Nine days ago, after Montana lost to Sacramento State in Missoula for the first time in 14 years, Griz head coach Travis DeCuire was nowhere to be found. After a lengthy talk with his team that touched on the disappointing loss and some of the issues that have haunted Montana since the season began in mid-November, DeCuire never returned to Dahlberg Arena.
He later revealed that he was particularly disturbed with the way his team lost. They beat themselves, he said.
On Saturday night in Bozeman, DeCuire sat in the postgame press conference after the Bobcats beat Montana in an electric, sold out atmosphere at Worthington Arena, and gave a different reasoning for a loss that skewed his team’s postseason picture.
Montana guard Michael Oguine (10) drives on MSU guard Devonte Klines (10)
“They beat us,” DeCuire conceded following the 78-69 loss that dropped Montana to sixth in the Big Sky and out of the group of teams guaranteeing a first round bye. “Montana State beat us. They wanted it. They were more physical.”
It was a point argued by DeCuire’s players. Just prior to the coach’s turn answering questions from the gathered media, Ahmaad Rorie, who went back and forth with MSU star Tyler Hall during the first half, said the difference was that Montana couldn’t answer the Bobcats’ early second-half surge that procured the lead they hung on to until the final buzzer.
Trailing by one, Hall hit a jumper and then cashed a 3-pointer in an 8-0 run that handed the ’Cats a 39-32 lead. It foreshadowed what Hall was about to unveil: a series of contested shots that the sophomore made look like second nature, effortlessly hitting six threes to ignite a raucous crowd of 6,772 that packed into every corner of Worthington Arena.
By the time it was over, Montana was left pondering the answer to a question that has plagued the Griz since the very early days of the season and has only become more relevant as the season winds down and the goals that were set at the beginning of the season appear to be in serious jeopardy: can they overcome the adversity that invariably arises during the course of a season.
“We’ve had the ultimate level of adversity,” DeCuire said following his first loss as a head coach to the rival ‘Cats. “Unfortunately for this team the adversity keeps piling on and it doesn’t go away.”
Montana guard Michael Oguine (10)
While it has lingered throughout the year, beginning with a rough beginning to a difficult non-conference schedule, the challenges Montana has weathered have only recently started to become a serious threat. There are just two games left in the regular season before the conference tournament begins March 6. Currently, Montana is sixth in the conference standings and facing the prospect of winning four games in five days if it is to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time under DeCuire.
While certainly doable for a team that pushed Oregon and USC and NC State and Ole Miss, it’s a tall task for a team that has searched for consistency all season. In his postgame comments, DeCuire lamented Montana’s penchant for playing to the level of its competition. Yes, there were those non-conference outings that showed Montana’s potential, but are also two losses to Sacramento State and one to Portland State. Since mid-January, Montana is just 4-6.
“I think that’s the biggest issue for us this year is we’ve been distracted,” DeCuire said. “We’ve been distracted for months in a lot of different ways — more ways than I’ve ever experience. I believe that’s why we’re not winning right now.”
Montana has tried to make due with a young roster. The Griz have tried to do so with players adjusting to new roles. Some of those have been accepted and some have not. Some of that has caused some internal strife that has eroded some of the chemistry the Griz were counting on to push them through a year DeCuire knew would a difficult one. In January, senior Walter Wright and Rorie were suspended. Then last week true freshman Sayeed Pridgett sat for a game.
With the full complement of its roster Saturday, the inconsistencies still cropped up. Even when the game seemed to be getting out of hand, DeCuire deployed a lineup that held Montana State in check and cut a 14-point deficit to six with less than seven minutes to play. But before Montana could make more or a dent, Bobcats freshman point guard Harald Frey connected on a corner three to push it to nine.
Montana head coach Travis DeCuire coaching forward Jared Samuelson (33)
Montana never could respond. And now the Griz must examine where they are as a team with time running out on a season that could be salvaged in the coming weeks, or be remembered for what could have been.
“It’s something that we have to do as players. We have to talk about it and figure out what we’re doing wrong,” UM junior power forward Fabijan Krslovic said. “We have to make sure everyone stays up and stays positive. I think you could tell once they had that run, some guys got flat. It just kind of impacted everyone. It’s pretty contagious when something like that happens. It’s got to be guys making sure when they see that, just jump on it and keep everyone up, keep everyone positive, keep everyone together and try rallying around each other. Every game you’re gonna play in, both teams are going to go on runs big or small, but you just have to fight through that adversity and fight against that momentum.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
