Montana @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 22, 2017 ) Montana 63, Washington 66

Washington continues a stretch of three games in six days with Friday’s matchup against visiting Montana, which has opened with a disappointing 1-3 record. The 24th-ranked Huskies bounced back from a 13-point loss to Tennessee with a 72-53 win over Maine on Tuesday.

Junior forward Nahziah Carter is averaging 15.8 points and six rebounds to lead Washington, which has battled slow starts in each of their first four games. “It’s just coming out with energy. We have to stop the slow starts. We can’t continue to do that,” freshman forward Isaiah Stewart told reporters. “We came out slow against Tennessee, and we were playing down, playing behind the whole game. We can’t come out like that.” The 6-9, 250-pound Stewart has been a model of consistency early on, averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 57.4 percent from the field. The Huskies have scored 70 points just once this season but continue to improve defensively while holding opponents to 59.5 points on 37.9 percent shooting.

TV: 11 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT MONTANA (1-3): Senior guard Sayeed Pridgett averages 18.5 points and 7.8 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies, who are looking to bounce back from a stunning 74-72 loss to NAIA member Montana Tech on Monday. Senior guard Kendal Manuel scored a game-high 22 points in the loss while freshman forward Kyle Owens was 10-of-10 from the foul line and finished with 17 points. Picked to win the Big Sky Conference, Montana is averaging 60 points and committing 19 turnovers per game while shooting 28.3 percent from 3-point range.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (3-1): Kentucky transfer Quade Green shot just 30 percent from the field in the team’s first three games but turned in an encouraging outing against Maine, finishing with 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Freshman forward Jaden McDaniels ranks third on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game but is shooting 32.1 percent from the field and 4-of-16 from 3-point range. Washington has seven players listed at 6-9 or taller on its roster – including junior forward Hameir Wright, who has six blocks while starting all four games.

TIP-INS

1. Washington defeated Montana 66-63 in the last meeting on Dec. 22, 2017 and holds a 45-9 lead in the series.

2. Montana lost to Pac-12 opponent Stanford 73-62 on Nov. 6.

3. Washington is fifth in the nation in blocks, averaging 7.5 over four games.

PREDICTION: Washington 82, Montana 64