By GLENN JUNKERT

Most Montana Grizzly fans know by now that the Griz will be first-round hosts of the Duquesne Dukes of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the 16-team College Basketball Invitational that tips off with four games tonight.

Wednesday at 7 p.m. the Griz will try to inject some life into their post-season against the high scoring Dukes, who despite an 18-12 record, were eliminated early in the Atlantic 10 post-season tourney.

On paper the Dukes are considered the stronger team, due most likely to their membership in the hoops-competitive Atlantic 10 Conference, which for the fourth-straight year has three teams -- this year it’s Xavier, Temple and Richmond -- in the NCAA Division I tournament. Additionally, an average of this week’s RPI ratings shows the Dukes rated significantly higher than Montana. The KenPom Rating services shows Duquesne rated 64th and the Griz at 108; USA Today’s Sagarin Ratings has Duquesne rated 75th compared to Montana’s 116th. Only the NCAA RPI ratings gives Montana an edge -- 108th to 109th for the Dukes.

I’ll confess that I know very little about Duquesne or the Atlantic 10 Conference. But I was contacted by Duquesne blogger YukuDukes with a request for a Question-Answer style preview of Wednesday’s game. We exchanged questions and are publishing the answers on each site.

If you’re interested in my Grizzly Journal answers for Dukes fans, you can check them out here: YukeDukes

Below, and through the page jump, you can read YukuDuke’s answers here:

Feel free to amend, correct or otherwise add your own contributions to each Q&A preview. Go Griz!

YukuDukes Q&A with Grizzly Journal

Grizzly Journal -- Give Montana fans a glimpse of Duquesne Dukes greatness. Who are the best-known players and coaches. What are their greatest basketball wins?  Any famous Dukes of lore?

YukuDukes -- Unfortunately, the Dukes best years were a long time ago. Some poor decisions were made by administration and we hit a 30-year dry spell. Ron Everhart (photo right) has put new life into the program, with 4 consecutive winning regular season records and now three consecutive postseason appearances. DU has it's history, though. Chuck Cooper was the first African American in the NBA. Norm Nixon is another popular name from the 70s, a successful NBA player after his time at DU. The most successful Duke in recent memory is Mike James, a guard who made it to the NBA the hard way and had a nice ten year career, including a spot on the 2004 Pistons championship team. Aaron Jackson (more on him soon) is working on making it the Mike James way. He's playing in Spain now and with his leadership and drive would be a boon to any team.

I wasn't alive for it - it was 30 years before I was born - but the greatest win was the 1955 NIT Championship win against Dayton.  This was back when the NIT was the big time, as big if not bigger than the NCAA. Dudey Moore was the coach, and he was a great one.

GJ -- What are the Dukes’ best recent post-season accomplishments and how has fifth-year coach Ron Everhart transformed this team?

YukuDukes -- The best was, without question, a run into the A10 tourney two years ago, spearheaded by then-senior Aaron Jackson. The Dukes ran all the way to the championship game but lost to Temple by 6. They earned an NIT berth and played at Virginia Tech, where we lost after multiple overtimes. Aaron Jackson nearly willed the team to victory himself that night, and once he fouled out that was it. Still, it was a sign that DU could do it after years of being thought of as a graveyard. This is a program on the rise.

The Everhart transformation is undeniable. The year before he was hired, the Danny Nee-coached Dukes (of Nebraska fame) were a dismal 3-24. Everhart was hired, all players but two transferred, and then five players were shot. Two of those players never saw the court for the Dukes - one due to injury from the shooting, another due to idiocy. After his first year, we lost an A10 rookie of the year in Robert Mitchell, a head case who refused to play defense and was a hot dog. He amounted to nothing at Seton Hall and I believe he is in jail now. We won 10 games that first year anyway, then 17 the next. Its been a nice change!

GJ -- Based on several RPI ranking services, Duquesne enters Wednesday’s game as a distinct favorite. What did the Dukes do to earn their ranking and why (no jab intended) are they in the CBI instead of the NCAAs or the NIT?

YukuDukes -- Simple. We lost too many close games, both early on and down the stretch. We were barely beat by - and in fact led at the half - WVU, Geo. Mason, and PSU, all NCAA teams. Throw in two one point losses to Dayton and Saint Bona and there you have it. The first round loss in the A10 tourney did us no favors either. Turn two losses around and we are likely an NIT team. We are glad to be playing more, though we did have some NIT (at least) aspirations.

GJ -- Western basketball fans constantly hear about the atmosphere and style of eastern teams. Just how do Pittsburgh fans get into their college basketball teams and what kind of atmosphere/tradition/fan base do the Dukes generate?

YukuDukes -- Well, as you may have guessed from the years of futility described above, Duquesne Basketball has been working to carve out it's niche amongst college ball fans. The students are coming around - I was a part of the restructured and restarted student section that began my Junior year with Everhart's hire. Attendance has grown year by year at home - not as fast as the impatient would like, but it is getting better. Our home arena, the AJ Palumbo Center, was recently renovated in a way that reduced capacity but added more chair back seats and a custom Daktronics video board. We really are a new brand in town and while it hasn't been easy, we've been making a dent. Pitt, who is right down the road, has a lot of support and "stole" some of our alumni who grew disgusted with the stagnation of DU. Their student section is cookie-cutter though, rigidly coordinated and mechanical. Ours-- led by some students in skintight body socks and some other crazies-- is more organic and improvisational. I think that makes it more fun.

GJ -- Give Montana fans a preview of the style of defense the Dukes play, beyond their pressure-style of all-court play. Do they play a variety of defenses? Do they rely more on zone or man-on-man? How do they rank as a rebounding team in the Atlantic 10?

YukuDukes -- The Dukes do NOT rebound well, partly a function of their size. They make up for some of that with their ability to force turnovers, and we usually score off of those turnovers. I just checked the stats and we are first in the nation in steals per game with 9.8. The Dukes are capable of multiple looks on defense and have been a fairly good defensive team this year when needed, but one thing that you will see a lot of is that the Dukes will switch on nearly every pick. This has created some matchup problems when exploited, but has served them well at other times. We average right around 5 blocks per game, good enough for 22nd in the nation and second in the conference. The offense runs best when it can move fast and catch opponents off guard.

GJ -- Do the Dukes rely on a specific player for their success? If so, who is he & what must he do for the Dukes to win? If not, what factor usually contributes most to a Duquesne win?

YukuDukes -- Our two key players are seniors Bill Clark and Damien Saunders. Clark, a second team all conference player, is an aggressive guy who plays hard and has a good outside shot. Saunders, who was picked to the all defensive team, plays above the rim and is a great shot blocker. His jumper has gotten better this year too. Damien's numbers are down a little this year, but he had a lingering ankle injury that was bugging him until about early January. It is worth mentioning A10 Rookie of the Year, TJ McConnell. He is a local kid and his aunt is the women's basketball coach. Don't think he got in on that alone, though. The kid has a ridiculous amount of assists and a nice A:T ratio. He is great at playing the passing lanes also averages over 10 points per game.

A Saunders double double plus a good 3-pt percentage for Clark probably means that the Dukes are doing well. TJ has a good perimeter shot as well.

GJ -- Where & how do the Dukes produce points? In the paint? from the perimeter? How do they rank in the Atlantic 10 in 3-point production? Do the Dukes have one go-to guy?

YukuDukes -- Duquesne is 17th in the nation in average points per game and first in the nation in assists per game. The players are mostly unselfish and will make a pass if they think it'll give the next guy a better look. We're towards the middle of the pack in thee point percentage but 60th in the nation in three points made.

Our best perimeter shooters are Clark, Johnson, and McConnell. Saunders usually plays the middle, but he can step out and hit a 3 as well.

GJ -- You mentioned that the Dukes were 5-to-6 points (strategically placed) from being a 22-8 team. Yet there have been more losses of late than earlier in the season. Any other possible reason for their slide?

YukuDukes -- The story applies for the whole season. Two one-point losses in the last 8 conference games; reverse that and we are 12-4 in conference and 4-4 in that stretch instead of 2-6. The overtime loss to St. Josephs in the conference tourney... Overtime was achieved by a game-tying DUNK over a player who normally wouldn't have given up such an opportunity. Really, though, if our foul shooting was more like 75%, that would have made the difference. The answer to number 3 applies here as well.

Now, the schedule definitely got harder; we played two of the three A10 NCAA representatives during the late season slide. That was a big part of it; I think the increased frequency of harder teams really hit the confidence of the team.

GJ -- Any injury issues for the Dukes coming into this game (that you feel ok sharing)?

YukuDukes -- None that we know of, actually.

GJ -- I noticed a wide variance in scoring results in the Atlantic 10, from games in the sixties to games in the 80s-to-90s. Is style or tempo important for a Dukes win? What type of game tempo usually results in a Dukes win? What kind of tempo works against the Dukes?

YukuDukes -- If the game is a track meet, DU usually wins. If the game is slow paced and methodical, DU usually loses. The worst is the matchup zone that Temple employs, though we have improved against that somewhat, given that we beat them. Our zone attack is a little better, but not what the fans want it to be. Honestly, the talk of the tight defense you employ concerns me, but I'd imagine that the coaching staff has a plan for it.

GJ -- One team must leave disappointed. Who will it be and what will the final score be?

YukuDukes -- It depends on what the game looks like. If our pace prevails, we win. If a slow pace prevails, you win. Either way I think the final totals will be within 6 points of each other.

NOTE: Royce Bidwell -- who has written game previews for the Grizzly Journal this season -- attended this year's Big Sky Conference men's semifinal and championship games. Bidwell filed this report for Grizzly Journal and its readers.

BY: ROYCE BIDWELL

GRIZ Nation and Big Sky fans, sorry for the delay in getting this posted. Between working full time, and the tournament, I have been going from 5:30 AM to midnight Tuesday and Wednesday. Like the teams, I had no energy left, but well worth it. After taking some time to analyze this tournament, I feel it be best to give readers a mixed bag, of most good, yet bad too, which I feel needs covered. I am going to be critical, yet honest as well.

First of all, thank you to Northern Colorado and Greeley for a great hospitality, organization, effort, and most importantly great environment. An environment which I hope becomes the normal for Northern Colorado basketball/athletics... all the way from the parking lot attendant who greeted and helped me late Tuesday afternoon, to the final staff member that greeted me on my out late Wednesday night. 
And as a Griz fan, I appreciated UNC fans letting Griz fans be GRIZ fans. 

I enjoyed the friendly banter I experienced with UNC fans. To the UNC fans sitting four to five rows behind the Griz bench, "Thank you" for an even better experience. They did not have a problem with me cheering on the Griz, nor cheering against UNC. In the closing moments it was nice to hear Griz  fans and UNC fans interact in friendly tones, as it should be in sports. Speaking of fans, we see the best and worst of fans on message boards. But in this year’s Big Sky Tourney, whether they were Northern Colorado, Montana, Weber State, or Northern Arizona supporters, ALL fans, teams and coaches all were class acts.

As for Northern Colorado, and the Greeley community, be very proud of this moment.  It was well earned. Because of your fans, and team, I will be pulling for Northern Colorado, as loud and proud as I can in the NCAA tournament. Speaking of tournament, let's get to the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

As a fan, it was great to see five of six games be tightly contested battles, decided in the final minutes. The outcome was AS expected, but not HOW I expected. Kudos to each team for playing each game with 40 minutes of heart, hustle, and passion.  Congratulations to Northern Colorado for being the last team standing.

Montana 57, Weber State 40:  If there were ever a game to be titled "The Tale of Two Halves" this would be the that game. The first half was the worst offensive half all year for the Griz, in scoring only 12 points on 3-for-23 (13%) shooting from the field. Despite that, excellent Griz  defense kept the game within 10 points at the half, which ended at 22-12 WSU... thanks to holding Weber State to a pedestrian 7-for-27 (25.9%) first half shooting percentage.

Exactly what was said to the players at halftime, we will never know. Whatever and/or however it was said, the Griz  responded with a dominating second half.  The Griz  responded with a 45-18 scoring margin on 16-of-26 (61.5%) shooting, and continued to stifle Weber State from the field, 5-for-29 (17.2%) shooting in the second half.

In my opinion, and as Weber State Coach, Randy Rahe eluded to, Weber State "Ran out of gas, and hit a wall" with about 10 minutes left in the second half. Playing three games in seven days took its toll on Weber State. That certainly worked to Montana's advantage.

Will Cherry, Brian Qvale, and Kareem Jamar all had great games. A timely block and a few baskets from Derek Selvig, all led the GRIZ to a decisive victory. How much more decisive can a game be than ending it with 17-0 run?  Well done Griz .

Northern Colorado 73, Northern Arizona 70: In a sense this game was a tale of two halves as well. The 1st half was an exciting offensive shoot out, which appealed to fans. The second half was oen of hustle, grit, toughness, and stifling defense. It only catered to the hardcore basketball junkies, who can appreciate defense and effort. The first half ended 45-43, Northern Arizona on top. Each team shot well, both notching over 50% from the field.

The second half still had a frantic pace, but neither team could shoot consistently enough to pull away. The Lumberjacks hit 10-of-31 (32.3%) in the second half, and only 1-of-11 (9.1%) from dthree-point range. Northern Colorado shot only 8-of-29 (27.6%) , and 1-of-8  (12.5%) in the second half. Each defense played hard with a lot of energy. It looked to me each team had no legs, or energy left going into the second half.

Great individual performances by Gabe Rogers and Cameron Jones, scoring 24 and 19 points respectively, with only 11 combined second half points though. A nice lift off the NAU bench by sophomore forward, Austin Smith was huge in keeping this game close to the end.

As expected, Devon Beitzel led Northern Colorado with a clutch offensive performance with 25 points. Chris Kaba, Neal Kingman, and Mike Proctor played their roles to perfection as well. Proctor's energy led the Bears with eight rebounds, many of which kept possessions alive for his team.  Proctor made big play after big play, and big rebound after big rebound, not only in this game, but both games. Proctor's performance separated the Bears from the rest in this game, and tournament.

This difference in this game was Northern Colorado taking advantage and cashing in from the free throw line. Northern Colorado was 32-of-35 (91.4% from the line) compared to 14-of-17 (82.4%) for Northern Arizona.That alone made for 18-point swing in this game. Kudos to Northern Colorado for an excellent free throw shooting display. It was the biggest difference in this game.

Northern Colorado 65, Montana 60:  ESPN, the Big Sky Conference, and fans have to be happy. Finally, a host tournament held serve to make the final game.  What more could be asked for to start the game?  A full house with a great environment sure made for better television. Once the ball tipped off, it only got better. Each team played 40 minutes with heart, determination, and toughness. Neither team gave in to the other.

As expected, Northern Colorado's home court advantage and senior Leadership impacted the game greatly. The Bears’ seniors, consisting of Kaba, Kingman, and Beitzel -- along with Proctor -- led the way. Beitzel hit big shot after big shot in the second half, with 27 points for the game. Kaba and Kingman hit timely shots, rebounded well, and played tough defense. Proctor, once again got timely rebound after rebound, gave his team energy, and was the x factor in leading the Bears over Montana.

The Bears keyed on Montana center Brian Qvale all game, and forced Montana to beat them with other weapons. For the Griz , each game, the other weapon turned out to be freshman, Kareem Jamar. With the absence of an injured Shawn Stockton, and foul trouble, Jamar was put in position to show his versatility and value to his team. His response -- 10 and 13 points respectively -- was just part of the story.  In the final four minutes of the first half, with Cherry out due to foul trouble, Northern Colorado pressured the Griz .  How would the GRIZ respond without their top two ball handlers?   Jamar was used as a point forward to break the press. In his new role, he answered with ZERO turnovers, and kept the game close going into half time. For an encore, what did he do?  He only hit back-to-back contested 3-point shots in the final minute to put his team in position to win. He also played great defense, rebounded, and scored in the post. Despite the loss, the Griz had another leader and star emerge in Kareem Jamar. He has joined Art Steward as “Mr Do Anything when asked.” Too bad that Kareem, and the Griz  ran out of time.

The difference in the championship was Northern Colorado out rebounding Montana 37 to 26, thanks to the effort and energy of Proctor. Also, Northern Colorado cashed in with a 21-to-12-point advantage from the line. The foul disparity was 29 fouls against Montana to 16 against Northern Colorado. Some of the disparity from the GRIZ being forced to foul in the final minute of the game. The Bears hit the clutch free throws down the stretch, and took advantage of their opportunity.

This leads to some criticism.

Part of the reason for a late report was for me to justify (or not) the officiating I witnessed during the tournament. To be fair, I wanted to find out if I was being skewed by a Griz loss or not. So I took the time to reflect and research before this report. I took the time to read message boards, and watched the games I recorded. During the semifinal games, I witnessed fans of each team comment on how bad the officiating was. I even heard this from fans of the eventual champion Northern Colorado squad. I heard a few times, and agreed, the hope was for officiating to not play a role in determining the champion. Hate to say it, but It played a larger role than it should have in any conference tournament, or game for that matter.

During any game -- at all levels -- officials will make mistakes. For the most part, that is understood, and respected by coaches, players, and most open-minded fans. The least that can be asked for them to call the game the same for both teams. I did not see that being the case in this year's tournament. Teams aside, Big Sky officials need to quit rewarding offensive players for forcing bad shots, or putting themselves in bad position. The defense has done its part, yet time, and time again in the tourney, Big Sky officials bailed out the offensive player by whistling the defense.

Why were certain players allowed to play at full force and -- with often subtle or normally accepted contact... draw a foul? Devon Beitzel made 23-of-27 freethrows in two games. Meanwhile, players like Will Cherry (9-for-10), Brian Qvale (7-for-12), Shane Johannsen (2-for-2), Cameron Jones (4-for-4), Gabe Rogers (2-for-2), drew just as much, and often more contact... yet the whistle was not blown.  The disparity in who was being called for what this tournament was evident, and did take away from an otherwise great tournament. It is a shame, seniors such as Jones, Qvale, and Johannssen ended their Big Sky careers as victims of that lopsided officiating, while Devon Beitzel stepped to the line a whopping 27 times in two games of the tourney.  Northern Colorado has the talent, coaching, and leadership to have won this tournament without lopsided officiating.

There is nothing that can be done this year. So, the question remains: Can the Big Sky Conference please learn from this, and expect more evenly officiated games from this point forward?  It is time to truly let the teams determine the champion, not the officiating. Whether it be regular season, or tournament, can we have games officiated without the ticky tack calls?  Can we stop bailing out players forcing the action?  Can defenders get a few more charges called?

I am well aware of even bigger conferences having badly officiated games, it happens.  The difference is, the badly officiated games are the exception, not the norm in those conferences. Well officiated Big Sky Conference games have to somehow become the norm as well. How that is done is not for me to determine. If the conference wants to build a conference with truly better basketball, better officiating would be a great start.

I hope Big Sky officials are reading message boards, fan forums, etc. to see our teams deserve better and more consistent officiating. If that is not enough, they need to take the time to review game videos from our conference games, then compare those videos to bigger conference game videos, and learn how to make officiating better.

One of my major conclusions after watching this year’s Big Sky tourney would be to ask its officials to please take the time to ask for honest feed back from all conference coaches and athletic directors, I am confident the majority of feedback given will echo that of mine. We shall see next season. One which returns some very dynamic players. Who else cannot wait for two years of epic Will Cherry vs. Damian Lillard battles?

Finally, Northern Colorado, you earned the NCAA tournament bid all year.  Myself and most Big Sky conference fans will be pulling for you, to be this year's NCAA Cinderella. I hope you take full advantage of the spotlight you earned. GO BEARS!!!!!!!

BY: ROYCE BIDWELL

What will the Big Sky Conference's final four -- Northern Colorado, Montana, Weber State, and Northern Arizona --  do for an encore from the quarter finals?

Two amazing gut wrenching heart felt comebacks by Northern Arizona and Weber State to set the final stage in Greeley, Colorado will be hard to match. Or will it? 

NOTE: Grizzly Journal's Royce Bidwell will be covering the Big Sky Conference post-season tournament, which runs Tuesday and Wednesday in Greeley, Colorado. Check back for courtside reports from Bidwell.

The Big Sky Conference certainly got all it could  have expected from the quarterfinal games. I am hoping it was a prelude of things to come from Greeley over the next few days. Great quarterfinal games combined with Northern Colorado, Montana, Weber State, and NAU all splitting their head-to-head regular season match ups adds intrigue, and interest for basketball fans. These four programs, their coaches, and players have given Big Sky fans every reason to believe the final two rounds will come down to the final few possessions. I for one, will not be surprised to see any of the four teams win the conference championship... they’re that evenly matched.

So: What or who will separate the winner from the rest of the pack in the Big Sky Conference 2011 Tournament?

Each team has struggled for consecutive games throughout conference play. Each team has all-conference players. Three of the four teams have proven to be quite productive from the perimeter. And the team that hasn’t -- Montana, has proven dominant in the low blocks, with the league's premier Big Man, senior Brian Qvale, and dominating defense. Two teams are very good free throw shooting teams, and two have been inconsistent. Two teams -- Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona -- are senior dominant. One team has a promising balance of youth and experience. All but one have more than one senior.

Will offense or defense win out?  Will young talent be served? Or will experience prevail?

EXPERIENCE
Northern Colorado has the edge in leadership by far, with seniors Chris Kaba, Neal Kingman, Taylor Montgomery, and League MVP Devon Beitzel as experienced capable players all capable of scoring.

Despite the Bears’ senior lineup, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks have more: with Deangelo Jones, Julian Olubuyi, Eric Platt, Shane Johannsen, and all everything guard Cameron Jones logging majority minutes.

Weber State has three seniors in Lindsey Hughey, Josh Noble, and Trevor Morris.

Montana only has Brian Qvale for Senior leadership. But what a better Senior to have than the league's premiere big man, rebounder the conference’s all-time leading shot blocker?

PHOTOS: (Top) Montana's all-conference center scores over Northern Colorado defender Chris Kaba in the Griz' 55-42 win early this season. (Middle) Griz point guard Will Cherry drives to the bucket against Weber State defender Trevor Morris in Montana's 75-56 win. (Bottom) Derek Selvig drives against a Bears' Chris Kaba in Montana's 55-42 win over Northern Colorado.

OFFENSE
There is nothing complicated to figure out here. The Bears, Wildcats and Lumberjacks feature potent perimeter-oriented offenses. The Grizzlies’ offensive attack revolves around the paint, and their inside-oriented offense that keys on Qvale. Montana may have the biggest challenge: to shut down any of three outstanding perimeter shooting teams, two of which have a couple of the country’s best long-range shooters (NAU’s Eric Platt and Weber State’s Scott Bamforth). Meanwhile, the other will be challenged to erect a blockade around Qvale... and force Montana to beat them from the perimeter. With Montana's inside game, and defense, the Grizzlies only have to get timely perimeter shooting, to loosen things up. They have proven successful at winning hard-fought games by coaxing as few as 5-to-7 threes to fall. But for the Griz, especially since sophomore point guard Will Cherry’s severe ankle sprain, that has been much easier said than done. Quite simply, when the perimeter game has contributed, Montana has been outright dominating. Yet when the perimeter game has struggled, so have the GRIZ.

• The advantage on offense will go to the team that has better-than-their-own-average success from the perimeter.

DEFENSE
Montana has the league’s best paint defense, keyed by one of the nation’s best shot blockers in Qvale, who’s matched up with one of the nation’s best ball hawking thiefs in Will Cherry. Each of which has wreaked havoc on opponents this season. Their supporting cast of Shawn Stockton, Art Steward, Kareem Jamar, and Derek Selvig also gets their hands on many passes, and loose balls. Montana will need that to continue if they have any hopes of advancing.

Northern Colorado, Weber State, and Northern Arizona -- while not as efficient as the Grizzlies -- are all solid defensively. Expect them to play man against each other... and zone against the Griz.

• The advantage on defense will be claimed by the team which takes its defense to a new level.

HOME COURT
This can only favor one team. Northern Colorado earned this advantage, and as the season played out, home court has been huge this season in conference play. In a tight game -- which fans will likely see -- this very well could be the determining factor.

In my opinion the Northern Colorado vs. Northern Arizona semi may boil down to which team hits more 3-point shots, and which can hit clutch free throws. The Bears are a great free throw shooting team; the Jacks have been inconsistent. With Northern Colorado at home -- and with league MVP Devon Beitzel likely to perform well -- the Lumberjacks will need dynamic shooting from Jones, Rogers, and Platt  to get a win. Too many factors favor Northern Colorado here. • Advantage Bears.

Montana and Weber State is the game many would like to have seen in the championship. But outstanding and consistent play from Northern Colorado trumped what many were hoping for. If Brian Qvale's supporting cast can hit consistently from outside, Montana has the advantage. Montana will be the fresher team. They got the time they needed to prepare, to get Will Cherry healthy, and to practice perimeter shooting. Will the long break hurt Montana?  Hard for a team to get any rustier from outside than Montana has been in two of its last three games. I honestly do not see how a long break could have hurt Montana. Improved perimeter shooting, more energy, and the interior leadership of Qvale, Derek Selvig, and Will Cherry should prevail in this match up. On a neutral court, I see this game coming down to the last few possessions. • Advantage Montana in a very tight game.

Montana vs. Northern Colorado for the championship. Who wins in a game featuring youth against experience, home versus visitors, and inside verses outside?  Experience and home court usually prevail.  Northern Colorado wins another tight game, and sends" thank you"s to Eastern Washington for the home court advantage.

I hate picking against Montana in anything. So please prove me wrong Griz.

I will happily eat crow to see the GRIZ in the NCAA tournament for a second-straight year.