Montana will Win the NCAA Tournament - Reasons Why By Mason deLisser

• This team can shoot the heck out of the basketball. The Grizz shot 63.6%(!) from three in the Big Sky Conference Championship to upset number one seed Northern Colorado. Any squad getting that hot behind the arc should be feared in March, as three-point-heavy teams are known to pull upsets come tournament time (did somebody say Oakland?).

  
  

• Montana has just flat-out been getting it done on offense all year especially of late, putting up over 70 in 13 of their last 15. 

  
  

• The Montana Grizzlies are red-hot folks, with wins in 14 of the last 15. If you want any shot of winning in March, you have to show the ability to play a bunch of games in a row and be consistent, and the Grizzlies fit the bill. They have a clear offensive identity, which has led to consistent results. Nobody wants to face a team on fire and is aware of who they are this time of year. 

  
  

• Experience is important, even for a head coach. Travis Decuire has made the tournament twice before, in his first two seasons, and has been left out of the March Madness since (. I would imagine he will be hungry to get back to the big dance and go on a big run. Quick side note, no first-year head coach has ever won a national championship, so Decuire checks the box there too. 

  
  

• The selection committee could pass a measure where instead of competing in a game of basketball to decide the champion, they let the mascots fight it out. In that case, the Montana Grizzly would be pretty damned hard to beat. I have not heard this is happening, but I also have yet to hear it is not happening, so keep your ear to the ground. 

  
  

• Bonus reason: It is pretty hard not to believe in a squad that has a guy named Money Williams as their leader in scoring and assists. 

Mason deLisser