Post by griz on Jul 15, 2011 12:06:16 GMT -5
www.gogriz.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/071411aaa.html
Grizzly hoops schedule features tough non-league slate
Sixth-year University of Montana head basketball coach Wayne Tinkle's 2011-12 team will have several exciting non-league home games this season, and then begin their Big Sky Conference slate in late December.
Montana hosts the likes of Idaho and Long Beach State (Nov. 17th & 26th), as well as the University of San Francisco, Nevada, and Utah Valley State (Dec. 1st, 10th, and 22nd).
Idaho returns three starters from an 18-14 team that finished third in the WAC with a 10-5 record and participated in the CollegeInsider.com Post-season Tournament.
The 49ers return four senior starters from a 22-12 squad that advanced to the NIT a year ago, losing 85-74 at Washington State, the eventual runner-up in that tourney. LBSU won the Big West Conference's regular-season title with a record of 14-2, but lost 64-56 to UC Santa Barbara in the conference's post-season tourney championship contest.
The USF Dons return all five starters from a 19-14 team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Post-season Tournament, losing 95-91 to Santa Clara. USF was 10-4 in the WCC and narrowly lost 71-67 to Gonzaga in the semifinal of the league's post-season tournament.
The Wolf Pack also returns all five starters from a 13-19 team that was 8-8 in the WAC.
Utah Valley was 19-11 a year ago, and lost 72-70 to South Dakota in a semi-final game of the Great West Conference Tournament. The Wolverines, who won the league's regular-season title with an 11-1 ledger, return four starters. UVU also had the Big West's "Player of the Year" in junior guard Isiah Williams, who was also tabbed All-America honorable mention by the Associated Press.
"When you look at the success that almost all of the teams on our non-league schedule had last season, and consider how many starters they have coming back, then you can see why we feel like we have a formidable schedule," said Tinkle, who has a five-year record of 91-64 at his alma mater. "I think this it is one of the most challenging and alluring non-league home schedules that we've had in quite some time.
"A lot of these teams were on our schedule last season, and once again we are expecting knock down, drag out, difficult contests against all of them," Tinkle said.
The Griz also have formidable road contests at Colorado State (Nov. 11), North Dakota (Nov. 23), Oregon State (Dec. 1), and Portland (Dec. 17).
Colorado State was 19-13 last season and lost 67-61 to host New Mexico in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference tournament, then dropped a 62-60 home contest against Fairfield in a first-round NIT game.
The Beavers of the Pac-10 conference finished 11-20, and lost 78-69 in the league quarterfinals to 16th-ranked Arizona. UA won the conference tournament and advanced all the way to the NCAA West Regional title game, losing 65-63 to eventual national champion Connecticut.
Portland was 20-12 last season and participated in the CollegeInsider.com post-season tournament, losing 76-64 in the first round to Hawaii. The Pilots were the only team to defeat (58-54) the Grizzlies in a regular-season home game last year, have two starters back.
UM opens league play at home, hosting Portland State on Dec. 28th and Eastern Washington on Dec. 30th. The EWU game is a rare 1:00 p.m. tip-off in Dahlberg Arena, with the second day of the Lady Griz Holiday Classic that evening.
Montana, which finished 12-4 in the Big Sky to finish second in the Big Sky, hosts defending champion Northern Colorado (13-3/21-10) on Thursday, Jan. 19th. Two days later (Jan. 21) UM hosts Sacramento State.
The Grizzlies return four starters and eight lettermen from a team that went 21-11 overall. Montana lost to the Bears 65-60 in the Big Sky tournament's title game in Greeley.
Tinkle has a large void to fill, as starter Brian Qvale has graduated. The 6-11 center led the team in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg), and was a first team All-Big Sky Conference pick and the league's "Defensive Player of the Year." He also set conference records for career blocks (247) and single-season (95 last year) rejections.
Returning starters include 6-1 junior guard Will Cherry (29 starts), 7-0 senior forward Derek Selvig (32 starts), 6-4 senior forward Art Steward (18 starts), 6-5 sophomore forward Kareem Jamar (18 starts), 6-1 guard Shawn Stockton (15 starts) and 6-3 senior guard Jordan Wood (16 starts).
Lettermen returning include 6-7 junior forward Mathias Ward and 6-9 sophomore forward Eric Hutchison. UM returns two redshirt freshmen in 6-9 center Billy Reader and 6-7 forward Mike Weisner.
Cherry was also a first team All-Big Sky selection, and second on the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game.
"We realize that we have a huge hole to fill with the loss of " BQ," but we are very excited about the group we have coming back, along with our incoming players," Tinkle said "That's why we felt comfortable putting together such a competitive schedule.
UM hosts three big league home contests in late February, starting with Northern Arizona (9-7/19-13) on Feb. 23rd, followed by intrastate rival Montana State (7-9/13-18) on Feb. 25th, and then the Weber State Wildcats (11-5/18-14).
The Griz also have a Big Sky home game on Feb. 6th against Idaho State. Montana will also play an opponent to be determined in the ESPN Bracket Buster game on Feb. 17th or 18th.
"We always try to have a difficult non-league schedule to prepare us for the rigors of league play," Tinkle said. "The bottom line is that we want to continue to get better as we head into our Big Sky schedule. Our goals are always going to be to win the regular-season, host and win the conference tournament, and then move on to the NCAAs. We were there two years ago and strive to get there again this season."
Most of Montana's home games in Adams Center's Dahlberg Arena (7,500) begin at 7:05 p.m. (Mountain Time), except for the EWU game which starts at 1:05 p.m.
The Big Sky quarterfinal games (No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed and No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed) are slated for Saturday, March 3, with the highest seed hosting the contest. The semi-finals are Tuesday, March 6th, and will be hosted by the regular-season champion. The title game in Wednesday, March 7th, and aired live on ESPN2.
NOTE: The schedule is currently TENTATIVE and should be finalized soon.
Grizzly hoops schedule features tough non-league slate
Sixth-year University of Montana head basketball coach Wayne Tinkle's 2011-12 team will have several exciting non-league home games this season, and then begin their Big Sky Conference slate in late December.
Montana hosts the likes of Idaho and Long Beach State (Nov. 17th & 26th), as well as the University of San Francisco, Nevada, and Utah Valley State (Dec. 1st, 10th, and 22nd).
Idaho returns three starters from an 18-14 team that finished third in the WAC with a 10-5 record and participated in the CollegeInsider.com Post-season Tournament.
The 49ers return four senior starters from a 22-12 squad that advanced to the NIT a year ago, losing 85-74 at Washington State, the eventual runner-up in that tourney. LBSU won the Big West Conference's regular-season title with a record of 14-2, but lost 64-56 to UC Santa Barbara in the conference's post-season tourney championship contest.
The USF Dons return all five starters from a 19-14 team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Post-season Tournament, losing 95-91 to Santa Clara. USF was 10-4 in the WCC and narrowly lost 71-67 to Gonzaga in the semifinal of the league's post-season tournament.
The Wolf Pack also returns all five starters from a 13-19 team that was 8-8 in the WAC.
Utah Valley was 19-11 a year ago, and lost 72-70 to South Dakota in a semi-final game of the Great West Conference Tournament. The Wolverines, who won the league's regular-season title with an 11-1 ledger, return four starters. UVU also had the Big West's "Player of the Year" in junior guard Isiah Williams, who was also tabbed All-America honorable mention by the Associated Press.
"When you look at the success that almost all of the teams on our non-league schedule had last season, and consider how many starters they have coming back, then you can see why we feel like we have a formidable schedule," said Tinkle, who has a five-year record of 91-64 at his alma mater. "I think this it is one of the most challenging and alluring non-league home schedules that we've had in quite some time.
"A lot of these teams were on our schedule last season, and once again we are expecting knock down, drag out, difficult contests against all of them," Tinkle said.
The Griz also have formidable road contests at Colorado State (Nov. 11), North Dakota (Nov. 23), Oregon State (Dec. 1), and Portland (Dec. 17).
Colorado State was 19-13 last season and lost 67-61 to host New Mexico in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference tournament, then dropped a 62-60 home contest against Fairfield in a first-round NIT game.
The Beavers of the Pac-10 conference finished 11-20, and lost 78-69 in the league quarterfinals to 16th-ranked Arizona. UA won the conference tournament and advanced all the way to the NCAA West Regional title game, losing 65-63 to eventual national champion Connecticut.
Portland was 20-12 last season and participated in the CollegeInsider.com post-season tournament, losing 76-64 in the first round to Hawaii. The Pilots were the only team to defeat (58-54) the Grizzlies in a regular-season home game last year, have two starters back.
UM opens league play at home, hosting Portland State on Dec. 28th and Eastern Washington on Dec. 30th. The EWU game is a rare 1:00 p.m. tip-off in Dahlberg Arena, with the second day of the Lady Griz Holiday Classic that evening.
Montana, which finished 12-4 in the Big Sky to finish second in the Big Sky, hosts defending champion Northern Colorado (13-3/21-10) on Thursday, Jan. 19th. Two days later (Jan. 21) UM hosts Sacramento State.
The Grizzlies return four starters and eight lettermen from a team that went 21-11 overall. Montana lost to the Bears 65-60 in the Big Sky tournament's title game in Greeley.
Tinkle has a large void to fill, as starter Brian Qvale has graduated. The 6-11 center led the team in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg), and was a first team All-Big Sky Conference pick and the league's "Defensive Player of the Year." He also set conference records for career blocks (247) and single-season (95 last year) rejections.
Returning starters include 6-1 junior guard Will Cherry (29 starts), 7-0 senior forward Derek Selvig (32 starts), 6-4 senior forward Art Steward (18 starts), 6-5 sophomore forward Kareem Jamar (18 starts), 6-1 guard Shawn Stockton (15 starts) and 6-3 senior guard Jordan Wood (16 starts).
Lettermen returning include 6-7 junior forward Mathias Ward and 6-9 sophomore forward Eric Hutchison. UM returns two redshirt freshmen in 6-9 center Billy Reader and 6-7 forward Mike Weisner.
Cherry was also a first team All-Big Sky selection, and second on the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game.
"We realize that we have a huge hole to fill with the loss of " BQ," but we are very excited about the group we have coming back, along with our incoming players," Tinkle said "That's why we felt comfortable putting together such a competitive schedule.
UM hosts three big league home contests in late February, starting with Northern Arizona (9-7/19-13) on Feb. 23rd, followed by intrastate rival Montana State (7-9/13-18) on Feb. 25th, and then the Weber State Wildcats (11-5/18-14).
The Griz also have a Big Sky home game on Feb. 6th against Idaho State. Montana will also play an opponent to be determined in the ESPN Bracket Buster game on Feb. 17th or 18th.
"We always try to have a difficult non-league schedule to prepare us for the rigors of league play," Tinkle said. "The bottom line is that we want to continue to get better as we head into our Big Sky schedule. Our goals are always going to be to win the regular-season, host and win the conference tournament, and then move on to the NCAAs. We were there two years ago and strive to get there again this season."
Most of Montana's home games in Adams Center's Dahlberg Arena (7,500) begin at 7:05 p.m. (Mountain Time), except for the EWU game which starts at 1:05 p.m.
The Big Sky quarterfinal games (No. 6 seed at No. 3 seed and No. 5 seed at No. 4 seed) are slated for Saturday, March 3, with the highest seed hosting the contest. The semi-finals are Tuesday, March 6th, and will be hosted by the regular-season champion. The title game in Wednesday, March 7th, and aired live on ESPN2.
NOTE: The schedule is currently TENTATIVE and should be finalized soon.