Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana
Wildcats hit the road at Montana Thursday
1/20/2026 4:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Weber State and Montana tipoff at 7 p.m. Thursday in Missoula.
• Weber State returns to the raod in the Big Sky for two games this week beginning Thursday against longtime rival Montana in Missoula.
• The Wildcats and Grizzlies will tipoff at 7 p.m. on Thursday night from Dahlberg Arena in Missoula. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
The Weber State radio broadcast with Carl Arky will be on 103.1 FM.
Live stats and video links are at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State is a third of the way through the Big Sky Conference regular season. The Wildcats are 10-9 overall and 4-2 in conference play. WSU saw its four-game winning streak snapped with a 75-67 loss to Idaho on Saturday night at the Dee Events Center. The Wildcats shot a season-low 30 percent from the field in the loss. Montana is also 10-9 overall and 4-2 in Big Sky play.
• Tijan Saine led the Wildcats with 25 points in Saturday's game at Idaho. He has led the 'Cats in scoring in four of the six Big Sky games and has scored at least 20 points in four Big Sky games. On Saturday he was 15 of 17 from the free throw line and also had six assists and tied his career-high with five steals.
On the season, Saine leads the Wildcats in scoring at 14.8 points per game. In Big Sky games, he is averaging 21 points per game, fourth best in the Big Sky. He ranks second in the Big Sky in free throw percentage at 85.8 percent. He is 50 of 57 from the line in Big Sky games.
Saine transferred to WSU from Western Washington where he played two seasons. Entering Thursday's game he has 995 career points between Western Washington and Weber State.
• Viljami Vartiainen added 12 points and knocked down three 3-pointers on Saturday. He has 39 3-pointers in 13 games this season and has made at least three 3-pointers seven times this season. He has also scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games.
Vartiainen is averaging 12.4 points per game and is second in the Big Sky in 3-pointers per game at 3.0. He is also fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage at 41.5 percent.
• Malek Gomma recorded a team-high 12 rebounds on Saturday, his third team reaching double figures in rebounds in a game. He is now fourth in the Big Sky in rebounds at 7.3 per game. He also leads the team in field goal percentage at 54.8 percent from the field.
• Weber State is now sixth in the nation in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
The Wildcats are also 18th in the country in fastbreak points at 16.4.
• Weber State now leads the Big Sky Conference in steals, averaging 7.6 per game. The 'Cats are also first in the league in 3-point field goal defense, and rank second in scoring offense, and second in rebounding margin. Weber State is also third in scoring margin at +8.1 per game.
• Weber State and Montana have identical records heading into Thursday's matchup in Missoula. Both teams are 10-9 overall and 4-2 in Big Sky play.
• The Grizzlies are coming off a dominant 98-72 win at Northern Arizona on Monday night where they shot 68 percent from the field and made 13 3-pointers.
• Montana ranks 12th in the nation in defensive rebounds at 28.8 per game. The Grizzlies are also first in the Big Sky and 23rd in the country in field goal percentage at 49.7 percent. UM is also first in the conference and 20th in the nation in free throw percentage at 77.7 percent. UM is second in field goal defense and third in assists.
Money Williams, the Big Sky Preseason Player of the Year, leads the Big Sky scoring at 19.7 points per game, and is averaging 22.8 per game in Big Sky games.
• Montana was 25-10 overall last season and tied for first in the Big Sky at 15-3. The Grizzlies won the Big Sky Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in school history.
• Montana is the preseason Big Sky favorite and was selected first in the preseason coaches and media polls.
• The Grizzlies are coached by Travis DeCuire, a former Montana player, who is in his 12th season as head coach at Montana. He is Montana's all-time leader in wins and has a 236-143 overall record and a 144-63 Big Sky record. He has led Montana to four Big Sky titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament.
DeCuire is third in Big Sky history in career wins and is second in Big Sky wins. Former WSU head coach Randy Rahe is first in both categories.
• This will be the 145 all-time meeting between Weber State and Montana. WSU has played Montana more than any school in its history. The Wildcats hold a 76-68 all-time series lead over the Grizzlies, but Montana has won the last three and four of the last five games played. The Grizzlies swept the Wildcats last season.
In games in Missoula, Montana leads 44-24 all-time and has won the last two and seven of the last nine games over the Wildcats.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who is in his fourth season as head coach and his 20th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. He has been on the coaching staff for over 600 games at Weber State, more than anyone in WSU's history.
This summer, NBA superstar and Wildcat legend Damian Lillard was named the General Manager of Weber State Basketball.
In January 2026, assistant coach Jorge Ruiz was named the Assistant General Manager for the Wildcats.
• On Saturday night, Weber State will take on Montana State at 6 p.m. in Bozeman. After that, the 'Cats will not play again until the following Saturday, Jan. 31, when they host Idaho State at 1 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.
