Montana

Everything Rick Barnes said after No. 11 Vols' win over Montana

Published

1 year ago

November 14, 2024

Press Room

Everything Rick Barnes said after No. 11 Vols’ win over Montana

Tennessee cruised past Montana on Wednesday, using a strong second half to win, 92-57 at Food City Center.

Transfer forward Igor Milicic Jr. was the headliner for the No. 11 Vols (3-0) after recording a double-double with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds to pave the way for Tennessee’s rout.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Guard Chaz Lanier, the Vols’ leading scorer through the first two games, along with guard Cam Carr and forward Felix Okpara scored 13 points each, most of which came in the second half.

Tennessee shot better than 60.8% from the field and limited the Grizzlies (2-2) to just 34% shooting on the defensive end.

Vols’ head coach Rick Barnes recapped the performance following the game. Here is everything he said.

On importance of rebounding

“It’s a big part of what we talked about in our program. Defensively, I think tonight we got about 45% of our misses, which is terrific, obviously. But, it’s a major emphasis in our program, and certainly people know that about us. It’s a compliment to the players, because it’s not an easy part of our game. It’s something that takes determination and fight to do it and trying to keep the other team from getting to the glass. Concentration has a lot to do with it and winning those 1-on-1 battles. It’s important. You can’t be a great defensive team if you can’t finish it with a rebound. You don’t want to be a one-and-done offensive team, either.”

On Igor Milicic Jr. performance

“You look at (the stats), everybody’s going to say a double-double. I thought the most impressive stat on there was he had no turnovers.”

On Montana team

“I really have a lot of respect for Montana, really well-coached team. I thought they really exploited our defense early. We started scoring the ball (and) I felt like we weren’t on the edge as much on the defensive end. But I give them a lot of credit because they took advantage of our ball-screen coverage different ways. And just really, really extremely well-coached team. I mean, they they were right there. Obviously, second half, we had a terrific second half. But I was really impressed with them.”

On if Milicic did anything different than he has done in practice

“I thought tonight he saw the court. I thought that was a key and difference in what he’s been. He didn’t force anything, really. Maybe one drive. Maybe. But I just thought he slowed down. And he let his vision be a factor tonight, as opposed to just predetermined what he’s going to do before he gets it. And what that means, sometimes when he should shoot it, he’s driving. He should have driven it or he should have shot it. All that. I just thought he slowed down. Kind of rewired his brain a little bit where he played at the pace he needs to play at.”

On Tennessee’s post rotation

“We’ve got to get consistent there. That’s the biggest key. We put the ball in there some and we’re losing it. And it’s going to happen because there’s just not a lot of room there when people know you’re trying to do that. And we’ve worked hard with our players trying to give them angles to catch and get quick ups, as opposed to always having spin, put it on the floor, whatever they feel they need to do to gather themselves. They’ve got to do that work early. But we need we need more from JP (Estrella). He’s capable of doing it. We need him to do it. Felix (Okpara), I thought he and (Zakai Zeigler) got back to where the lob was there for us some. And he really got that done. And Igor, as opposed to standing in the corner, made a great back cut for a lob.

“Those kind of plays, we need those. But those four guys up front, we’re counting on them. Two of them haven’t played a lot. I told Cade(Phillips), I was disappointed in him tonight because I thought he had great made great strides against Louisville, but I didn’t think he was really the factor tonight that I thought he would be. And we have high expectations for him. So we need him we need him to do it. But those four guys, we feel if they continue to improve that we’ve got something there.”

On next steps for J.P. Estrella, Cam Carr

“One of (the areas they need to improve is), I just don’t ever like to fouling 3-point shooters, and there’s no reason for any of us to do that as much as we talk about it and stress it. It’s concentration. Tonight, we didn’t do a great job with the post guys getting up with the touch. And they do a terrific job, those hand-offs, getting going downhill. Money (Williams), everybody knows he gets left and we didn’t stop him. Most of that was our post guys didn’t get up, didn’t help our guards. He got going downhill and he finished it.Those details like that is getting up, understanding our coverage, staying in our coverage. And it’s just, it all these kind of details. And that’s where those, I would say all of our post guys, but we said it to one of them at some point in time all night. Each one of them. Taking care of the details to help our guards.”

On what coaching staff saw in Igor Milicic during recruiting process

“We talked about it. And, again, one of the reasons that the guy turned it over so much Saturday was nobody took any pressure off of him. They just kept it up to him. Igor is a player that can do that. I mean, he can handle the ball, which he has shown that. But where he changed his mindset tonight, I thought he made good plays as opposed to thinking every time it’s in my hand, I have to score or make something happen. I just thought he played in flow and made some really good passes. When we saw him, we thought his versatility was the biggest thing he could bring to us.”

On why Chaz Lanier was more productive on offense in the second half

“He got in foul trouble in the first half, so he didn’t get to play very much. And that’s what he’s gonna have to learn is that people are going to go at him, try to put fouls on him so he’s going to have to work harder defensively, get himself in position. And it gets back to understanding that you’ve got to do your work early as opposed to make a play, stop. You got to go from play to play to play, and he hasn’t gotten consistently where he does that. But as the season goes on, I mean, think about it everybody’s gonna try to go after him. Why not? Because he’s the guy that can be lethal on the court offensively…He had two push offs tonight where when he starts messing with the ball, doesn’t work well. And he’s had too many of those this year, and he’s going to have to get off the ball and learn to move without it more.

“That will help him a lot, but he’s a very efficient player. He doesn’t really try to force too much. Sometimes, we tell him we want him to be a little bit more aggressive. But his nature is he wants to make the right play, and sometimes it would be to shoot it but other times— he’s so conscientious of wanting to be a great teammate. And those guys have been talking to him about, hey. When you’re open, you got to shoot it, and he can shoot it deep.”

On if Zakai Zeigler being limited to one turnover was more him or the flow of the offense

“I think (it was more) him. I mean Saturday, like I said, the way (Louisville) were pressuring him, weren’t making him work because he’s so disruptive in the game. I mean, defensively, I mean he creates and wreaks a lot of havoc with his ball pressure. I told him tonight, (Montana is) a good team, and he’s got to fill guys out early. And some guys he will be able to get into a little bit more than others. He’s gotta keep his job out of foul trouble, but he only knows one way to play, and it’s full throttle. And on offense, sometimes when he makes a mistake, he wants to get it back so quickly. Like I said, Saturday, we couldn’t get our post guys there to relieve some of the pressure of other guys. And tonight, for the most part, more guys did try to help him out. We like him coming off the ball some. I mean, he started the game without the ball and he hit had a couple of threes where we need to use him like that too. He doesn’t always have keep the ball up to be effective.”

On how frehsman Bishop Boswell has developed on defense

“We’re always, with the culture of our program, he’s a guy that we think will continue with what we want done. We think he’s gonna be terrific. He’s gotta learn to take care of the ball. He had what, three-plus turnovers in six minutes where that will slow down for him, hope at some point in time and sooner than later. But defensively, he’s very competitive. He’s extremely strong, and he’s a guy that we think can really guard. And we have confidence in him doing that. He just has to settle down on the offensive end.”

On what Cam Carr did in the offseason to improve

“All of our guys, I thought, have improved. Everybody wants to talk about the transfer portal. We talked about Cade (Phillips) and Cam (Carr) and JP (Estrella) getting better. Obviously JP fought a lot of injuries and hasn’t put in nearly as much time as those other two guys. Like I said, Cade really was the guy that we thought he would be the way he played at Louisville, but today, not so much. We wanna see him keep taking the next step. But with Cam, really, the last two weeks, I think he’s starting to figure out exactly what he’s gotta do to play. And it has nothing to do with the offensive end. It’s being effective defensively, but they’ve worked. We felt this summer that the real improvement had to come from those three guys.”

On if Bishop Boswell’s minutes were the result of foul trouble

“I can tell you this, if he learns how to take care of the ball, he will get minutes there because he’s tough, he’s competitive and he wants to do the right thing, but he’s just gotta slow down. Kind of like Igor, Cam, Cade. They’ve all gone through it. (Zeigler) at times. It’s a matter of playing at your pace, but every guy. I thought (Jahmai Mashack) tonight, went in, threw up a shot that I’m not sure anybody can make. I thought Jordan (Gainey) went in there one time, no chance to make a shot the way. But we want to drive it hard, but you’ve got to be able to finish it and make the right play out of it. But he’s younger and we’re excited about (Boswell). We are. His teammates love him because he’s competitive, plays hard every day, he wants to be good. And for that reason and that reason alone, he will be.”

On Darlinstone Dunbar’s status after returning practice this week and going through pregame warmups

“We’re on his timeline. Wherever he feels, you know, is strictly up to him. It’s been important to him that he’s been able to stay around his teammates. They love him. He loves them, but it’s all on his timeline.”

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Montana

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

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Montana

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

Published

20 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

HELENA — You probably have goals and plans for 2026—the Montana Department of Agriculture does too.

“We’re really focusing on innovative agricultural practices,” Montana Department of Agriculture director Jillien Streit said.

It’s no secret that agriculture—farming and ranching—is not easy. There are long days, planning, monitoring crops and livestock, and other challenges beyond farmers’ and ranchers’ control.

(WATCH: Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026)

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

“We have very low commodity prices across the board,” Streit said. “We still have very high input prices across the board, and we have really high prices when it comes to our equipment, and so, it’s a really tough year.”

But innovation, including new practices, partnerships and technology use, can help navigate some of those challenges.

“We can’t make more time and we can’t make more land, so we need to start putting together innovative practices that help us maximize what our time and land can do,” Streit said.

Practices range from using technology like autonomous tractors and virtual fencing—allowing rangers to contain and move cattle right from their phones—to regenerative farming and ranching.

“It is bringing cattle back into farming operations to be able to work with cover cropping practices to invigorate the soil for new soil health benefits,” Streit said.

The Montana Department of Agriculture is working to help producers learn, share, and collaborate on new ideas to work in their operations.

The department will share stories of practices that work from farms and ranches across the state. Also, within the next year or so, Streit said the department is hoping to roll out technology to help producers collaborate.

“(It’s) providing a communication platform where people can get together and really help each other out by utilizing each other’s assets,” she said.

While not easy, agriculture is still one of Montana’s largest industries, and Streit said innovating and sharing ideas across the state can keep it going long into the future.

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Montana

Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

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Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round

BUTTE — MSU-Northern and Montana Western pulled a pair of upsets Saturday at the Butte Civic Center to wrap up the quarterfinal round of the Frontier Conference women’s basketball postseason tournament.

The fifth-seeded Skylights started the day with a red-hot shooting performance to down No. 4 Rocky Mountain College 82-74. Western, the sixth seed, used a third-quarter surge to defeat No. 3 Carroll College 65-56.

MSU-Northern (17-11) and Western (14-13) now advance to Sunday’s semifinal round, where the Skylights will play No. 1 seed Dakota State at noon and the Bulldogs will face No. 2 Montana Tech at 2:30 p.m.

MSU-Northern 82, Rocky Mountain College 74

MSU-Northern sizzled in the first quarter, making seven 3-pointers to take a double-digit lead, and put together a crucial third-quarter run to get past Rocky and advance to the semifinal round.

Becky Melcher splashed four 3s in the first 10 minutes, and Taya Trottier, Canzas HisBadHorse and Shania Moananu added one apiece as the Skylights built a 29-13 lead. Melcher scored 14 first-quarter points and finished with a game-high 30 on 10-of-19 shooting (7 of 15 from 3-point range). She added 11 rebounds, a blocked shot and three steals to her stat line.

Rocky battled back to tie the game at 36-36 in the second quarter on a Brenna Linse basket, but MSUN responded with consecutive triples from Trottier and Melcher and took a 44-38 lead into halftime. The Bears eventually stole the lead back in the third quarter following a 9-0 run capped be an Isabelle Heggem bucket.

But the Skylights again answered — this time with a 13-2 run to take a 60-51 lead. MSUN led 66-59 going to the fourth and wouldn’t trail the rest of the way. The Skylights trailed for less than two total minutes of the game.

As a team, MSUN made 14 of 26 3s in the game. Ciera Agasiva was 3 for 3 from behind the arc, and Trottier was 2 for 3. Trottier had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Agasiva had 13 points.

Paige Wasson led Rocky (20-9) with 29 points but was 0 for 10 on 3-point attempts. Heggem had a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Montana Western 65, Carroll 56

After neither team led by more than five points in the first half, Western broke open a 25-25 tie game by outscoring Carroll 20-9 in the third quarter.

Bailee Sayler scored 10 points in the quarter, including making two 3-pointers, to help the Bulldogs take control. They led 45-34 going to the fourth, and Carroll wouldn’t get closer than six points the rest of the way.

The Fighting Saints were just 18-of-65 shooting (27.7%) for the game.

Sayler scored an efficient 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting. She was 2 for 3 from 3-point range and 6 for 7 at the free throw line. The Missoula native also had nine rebounds.

Isabella Lund added 16 points for the Bulldogs, and Keke Davis had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Carroll (19-10) was led by Kenzie Allen with 12 points. Willa Albrecht and Meagan Karstetter scored 11 points apiece for the Saints.

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