BILLINGS — Montana and Wisconsin have been down this road before.
The question for the Grizzlies: Will this year be different?
In 2012, Montana had plenty of believers entering its NCAA tournament matchup with the Badgers in Albuquerque, N.M.
The Griz were 25-6 and had just whipped Damian Lillard-led Weber State by 19 points at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula to win the Big Sky Conference title — this was still before the league went to an all-inclusive neutral-site championship format — and there was an air of upset potential surrounding a star-studded Montana team.
Will Cherry, Kareem Jamar, Mathias Ward and Glendive’s Derek Selvig were the catalysts of those Wayne Tinkle-coached Griz, who earned a No. 13 seed for the NCAA tourney and a matchup with fourth-seeded Wisconsin, a 24-9 at-large team from the powerful Big Ten.
A sexy upset pick, UM’s Cinderella dreams evaporated as the defensive-minded Badgers, led by Jordan Taylor, Ryan Evans and Jared Berggren, who had seven blocked shots, rendered Cherry, Jamar et al ineffective and the Grizzlies were trounced 73-49.
Montana’s season was done. Wisconsin moved on and came tantalizingly close to an Elite Eight berth before being ousted with a 64-63 loss to Syracuse in the Sweet 16.
Now, 13 years later, Montana finds itself pitted against Wisconsin again in the NCAA tournament, this time as a 14 seed facing the third-seeded Badgers. Tipoff is slated for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at Ball Arena in Denver.
The Griz (25-9) are coming off a Big Sky championship in Boise, Idaho, while Wisconsin (26-9) is an at-large bid following a six-point loss to Michigan in its conference title game.
Obviously, the Grizzlies' 2012 matchup with the Badgers has no bearing on this year’s game and has no real relevance other than in a historical context.
Montana coach Travis DeCuire was an assistant at Cal back then and still two years from being hired in Missoula. The team’s most veteran players — Brandon Whitney, Kai Johnson, Joe Pridgen, Te’Jon Sawyer and Austin Patterson — weren’t yet teenagers.
But it should also be pointed out that the 2012 game was another in a line of Big Sky Conference shortcomings in the NCAA tournament.
As it stands now, the league is zero for its last 18 in the Big Dance, and the Big Sky has only won three times in the NCAA tournament since the bracket expanded to 64 (and now 68) teams in 1985.
The last time the conference won a game was in 2006 when Montana, a 12 seed, knocked off fifth-seeded Nevada 87-79 in a first-round game in Salt Lake City.
On Thursday, Montana must contend with a Wisconsin team, coached by Greg Gard, that comes with the requisite characteristics of a Big Ten program — size, strength and swagger. The Badgers have knocked off three top-10 teams this year, including Michigan State in the Big Ten semifinals.
John Tonje, a 6-foot-6 guard who transferred in this season from Missouri, was named first-team all-conference.
But the Big Sky’s dry spell has to end at some point. One bit of history is on Montana’s side: a No. 14 seed has beaten a No. 3 23 times since 1985.
After the Grizzlies defeated Northern Colorado to win the Big Sky title last Wednesday, DeCuire was asked about what it takes to win in the NCAA tournament in the context of the Big Sky’s drought, but four days before he knew who UM would be facing.
“A lot of it comes down to seeding and matchups,” said DeCuire, who is taking the Griz to the tournament for the third time after consecutive first-round losses to Michigan in 2018 and 2019. “When you're a mid- to low-(major), when you look at the ones that typically win, a lot of times it's size. They get an equal matchup in terms of size.
“But then sometimes its just getting hot. Some of it’s luck of the draw, some of it’s the health of your team. But you know what? Somebody’s going to have to show up and have a big game. We just didn’t have that with our two teams (in 2018 and 2019).
“Maybe this time somebody explodes for us.”
The question for the Grizzlies: Will this year be different?
