Montana
What Montana HC Travis DeCuire Said After Grizzlies Fell At Tennessee | Rocky Top Insider
Tennessee basketball handed Montana its second loss of the young season on Wednesday night, using a big second half to coast past the Grizzlies 92-57.
Following the game, Montana coach Travis DeCuire met with the media and discussed the strong play of his sophomore guard Money Williams, what makes Igor Milicic Jr. tough to defend and more. Here’s everything DeCuire said.
More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways As Tennessee Coasts Past Montana To Remain Unbeaten
Opening statement
“Rough night for the Griz. We had a little more fun in the first half than we did in the second half, obviously. I think Coach Barnes’ halftime speech was a little better than mine, in terms of getting this team ready to go in the second half. But I thought we did a good job defensively in the first half taking away some of the rhythm, some of the shots that they were trying to get. Obviously, some some fouls. Got some of their better players out for some stretches, which allowed us to make some runs as well. Second half, they ramped up their defensive intensity and I think we lost ours. To give up 63% in a half, regardless of who we were playing, is not like us. I don’t know the last time we’ve done that. But Chaz Lanier obviously going early in the in the second half and I thought that was a difference in terms of getting that team going.”
On what Montana guard Money Williams did to have such a strong game
“Money is good at making plays, whether it’s in a ball screen or in space. I think he generates offense for us in a lot of ways. Tonight he scored the ball, he made shots. But there are times when he is creating shots for others as well. We just did not have a great shooting night. So he felt he needed to score more for us to stay in the game, which was true.”
On what adjustments Montana made on defense after Tennessee started 6-for-6 from the field
“Our biggest thing was beat screens. Coach Barnes still plays a style of basketball that I believe in. A lot of people call it a old school, where you set a lot of screens away from the ball for shooters. From watching them in film, we saw that they really set screens very well. So for us, our goal is to beat the screens, to get through them and not require a bunch of help. And I thought we did a good job at the first half. As fatigue set in, fouls set in, I think we just did not execute that as well in the second.”
On what makes Tennessee’s Igor Milicic so difficult to guard
“Well, he wasn’t difficult to scout. We we knew he made over 100 threes in his previous school, but he hadn’t been shooting threes, or at least not very many. And so they hadn’t really been catering to that. Obviously they made some adjustments. They watched us defensively saw how aggressive we are on the ball screens. So they were looking for that early in the half. And then he got open for some drop-offs and lots out of ball screen coverage. But that wasn’t necessarily him making a play. That was that was (Zakai) Zeigler making a play.”
On Montana’s defense forcing nine first half turnovers
“We wanted to be physical. We wanted to apply pressure on everyone other than Zeigler. We thought containing him was the most important thing. Not a lot of assists coming from other people. So we thought that if we could apply a little pressure on the post and the wings and force them to try to create, that maybe we could either force some turn some turnovers or low-percentage shots, which that did happen early. But eventually they got out of that.”
On Money Williams being able to attack the Tennessee defense
“We got we got a little taste of that last year. He only played 12 games last year, but his best games were Houston, Nevada. So when the lights are bright, it’s typically when he can’t show enough. Unfortunately his season ended early with an injury, so we weren’t able to see that level of consistency. But we knew he was capable of that.”
HELENA — Later this year, cities and towns across Montana will be holding elections for mayors and other local officials. However, a bill currently making its way through the Montana Legislature could significantly change how those elections will run after 2025.
House Bill 221, sponsored by Rep. Lukas Schubert, R-Kalispell, would move municipal elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years – putting them on the same schedule with federal and state elections. The House passed the bill 57-42, with almost all Republicans in support and almost all Democrats in opposition. It had its first hearing in a Senate committee this week.
(Watch the video to hear what city officials say about the possible change.)
Lawmakers consider bill to move Montana municipal elections to even years
Schubert said this move would get more people participating in local elections.
“I think it’s just a commonsense measure,” he said.
If HB 221 becomes law, there would still be municipal elections this year, but the winners’ terms would only last one year. Those positions would then go back up for election on the new schedule in 2026. There would also be special elections in 2026 and 2028 for one-year terms to get officials whose terms expire in 2027 and 2029 onto the new schedule.
Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Kalispell, Great Falls and Helena are all scheduled to elect mayors in 2025.
Joe McKenney is a Great Falls city commissioner, first elected in 2021 for a four-year term expiring at the end of 2025. He says having to run at the same time as federal and state candidates could make it tougher for city candidates to get voters’ attention.
“There’s only so many billboards, there’s only so many bench signs, there’s only so many radio spots, there’s only so many spots that we can buy on the news,” said McKenney. “And when all of these hundreds – it could be hundreds – of candidates are on the same ballot, running at the same time, how do we get our message out?”
Schubert told MTN he didn’t think moving city elections would lead to local issues getting lost.
“Putting them in the even-numbered years, it doesn’t prevent anyone from looking at what their municipal or mayor candidate is – that’s clearly a distinct role from a president or Senate or anything else,” he said. “But it gives those other people that ordinarily don’t turn out an opportunity to vote, because it would be right there on the ballot.”
Two of Montana’s cities do have experience running local elections in even years: Butte and Anaconda. Both have consolidated city and county governments, and they elect their officers on the same schedule as counties.
Butte-Silver Bow chief executive J.P. Gallagher was reelected in November, at the same time as the presidential election.
“It brings more attention to it when it’s a federal and state election as well,” he said. “Sometimes, our local offices – people don’t know a whole lot about some of the elected officials that they’re voting for. And so it at least gets them to pay attention to those local offices and elections, and so I think it’s a benefit for us.”
In 2024, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County’s general election voter turnout was 81% and Butte-Silver Bow County’s was 76% – though the number of voters making a choice in each county’s chief executive race was about 5% lower. In 2021, municipal election turnout was 48% in Yellowstone County and Lewis and Clark County and 45% in Missoula County. In 2023, Gallatin County reported 33% turnout in its municipal general election.
In 2023, another bill to move municipal elections to even years passed the Senate but stalled in the House. Schubert said he believed the idea had a better chance of success this year because the Montana Secretary of State’s Office is more supportive.
Montana
How to watch Ohio State vs. Montana State FREE STREAM today: Women’s March Madness NCAA first round
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Women’s March Madness is finally here. The fourth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes host the 13th-seeded Montana State Bobcats in a Regional 3 first round matchup today – Friday, March 21 – at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. The early evening NCAA women’s basketball game is available to watch on multiple streaming services for free.
How do I watch Ohio State vs. Montana State for free?
This women’s March Madness game will broadcast live on ESPN2 with tipoff at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. Fans who have parted ways with their cable provider can catch the game at no cost by taking advantage of streaming alternatives like DirecTV Stream and FuboTV ($20 off first month), which both offer a free trial.
Sling TV is offering half off your first month for new customers.
| Streaming service | Monthly Price | Free trial | Length | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DirecTV Stream | $74.99 | Yes | 5-day | No |
| FuboTV | $84.99 | Yes | 7-day | $20 off first month |
| SlingTV | $45.99 | No | N/A | Half off first month |
Ohio State (25-6) weathered a challenging Big Ten schedule, that included national title contenders UCLA and USC. Those two teams were roadblocks for the Buckeyes making up three of their five losses, including a 75-46 shellacking by the Bruins in the Big 10 semifinals.
The Buckeyes tout four players in double figures, featuring Junior forward Cotie McMahon, who is averaging 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 43.8% from the field.
After a brilliant campaign that churned out just three losses to Montana State (30-3) edged out rival Montana, 58-57, to win the Big Sky championship game.
Senior guard Esmeralda Morales powered in 25 points to knock off the rival Grizzlies. She is averaging 15.3 points, 3.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 40.1% from the field.
The winner will play fifth-seeded Tennessee or 12th-seeded South Florida in the second round on March 23.
What are the latest odds for Ohio State vs. Montana State?
Moneyline: OSU: (-15.5), MSU: (+15.5)
Spread: OSU: -2100, MSU: +1100
Over/Under: 138.5
Odds by DraftKings
Who is announcing Ohio State vs. Montana State?
Matthew Schumacker (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (analyst) will be the announcers.
Here’s more information on how to watch Ohio State vs. Montana State on TV or streaming services:
What: Women’s NCAA tournament first round: Ohio State vs. Montana State
When: Friday, March 21, 2025
Time: 5:30 p.m. Eastern
Where: Schottenstein Center | Columbus, Ohio
Channel: ESPN2
Best streaming options: Fubo (free trial and $20 off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling TV (half off first month)
Cable Channel Finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at March 20, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from March 20 drawing
07-14-25-35-40, Lucky Ball: 14
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 20 drawing
11-13-15-24, Bonus: 16
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.
Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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