http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...mmittee-fills-first-ballot-college-basketball
• Montana coach Wayne Tinkle could barely speak on Thursday. He lost his voice cheering -- and coaching -- the Grizzlies to their Big Sky title victory over Weber State.
"It was unbelievable," Tinkle said. "The people of Missoula had been waiting a long time for this. It had been 20 years since we hosted and won it."
The Grizzlies knocked out Weber and the top point guard in the country in Damian Lillard. Montana won the Big Sky with a 15-1 league mark, and enters the NCAA tournament at 25-6 overall.
"We're riding a pretty good wave right now," Tinkle said. "We've won 14 in a row. We've got a ton of confidence. It will all come down to matchups and what seed we get."
Teams that are on a roll like Montana and Murray State can't be dismissed heading into the NCAAs. Of course, Tinkle is right. The matchup will be the difference. The Grizzlies had a stellar scorer two seasons ago in Anthony Johnson, but this team has much more balance with five scorers averaging at least nine points a game.
"We're a much better team, with any number of players [who] can jump up and explode on a given night," Tinkle said. "We had five guys in double digits [against Weber State]."
Tinkle added that the Wildcats' Lillard was a terrific competitor without the trash talk.
"He's so athletic, hard to trap and could finish over bigs," Tinkle said. "He could shoot it deep. Our guys were physical, and he got frustrated a bit. He'll show well in the next level with the guys he'll be surrounded by."
Now the onus is on Montana to do something with this bid.
"Some say we'll get a 15-[seed]; I'd hope for a 12," Tinkle said. "I'm not worried about the seed. I'm just concerned about the matchups."
• Montana coach Wayne Tinkle could barely speak on Thursday. He lost his voice cheering -- and coaching -- the Grizzlies to their Big Sky title victory over Weber State.
"It was unbelievable," Tinkle said. "The people of Missoula had been waiting a long time for this. It had been 20 years since we hosted and won it."
The Grizzlies knocked out Weber and the top point guard in the country in Damian Lillard. Montana won the Big Sky with a 15-1 league mark, and enters the NCAA tournament at 25-6 overall.
"We're riding a pretty good wave right now," Tinkle said. "We've won 14 in a row. We've got a ton of confidence. It will all come down to matchups and what seed we get."
Teams that are on a roll like Montana and Murray State can't be dismissed heading into the NCAAs. Of course, Tinkle is right. The matchup will be the difference. The Grizzlies had a stellar scorer two seasons ago in Anthony Johnson, but this team has much more balance with five scorers averaging at least nine points a game.
"We're a much better team, with any number of players [who] can jump up and explode on a given night," Tinkle said. "We had five guys in double digits [against Weber State]."
Tinkle added that the Wildcats' Lillard was a terrific competitor without the trash talk.
"He's so athletic, hard to trap and could finish over bigs," Tinkle said. "He could shoot it deep. Our guys were physical, and he got frustrated a bit. He'll show well in the next level with the guys he'll be surrounded by."
Now the onus is on Montana to do something with this bid.
"Some say we'll get a 15-[seed]; I'd hope for a 12," Tinkle said. "I'm not worried about the seed. I'm just concerned about the matchups."
