Montana Grizzlies basketball

The Montana Grizzlies basketball team represents the University of Montana in men's college basketball. They compete at the NCAA Division I level and are members of the Big Sky Conference. Home games are played at Dahlberg Arena located inside the University of Montana's Adams Center. The Grizzlies have appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 13 times, most recently in 2025. Montana's best finish in the NCAA tournament was in 1975 when they appeared in the Sweet 16.

Montana Grizzlies basketball
2024–25 Montana Grizzlies basketball team
University	University of Montana
First season	1901
All-time record	1,348–1,169
Head coach	Travis DeCuire (11th season)
Conference	Big Sky
Location	Missoula, Montana
Arena	Dahlberg Arena (capacity: 7,321)
Nickname	Grizzlies (Griz)
Student section	The Zoo
Colors	Maroon and silver[1]
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1975
NCAA tournament appearances
1975, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2025
Conference tournament champions
1991, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2025
Conference regular-season champions
1975, 1978, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2025

Postseason results

NCAA tournament results

The Grizzlies have appeared in 13 NCAA tournaments, with a combined record of 2–14.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1975		Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place	Utah State #2 UCLA #16 UNLV	W 69–63 L 64–67 L 67–75
1991	16 W	Round of 64	(1) #1 UNLV	L 65–99
1992	14 W	Round of 64	(3) #20 Florida State	L 68–78
1997	16 W	Round of 64	(1) #5 Kentucky	L 54–92
2002	15 M	Round of 64	(2) #11 Oregon	L 62–81
2005	16 W	Round of 64	(1) #8 Washington	L 77–88
2006	12 M	Round of 64 Round of 32	(5) #20 Nevada (4} #7 Boston College	W 87–79 L 56–69
2010	14 E	Round of 64	(3) #8 New Mexico	L 57–62
2012	13 E	Round of 64	(4) #14 Wisconsin	L 49–73
2013	13 E	Round of 64	(4) #16 Syracuse	L 34–81
2018	14 W	Round of 64	(3) #7 Michigan	L 47–61
2019	15 W	Round of 64	(2) #8 Michigan	L 55–74
2025	14 E	Round of 64	(3) #13 Wisconsin	L 66–85

NIT results

The Grizzlies have appeared in four National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 0–4.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1985	First Round	UCLA	L 47–78
1986	First Round	TCU	L 69–76
1995	First Round	UTEP	L 60–90
2015	First Round	Texas A&M	L 64–81

CBI results

The Grizzlies have appeared in three College Basketball Invitationals (CBI). Their combined record is 1–3.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2011	First Round	Duquesne	L 76–87
2016	First Round	Nevada	L 75–79
2024	First Round	Presbyterian	W 82-79
2024	Second Round	Arkansas State	L 74-61

Career leaders

Points

Player	Total
Krystkowiak, Larry	2,017
Richardson, Micheal Ray	1,827
Cope, Bob	1,810
Pridgett, Sayeed	1,679
Jamar, Kareem	1,673
Criswell, Kevin	1,663
Rorie,Ahmad	1,654
Oguine, Michael	1,647
Strait, Andrew	1,617
Tinkle, Wayne	1,500
Cherry, Will	1,484
Hasquet, Jordan	1,396
McKenzie, Ken	1,321
Samuelson, Shawn	1,293
Pope, Derrick	1,289
Rocheleau, Lou	1,235
Engellant, Daren	1,224
Davis, Charles	1,214
Kempfert, Matt	1,131
Spoja, Chris	1,111
Argenbright, Ed	1,100
Zanon, Craig	1,071
Zanon, Scott	1,070
Fasting, Roger	1,047
Warhank, Mike	1,046
Lake, Jeremy	1,036
Balko, Dan	1,025
Martin, Matt	1,021
Selvig, Doug	1,000

Rebounds

Player	Total
Krystkowiak, Larry	1105
Engellant, Daren	874
McKenzie, Ken	859
Tinkle, Wayne	836
Samuelson, Shawn	791
Sheriff, Russell	788
Lowry, Steve	763
Hasquet, Jordan	718
Strait, Andrew	711
Pope, Derrick	675
Richardson, Micheal Ray	670
Jamar, Kareem	664

Assists

Player	Total
DeCuire, Travis	435
Christensen, Shane	431
Zanon, Scott	411
Jamar, Kareem	407
Richardson, Micheal Ray	372
Glass, Marc	369
Camel, J.	365
Fastings, Roger	363
Selvig, Doug	361
Reed, Tony	339
Martin, Matt	317

Steals

Player	Total
J. Camel	215

Blocks

Player	Total
Brian Qvale

Season by season records

^[2][3][4]

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
No Coach Listed () (1901–1904)
1901–1902	n/a	0–1
1902–1903	n/a	1–1
1903–1904	n/a	1–0
n/a:		2–2
No Team (1904–1905)
1904–1905	n/a	x
Fred Schule (1905–1907)
1905–1906	Fred Schule	4–2
1906–1907	Fred Schule	2–2
Fred Schule:		6–4
Albion Findley (1907–1909)
1907–1908	Albion Findley	6–3
1908–1909	Albion Findley	unavailable
No Team (1909–1911)
1909–1910	n/a	x
1910–1911	n/a	x
Albert N. Whitlock (1911–1912)
1911–1912	Albert N. Whitlock	1–6
W.W.H Mustaine (1912–1914)
1912–1913	W.W.H Mustaine	5–3
1913–1914	W.W.H Mustaine	3–8
W.W.H Mustaine:		8–11
Jerry Nissen (Northwest Conference) (1914–1918)
1914–1915	Jerry Nissen	4–6
1915–1916	Jerry Nissen	7–3
1916–1917	Jerry Nissen	4–11
1917–1918	Jerry Nissen	6–6
Jerry Nissen:		21–26
No Team (1918–1919)
1918–1919	n/a	x
Bernie Bierman (1919–1922)
1919–1920	Bernie Bierman	6–9
1920–1921	Bernie Bierman	12–8
1921–1922	Bernie Bierman	14–7
Bernie Bierman:		32–24
J.W. Stewart (Pacific Coast Conference) (1922–1932)
1922–1923	J.W. Stewart	7–14
1923–1924	J.W. Stewart	7–8
1924–1925	J.W. Stewart	9–10
1925–1926	J.W. Stewart	5–10
1926–1927	J.W. Stewart	5–11
1927–1928	J.W. Stewart	6–8
1928–1929	J.W. Stewart	9–11
1929–1930	J.W. Stewart	13–9
1930–1931	J.W. Stewart	10–12
1931–1932	J.W. Stewart	6–14
J.W. Stewart:		77–107
A.J. Lewandowski (Pacific Coast Conference) (1932–1937)
1932–1933	A.J. Lewandowski	8–11
1933–1934	A.J. Lewandowski	16–9–1
1934–1935	A.J. Lewandowski	6–18
1935–1936	A.J. Lewandowski	13–11
1936–1937	A.J. Lewandowski	14–12
A.J. Lewandowski:		57–61–1
George Dahlberg (Pacific Coast Conference) (1937–1941)
1937–1938	George Dahlberg	9–18
1938–1939	George Dahlberg	17–13
1939–1940	George Dahlberg	17–8			AAU National 3rd Round
1940–1941	George Dahlberg	13–14
1941–1942	George Dahlberg	14–10
George Dahlberg:		70–63
Clyde Carpenter/Ed Chinske (Pacific Coast Conference) (1942–1943)
1942–1943	Clyde Carpenter/Ed Chinske	15–9
Edward Buzzetti (Pacific Coast Conference) (1943–1944)
1943–1944	Edward Buzzetti	1–11
George Dahlberg (Pacific Coast Conference/Skyline Conference) (1944–1955)
1944–1945	George Dahlberg	7–22
1945–1946	George Dahlberg	12–16
1946–1947	George Dahlberg	12–16
1947–1948	George Dahlberg	21–11
1948–1949	George Dahlberg	12–13
1949–1950	George Dahlberg	27–4
1950–1951	George Dahlberg	12–18
1951–1952	George Dahlberg	12–14
1952–1953	George Dahlberg	14–11
1953–1954	George Dahlberg	8–19
1954–1955	George Dahlberg	12–14
George Dahlberg:		165–170
George Dahlberg (1937–42)(1944–55):		235–233
Forrest Cox (Skyline Conference) (1955–1962)
1955–1956	Forrest Cox	14–12
1956–1957	Forrest Cox	13–9
1957–1958	Forrest Cox	12–10
1958–1959	Forrest Cox	10–14
1959–1960	Forrest Cox	7–17
1960–1961	Forrest Cox	14–9
1961–1962	Forrest Cox	10–14
Forrest Cox:		80–73
Ron Nord (Big Sky) (1962–1968)
1962–1963	Ron Nord	6–18
1963–1964	Ron Nord	6–17	1–9	5th
1964–1965	Ron Nord	11–15	2–8	6th
1965–1966	Ron Nord	14–10	6–4	3rd
1966–1967	Ron Nord	6–18	1–9	6th
1967–1968	Ron Nord	8–17	5–10	6th
Ron Nord:		51–95	15–40
Bob Cope (Big Sky) (1968–1970)
1968–1969	Bob Cope	9–17	4–11	5th
1969–1970	Bob Cope	8–18	5–10	5th
Bob Cope:		17–35	9–21
Lou Rocheleau (Big Sky) (1970–1971)
1970–1971	Lou Rocheleau	9–15	6–8	T-5th
Jud Heathcote (Big Sky) (1971–1976)
1971–1972	Jud Heathcote	14–12	7–7	T-5th
1972–1973	Jud Heathcote	13–13	7–7	4th
1973–1974	Jud Heathcote	19–8	11–3	T-1st	Big Sky playoff game
1974–1975	Jud Heathcote	21–8	13–1	1st	NCAA Sweet 16
1975–1976	Jud Heathcote	13–12	7–7	5th
Jud Heathcote:		80–53	45–36
Jim Brandenburg (Big Sky) (1976–1978)
1976–1977	Jim Brandenburg	6–20	6–8	T-4th
1977–1978	Jim Brandenburg	20–9	12–2	1st	Big Sky Final
Jim Brandenburg:		26–29	18–10
Mike Montgomery (Big Sky) (1978–1986)
1978–1979	Mike Montgomery	14–13	7–7	4th	Big Sky Semifinal
1979–1980	Mike Montgomery	17–11	8–6	3rd	Big Sky Final
1980–1981	Mike Montgomery	19–9	11–3	T-2nd	Big Sky Final
1981–1982	Mike Montgomery	17–10	10–4	2nd	Big Sky Semifinal
1982–1983	Mike Montgomery	22–7	9–5	3rd	Big Sky Semifinal
1983–1984	Mike Montgomery	23–7	9–5	2nd	Big Sky Final
1984–1985	Mike Montgomery	22–8	10–4	2nd	NIT 1st Round
1985–1986	Mike Montgomery	21–11	9–5	2nd	NIT 1st Round
Mike Montgomery:		155–79	73–39
Stew Morrill (Big Sky) (1986–1990)
1986–1987	Stew Morrill	18–11	8–6	3rd	Big Sky Quarterfinal
1987–1988	Stew Morrill	18–11	7–9	7th	Big Sky Semifinal
1988–1989	Stew Morrill	20–11	11–5	3rd	Big Sky Semifinal
1989–1990	Stew Morrill	19–10	10–6	3rd	Big Sky Semifinal
1990–1991	Stew Morrill	22–9	13–3	1st	NCAA 1st Round
Stew Morrill:		97–59	49–29
Blaine Taylor (Big Sky) (1991–1998)
1991–1992	Blaine Taylor	26–5	14–2	1st	NCAA 1st Round
1992–1993	Blaine Taylor	17–11	8–6	4th	Big Sky Quarterfinal
1993–1994	Blaine Taylor	19–9	7–7	6th	Big Sky Quarterfinal
1994–1995	Blaine Taylor	21–9	11–3	T-1st	NIT 1st Round
1995–1996	Blaine Taylor	20–8	10–4	T-2nd	Big Sky Quarterfinal
1996–1997	Blaine Taylor	21–11	11–5	2nd	NCAA 1st Round
1997–1998	Blaine Taylor	16–14	9–7	T-5th	Big Sky Quarterfinal
Blaine Taylor:		140–67	61–34
Don Holst (Big Sky) (1998–2002)
1998–1999	Don Holst	13–14
1999–2000	Don Holst	17–11	6–10	7th	Big Sky Quarterfinal
2000–2001	Don Holst	11–16	6–10	T-7th
2001–2002	Don Holst	16–15	7–7	T-4th	NCAA 1st Round
Don Holst:		57–56	31–31
Pat Kennedy (Big Sky) (2002–2004)
2002–2003	Pat Kennedy	13–17	7–7	T-3rd	Big Sky Quarterfinal
2003–2004	Pat Kennedy	10–18	6–8	T-6th	Big Sky Quarterfinal
Pat Kennedy:		23–35	13–15
Larry Krystkowiak (Big Sky) (2004–2006)
2004–2005	Larry Krystkowiak	18–13	9–5	T-2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2005–2006	Larry Krystkowiak	24–7	10–4	2nd	NCAA 2nd Round
Larry Kryskowiak:		42–20	19–9
Wayne Tinkle (Big Sky) (2006–2014)
2006–2007	Wayne Tinkle	17–15	10–6	3rd	Big Sky Semifinal
2007–2008	Wayne Tinkle	14–16	8–8	T-4th	Big Sky Quarterfinal
2008–2009	Wayne Tinkle	17–12	11–5	T-2nd	Big Sky Quarterfinal
2009–2010	Wayne Tinkle	22–10	10–6	T-3rd	NCAA 1st Round
2010–2011	Wayne Tinkle	21–11	12–4	2nd	CBI 1st Round
2011–2012	Wayne Tinkle	25–6	15–1	1st	NCAA 1st Round
2012–2013	Wayne Tinkle	25–7	19–1	1st	NCAA 1st Round
2013–2014	Wayne Tinkle	17–13	12–8	2nd
Wayne Tinkle:		158–90	97–39
Travis DeCuire (Big Sky) (2014–present)
2014–2015	Travis DeCuire	20–13	14–4	T–1st	NIT first round
2015–2016	Travis DeCuire	21–12	14–4	2nd	CBI first round
2016–2017	Travis DeCuire	16–16	11–7	T–5th
2017–2018	Travis DeCuire	26–8	16–2	1st	NCAA 1st Round
2018–2019	Travis DeCuire	26–9	16–4	1st	NCAA 1st Round
2019–2020	Travis DeCuire	18-13	14-6	3rd	Tournament canceled due to COVID-19
2020–2021	Travis DeCuire	15-13	7-9	6th
2021–2022	Travis DeCuire	18-14	11-9	T-5th
2022-2023	Travis DeCuire	17-14	10-7	4th
2023-2024	Travis DeCuire	24-12	12-6	T-2nd
2024-2025	Travis DeCuire	25-10	15-3	T-1st	NCAA 1st Round
Travis DeCuire:		223-134	140-62
Total:		1,606-1,310
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion