rating below 100, seven with ratings of 110 or higher). Senior Ahmaad Rorie has been a spectacular version of steady while scoring in double-figures in all but one conference game, including five games with 20 or more, while fellow senior Jamar Akoh’s production has distinguished whether the Grizzlies are great, or merely good (five conference games with 20+ points, zero games shooting below 50%). During the conference season that designation may be negligible, but if Montana is going to make the NCAA tournament and possibly end the Big Sky’s twelve year run of first round losses, seeing both Rorie and Akoh perform at an All-Big Sky level night in and night out is a must for the Grizzly faithful.
Games this week hosting Idaho and EWU should be bankable wins for Montana provided we see the same focus the Grizzlies showed through much of the Weber State and Montana State games. The following week Montana will have a rematch with the Wildcats in Ogden, and Montana should expect a stronger version of Weber State at home than the one that traveled to Missoula. In spite of picking up the win in the first matchup, Montana Coach Travis DeCuire likely feels Weber State did not see the best version of the Grizzlies, considering Rorie, Michael Oguine, and Sayeed Pridgett combined for 32 points on 28 shots, a significantly less efficient output than the 42 points on 31 shots the trio averages in conference.
Montana-Mint’s Midseason Awards
First Team
Jordan Davis, UNC (Player of the Year)
Jerrick Harding, Weber St.
Ahmaad Rorie, Montana
Tyler Hall, Montana St.
Jamar Akoh, Montana
Brekkot Chapman, Weber St.
Second Team
Michael Oguine, Montana
Zach Braxton, Weber St.
Harald Frey, Montana St.
Jacob Davison, EWU
Marcus Graves, Sacramento St.
Honorable Mention
Holland Woods, Portland St.
Mason Peatling, EWU
Sayeed Pridgett, Montana
Bernie Andre, NAU
Cody John, Weber St.
Cover photo via GoGriz.com
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About the Author
Brian Marceau Brian Marceau writes fiction, teaches, and covers University of Idaho men's basketball for Tubs At The Club, all while voluntarily enduring Idaho Vandal football games. He is a retired connoisseur of $4-and-under wines, an unrepentant coffee snob, and a follower of Big Sky football and basketball.
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