Griz and Cats Meet for 311th Time in Heated Rivalry
Montana and Montana State renew their rivalry on the hardwood this Saturday night in Bozeman. This weekend will be the 311th all-time meeting between the Griz men's basketball team and the Cats.
Montana leads the all-time series 158-152, but Montana State leads the series in Bozeman 96-54. However, the Griz defeated Montana State in the last game played at Brick Breeden Field on February 22, 2025, by a final score of 89-85. Former Griz guard Kai Johnson led the way with 23 points.
Last year's win marked a special milestone for Coach DeCuire.
Travis DeCuire vs. Montana State
Under Head Coach Travis DeCuire, the Grizzlies have dominated the series against the Cats. Montana leads the series 16-5 with Coach DeCuire roaming the sidelines, including the last four regular-season matchups, and a 7-3 record at the Brick.
Montana State has the lone tournament win over the Griz; however, during the last decade, MSU defeated the Griz in the 2024 Big Sky Conference Championship game.
DeCuire won his first five games against MSU as the head coach of Montana.
All-Time Big Sky Conference Championships
Montana leads the charge with 12 Big Sky Tournament championships in 22 appearances, while Montana State is 3rd in the all-time titles list with 5 in 9 appearances.
Montana State won three in a row from 2022 to 2024. Montana won last year's title and back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, making the Treasure State responsible for six of the past 7 titles.
Montana won 13 regular-season titles. Montana State has won six.
This year's Grizzlies enter the rivalry showdown at 9-8 (3-1) with conference wins over Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona, and Idaho. The lone loss came last Saturday against Eastern Washington in Cheney.
The Cats enter the weekend with an eerily similar record at 9-8 (3-1) with conference wins over UNC, NAU, and Eastern Washington. MSU lost in a similar fashion last Saturday against Idaho, as the Griz lost against EWU.
Saturday night's game tips at 7 pm, with pregame coverage on the Grizzly Radio Network beginning at 6:30 pm.