By Patrick Klein
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Montana's basketball team might not be familiar to many, but its game probably is.
That's because the Grizzlies were once coached by Mike Montgomery, now in his 10th season at Stanford. He spent eight seasons in Missoula, where he was 154-77. During his tenure he coached Blaine Taylor, the head coach at Montana the last four seasons.
"You can certainly see Mike's influence," UA head coach Lute Olson said. "They do a number of things similar to what we'll see from Stanford. Their offensive sets are similar to what Stanford runs. The things they do offensively are not easy to cover."
Montgomery also seems to have left his winning tradition in Montana. Taylor's Grizzlies are 84-33 in his four years, including last season's 21-9 team that finished tied for first in the Big Sky Conference. Montana advanced to the National Invitation Tournament, but lost in the first round to Texas-El Paso. The Grizzlies took NCAA qualifiers Mississippi State and Oregon both to double overtime before losing last season.
Michael Dickerson is still questionable because of his left ankle sprain, which he tweaked against Houston, Olson said. Either Joe McLean or Corey Williams will get the start in Dickerson's place if the sophomore can't go.
Tonight's game marks the beginning of a six-game homestand for Arizona, which has spent the majority of the first three weeks of the season on the road.
"We really need a homestand," Olson said. "It's not only a chance to get caught up academically, but it will give us a chance to get some of our young guys settled in with some home games."
Blair was named the Pacific 10 Conference player of the week for his 18-point, 17-rebound effort Saturday at Houston.
"It's my first time, I feel pretty good," he said. "My mom would be really enthused."