Big Sky Basketball power rankings: EWU, Montana among teams at top

Big Sky Basketball power rankings: EWU, Montana among teams at the top

WICHITA, KS - MARCH 15: Head coach Travis DeCuire speaks with Ahmaad Rorie #14, Sayeed Pridgett #4 and Fabijan Krslovic #20 of the Montana Grizzlies during a stopage against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half of the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at INTRUST Arena on March 15, 2018 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

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EAST LANSING, MI – DECEMBER 9: Matt McQuaid #20 of the Michigan State Spartans handles the ball Dre Marin #4 of the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

4. Montana Grizzlies (4-6) KenPom: 196

It is hard to put the defending Big Sky champs this low. The Big Sky media poll had Montana in first place, while the coaches had them in second. The Griz best win so far was 77-70 at home over #252 North Dakota on Dec. 6. But their worst loss was 72-63 at #85 New Mexico on Dec. 1. So, there are not any comparable games to get a gauge with a mostly tough schedule.

Coach Travis DeCuire’s club is returning 6’5 senior and first-team All-Big Sky, Sayeed Pridgett. Pridgett brings in 18.1 ppg and 7.7 rpg. Next, 6’4 redshirt senior Kendal Manuel adds 13.6 ppg. After that, production drops off.

Montana will need to find some secondary offense, if they are going to keep pace in a race that is wide open. For now, they are pegged at 13-7 but a championship is not out of the question.

3. Southern Utah (7-4) KenPom: 156

The Thunderbirds raised some eyebrows with their 79-78 2OT victory at #128 Nebraska on Nov. 9 and their worst loss has been 61-51 at #201 at Loyola Marymount on Dec. 1. With that and a 7-4 record overall, Southern Utah is in definite contention for the Big Sky Championship.

Coach Todd Simon returns four starters and sports an experienced, balanced attack. Simon likes going to his bench and has seven players averaging more than 20 minutes per game. 6’7 senior Cameron Oluyitan, second-team all-conference last year, is leading the way with 12.8 ppg. 6’3 junior transfer, John Knight III, adds 12.5 ppg and 6’8 redshirt senior Dwayne Morgan has 11.3 ppg.

Guard play will need to improve as the T-Birds rank #338 in non-steal turnover percentage. But with the deepest roster in the Big Sky, they should contend with a 14-6 record.

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