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Montana vs. Presbyterian Prediction, Odds and Key Players for CBI First Round

By Iain MacMillan

Dec 20, 2022; Spokane, Washington, USA; Montana Grizzlies guard Brandon Whitney (12) against the
Dec 20, 2022; Spokane, Washington, USA; Montana Grizzlies guard Brandon Whitney (12) against the / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
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Montana and Presbyterian will start their CBI runs on Sunday with a first round game on Sunday. The Grizzlies enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed and the Blue Hose are set as the No. 12 seed.

Montana finishes second in the Big Sky, but it was their in-state rival, Montana State, that ended up winning the conference tournament and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Presbyterian finished just 6-10 in the Big South, but had impressive out-of-conference wins against the likes of Vanderbilt and North Florida.

Let's dive into the odds for this CBI opening round matchup and then I'll break down which side I'm backing.

If you want to get in on the action, I recommend signing up for an account at FanDuel Sportsbook. For a limited time, new users who sign up for an account using the link below will receive $200 in bonus bets if they win their first $5 wager.

Presbyterian vs. Montana odds, spread, an total

Presbyterian vs. Montana betting trends

  • Presbyterian is 7-1-2 ATS in its last 10 games
  • The UNDER is 4-2 in Presbyterian's last six games
  • The OVER is 8-3 in Montana's last 11 games

Presbyterian vs. Montana how to watch

  • Date: Sunday, March 4
  • Game Time: 1:00 PM EST
  • Venue: GOcean Center
  • How to Watch: FloHoops
  • Montana Record: 23-11
  • Presbyterian Record: 14-18

Presbyterian vs. Montana key players to watch

Presbyterian

Marquis Barnett: It's not just the fact Marquis Barnett is Presbyterian's leading scorer, but it's what he does on defense as well. He averages 1.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. He's going to cause Montana some issues.

Montana

Aanen Moody: Montana's guard, Aanen Moody, is the team's leading scorer, putting up 16.7 points per game while adding in 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He's also their leading three-point shooter with 211 attempts on the year. If he can get hot from three, Montana's going to be in a great spot to win this game.

Presbyterian vs. Montana prediction and pick

Let's not allow Montana's disappointing performance in the Big Sky Tournament let us forget how good of a shooting team the Grizzlies are. They're 31st in the country in effective field goal percentage, well ahead of Presbyterian, which ranks 143rd.

Montana also does a great job of holding on to the ball, ranking just 39th in turnovers per possession which can go a long way in covering the spread as the betting favorite.

The Blue Hose had a few impressive out-of-conference wins early in their season, but they largely disappointed in conference play and sometimes the team you should want to back the most is the one that's played better basketball of late, and undoubtedly that would be Montana.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!

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