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
Record26–9 (16–4 Big Sky)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Cobb
  • Rachi Wortham
  • Jay Flores
Home arenaDahlberg Arena
Seasons
2018–19 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Montana 16 4   .800 26 9   .743
Northern Colorado 15 5   .750 21 11   .656
Eastern Washington 12 8   .600 16 18   .471
Weber State 11 9   .550 18 15   .545
Portland State 11 9   .550 16 16   .500
Montana State 11 9   .550 15 17   .469
Southern Utah 9 11   .450 17 17   .500
Northern Arizona 8 12   .400 10 21   .323
Sacramento State 8 12   .400 15 16   .484
Idaho State 7 13   .350 11 19   .367
Idaho 2 18   .100 5 27   .156
Conference 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

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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

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Niko Bevens 3 G 6'6" 214 Sophomore Beaverton, OR Transferred to Alaska Anchorage
Karl Nicholas 5 F 6'7" 185 Freshman Pearland, TX Transferred to Stephen F. Austin
Lars Espe 10 G 6'1" 165 Freshman Bergen, Norway Transferred to Barry
Trevor Spoja 13 G 6'3" 164 Sophomore Billings, MT Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons
Fabijan Krslovic 20 F 6'8" 239 Senior Sydney, Australia Graduated
Admir Besovic 40 C 7'0" 240 Freshman Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Transferred to Santa Fe College

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Kendal Manuel 12 G 6'4" 190 RS Junior Billings, MT Transferred 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 Miller 34 F 6'6" 210 Junior Woodinville, WA Transferred 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

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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: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/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: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/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 September 30, 2018.

2019 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Josh Vazquez
#70 PG
Torrance, CA Bishop Montgomery High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 12, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 59
Derrick Carter-Hollinger, Jr.
SF
El Cajon, CA Foothills Christian High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 2, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/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:

2020 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Rollie Worster
PG
Missoula, MT Hellgate High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) N/A Oct 23, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/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:

Roster

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2018–19 Montana Grizzlies men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Michael Oguine 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 171 lb (78 kg) Sr Chaminade Prep Porter Ranch, CA
G 1 Timmy Falls 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 171 lb (78 kg) So Dublin Dublin, CA
F 2 Donaven Dorsey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 214 lb (97 kg) RS Sr Timberline
Washington
Lacey, WA
G 3 Freddy Brown III (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 164 lb (74 kg) Fr Nathan Hale Seattle, WA
G 4 Sayeed Pridgett 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr El Cerrito Oakland, CA
G 10 Eddy Egun (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr El Camino Real Woodland Hills, CA
G 12 Kendal Manuel 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr Skyview
Oregon State
Billings, MT
F 13 Ben Carter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 275 lb (125 kg) Fr Sacred Heart College Adelaide, Australia
G 14 Ahmaad Rorie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS Sr Lincoln
Oregon
Tacoma, WA
F 15 Jamar Akoh 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 253 lb (115 kg) RS Sr Los Osos HS
Cal State Fullerton
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
F 23 Mack Anderson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Bozeman Bozeman, MT
G 24 Bobby Moorehead 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Sr Stadium Tacoma, WA
F 32 Peter Jones (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Fr O'Dea Seattle, WA
C 33 Kelby Kramer 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Rock Springs Rock Springs, WY
F 34 Tony Miller 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Woodinville
Seattle Pacific
Woodinville, WA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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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

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2018–19 Montana Lady Griz basketball team

References

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