The biggest question mark for Montana heading into the season was their frontcourt after the loss of Brian Qvale, and that frontcourt will have a little less depth for the opener on Friday. Derek Selvig, who hurt his ankle in their exhibition game, is a game-time decision according to Griz Central, but I have a hard time believing he will be ready to play.
In case he is not, Wayne Tinkle is going to have to improvise. The guy that will be most relied on is Mathias Ward, a skilled offensive player at 6'7''. Ward had 11 points in 23 minutes against Lewis-Clark State, and looks to be the top option in the post. He is not a great rebounder but he will provide some scoring inside.
A couple other guys that will see significant minutes are Billy Reader and Eric Hutchinson. Hutchinson is a sophomore that is a bit raw, but has a lot of upside as a defender and rebounder. In the exhibition he had 4 rebounds in 6 minutes. I think Reader will get the start, and he has a lot of upside. He is a redshirt freshman, but is offensively skilled.
Colorado State is not deep in the post, and that is a good thing for Montana. Beyond those three guys, the Grizzlies do not have a lot of places to turn to for help. I suspect we will see more than a couple four guard sets, with Art Steward, Kareem Jamar, or Kevin Henderson at the 4.
Safe to say that whether Selvig is able to play a bit or not, we will quickly learn a lot about the rest of the post men for Wayne Tinkle's ballclub.
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