Grizzlies Face Key Matchup at Portland State

It’s amazing what a win streak can do for a team. Granted, the Montana Grizzlies’ two straight victories in Big Sky Conference play don’t quite qualify as a “streak.” But if the Grizzlies can add a one more “W” tonight against the Portland State Vikings in an 8 p.m. clash at Portland’s Stott Center, a second-straight road win would insert them solidly back into the hunt for the conference crown.

Early last week, Montana Coach Wayne Tinkle announced that his players had met and downgraded their pre-season expectations to merely “qualify” for the conference post-season tourney instead of hosting it. A win tonight would make that announcement a bit premature.

A victory won’t be easy. The Vikings, under third-year head coach Ken Bone, feature a balanced attack that combines a slick uptempo early offense and a solid half court offense capably directed by junior transfer guard Jeremiah Dominguez. If the Vikings get on a roll, they’re hard to stop.

But the Vikings can be beaten. A look at comparative scores -- both in preseason and in Big Sky play -- is proof enough the Grizzlies have the team to pull out another road win (see today’s scouting report).

That might allow coach Tinkle and his team to drag that discarded list of preseason goals out of the trash bin, smooth it out, and tack it back up on the locker room cork board. Read today’s Grizzly Journal SCOUTING REPORT here.