2018–19 Montana Grizzlies basketball team

The 2018–19 Montana Grizzlies basketball team represented the University of Montana during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Grizzlies, led by fifth-year head coach Travis DeCuire, played their home games at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Montana as members of the Big Sky Conference. Finishing the season 26–9 overall, 16–4 in Big Sky play, the Grizzlies won the Big Sky regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, they defeated Sacramento State, Weber State, and Eastern Washington to win the tournament, and earned the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2018–19 Montana Grizzlies basketball
Big Sky regular season and tournament champions
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
2018–19 record26–9 (16–4 Big Sky)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Cobb
  • Rachi Wortham
  • Jay Flores
Home arenaDahlberg Arena
2018–19 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Montana †16–4 .800  26–9  .743
Northern Colorado15–5 .750  21–11  .656
Eastern Washington12–8 .600  16–18  .471
Weber State11–9 .550  18–15  .545
Portland State11–9 .550  16–16  .500
Montana State11–9 .550  15–17  .469
Southern Utah9–11 .450  17–17  .500
Northern Arizona8–12 .400  10–21  .323
Sacramento State8–12 .400  15–16  .484
Idaho State7–13 .350  11–19  .367
Idaho2–18 .100  5–27  .156
† Big Sky Tournament winner

Given a No. 15 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, Montana was defeated by Michigan in the first round for the second consecutive year.

Previous season

The Grizzlies finished the 2017–18 season 26–8, 16–2 in Big Sky play to win the Big Sky regular season championship. They defeated North Dakota, Northern Colorado, and Eastern Washington to be champions of the Big Sky Tournament. They earned the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the First Round to Michigan.

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Niko Bevens3G6'6"214SophomoreBeaverton, ORTransferred to Alaska Anchorage
Karl Nicholas5F6'7"185FreshmanPearland, TXTransferred to Stephen F. Austin
Lars Espe10G6'1"165FreshmanBergen, NorwayTransferred to Barry
Trevor Spoja13G6'3"164SophomoreBillings, MTWalk-on; left the team due to personal reasons
Fabijan Krslovic20F6'8"239SeniorSydney, AustraliaGraduated
Admir Besovic40C7'0"240FreshmanSarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaTransferred to Santa Fe College

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Kendal Manuel12G6'4"190RS JuniorBillings, MTTransferred from Oregon State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Orizu will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Tony Miller34F6'6"210JuniorWoodinville, WATransferred from Seattle Pacific. Under NCAA transfer rules, Miller will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

2018 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ben Carter
C		 Adelaide, Australia Sacred Heart College 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 270 lb (120 kg) May 18, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Mack Anderson
SF		 Bozeman, MT Bozeman High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Aug 3, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.

    2019 recruiting class

    2020 recruiting class

    Roster
    2018–19 Montana Grizzlies men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 0 Michael Oguine 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)171 lb (78 kg) SrChaminade Prep Porter Ranch, CA
    G 1 Timmy Falls 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)171 lb (78 kg) SoDublin Dublin, CA
    F 2 Donaven Dorsey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)214 lb (97 kg) RS SrTimberline
    Washington    		 Lacey, WA
    G 3 Freddy Brown III (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)164 lb (74 kg) FrNathan Hale Seattle, WA
    G 4 Sayeed Pridgett 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrEl Cerrito Oakland, CA
    G 10 Eddy Egun (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)160 lb (73 kg) FrEl Camino Real Woodland Hills, CA
    G 12 Kendal Manuel 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS JrSkyview
    Oregon State    		 Billings, MT
    F 13 Ben Carter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)275 lb (125 kg) FrSacred Heart College Adelaide, Australia
    G 14 Ahmaad Rorie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg) RS SrLincoln
    Oregon    		 Tacoma, WA
    F 15 Jamar Akoh 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)253 lb (115 kg) RS SrLos Osos HS
    Cal State Fullerton    		 Rancho Cucamonga, CA
    F 23 Mack Anderson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrBozeman Bozeman, MT
    G 24 Bobby Moorehead 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)182 lb (83 kg) SrStadium Tacoma, WA
    F 32 Peter Jones (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS FrO'Dea Seattle, WA
    C 33 Kelby Kramer 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS FrRock Springs Rock Springs, WY
    F 34 Tony Miller 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrWoodinville
    Seattle Pacific    		 Woodinville, WA
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results
    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 2, 2018*
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Whitworth W 90–58 
    		Dahlberg Arena (3,073)
    Missoula, MT
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 9, 2018*
    7:00 pm, SWX MT/Pluto TV    		 Georgia State W 81–74  1–0
    		 Dahlberg Arena (4,321)
    Missoula, MT
    Nov 12, 2018*
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Montana Tech W 79–55  2–0
    		 Dahlberg Arena (3,024)
    Missoula, MT
    Nov 16, 2018*
    9:00 am    		 vs. Incarnate Word
    The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase Quarterfinals    		 W 93–66[1]  3–0
    		 Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (325)
    Nassau, Bahamas
    Nov 17, 2018*
    5:00 pm    		 vs. Miami (OH)
    The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase semifinals    		 W 73–71[2]  4–0
    		 Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (543)
    Nassau, Bahamas
    Nov 18, 2018*
    8:00 pm    		 vs. Georgia Southern
    The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase championship    		 L 77–80[3]  4–1
    		 Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium (634)
    Nassau, Bahamas
    Nov 28, 2018*
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 at Creighton L 72–98  4–2
    		 CHI Health Center Omaha (16,457)
    Omaha, NE
    Dec 3, 2018*
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 College of Idaho W 80–52  5–2
    		 Dahlberg Arena (3,040)
    Missoula, MT
    Dec 8, 2018*
    8:00 pm    		 at UC Irvine L 51–60  5–3
    		 Bren Events Center (1,237)
    Irvine, CA
    Dec 17, 2018*
    7:00 pm, SWX MT/Pluto TV    		 North Dakota State W 60–53  6–3
    		 Dahlberg Arena (3,553)
    Missoula, MT
    Dec 19, 2018*
    6:30 pm, P12N    		 at Arizona L 42–61  6–4
    		 McKale Center (12,925)
    Tucson, AZ
    Dec 22, 2018*
    6:00 pm, ESPN+    		 at South Dakota State W 85–74  7–4
    		 Frost Arena (2,540)
    Vermillion, SD
    Big Sky regular season
    Dec 29, 2018
    2:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Northern Arizona W 86–73  8–4
    (1–0)    		 Walkup Skydome (856)
    Flagstaff, AZ
    Dec 31, 2018
    6:30 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Southern Utah W 89–76  9–4
    (2–0)    		 America First Events Center (1,451)
    Cedar City, UT
    Jan 3, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Sacramento State W 87–56  10–4
    (3–0)    		 Dahlberg Arena (3,920)
    Missoula, MT
    Jan 5, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Portland State L 74–77  10–5
    (3–1)    		 Dahlberg Arena (4,408)
    Missoula, MT
    Jan 10, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Eastern Washington L 71–78  10–6
    (3–2)    		 Reese Court (1,578)
    Cheney, WA
    Jan 12, 2019
    2:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Northern Colorado W 88–64  11–6
    (4–2)    		 Bank of Colorado Arena (2,124)
    Greeley, CO
    Jan 19, 2019
    8:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Idaho W 69–51  12–6
    (5–2)    		 Cowan Spectrum (1,419)
    Moscow, ID
    Jan 24, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Idaho State W 80–69  13–6
    (6–2)    		 Dahlberg Arena (4,076)
    Missoula, MT
    Jan 26, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Weber State W 75–68  14–6
    (7–2)    		 Dahlberg Arena (5,547)
    Missoula, MT
    Feb 2, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Montana State W 83–78  15–6
    (8–2)    		 Brick Breeden Fieldhouse (6,013)
    Bozeman, MT
    Feb 7, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Idaho W 100–59  16–6
    (9–2)    		 Dahlberg Arena (3,381)
    Missoula, MT
    Feb 9, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Eastern Washington W 75–74  17–6
    (10–2)    		 Dahlberg Arena (5,005)
    Missoula, MT
    Feb 14, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Weber State W 83–80  18–6
    (11–2)    		 Dee Events Center (6,729)
    Ogden, UT
    Feb 16, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Idaho State W 80–68  19–6
    (12–2)    		 Reed Gym (1,503)
    Pocatello, ID
    Feb 23, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Montana State W 89–83  20–6
    (13–2)    		 Dahlberg Arena (7,135)
    Missoula, MT
    Feb 25, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Northern Colorado L 72–74  20–7
    (13–3)    		 Dahlberg Arena (3,773)
    Missoula, MT
    Mar 2, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Southern Utah W 70–54  21–7
    (14–3)    		 Dahlberg Arena (4,383)
    Missoula, MT
    Mar 4, 2019
    7:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 Northern Arizona W 66–64  22–7
    (15–3)    		 Dahlberg Arena (3,706)
    Missoula, MT
    Mar 7, 2019
    8:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Portland State L 69–81  22–8
    (15–4)    		 Viking Pavilion (2,042)
    Portland, OR
    Mar 9, 2019
    8:00 pm, Pluto TV    		 at Sacramento State W 86–68  23–8
    (16–4)    		 Hornets Nest (977)
    Sacramento, CA
    Big Sky Tournament
    Mar 14, 2019
    12:00 pm, Eleven    		 (1) vs. (9) Sacramento State
    Quarterfinals    		 W 79–73  24–8
    		 CenturyLink Arena 
    Boise, ID
    Mar 15, 2019
    5:30 pm, Eleven    		 (1) vs. (4) Weber St.
    Semifinals    		 W 78–49  25–8
    		 CenturyLink Arena (2,900)
    Boise, ID
    Mar 16, 2019
    6:00 pm, ESPNU    		 (1) vs. (3) Eastern Washington
    Championship    		 W 68–62  26–8
    		 CenturyLink Arena (3,737)
    Boise, ID
    NCAA Tournament
    Mar 21, 2019*
    7:20 pm, TNT    		 (15 W) vs. (2 W) No. 8 Michigan
    First Round    		 L 55–74  26–9
    		 Wells Fargo Arena (16,360)
    Des Moines, IA
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Mountain Time.

    See also

    2018–19 Montana Lady Griz basketball team

    References
    1. "Men's Basketball vs Incarnate Word on 11/16/2018 – Box Score". University of Montana Athletics.
    2. "Men's Basketball vs Miami (Ohio) on 11/17/2018 – Box Score". University of Montana Athletics.
    3. "Men's Basketball vs Georgia Southern on 11/18/2018 – Box Score". University of Montana Athletics.
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