Early Rankings

[citygriz]

KenPom has us at #148, behind Weber at #114 and Southern Utah at #122. Cats at #176.

https://kenpom.com/

Sports Illustrated, not so great. We're at #247 behind Southern Utah at #120, Weber at #149 and the Cats at #216. In a separate listing, they have 20 "up and coming" college coaches and Travis does not make that list.

https://www.si.com/college/2021/11/02/ncaa-basketball-rankings-every-team-daily-cover

 

[grizzlyjournal]

For what it's worth... All metrics ratings systems enter each season with a lot of baggage from the previous season, but I've found Haslametrics most accurate by mid to late December with KenPom and USA Today's Sagarin ratings getting more accurate by the end of January. I base this not on my own knowledge but by observing which system has been most accurate over the past 3-10 seasons. Sagarin does not post pre-season ratings, normally posting its initial rankings by early December. So...
Here's the preseason lineup from Haslametrics:
114 Weber State
115 Southern Utah
153 Montana
179 U. Northern Colorado
189 Montana State
224 Eastern Washington
231 Idaho State
240 Portland State
303 Sacramento State
327 Northern Arizona
351 Idaho

 

[GrizBall]

KenPom has us at #148, behind Weber at #114 and Southern Utah at #122. Cats at #176.

https://kenpom.com/

Sports Illustrated, not so great. We're at #247 behind Southern Utah at #120, Weber at #149 and the Cats at #216. In a separate listing, they have 20 "up and coming" college coaches and Travis does not make that list.

https://www.si.com/college/2021/11/02/ncaa-basketball-rankings-every-team-daily-cover

For what it is worth, I don't pay much attention to big sports websites such as ESPN and SI when it comes to Big Sky basketball (or other similar conferences). They make their money on the big conferences and pretty much have zero unique coverage of the Big Sky during the season. #247 basically means that Montana will be worse than last year which seems impossible considering the youth and the amount of returning production (unless you think they were in the bottom 1/3 of all D-1 teams last year). There are a lot of possible outcomes for this year, but I feel very comfortable in saying being worse than last year is not one of them.

My favorite source for pre-season reviews is the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Their write-ups show that the people that write them actually watch Big Sky Basketball, unlike Athlon and Lindy's that write about 50 words on each Big Sky team and largely regurgitate last year's stats, the Blue Ribbon analysis is in-depth and shows a tremendous understanding of the teams.

I also like KenPom, although his rankings are unique in that I don't think he watches basketball. His is just straight driven by analytics and literally changes after every D-1 vs. D-1 game is complete during the season based on the most current numbers. He doesn't take into consideration games against non D-1 team in his analysis which I think is the correct way to go about it.

 

[UncleRico]

For what it's worth... All metrics ratings systems enter each season with a lot of baggage from the previous season, but I've found Haslametrics most accurate by mid to late December with KenPom and USA Today's Sagarin ratings getting more accurate by the end of January. I base this not on my own knowledge but by observing which system has been most accurate over the past 3-10 seasons. Sagarin does not post pre-season ratings, normally posting its initial rankings by early December. So...
Here's the preseason lineup from Haslametrics:
114 Weber State
115 Southern Utah
153 Montana
179 U. Northern Colorado
189 Montana State
224 Eastern Washington
231 Idaho State
240 Portland State
303 Sacramento State
327 Northern Arizona
351 Idaho

It is going to be a highly competitive conference. I am looking forward to seeing games in person!

 

[Grizfan-24]

I've found this year that a lot of people, media types, seemed to have been completely underwhelmed by Montana last year and that hangover has carried into this year. Understandable. I get that coaches and media types seemed to be enamored by what transfers schools have brought in, and MSU, WSU, and NAU all won the off-season in that sense. I don't think teams are going to sleep on Montana, as what TDC has done in his time here, but there is a complete feel of this team being under the radar.

I would hazard a guess to say that UM might have one of the deepest 1-10 squads in the conference this winter. There are a few questions honestly, and I think from early reports that Martin Jr and Blakney are going to be able to answer a good many of those questions. Neither player got as much pub as an impact transfer, mostly because again of whom MSU, WSU and NAU brought in, but they might be as important to Montana as to what impact it has on the collective roster as anyone. Just the sense is that both of them change the defensive and offensive character of the team that it might not be recognizable from last years squad.

 

[grizzlyjournal]

I've found this year that a lot of people, media types, seemed to have been completely underwhelmed by Montana last year and that hangover has carried into this year. Understandable. I get that coaches and media types seemed to be enamored by what transfers schools have brought in, and MSU, WSU, and NAU all won the off-season in that sense. I don't think teams are going to sleep on Montana, as what TDC has done in his time here, but there is a complete feel of this team being under the radar.

I would hazard a guess to say that UM might have one of the deepest 1-10 squads in the conference this winter. There are a few questions honestly, and I think from early reports that Martin Jr and Blakney are going to be able to answer a good many of those questions. Neither player got as much pub as an impact transfer, mostly because again of whom MSU, WSU and NAU brought in, but they might be as important to Montana as to what impact it has on the collective roster as anyone. Just the sense is that both of them change the defensive and offensive character of the team that it might not be recognizable from last years squad.

Good stuff, Grizfan-24! I'd go with your brief analysis as the most accurate profile of the Griz -- flying a bit under the media radar -- I've read anywhere this year. After watching the pre-season scrimmage, my central revelation was that this is possibly the first potential 9-man Montana rotation I've ever seen... and that was with Blakney manning the bench. If there's a "lack of depth," it's possibly that there are only three players that physically fit the post/power forward profiles; otherwise, every other position seems to be two deep+. I distinctly remember back in 2011 when Duquesne waltzed into town post-season and blew a very good Griz team off the floor (87-76) with two 5-6 man rotations, each adept at unique defensive attacks. I've often thought about what it would be like for a Montana team to be able to do something similar.

 

[UncleRico]

I've found this year that a lot of people, media types, seemed to have been completely underwhelmed by Montana last year and that hangover has carried into this year. Understandable. I get that coaches and media types seemed to be enamored by what transfers schools have brought in, and MSU, WSU, and NAU all won the off-season in that sense. I don't think teams are going to sleep on Montana, as what TDC has done in his time here, but there is a complete feel of this team being under the radar.

I would hazard a guess to say that UM might have one of the deepest 1-10 squads in the conference this winter. There are a few questions honestly, and I think from early reports that Martin Jr and Blakney are going to be able to answer a good many of those questions. Neither player got as much pub as an impact transfer, mostly because again of whom MSU, WSU and NAU brought in, but they might be as important to Montana as to what impact it has on the collective roster as anyone. Just the sense is that both of them change the defensive and offensive character of the team that it might not be recognizable from last years squad.

Good stuff, Grizfan-24! I'd go with your brief analysis as the most accurate profile of the Griz -- flying a bit under the media radar -- I've read anywhere this year. After watching the pre-season scrimmage, my central revelation was that this is possibly the first potential 9-man Montana rotation I've ever seen... and that was with Blakney manning the bench. If there's a "lack of depth," it's possibly that there are only three players that physically fit the post/power forward profiles; otherwise, every other position seems to be two deep+. I distinctly remember back in 2011 when Duquesne waltzed into town post-season and blew a very good Griz team off the floor (87-76) with two 5-6 man rotations, each adept at unique defensive attacks. I've often thought about what it would be like for a Montana team to be able to do something similar.

I remember a story a couple years ago about New Mexico St. going with a deep rotation of 12 most games. They are a pretty consistent 20 win team. The idea was that it made practice more competitive and reduced foul trouble (which was an issue for the Griz last year), reduced injuries and made the players play more aggressive on defense. They also used multiple starting lineups just to take that ego part out of it. I think it is an interesting concept like you said. And I agree this Griz team looked very deep last week.

 

[GrizBall]

I've found this year that a lot of people, media types, seemed to have been completely underwhelmed by Montana last year and that hangover has carried into this year. Understandable. I get that coaches and media types seemed to be enamored by what transfers schools have brought in, and MSU, WSU, and NAU all won the off-season in that sense. I don't think teams are going to sleep on Montana, as what TDC has done in his time here, but there is a complete feel of this team being under the radar.

I would hazard a guess to say that UM might have one of the deepest 1-10 squads in the conference this winter. There are a few questions honestly, and I think from early reports that Martin Jr and Blakney are going to be able to answer a good many of those questions. Neither player got as much pub as an impact transfer, mostly because again of whom MSU, WSU and NAU brought in, but they might be as important to Montana as to what impact it has on the collective roster as anyone. Just the sense is that both of them change the defensive and offensive character of the team that it might not be recognizable from last years squad.

This is a good synopsis. Where would you rank the Griz? Most of the prognosticators that I view as reputable have them anywhere from 3-5 with probably 3rd being the mode. With that said, I think that feels about right for this pre-season.

 

[citygriz]

Good stuff, Grizfan-24! I'd go with your brief analysis as the most accurate profile of the Griz -- flying a bit under the media radar -- I've read anywhere this year. After watching the pre-season scrimmage, my central revelation was that this is possibly the first potential 9-man Montana rotation I've ever seen... and that was with Blakney manning the bench. If there's a "lack of depth," it's possibly that there are only three players that physically fit the post/power forward profiles; otherwise, every other position seems to be two deep+. I distinctly remember back in 2011 when Duquesne waltzed into town post-season and blew a very good Griz team off the floor (87-76) with two 5-6 man rotations, each adept at unique defensive attacks. I've often thought about what it would be like for a Montana team to be able to do something similar.

I remember a story a couple years ago about New Mexico St. going with a deep rotation of 12 most games. They are a pretty consistent 20 win team. The idea was that it made practice more competitive and reduced foul trouble (which was an issue for the Griz last year), reduced injuries and made the players play more aggressive on defense. They also used multiple starting lineups just to take that ego part out of it. I think it is an interesting concept like you said. And I agree this Griz team looked very deep last week.

Dare I say, one motto of the Warriors is, "Strength in Numbers." They're at their best when they bring guys off a deep bench.

I've never liked the eight-man rotation. One or two guys can get hurt. (DCH and Blakney are out as we speak.) And the season comes down to a tense three-game tournament when you want your bench deep, your best players rested. Plus it all plays into one of DeCuire's greatest strengths, recruiting. Plus you never know when some unheralded kid is going to get hot, go off, have the game of his life. I've seen it time and again in college athletics.

Too: Remember the "Chinese Bandits," LSU's legendary second-unit defensive team that would come into games and kick butt? They were all underclassmen, less talented than the starters but well-rested and ferocious whenever they were in the game. I don't see many Griz games but when I do, I'm always impressed with the defensive energy they expend, rotating, switching, trapping. I think a deeper rotation would help this team. I've felt that way for a long time.

 

[Hoops watcher]

I've found this year that a lot of people, media types, seemed to have been completely underwhelmed by Montana last year and that hangover has carried into this year. Understandable. I get that coaches and media types seemed to be enamored by what transfers schools have brought in, and MSU, WSU, and NAU all won the off-season in that sense. I don't think teams are going to sleep on Montana, as what TDC has done in his time here, but there is a complete feel of this team being under the radar.

I would hazard a guess to say that UM might have one of the deepest 1-10 squads in the conference this winter. There are a few questions honestly, and I think from early reports that Martin Jr and Blakney are going to be able to answer a good many of those questions. Neither player got as much pub as an impact transfer, mostly because again of whom MSU, WSU and NAU brought in, but they might be as important to Montana as to what impact it has on the collective roster as anyone. Just the sense is that both of them change the defensive and offensive character of the team that it might not be recognizable from last years squad.

This is a good synopsis. Where would you rank the Griz? Most of the prognosticators that I view as reputable have them anywhere from 3-5 with probably 3rd being the mode. With that said, I think that feels about right for this pre-season.

Given their uneven play last season and lack of "big time" names as transfers seems like a reasonable take. I'd say24 is spot on with Martin and Blakney. We all watched the boys get bullied in the post and by some of the stockier wing/big guard type players going to the rack last year with our smaller backcourt. Getting DCH back to full strength should also be a big help in that regard IMO.

 

[AllWeatherFan]

For as long as I can remember (which could be yesterday), I can’t think of a time when I had less of an idea about how the upcoming season will be for Griz basketball.

Lots of new faces on the team.

I’d love for this team to outperform and exceed everybody’s wildest expectations. Sounds like we may see a more up-tempo team than last year. Will be fun to watch. In fact, for as long as I can remember (wait, did I already say that?), I don’t know when I’ve been more excited to watch a Griz game in person!

 

[putter]

Inside the Den has a great conversation with Travis and he is pretty honest about moves last year and what he expects from this team.

 

[grizzlyjournal]

For as long as I can remember (which could be yesterday), I can’t think of a time when I had less of an idea about how the upcoming season will be for Griz basketball.

Lots of new faces on the team.

I’d love for this team to outperform and exceed everybody’s wildest expectations. Sounds like we may see a more up-tempo team than last year. Will be fun to watch. In fact, for as long as I can remember (wait, did I already say that?), I don’t know when I’ve been more excited to watch a Griz game in person!

:lol: :clap: :clap: I'm with ya, bro! About everything, I think...

 

[Griz1]

Inside the Den has a great conversation with Travis and he is pretty honest about moves last year and what he expects from this team.

I am technology challenged. Would you please tell me where and how I can find this? Thank you!

 

[putter]

Inside the Den has a great conversation with Travis and he is pretty honest about moves last year and what he expects from this team.

I am technology challenged. Would you please tell me where and how I can find this? Thank you!

https://gogriz.com/sports/2019/8/28/inside-the-den-podcast.aspx

if the link does not work, goto Gogriz.com. At the top click on Fan Zone and, on the left, it will show Inside The Den. Click on the box.

 

[Griz1]

Inside the Den has a great conversation with Travis and he is pretty honest about moves last year and what he expects from this team.

I am technology challenged. Would you please tell me where and how I can find this? Thank you!

https://gogriz.com/sports/2019/8/28/inside-the-den-podcast.aspx

if the link does not work, goto Gogriz.com. At the top click on Fan Zone and, on the left, it will show Inside The Den. Click on the box.

Thank you for the help Putter!

 

[putter]

Inside the Den has a great conversation with Travis and he is pretty honest about moves last year and what he expects from this team.

I am technology challenged. Would you please tell me where and how I can find this? Thank you!

https://gogriz.com/sports/2019/8/28/inside-the-den-podcast.aspx

if the link does not work, goto Gogriz.com. At the top click on Fan Zone and, on the left, it will show Inside The Den. Click on the box.

Thank you for the help Putter!

Anytime!

 

[Yukon]

Barstool. Montana #204

https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3392058/its-time-to-argue-ranking-all-358-division-i-college-basketball-teams-for-the-2021-22-season

 

[Ursa Major]

For as long as I can remember (which could be yesterday), I can’t think of a time when I had less of an idea about how the upcoming season will be for Griz basketball.

Lots of new faces on the team.

I’d love for this team to outperform and exceed everybody’s wildest expectations. Sounds like we may see a more up-tempo team than last year. Will be fun to watch. In fact, for as long as I can remember (wait, did I already say that?), I don’t know when I’ve been more excited to watch a Griz game in person!

:lol: :clap:

 

[oldrunner]

For as long as I can remember (which could be yesterday), I can’t think of a time when I had less of an idea about how the upcoming season will be for Griz basketball.

Lots of new faces on the team.

I’d love for this team to outperform and exceed everybody’s wildest expectations. Sounds like we may see a more up-tempo team than last year. Will be fun to watch. In fact, for as long as I can remember (wait, did I already say that?), I don’t know when I’ve been more excited to watch a Griz game in person!

:lol: :clap:

It's hard to draw a lot from early season games. With that said, it appears that Travis has his team playing great D right out of the gate. That's a good sign. Good D will keep you in games when your O is sputtering a bit. I agree that this looks to be a great season for everyone to be back in the gym. We'll be seeing you guys early in BSC play. I expect nothing more than barn burners. Let's set the world right again. Let's have a one/two finish for UM and WSU.