What else would the home office be doing on a rainy morning in the Pacific Northwest? In the words of Dickie V, it’s wall-to-wall hype, baby.
Call it the kiss of death, call it a confidence boost, but Montana is getting publicity as a trendy pick to upset Wisconsin in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Big Sky champ Montana (25-6), a 13-seed, squares off against perennial Big Ten power Wisconsin (24-9), a 4-seed, Thursday at 12:10 p.m., Mountain Time, in Albuquerque, N.M.
Montana was a 14-seed two years ago in its most recent NCAA tourney appearance, giving third-seeded New Mexico a tough game before falling 62-57.
ESPN college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb got the ball rolling Sunday, praising point guard Will Cherry while picking Montana to win.
The Grizzlies received more love Monday morning from ESPN college basketball reporter Andy Katz on ”The Herd,” Colin Cowherd’s national radio show.
“Give me your ONE, big, first-round upset,” Cowherd said.
“Well … I’m starting to believe that Montana can knock off Wisconsin,” Katz said, citing Gottlieb as an influence.
Katz — who happens to be a Wisconsin alumnus — said UM coach Wayne Tinkle is “very underrated,” and these Griz are better than the 2010 team that featured high-scoring guard Anthony Johnson.
“They knocked off Weber State and Damian Lillard, who is probably going to be the first playmaker chosen in the June NBA draft,” Katz said.
The teams’ NCAA histories offer a stark contrast.
Wisconsin, making its 14th straight appearance and 18th overall, holds a 23-16 record. The Badgers claimed the NCAA championship in 1941 and reached the Final Four in 2000. Under current coach Bo Ryan, they made the Sweet 16 in 2011, 2008 and 2003, and the Elite Eight in 2005. UM is 2-9 in eight previous NCAA trips, its only victories coming in 2006, as a 12-seed, and 1975, before the full field was seeded.
The Badgers, led by two-time All-Big Ten guard Jordan Taylor, are renowned for their patient, disciplined offense. But their shooting has been spotty at times, and they depend heavily on 3-pointers. Their forwards and post players are seen as outside threats, who prefer to set picks and pop open for jumpers, as opposed to pounding the ball around the basket. That could play into the upset hopes of the perimeter-oriented Griz in what figures to be a low-scoring affair.
“Wisconsin has been all over the map,” Katz said. “If they don’t make threes (3-point shots), especially from their bigs, they’re going to lose this game.”
Call it the kiss of death, call it a confidence boost, but Montana is getting publicity as a trendy pick to upset Wisconsin in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Big Sky champ Montana (25-6), a 13-seed, squares off against perennial Big Ten power Wisconsin (24-9), a 4-seed, Thursday at 12:10 p.m., Mountain Time, in Albuquerque, N.M.
Montana was a 14-seed two years ago in its most recent NCAA tourney appearance, giving third-seeded New Mexico a tough game before falling 62-57.
ESPN college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb got the ball rolling Sunday, praising point guard Will Cherry while picking Montana to win.
The Grizzlies received more love Monday morning from ESPN college basketball reporter Andy Katz on ”The Herd,” Colin Cowherd’s national radio show.
“Give me your ONE, big, first-round upset,” Cowherd said.
“Well … I’m starting to believe that Montana can knock off Wisconsin,” Katz said, citing Gottlieb as an influence.
Katz — who happens to be a Wisconsin alumnus — said UM coach Wayne Tinkle is “very underrated,” and these Griz are better than the 2010 team that featured high-scoring guard Anthony Johnson.
“They knocked off Weber State and Damian Lillard, who is probably going to be the first playmaker chosen in the June NBA draft,” Katz said.
The teams’ NCAA histories offer a stark contrast.
Wisconsin, making its 14th straight appearance and 18th overall, holds a 23-16 record. The Badgers claimed the NCAA championship in 1941 and reached the Final Four in 2000. Under current coach Bo Ryan, they made the Sweet 16 in 2011, 2008 and 2003, and the Elite Eight in 2005. UM is 2-9 in eight previous NCAA trips, its only victories coming in 2006, as a 12-seed, and 1975, before the full field was seeded.
The Badgers, led by two-time All-Big Ten guard Jordan Taylor, are renowned for their patient, disciplined offense. But their shooting has been spotty at times, and they depend heavily on 3-pointers. Their forwards and post players are seen as outside threats, who prefer to set picks and pop open for jumpers, as opposed to pounding the ball around the basket. That could play into the upset hopes of the perimeter-oriented Griz in what figures to be a low-scoring affair.
“Wisconsin has been all over the map,” Katz said. “If they don’t make threes (3-point shots), especially from their bigs, they’re going to lose this game.”
