Montana’s leading scorer and rebounder, Jamar Akoh, doubtful vs. Michigan

Michigan vs. Montana 2018

Montana forward Jamar Akoh (15) tries to get a loose ball against Michigan guard Charles Matthews (1) in the first half of their NCAA Tournament game at Intrust Arena in Wichita, Kansas on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Montana has been deploying a small lineup for more than a month, riding its quick, 3-point-shooting group to a Big Sky championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

The personnel shift was done out of necessity, after 6-foot-9 center Jamar Akoh got injured. Akoh, who leads Montana with 15.5 points and 8.7 rebound per game, has not played since Feb. 7.

It doesn't seem likely he will suit up against Michigan on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

During Montana's open practice at Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday evening, Akoh was dressed in sweats and not participating in drills.

In the locker room beforehand, Akoh was asked if he was going to play against Michigan. He smiled and joked that it was something that needed to be kept “under wraps.” But the way his teammates spoke, it didn’t sound like he would play.

Asked about how the style of play has changed since Akoh went down, Montana forward Sayeed Pridgett said, “It changed dramatically. It’s kind of more fast-paced. I kind of miss my guy not being out there, but we’re trying to get out in transition and score as fast as we can.”

A Montana team spokesperson said earlier in the week that Akoh hadn’t been ruled out but was “doubtful” to play against Michigan.

Montana coach Travis DeCuire did not mention Akoh in his press conference on Wednesday. Either the Grizzlies have gone to great lengths to disguise Akoh’s comeback or he simply isn’t ready to return.

The team has handled his absence well, going 10-2 since he went down, including three wins in three days at the Big Sky Tournament to earn the league's automatic bid to the Big Dance and set up a Tournament rematch with 2 seed Michigan.

"Our pace has improved," guard Michael Oguine said of Montana's play since Akoh's injury. "We're getting out in transition more, playing off each other. We've embraced it."

Despite often using lineups whose two biggest players are 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-7, Montana has held up defensively. It starts with ball pressure on the perimeter, trying to make post entry passes difficult. “Rebounding is the main thing,” Oguine said. “We have to rebound as a committee.”

DeCuire thinks the smaller lineup can work to his team’s advantage, though he recognizes Michigan poses a different challenge than, say, Eastern Washington.

“We ran into a brick wall last year,” he said of the 61-47 loss to Michigan. "We were post dominant. We threw the ball inside. … I thought we would have some advantages at the four spot in the post and we couldn’t get a shot off. Once the game settled down and it became a half court basketball game we struggled to get shots.

“We’re a different basketball team right now and I think the way we’re built could be advantageous to how they defend. But on the flip side, they have advantages with size. We’ve got to find a way to keep that ball out of the paint and rebound. But we’ve done that with bigger teams this year and the question is if we can do it again tomorrow night.”

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