Was at the game (as always) and have a few things to add to the thread...
1. Weisner hobbled past me on crutches near the end of the game & responded to a question by saying that he had a high ankle sprain. That usually means a 3-week recuperation.
2. In response to Bisonation, the Bison switched to a zone mid-first half, which is when the Griz responded & pulled away. Second half, different story. I thought NDSU played excellent fronting man-on defense (counter to Bisonation's comments) and stopped Griz bigs from getting any good looks. Otherwise, Alexander is an incredible talent, kept the Bison in the game despite being double-teamed by Griz at the tip of the key; Griz couldn't stop him. Two other players... both frosh, will be factors for the Bison sooner rather than later: Miller on the perimeter and a PF Jacobson, a kid with real power forward talent... great pivot post play & always in position for the boards.
3. Jordan Gregory is getting his mojo back, & you could see it on his face; relaxed, confident & happy that the shots were starting to fall. Gregory won it for the Griz with 3-4 critical mid-second-half drives down the paint at a time when the Bison were making a serious run at the Griz.
4. Don't want to downplay M Breunig (MtGrizRule does a great job describing MB's game earlier in this thread)... but he still has a problem w-fouls & had to sit when he was needed. That's where frosh post Fabijan Krslovic game in and solidified the middle. Looked like he was out of synch offensively (he's still very young out there), but K played a great floor game defensively in MB's absence. The kid is already a good one... the only thing that makes me feel a bit sad is that Chris Kemp is quickly becoming a senior-sub afterthought.
5. Germaine Edmonds is becoming Montana's all-around glue-man. He started tonight, but seems to play best off the bench... and in a number of roles, including the point, which he played down the stretch when Dunn was double-teamed on inbounds plays. A very smart player who recognizes how to adjust to tempo switches.
6. Lastly, Montana's rebounding is making serious leaps forward & the (admittedly sparse) crowd took notice and applauded the Griz team rebounding effort on both D and O. Griz outboarded the Bison by only two, but that was enough to keep the transitions in balance.
All-around great floor game by Montana. The only down note is that they'll be without Weisner on Wednesday against Davidson.
