Gameday: Montana

THE CONTENTS: No. 10 Duke (who, barring a loss, should move up this week) hosts Montana Sunday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 1 p.m. The game can be seen on FSN with Mikes Hogewood and Gminski and heard on 620 AM.

THE EXPOSITION: Duke (5-0) is coming off its somewhat disappointingly easy title in the 2K Sports Classic with double-digit victories over Southern Illinois and Michigan Thursday and Friday.

Montana (2-1) has won two straight over Montana-Western and Mississippi Valley State after dropping its opener by 30 at Colorado State (CSU’s win was revenge for a 36-point loss to Montana in the season-opener a year ago). The Grizzlies (or more commonly known as the Griz) are coming off a 15-17 season and fourth-place finish in the Big Sky. Montana is 33-32 over 2+ seasons under head coach and alum Wayne Tinkle. Tinkle, of course, replaced Larry Krystowiak, who made the sensible leap from head coach at Montana to head man of the Milwaukee Bucks. He has since been fired.

Sunday marks the first-ever meeting between Duke and Montana.

THE PROTAGONISTS: The Blue Devils probably put together their most complete game of the season Friday night in their 75-61 disposal of Michigan. Duke dissected the Wolverines’ 1-3-1 zone in the halfcourt and received balanced scoring from Kyle Singler, Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith.

In this game, it’s kind of back to the beginning of the season principles: You just want to see the Blue Devils play crisp, turnover-free basketball. Smith seems to be settling into his role as the starting point guard, and perhaps the brightest spot coming out of New York was the production out of the second frontcourt option: Both Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas brought something to the table. It would be nice to see more of that against the Griz.

THE ANTAGONISTS: Montana is part of the nine-team Big Sky Conference, which ranges from Northern Arizona in the south to Eastern Washington in the north (hehe). Portland State won the Big Sky last season and proceeded to get wiped off the floor in the first round by eventual champion Kansas.  The Griz are the all-time winningest program in Big Sky history, and Montana last made the NCAA Tournament in 2006 as a 12-seed, scoring a first-round upset of former Big Sky member Nevada, 87-79, before bowing out to Boston College. (P.S. Montana totally didn’t deserve that 12-seed, and Nevada didn’t deserve a 5 that year. It was a whack pairing made essentially for geographic purposes.)

Montana is picked to finish second in the Big Sky this year behind the reigning champion Vikings.

Through three contests this season, the Griz are averaging 70.7 points on 47.8 percent shooting with 15 assists to 14.7 turnovers. Junior guard Ryan Staudacher (16.3 ppg) and senior forward Jordan Hasquet (13.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg) lead Montana on the offensive end. Staudacher is an impressive 11-for-16 from beyond the arc in the young season. Hasquet, meanwhile, was a 1st-team Big Sky selection two seasons ago and finished fifth in the league in scoring with that same 13.7 average a year ago. At least he’s consistent.

THE CONFLICT: The best I can come up with is Duke’s motivation. This will be the third game in four days–the other two being played a flight away–and it’s against much lower competition. Can you blame the Blue Devils if they come out flat?

WHERE IS MONTANA?: The northwest United States.

I MEANT THE UNIVERSITY: Missoula, MT, which is in the northwest of the state.

TIM’S FAVORITE PLAYER IN MONTANA HISTORY IS…: They had a guy a couple years ago named Kamarr Davis who I remember being pretty good. But I had to look his name up, so that’s kind of cheating.

AREN’T THEY REALLY GOOD AT FOOTBALL OR SOMETHING?: Well, really good within their Division I-AA context. The Griz have appeared in the division’s title game five times in a 10-year span from 1995 to 2004, with wins in 1995 and 2001.

FUN FACT ABOUT THE STATE OF MONTANA FROM ITS WIKIPEDIA PAGE: Montana has 56 counties, with Missoula county ranking second in population with just over 100,000 people (ca. 2005).

FUN FACT ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA FROM ITS WIKIPEDIA PAGE (x2): Rolling Stone named UM-Missoula the nation’s most scenic campus, and Montana ranks 5th among public universities and 17th overall in producing Rhodes Scholars.

NOTABLE MONTANA ALUM: The always enjoyable supporting actor J.K. Simmons (Spiderman, Juno, Thank You for Smoking, Burn After Reading) graduated from Montana.

WHAT DO THE LOCAL MEDIA HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE GAME?: Here’s a preview from The Missoulian, which talks a little bit about how this game came about (seems to me Duke wanted to play a team of the same quality it might meet in the NCAA Tournament first round).

MONTANA WILL PROVE TROUBLE IF…: Montana will not prove trouble.

THE DENOUEMENT: Like I said, don’t be surprised if Duke comes out a little flat. That being said, this isn’t the kind of team Montana has had in years past that would be capable of sticking with the Blue Devils for a half or so. Duke is up 15 by the intermission, and the Blue Devils put it on cruise control in the second half. I’d make a Timothy Treadwell reference, but that’s probably in poor taste. DUKE 84-55.