“You could take a poll of every kid in a Division I program and they’ll all tell you losing in the NCAA tournament,” Tinkle said. “I’m excited for Weber; they might get 30 wins (by playing in the CIT). That’s great and it’s postseason play. But the NCAA tournament is the end all, be all for Division I basketball, really for Division I sports in a lot of people’s minds. That is the true championship where you get 68 teams and you play for one trophy. All low to mid-major schools compete for that. That’s what the goal is for every Division I program, get to the NCAA tournament, especially schools at our level. Yeah, it wasn’t what we expected, but we took on the best. Everyone feels you work hard to get to the Dance and for one night we had our dancing shoes on.”

Amen.

Can you spell n-i-g-h-t-m-a-r-e?
Syracuse basically did anything it wanted at both ends of the floor Thursday night, overpowering Montana 81-34 in the NCAA tournament. Eight minutes into the game, Syracuse had more dunks (3) than Montana had field goals (1) and held a 20-4 lead. The Griz never recovered in a meltdown that Coach Wayne Tinkle called “ugly.” It was, in fact, historic. For all the wrong reasons.
– According to the NCAA tournament record book, Montana’s 11 field goals were the fewest in a tournament game in 64 years. To find a similar drought, you have to go all the way back to 1949, when Coach Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats limited Oklahoma State to nine field goals in a 46-36 victory for the national championship. (Oregon State managed just 11 field goals that same year in an NCAA loss to Oklahoma State.) You might remember 1949. There were only eight teams in the entire field, the jump shot was a revolutionary new weapon and dunking was something you did to a donut, not a basketball.
– Montana’s 34 points were the third fewest in an NCAA tourney game in the shot-clock era, which began in 1985-86. UCLA suffocated Mississippi Valley State 70-29 in 2008 and Missouri State shut down Wisconsin 43-32 in 1999.
– Montana’s 20.4 percent field-goal mark (11-of-54) was the seventh worst performance in NCAA history. Springfield holds the all-time record, shooting a Homer Simpson-esque 12.7 percent (8-of-63) in a loss to Indiana in 1940. Among other teams who shot worse than the Griz were Butler (12-of-64, 18.8 percent) in its 53-41 loss to Connecticut for the 2011 national championship, and Mississippi Valley State (13-of-66, 19.7 percent) in its 70-29 loss to UCLA.
– Montana’s 47-point margin of defeat was tied for sixth in NCAA tourney annals. Tennessee Tech holds the mark with a 69-point loss (111-42) to Loyola of Chicago in 1963.

“It’s something very special for me, coming from not playing too much last year,” Gregory said in Wednesday’s news conference. “Last year I was more of a spectator. And this year getting to play a lot more it’s a lot different. I’d say it’s a lot better playing than sitting on the bench.

“There’s no real pressure on me. I think the only pressure that comes on you in what you put on yourself. I’m not going to put any pressure on myself because at the end of the day basketball is just a game.”

Will Cherry says it’s an honor playing a Hall of Fame coach like Jim Boeheim, but he’s not awed.

“”It’s definitely a tremendous honor,” Cherry said. “I had one other tremendous honor of going up against UCLA. … So I kind of compare it to that.

“Jim Boeheim is a terrific coach. He has a lot of wins under his belt and knows what he’s doing.He’s been in this business since … before I was born. So it’s definitely a tremendous honor. It would be even more of a tremendous honor to defeat them, just like we did UCLA.

“But at the same time, even though it’s a tremendous honor, we’re here to win. And we’re not going to step on the court and be (awed) by Jim Boeheim or star struck by any of the players on their team.”

Cal coach Mike Montgomery, the Griz coach from 1978-86, was asked about his memories of the Garden City.

“I can’t tell you what I did in Missoula,” Montgomery said to laughter. “What happens in Missoula stays in Missoula as far as I’m concerned, especially when you’re in your late 20s, early 30s and single. That’s a whole different deal. I used to pretty regularly beat (UM sports information director Dave Guffey) in racquetball.

“Other than that I have great memories of my time in Montana. I met my wife there. My two kids were born there. I’ve got a lot of friends still there. I don’t see them all that much. But it’s kind of like if you’re in Montana, you’re one of us and you keep friends for a long, long time.”

“We’re just concerned about getting these first two games and getting to Spokane,” Jos said Wednesday as the Griz practiced at Stanford. “It’s a possibility, a sister showdown again.”

Griz senior point guard Will Cherry is the subject of this story this morning in the San Jose Mercury News. Seems Cherry’s high school coach advised him not to sign early with Montana and thought he’d be better off waiting until after his senior season. Things sure worked out well for Cherry at Montana.

Lies, damned lies and statistics. Number-crunching probably isn’t the best way to approach Montana’s NCAA tournament opener Thursday night against Syracuse. Not when Montana is still adjusting to the season-ending injury that shelved leading scorer Mathias Ward. Not when point guard/ballhawk Will Cherry is still rounding into form from his own injury woes. Not when the opponent is Syracuse, which has a history of NCAA tournament volatility and has been all over the place this winter. After an 18-1 start, the Orangemen stumbled to the wire, losing four of their last five regular-season games. Then, after building a 16-point lead over Louisville in the Big East title game, they threw it away with a dreadful second half.
No, numbers won’t necessarily predict Thursday’s outcome. But they’re still fun to consider.
 
– Last year Montana was drilled by Wisconsin, the nation’s most deliberate team. Tempo doesn’t figure to be as prominent a storyline this time around. Syracuse averages 67.6 possessions per 40 minutes, Montana 65.0. That puts both teams right in the middle of the NCAA pace-o-meter. Northwestern State (75.2) is the nation’s hare, while Western Illinois (57.9) has supplanted Wisconsin as the turtle.
 
– Talk about a matchup nightmare. The hottest 3-point shooter in the country is arguably 6-8 Syracuse forward James Southerland. He buried a Big East Tournament record 19 treys (out of 33 attempts) in four games last week, including 6-for-6 in a quarterfinal win over Pittsburgh.
 
– Montana shouldn’t have to worry about double-teaming the post and leaving someone like Southerland open on the perimeter. Centers Rakeem Christmas, Baye Keita and DaJuan Coleman have contributed just 14 percent of Syracuse’s points, the sixth-worst mark in the 68-team NCAA field. Of course, the Griz don’t exactly channel their offense through the middle either; their centers have accounted for only 17 percent of the team’s scoring.
 
– The eye test tells you that Montana has tightened its defense the past couple weeks. And at least one stat confirms it. The Grizzlies have held their past four opponents to less than one point per possession, their longest such streak this season.
 
– On the other hand, tempo-based stat guru Ken Pomeroy’s web site shows how far Montana’s defense slipped this season. (And yes, the stats were skewed for the worse by the 10-game absence of Cherry, UM’s career leader in steals.)  Overall, the Grizzlies have given up 101.6 points per every 100 possessions — 62nd out of the 68 NCAA tournament teams. Last year, the Griz ranked in the top third of the tourney field, giving up 95 points per 100 possessions.
 
– The Sporting News pointed out earlier this week that no team ever really beats Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense just on 3-pointers. “They either solve it by getting the ball effectively to the middle and distributing from there, or they lose.” If the Griz can successfully drive-and-dish, their long-range potential is intriguing. Montana ranks 19th in the nation (out of 347 teams) in 3-point shooting percentage (38.5) and 20th in effective field-goal percentage (54.2), which adds weight to 3-point shooting. Syracuse doesn’t rank in the top 140 in either offensive category. Of course, just as Cherry’s return boosted Montana’s defensive profile, its offense suffered a big blow with the loss of Ward, the team’s leading scorer and a 40-percent 3-point shooter.
 
– Every one of the nine NCAA tournament champions since 2004 has had a Pomeroy offensive efficiency rank among the top 17 and a defensive efficiency rank among the top 25. Only seven teams fill that bill this year, and Syracuse (16th on offense, 23rd on defense) is one of them. The others are Indiana, Louisville, Gonzaga, Florida, Ohio State, Pittsburgh. Montana’s rankings? No. 128 on offense and No. 176 on defense. So yes, a Griz win on Thursday would be fairly epic.
 
– OK, forget numbers. There’s the Vermontana factor. The last time Syracuse faced a 13 seed in the tournament, it lost to upstart Vermont. And you can’t spell Vermont or Montana without “mont.” Just a thought.

It didn’t take long for CBS college basketball analyst Seth Davis to deliver the kiss of death last Sunday. He took one look at the East bracket and immediately anointed Montana, a 13-seed, to upset Syracuse, a 4-seed. Syracuse can be an enigma, even to Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, but it has at least three — and possibly six – future NBA ballers, led by likely lottery pick Michael Carter-Williams. You may recall that ESPN analysts Andy Katz and Doug Gottlieb hopped aboard the Montana bandwagon last year, just before it careened over the cliff against Wisconsin.
Of course, hope springs eternal, even given the Big Sky’s 3-30 record in the past 30 NCAA tournaments. Some quick internet research on Monday revealed gristle for Griz fans to gnaw while waiting for Thursday’s tip-off in San Jose.

– In 1991 USA Today billed the Griz as “billion-to-one” longshots to defeat top-rated Nevada-Las Vegas and go on to win the NCAA tournament. That’s so retro. Today, thanks to tempo-based statistical analysis and algorithms that would make Stephen Hawking blink, we know precisely the odds facing the Griz. (Hint: they’re not good.) According to kenpom.com, a favorite stop for college hoops junkies, Montana has 1 chance in 1,226,993 of cutting down the nets in the Georgia Dome. (Now that’s One Shining Moment.) Montana is given a 9 percent chance to advance to the round of 32. The only teams with longer odds are the 16 seeds, a 15-seed (Albany) and a 14-seed (Northwestern State). Syracuse is given a 1-in-49 chance of winning it all, tied for 11th in the field of 68.

– A 13 seed, the same as last season, was surely the best Montana could’ve hoped for considering the weakness of the Big Sky Conference. Montana (69) and Weber State (98) were the only Big Sky teams in the top 220 RPI, and five Big Sky teams (Southern Utah, Montana State, Eastern Washington, Idaho State and Portland State) were in the 300s. Last season, the Big Sky was arguably the weakest it’s been in a decade; this season, it was worse.

– You want hope? No problem. Sure, Syracuse is one of the nation’s marquee basketball programs, but Boeheim and the boys have suffered their share of memorable NCAA upsets. Three times in the past eight years, a double-digit seeded team has squeezed the Orange: Vermont (13) in 2005, Texas A&M (12) in 2006 and Marquette (11) in 2011. And, of course, Syracuse endured one of the mother-of-all-upsets in 1991, losing as a No. 2 seed to 15th-seeded Richmond.

– Montana coach Wayne Tinkle might want to write two words in huge block letters on his pregame whiteboard: BLOCK OUT. Syracuse is fifth in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage. (Of its total rebounds, 39.8 percent have come off the offensive glass.) At the other end of the floor, Montana better make the first shot count. UM’s offensive rebounding percentage (25.1) is dead last in the 68-team NCAA field.

– Montana’s Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar are fine penetrators, but getting the ball to the tin figures to be difficult because a) driving lanes can close quickly against Syracuse’s quirky zone defense, and b) the long and athletic Orangemen have blocked 19 percent of their opponents’ two-point field-goal attempts. That’s tops in the nation.

Co-stars of the game: Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar, a duo that will be long remembered at Montana. Jamar had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists while playing all but one minute. Cherry added 18 points, three assists and three steals and hit a crucial 3-pointer with less than a minute to play on an assist from Jamar.

The two shared a hug at center court as they went to collect their trophies, Cherry for being named to the all-tournament team and Jamar for being named the tournament MVP for the second straight season.

“I was just telling him that I love him,” Jamar said. “That’s my big brother. It’s been that way since my recruiting visit. I just clicked with him. Since then he’s taught me so much on and off the court. For him to hit that shot like that, I just saw all the work that I’ve been doing for three years, four years for him. I’m just glad he hit that shot. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Weber coach Randy Rahe, always a class act, gave Cherry a pat on the back.

“He’s a terrific player,” Rahe said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Will. I’ve watched him develop, his time in Montana. The kid is an extremely hard worker. He’s a tough kid. He’s got great leadership. That’s what great players do, they make big shots. That was a big shot he hit. I wish him nothing but the best in his future. I’m sure he’ll go down as one of the best players in school history.”

Elite company

Only three other players in the 37-year history of the Big Sky tournament have been named MVP more than once: Bruce Collins of Weber State (1978-80), Ken Owens of Idaho (1981-82) and Riley Smith of Idaho (1989-90).

“I wish I could be happier about individual awards, I wish I could. I’m not even thinking about MVP. The reason I played the way I played, him sitting over there, I just can’t let him down,” Jamar said, pointing to Cherry. ”That’s the reason I played the way I played. … It’s not about me. It’s nice, but it’ll collect dust. To do with these guys what we did, that’s really special.”

Tough-luck Wildcats

The Weber State players were understandbly disappointed after losing again to the Griz. Montana has ended Weber’s NCAA dreams in each of the past four seasons, three times in the championship game.

“It sucks,” Weber senior Scott Bamforth said. “I’ve never won here. That hurts the most. But it was fun. We didn’t come out on top but we’ll be all right.”

Senior Frank Otis was less gracious.

“I feel like we were the better team,” he said. “They couldn’t handle us in or outside. They ended up getting it done tonight. That’s all I can say.”

Hmmm. The Griz must’ve gotten it done in the middle.

Radio: KGVO 1290 AM, KVWE 101.5 FM.

TV: ESPNU

A quick breakdown of the personnel:

Backcourt

This is the Grizzlies’ strength with three-time all-league pick Will Cherry, Big Sky MVP Kareem Jamar and sophomore Jordan Gregory, an honorable mention all-league pick. All three will need to play well for the Griz to match a Weber State bteam that’s playing at a very high level. Cherry and Jamar used the pick-and-roll to good effect in the semifinal win over Northern Coloardo and will need to have success with it again tonight. If they’re unable to finish at the rim, they need to kick it out to shooters like Gregory or Mike Weisner. Cherry, Jamar and Gregory are all good defenders and they’ll have to be to stop Weber sharp-shooter Scott Bamforth, the combination of Jordan Richardson and Gelaun Wheelwright, and Davion Berry, who will likely be guarded by Jamar in a man-to-man defense.

Weber State has a big advantage in the frontcourt with Berry, Frank Otis/Joel Bolomboy and Kyle Tresnak. This is where the Grizzlies will sorely miss Mathias Ward, their leading scorer who is out after foot surgery. How well Eric Hutchison/Andy Martin and Spencer Coleman are able to defend Weber’s big men will go a long way toward determining the outcome.

The teams split their regular-season meetings each winning on their own court (Montana is 37-2 in its last 39 games against Big Sky teams and both losses were at Weber State; Weber State is 35-5 in its last 40 against league teams and three of the losses were at Montana). The Griz won 76-74 on Jan. 26 in Missoula as Cherry exploded for 28 points. Cherry was able to find seams to the basket all night and either finished, or was fouled. He made 15 of 16 free throws. It was a different story in Ogden, where the Wildcats clogged up the lane to limit Cherry’s effectiveness. Their big men had their way inside and Berry locked down on Jamar. The result was an 87-63 win for Weber.

Weber has one big intangible going for it: The Wildcats are obviously sick of losing to the Griz in the postseason. Montana has ended Weber’s NCAA hopes in each of the last three seasons, twice in the title game.

The Griz have a couple of intangibles going for them. They have won 30 straight times against league teams on their home floor and believe they’ll win every time they play in Dahlberg. Plus, the Griz figure to have 7,000 fans doing their best to rattle the Wildcats. Will it be enough?