Montana enters tourney realistic but hopeful about matchup with No. 1 Huskies
BOISE, Idaho ? Larry Krystkowiak is a no-nonsense basketball coach without much tolerance for fooling around.
But the prospect of facing the powerful Washington Huskies today in the NCAA Tournament turned even Krystkowiak into a bit of a comedian here Wednesday as the 16th-seed Griz prepared to face top-seed UW.
The keys to an upset, coach?
"Maybe a bus accident on the way over," cracked Krystkowiak.
Indeed, the Big Sky Conference tournament champion Grizzlies, 18-12 overall, are huge underdogs this afternoon at 1:10 (CBS-TV) against Pac-10 tourney champ Washington (27-5). The Huskies, top-seeded in this tournament for the first time, have won three in a row and seven of eight. Washington is one of the nation's top-scoring teams (86.3 ppg) and features a potential professional star in 5-foot-9 junior guard Nate Robinson, one of the quickest players in the land who averages 16.7 points and 4.6 assists.
"I don't think there's any question that we're not the best team," said Krystkowiak, who wasn't joking. "But what makes this time of year special is that we could play a great game, Washington could have a sub-par game and all of a sudden we've got a fun ballgame to watch. That's the reality of it."
The reality is also that since the NCAA Tournament went to a 64-team format 20 years ago, a 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1. That's zero-for-80.
"But the odds were against us before we ever got here to Boise," said Montana junior guard Kevin Criswell, referring to the recent Big Sky tournament, when third-seeded Montana won three straight to claim the championship. "We'll have to play our perfect game to win. But anything can happen in this NCAA Tournament."
The Grizzlies, in the NCAAs for the sixth time, must deal with a high-octane Washington attack that features a lot of speed on both offense and defense.
"Defensive transition will be important for us," said Criswell. "They run off of both makes and misses. We've got to get back ... and limit their second shots."
Robinson and teammates Tre Simmons (16.3 ppg) and Will Conroy (9.2 ppg) form a three-headed backcourt monster for UW foes. All three are from Seattle. Junior forward Bobby Jones (11.1 ppg) is another effective scorer, and 6-6 reserve Brandon Roy averages 12.4 ppg off the bench.
"It's not any secret we've got to take care of the ball," said Krystkowiak, mindful of the intense pressure usually applied by Washington's guards. "They really try to make some hay off of turnovers. We can't expect to be in the ballgame if there's a lot of 3-on-2s or 2-on-1s (fast breaks).
"They have five guys that crash the glass and try to gobble up second shots, and then seem to be quick enough to get back on defense. We're going to have to put bodies on people and limit them to one shot a possession."
The Grizzlies have the attention of Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar, the Pac-10 coach of the year who is 56-33 in three seasons at his alma mater.
"They shoot the ball real well," Romar said. "Just a well-coached, solid team. Plus they're playing their best basketball. We'll have to come out from the opening tip ready to go or it will be a long night."
Montana is led by all-Big Sky performers Kamarr Davis (14.8 ppg) and Criswell (12.4 ppg). Davis earned MVP honors at last week's league tournament and must have a big game today if the Griz are to hang in there.
Sophomore Matt Dlouhy (9.1 ppg) and true freshman point guard Matt Martin (9.2 ppg) are also key players for Krystkowiak. The first-year UM head coach might be forced to start another true freshman today (Andrew Strait), because starting center John Seyfert suffered a mild ankle sprain Wednesday afternoon during practice.
But the Grizzlies aren't thinking of surrender, with or without Seyfert.
"If we play defense and hold down their second-chance points we'll have a chance in the end," said Davis, a two-time all-Big Sky performer who is especially effective in the low blocks. "We have to play harder than our opponent. Rebound and defend for 40 minutes."
Said Krystkowiak: "If we can keep the game interesting early on, keep the people from heading to the souvenir shop, because that's what they usually do during the 1-16 matchup. But if we can keep 'em hanging around for 10 minutes and then maybe halftime ..."
The Huskies, of course, have other ideas.
"We've got to come out with a take-no-prisoners attitude and have a great start," said Romar.
The Huskies don't start a true center. Mike Jensen, a 6-8, 240-pounder, is the tallest player who makes a major contribution (6.4 points, 4.3 rebounds).
"We're undersized but not under-hearted," said Romar. "We've got scrappy, scrappy guys ... They play a tough brand of basketball. Our guys are not intimidated and don't back down. As a result we're able to compensate for that lack of size."
The Huskies, favored by as many as 21 points in some published point spreads, say they aren't expecting an easy time of it.
"We're not looking past anybody," said Washington senior guard Will Conroy. "We're going to come out and play as if we're playing Illinois. ... Blowouts are done with. It's gonna be a tough game."
Montana bears no resemblance to the Grizzly team that was blown out by the Montana State Bobcats in mid-February. Since that loss in Bozeman, followed three days later by a narrow three-point setback at Sacramento State, the Grizzlies have been unbeatable. Today they carry a six-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.
And that's impressive, no matter what the seed.
"The committee's not perfect," Krystkowiak said of the NCAA group that put the tournament together. "There's nothing saying (Washington) couldn't be a 3 seed and we couldn't be a 14 (seed)."
While the Grizzlies have made headlines across the Big Sky recently, they'll stop the presses across the country with a victory today.
"It is a 16 and a 1 and we know it's never happened before," Krystkowiak said of a possible upset. "But if we don't believe and try to play Grizzly basketball, then we don't have a chance. That's what we're going to try to go, believe in ourselves and do what got us here.
BOISE, Idaho ? Larry Krystkowiak is a no-nonsense basketball coach without much tolerance for fooling around.
But the prospect of facing the powerful Washington Huskies today in the NCAA Tournament turned even Krystkowiak into a bit of a comedian here Wednesday as the 16th-seed Griz prepared to face top-seed UW.
The keys to an upset, coach?
"Maybe a bus accident on the way over," cracked Krystkowiak.
Indeed, the Big Sky Conference tournament champion Grizzlies, 18-12 overall, are huge underdogs this afternoon at 1:10 (CBS-TV) against Pac-10 tourney champ Washington (27-5). The Huskies, top-seeded in this tournament for the first time, have won three in a row and seven of eight. Washington is one of the nation's top-scoring teams (86.3 ppg) and features a potential professional star in 5-foot-9 junior guard Nate Robinson, one of the quickest players in the land who averages 16.7 points and 4.6 assists.
"I don't think there's any question that we're not the best team," said Krystkowiak, who wasn't joking. "But what makes this time of year special is that we could play a great game, Washington could have a sub-par game and all of a sudden we've got a fun ballgame to watch. That's the reality of it."
The reality is also that since the NCAA Tournament went to a 64-team format 20 years ago, a 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1. That's zero-for-80.
"But the odds were against us before we ever got here to Boise," said Montana junior guard Kevin Criswell, referring to the recent Big Sky tournament, when third-seeded Montana won three straight to claim the championship. "We'll have to play our perfect game to win. But anything can happen in this NCAA Tournament."
The Grizzlies, in the NCAAs for the sixth time, must deal with a high-octane Washington attack that features a lot of speed on both offense and defense.
"Defensive transition will be important for us," said Criswell. "They run off of both makes and misses. We've got to get back ... and limit their second shots."
Robinson and teammates Tre Simmons (16.3 ppg) and Will Conroy (9.2 ppg) form a three-headed backcourt monster for UW foes. All three are from Seattle. Junior forward Bobby Jones (11.1 ppg) is another effective scorer, and 6-6 reserve Brandon Roy averages 12.4 ppg off the bench.
"It's not any secret we've got to take care of the ball," said Krystkowiak, mindful of the intense pressure usually applied by Washington's guards. "They really try to make some hay off of turnovers. We can't expect to be in the ballgame if there's a lot of 3-on-2s or 2-on-1s (fast breaks).
"They have five guys that crash the glass and try to gobble up second shots, and then seem to be quick enough to get back on defense. We're going to have to put bodies on people and limit them to one shot a possession."
The Grizzlies have the attention of Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar, the Pac-10 coach of the year who is 56-33 in three seasons at his alma mater.
"They shoot the ball real well," Romar said. "Just a well-coached, solid team. Plus they're playing their best basketball. We'll have to come out from the opening tip ready to go or it will be a long night."
Montana is led by all-Big Sky performers Kamarr Davis (14.8 ppg) and Criswell (12.4 ppg). Davis earned MVP honors at last week's league tournament and must have a big game today if the Griz are to hang in there.
Sophomore Matt Dlouhy (9.1 ppg) and true freshman point guard Matt Martin (9.2 ppg) are also key players for Krystkowiak. The first-year UM head coach might be forced to start another true freshman today (Andrew Strait), because starting center John Seyfert suffered a mild ankle sprain Wednesday afternoon during practice.
But the Grizzlies aren't thinking of surrender, with or without Seyfert.
"If we play defense and hold down their second-chance points we'll have a chance in the end," said Davis, a two-time all-Big Sky performer who is especially effective in the low blocks. "We have to play harder than our opponent. Rebound and defend for 40 minutes."
Said Krystkowiak: "If we can keep the game interesting early on, keep the people from heading to the souvenir shop, because that's what they usually do during the 1-16 matchup. But if we can keep 'em hanging around for 10 minutes and then maybe halftime ..."
The Huskies, of course, have other ideas.
"We've got to come out with a take-no-prisoners attitude and have a great start," said Romar.
The Huskies don't start a true center. Mike Jensen, a 6-8, 240-pounder, is the tallest player who makes a major contribution (6.4 points, 4.3 rebounds).
"We're undersized but not under-hearted," said Romar. "We've got scrappy, scrappy guys ... They play a tough brand of basketball. Our guys are not intimidated and don't back down. As a result we're able to compensate for that lack of size."
The Huskies, favored by as many as 21 points in some published point spreads, say they aren't expecting an easy time of it.
"We're not looking past anybody," said Washington senior guard Will Conroy. "We're going to come out and play as if we're playing Illinois. ... Blowouts are done with. It's gonna be a tough game."
Montana bears no resemblance to the Grizzly team that was blown out by the Montana State Bobcats in mid-February. Since that loss in Bozeman, followed three days later by a narrow three-point setback at Sacramento State, the Grizzlies have been unbeatable. Today they carry a six-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.
And that's impressive, no matter what the seed.
"The committee's not perfect," Krystkowiak said of the NCAA group that put the tournament together. "There's nothing saying (Washington) couldn't be a 3 seed and we couldn't be a 14 (seed)."
While the Grizzlies have made headlines across the Big Sky recently, they'll stop the presses across the country with a victory today.
"It is a 16 and a 1 and we know it's never happened before," Krystkowiak said of a possible upset. "But if we don't believe and try to play Grizzly basketball, then we don't have a chance. That's what we're going to try to go, believe in ourselves and do what got us here.
