Busting Brackets
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Montana Basketball: 3 reasons why the Grizzlies will beat Michigan

By Nolan Schmidt

LAWRENCE, KS - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Travis DeCuire of the Montana Grizzlies reacts from the bench during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on December 19, 2015 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
LAWRENCE, KS - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Travis DeCuire of the Montana Grizzlies reacts from the bench during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse on December 19, 2015 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 09: A basketball net and hoop are shown before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 09: A basketball net and hoop are shown before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Reason 2: Comparable Stars

Before you hop on Twitter and rag on me for saying Moritz Wagner and Ahmaad Rorie are on the same level, let me explain. In the NCAA Tournament, every team needs a go-to player. This is especially the case for lower-seeded teams when some of their players cannot be relied upon every game. Ahmaad Rorie is as steady on offense as Wagner on a game-to-game basis. There were only four games all season where the Oregon transfer scored less than 10 points. In fact, Rorie has 24 games where he scored at least 15 points, which is still below his average of 17 points per game. If that is not consistent offensive production, then what is?

In case you wondering, Wagner averaged roughly 15 points per game this season. He also had just 16 games where he scored at least 15 points per game (eight less than Rorie). On top of that, Wagner had five games where he failed to score in double figures. Four of those five games came against below average teams too (Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, and Jacksonville).

I am not trying to discredit Moritz Wagner and his accomplishments. The man clearly knows how to play in March given his performance in the Big Ten tournament. However, Montana has their own star in Ahmaad Rorie. In the NCAA Tournament, there is nothing more vital than a go-to guy, and Montana has that.

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