Free Pick | NCAA | Monday | Nov. 2

Nelly’s Basketball has shown a profit 8 of the past 9 seasons – start tonight!

#892 Oregon -19 over Montana 9:00 PM CT

Tony Stubblefield takes over at Oregon after a long and mostly successful run under Dana Altman with Altman’s retirement less than a month ago. Stubblefield has been an assistant in Eugene since 2024 and for over decade before a three year head-coaching sting at DePaul as it won’t be a major transition. The roster has undergone a massive transfer-fueled transformation following a disappointing 12-20 season, with Fred Payne, Tyron Riley, and Andrew Meadow all being double-digit scorers at quality programs last season. Tajh Ariza is also a highly decorated freshman as Oregon has the potential to bounce back to being a quality team in the Big Ten. Montana is expected to be middle-of-the-pack Big Sky team. This was an NCAA Tournament team in 2025, but the Grizzlies finished just 18-16 last season with a mixed record playing up in non-conference action. Louisville and Stanford beat Montana by 40 and 33 respectively, but the Grizzlies did lose by only six at Texas A&M in three top 100 non-conference tests early last season. Two All-Big Sky players from last season have departed and only two starters are back in action with now sophomores Kenton Aguino and Tyler Thompson. This is a big first opportunity for Stubblefield and a talented Ducks roster with proven scorers. Travis DeCuire has done a great job at Montana with three NCAA Tournament teams and a usually competitive Big Sky squad, but defense isn’t a strong suit and shifting to a much quicker pace of play last season didn’t improve the results. Last season was Montana’s worst season since 2020-21 as DeCuire’s best teams were slower-paced teams and this feels like a program that lost its identity last season and doesn’t look like a candidate for immediate improvement.