Griz til I die said:
Ya I don’t disagree with you Colter. SUU has arguably their best team ever, and if these games are played in the normal conference window, these results might be different. I agree though, I’ll take the Griz in Boise over the t-birds.
Like I said on the radio, SUU is the single worst Big Sky team the Griz could play to open conference play period... then you add in that conference play is a month early...Montana really needs to figure out which guards can play, with what lineups, who can guard etc...so to go against the most veteran back court in the league in John Knight III and Dre Marin plus a lineup that also features a 6-7 former Big Ten transfer who can shoot in Tevian Jones is not ideal.
I knew if the Griz started with Beasley and Parker, Knight would just attack relentlessly. That happened Thursday to the tune of 21 points and nine rebounds. Knight is in his fifth year of college hoops and was once a starter on a Top 30 team when he was at Utah State. He is the biggest, most physically strong true on-ball player in the league at 6-foot-3, probably 210 pounds. He looks like a strong safety. He had his way by using pure physicality Thursday.
Then with Knight busted up today, SUU turned to Marin, who in my mind is one of the most underrated players in the league. He is a four-year starter who played his 100th game today, a Southern Utah program record. It's not surprise he was ready to take and make big shots on the way to 19 points and eight rebounds.
I've heard from many of you through text and on Twitter about the rebounding problems. It's an issue. But you also have to realize that SUU sends its guards plus Harrison Butler (the Dennis Rodman of the Big Sky) to the offensive glass and they did it with authority in this series. Knight had 15 rebounds and Marin has 12 for the weekend. That's something DeCuire will clean up real quick, and if the young players don't learn quickly, they will not play.
On one hand, Montana is 0-2 in league play for the first time in 13 years and the second time in the last 23. On the other hand, if the Griz get three offensive rebounds in two games or the refs swallow their whistles on the last possession two games in a row or both...or the Griz made a few more free throws...whatever, the Griz are 2-0 with a road sweep of what will likely be the toughest road trip of the conference season for any team in the Big Sky.
Montana has a long ways to go. They are not of the caliber they were a few years ago, at least not yet. And Sayeed Pridgett covered up SO MANY weaknesses last season. But what we watched this weekend is far different than what the product will look like in March.