GrizBacker04
Well-known member
Last night's game was horrendous, no questioning that. I was hoping for a competitive, 15-20 point loss. But for those folks who think this is a sign the program has problems, well, that is, in a word, crazy.
-Montana has put together the best four-year stretch of basketball in its history. Three BSC tournament titles, four BSC tournament title game appearances, two regular-season BSC titles and an NIT bid. That is an incredible run, and the Griz have a lot of talent coming back. So much emphasis is placed on one weekend in March, that the previous five months gets thrown out the window. Yes, the last two NCAA Tournament appearances have been blowouts, but those losses have come to top-20 teams. And last night's match-up was the absolute worse one that UM could have had. A long, athletic team that plays a suffocating zone that doesn't allow teams to get to the rim easily and can recover and contest 3s. Even open shots feel rushed against Syracuse.
-The Grizzlies, as was mentioned in a previous post, overcame a lot of obstacles in the last month of the season to even get to the NCAA Tournament. The Griz won games without both Cherry and Ward, then won the BSC Tournament title without Ward against a very good Weber State team. That says more about the coaching staff, players and the program than one NCAA Tournament game.
-UM probably got a little bit of a gift seed wise, as a few other one-bid leagues had their best teams lose early. Plus, the committee tries to cut down on team travel, letting Montana slide into the San Jose pod. On the other side of that, Syracuse most certainly is not a four seed, and had it not been for a second-half meltdown against Louisville, would have been a 3. Heck, Syracuse was No. 1 and 18-1 at one point this season. That team is really good when it plays focused basketball, like it did last night.
I am already looking forward to next season. Grizzlies have a lot coming back and recruiting certainly won't be hurt by last night. Name five schools in the region (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Dakotas, Minnesota, Colorado) other than Montana that can say they have been to three NCAA Tournaments in the past four years? I'll help you out, you won't be able to.
-Montana has put together the best four-year stretch of basketball in its history. Three BSC tournament titles, four BSC tournament title game appearances, two regular-season BSC titles and an NIT bid. That is an incredible run, and the Griz have a lot of talent coming back. So much emphasis is placed on one weekend in March, that the previous five months gets thrown out the window. Yes, the last two NCAA Tournament appearances have been blowouts, but those losses have come to top-20 teams. And last night's match-up was the absolute worse one that UM could have had. A long, athletic team that plays a suffocating zone that doesn't allow teams to get to the rim easily and can recover and contest 3s. Even open shots feel rushed against Syracuse.
-The Grizzlies, as was mentioned in a previous post, overcame a lot of obstacles in the last month of the season to even get to the NCAA Tournament. The Griz won games without both Cherry and Ward, then won the BSC Tournament title without Ward against a very good Weber State team. That says more about the coaching staff, players and the program than one NCAA Tournament game.
-UM probably got a little bit of a gift seed wise, as a few other one-bid leagues had their best teams lose early. Plus, the committee tries to cut down on team travel, letting Montana slide into the San Jose pod. On the other side of that, Syracuse most certainly is not a four seed, and had it not been for a second-half meltdown against Louisville, would have been a 3. Heck, Syracuse was No. 1 and 18-1 at one point this season. That team is really good when it plays focused basketball, like it did last night.
I am already looking forward to next season. Grizzlies have a lot coming back and recruiting certainly won't be hurt by last night. Name five schools in the region (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Dakotas, Minnesota, Colorado) other than Montana that can say they have been to three NCAA Tournaments in the past four years? I'll help you out, you won't be able to.
uke:
