MONTANA GRIZZLIES (21-8, 14-2)
AT PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (17-12, 9-7)

Saturday, March 1, 2025, 2 p.m., Viking Pavilion (3,094), Portland, OR
Live Stream: ESPN+ • Play-by-play: Matt Richert • Analyst: Devon Pouncey
Live Stats: www.ViksLive.com
 

OPENING TIP

An impressive win over Montana State on Thursday night at Viking Pavilion got Portland State back on track as the Big Sky Conference season nears its conclusion. The Vikings reward? A date with the best the Big Sky has to offer - the first-place University of Montana Grizzlies, winners of 10 games in a row - in a Saturday matinee at Viking Pavilion.
           
PSU (17-12, 9-7) defeated the Bobcats convincingly on Thursday, 69-52, to extend its home-court winning streak to nine games. The Vikings received excellent interior play as SR F Isaiah Johnson scored 16 points and SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott came back off a knee injury to total 12 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and two blocked shots. The Vikings dominated the glass, 43-25, blocked five shots and held Montana State 20 points below its season average.
           
With 17 wins, the Vikings have matched last year's season total (17-15) and guaranteed a second straight winning record. The Vikings are also now assured of finishing among the top six in the conference and have earned a first-round bye in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, Mar. 8-12, in Boise, ID.
           
Portland State has defended The Ship quite well this season. PSU is 11-1 at home and in nine of the 11 wins the Vikings led wire-to-wire. The home loss was by a single point. Opponents have averaged a mere 59.4 points and shot only .369 from the field. Can Portland State do it again against a red-hot Montana team? No question it will be the greatest home test of the season.
           
One thing the Vikings have in their favor is a reasonably healthy roster once again. PSU had 10 available players against Montana State. It was the first time they have had 10 healthy players in six weeks.
           
Montana (21-8, 14-2) has built a head of steam over the past six weeks, not losing a game since Jan. 18. The Grizzlies are seeking the Big Sky regular season title but hold a slim one-game margin over second-place Northern Colorado (21-8, 13-3). UM is a potent offensive team, averaging 76.3 points per game while shooting an even .500 from the field as a team.
           
The Vikings lost in Missoula to the Grizzlies on Jan. 30, 92-78. The 14-point loss is Portland State's only loss by double figures in Big Sky Conference play, and the only double-digit loss since Dec. 4.
           
Portland State and Montana meet at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Viking Pavilion. The game can be seen on ESPN+. Tickets are available at www.GoViks.com.
           
The Vikings host a season finale, and Senior Night, against Sacramento State on Monday at 7 p.m.
 

THE BIG SKY: WHERE THEY STAND AND WHO THEY PLAY

#1 Montana               14-2       3/1 at PSU; 3/3 EWU 
#2 Northern Colorado 13-3    3/1 at NAU; 3/3 at WSU
#t3 Portland State       9-7       3/1 UM; 3/3 SAC
#t3 Idaho State           9-7       3/1 at EWU; 3/3 NAU
#t5 Montana State      7-9       3/1 at SAC; 3/3 UI
#t5 Idaho                      7-9      3/1 WSU; 3/3 at MSU
#t5 Northern Arizona  7-9       3/1 UNC; 3/3 at ISU
#8 Eastern Washington  6-10  3/1 ISU; 3/3 UM
#9 Weber State             5-11   3/1 at UI; 3/3 UNC
#10 Sacramento State 3-13     3/1 MSU; 3/3 at PSU
 

2025 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Championship Schedule

 
First Round, Saturday, March 8
Game 1: #9 Seed vs. #10 Seed – 5:30 p.m. MT/4:30 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Game 2: #7 Seed vs. #8 Seed – 8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
 
Quarterfinals, Sunday, March 9
Game 3: #1 Seed vs. Game 1 Winner – 5:30 p.m. MT/4:30 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Game 4: #2 Seed vs. Game 2 Winner – 8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
 
Quarterfinals, Monday, March 10
Game 5: #4 Seed vs. #5 Seed – 5:30 p.m. MT/4:30 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Game 6: #3 Seed vs. #6 Seed – 8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
 
Semifinals, Tuesday, March 11
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT (ESPNU)
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner – 9:30 p.m. MT/8:30 p.m. PT (ESPN2)
 
Championship, Wednesday, March 12
Game 9: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner – 9:30 p.m. MT/8:30 p.m. PT (ESPN2)
 

GAME NOTES: PORTLAND STATE vs. MONTANA

• ALL-TIME SERIES: Montana leads the all-time series with Portland State, 46-28, and the Big Sky Conference series, 38-19... Montana holds the Big Sky series edge in Portland, 15-14.
• Jan. 30 at Missoula, UM 92, PSU 78: The Grizzlies came out red-hot and got even hotter in the second half in the win in Missoula. Montana was 35-55 from the field (.636) including a blistering 17-23 in the second half (.739). The Griz hit from all over, making 10-15 three-pointers (.667) and 12-13 free throws (.923)... For their part, the Vikings also shot extremely well, making 31-56 from the field for a .554 mark. They hit 19-27 (.704) in the second half and it still wasn't good enough to catch the Griz... Qiant Myers scored a Viking-best 28 points on 11-18 from the field with four assists. Terri Miller Jr. posted 25 points, making 10-15 shots from the field. He also had seven rebounds... The Grizzlies had six players in double figures. Brandon Whitney led the way with 19 points, making 8-9 from the field.
• COACHES: Vikings Coach Jase Coburn (Arizona State, 2006) is in his fourth season as Head Coach. He spent eight previous seasons on the Park Blocks as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach. Coburn's overall record is 60-63. He is 1-6 against Montana... the Grizzlies are coached by Travis DeCuire (Montana, 1994) in his 11th season. He is 222-132 in his Montana coaching career, including 16-6 against the Vikings.

 

SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES

• Montana is an original member of the Big Sky Conference. The Grizzlies have won 10 regular season Big Sky Championships, 11 Big Sky Tournament titles and made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Grizzlies were 25-11 last season, 12-6 and tied for second in the Big Sky Conference.
• This season, Montana is 21-8 overall, 14-2 in the Big Sky. The Griz average 76.3 points and allow 73.3 points per game. They shoot .500 from the field, .359 from three-point range and .731 at the free throw line.
• Junior guard Malik Moore is the team's leading scorer at 13.4 points per game. Sophomore guard Money Williams is averaging 12.3 points and a team-high 3.2 assists per game. Senior guard Joe Pridgen averages 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds, while shooting a Big Sky-leading .641 field goal percentage.

 

HOT SHOTS

• FRONT RUNNERS: With an 11-1 home record, Portland State has trailed in only three of 12 home games this season, winning wire-to-wire in nine games. In a total of 480 minutes played in Viking Pavilion, the Vikings have trailed for only 30 minutes and nine seconds. And the Vikings lone home loss came by a single point.
• DEFENDING THE SHIP: Portland State has held home opponents to 59.4 points per game, .369 field goal shooting and .272 three-point shooting. The Vikings are forcing an average of 14.8 turnovers, making 6.5 blocked shots and 9.3 steals per game. PSU has a +21.7 scoring margin at home... overall PSU leads the Big Sky in scoring defense (69.5), field goal percentage defense (.429), blocked shots (5.1) and steals (8.4)... in Big Sky games, those numbers are even better with PSU allowing only 65.8 points, .425 shooting, .285 three-point shooting, 4.4 blocks and 7.4 steals to lead in each category.
• BIG MAN DOMINANCE: With all four big men finally healthy, Portland State got dominant play from the inside game in the win over Montana State. SR F Isaiah Johnson scored a game-high 16 points (7-13 FG). SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott set another career high with 17 rebounds to go with 12 points (6-8 FG) and two blocked shots. SR F Terri Miller Jr. scored 12 points on 6-9 field goals. SR F Hayden Curtiss, who had missed 11 of the last 12 games with an ankle injury, came back to play 16 minutes, score nine points with three rebounds and make one of his patented roof-raising blocked shots.... those four combined to shoot 21-35 from the field (.600), lead a 43-25 rebounding edge over the Bobcats and block five shots... Minott's 17 boards were the most by a Viking since Cameron Forte grabbed 20 in a game against Idaho on Jan. 30, 2016 - a span of 286 games.
• BIG SKY LEADER: SR F Terri Miller Jr. has turned up his play in Big Sky Conference contests. He averaged 8.7 points prior to Big Sky play, but is up to 14.6 points in conference games for a season average of 11.9. At Idaho State, Miller turned in another career-high performance with 28 points (11-17 FG, 1-2 3-pt, 5-6 FT), adding four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot... he posted 14 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds at Weber State... Miller had his nose broken in the first half against Montana State but managed to still play 20 minutes, scoring 12 points (6-9 FG).
• BLOCK PARTY: Portland State had a season-high nine blocked shots in a win at Pacific (12/18) and has four games of eight blocks this season. PSU currently averages 5.1 send-backs per game to lead the Big Sky... PSU has 148 total blocks in 29 games (5.10). The school record is 153 in 32 games in 2006-07. The school record for blocks per game is 4.78, the same year... SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott has had a career-high four blocked shots five times this season (Wofford, Denver, Weber State, Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado) and ranks second in the Big Sky and 33rd in the nation at 1.81 per game.
• EVERYBODY PLAYS, NEARLY EVERYBODY STARTS: On Head Coach Jase Coburn's teams everybody plays... and nearly everybody starts at some point as Coburn routinely adjusts lineups based on a myriad of factors. In his 123 games as head coach, Coburn has started 41 different lineups... of the 50 active players on Coburn's four teams, 40 have started. 
• TRENDY: Portland State is 14-3 when leading at halftime... the Vikings are 13-4 when out-rebounding an opponent and 15-3 when out-shooting an opponent... PSU is 5-6 in games decided by six points or less.
• LEADERS: Portland State currently leads the Big Sky Conference in turnovers forced (14.5), turnover margin (+1.8), steals (8.4), blocked shots (5.1), scoring defense (69.5), field goal percentage defense (.429) and fast break points (12.2)... SR G Qiant Myers leads the Big Sky in assists (6.1) and ranks 16th in the nation... SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott ranks 33rd in the nation in blocked shots (1.82).

 

SHOOT YOUR SHOT

• HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS, PART 1: SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott is on pace to set a school record for field goal percentage in season. He is currently at .677 (.685 in Big Sky play)... along the way, he also tied the school record for consecutive field goals made (12), set twice previously... the current school record is .671, set by former NFL star (yes, NFL star) Julius Thomas in 2009-10. JT also holds the second and third spots in the field goal percentage list (.643, 2008-09 and .639, 2006-07), and of course the career shooting record (.663, 2006-10).
• HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS, PART 2: SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott (yes, him again) has set a new record for dunks in a season (44). No wonder he has such a great shooting percentage. However, even if you take the dunks out, he is shooting .516 from the field... Minott's five dunks in a single game, Jan. 11 vs. Idaho is also a school record... the previous record for a season was 40, by Sal Nuhu in 2018-19.
• HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS, PART 3: The Vikings have 119 dunks this season, smashing the school record of 84, set in 2018-19 in 32 games.
• HIGH PERCENTAGE SHOTS, PART 4: Portland State is shooting .481 as a team this season to rank third in the Big Sky... leading the way are SR C Tre-Vaughn Minott (.677), SR F Isaiah Johnson (.545), SR F Hayden Curtiss (.573), JR F Isaac Brice (.600) and SR F Terri Miller Jr. (.509).