Montana Basketball: 3 reasons why the Grizzlies will beat Michigan

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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) /

Reason 3: Wolverine Inconsistencies

Other than a few hiccups against Idaho and Eastern Washington, Montana was dominant in the Big Sky this season. Though they had a close call with Northern Colorado in the conference tournament semi-finals, they followed that game up with a 17-point drubbing of Eastern Washington. While the Wolverines looked sharp in their conference tournament, they have been relatively inconsistent on offense over the course of the season. That has not been the case for Montana.

I immediately think of Michigan’s bad loss to Northwestern on February 6th. The Wolverines only scored 52 points on 39% shooting from the field and 22% from 3-point range. Specific players like Duncan Robinson, Charles Matthews, and Jordan Poole have been streaky at times this season. On the other hand, Ahmaad Rorie, Michael Oguine, and Jamar Akoh have been steady all year for the Grizzlies. All three have consistently scored in double figures for the majority of Montana’s game.

My thought is that if the Grizzlies can stifle the supplemental Michigan players (which they are capable of) they will have a good chance at winning. If you can force teams out of their comfort zone, it goes a long way towards winning basketball games.

Next: Arizona Keys to Success Against Buffalo

The numbers are certainly not in Montana’s favor heading into Thursday night’s bout with Michigan. However, the Grizzlies are an extremely tough 14 seed and they will battle with the Wolverines for the full 40 minutes. By the end of the game, do not be shocked to see Montana moving on in Wichita.

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