George Ferguson Column: Griz gave it a shot, and for a team like they are, that's what The Dance is all about

For 20 minutes Thursday night, the Montana Grizzlies looked like a team that was well on their way to becoming part of One Shining Moment — an annual tribute to the NCAA Tournament which immediately followed the conclusion of the national championship game.

Unfortunately, for the other 20 minutes Thursday night in Wichita, the Grizzlies looked exactly like they were supposed to — a small school, from a Mid-Major Conference, playing one of the big boys. They looked exactly like what most 14 seeds look like against a three seed on the opening night of the NCAA Tournament.

Yes, in their 61-47 loss to the Big Ten Champion Michigan Wolverines, the Grizzlies had their fans excited early. And they had they had the internet, social media and commentators already throwing out the word you'll hear a ton over the next 48 hours of the NCAA tourney — Cinderella.

That's because Montana, making its first trip to the NCAA tourney since 2013, jumped all over the Wolverines early. Mike Oguine scored seven points and Montana blanked Michigan 10-0 to start the game.

And much of the first half went on like that, with the Griz playing really, really well. In other words, they didn't look like an underdog at all. The Griz looked like they belonged.

But late in the first half, and for all 20 minutes of the second half, the natural order of things was restored. Michigan, which has more talent, more depth and, particularly, more size, took control of the game, and once the Wolverines had control of the game, they didn't let go.

Sure, Montana helped Michigan's cause by going almost nine minutes without a field goal, and shooting a dismal 32 percent for the entire game.

But in the end, let's face it, Michigan is bigger and better than the Griz in every way you can think of. Better players, better facilities, better boosters, better conference, hence playing against better competition. I could keep going but you get the picture.

Now, I know many will counter that argument, naming Valparaiso, Butler, Gonzaga before the Zags were what they are now, even Buffalo on Thursday night. All of those teams were big underdogs in the NCAA tournament, and they won, and pundits will say, upsets are part of the tourney, and the Griz could have upset Michigan, too.

Guess what, you're right. Except there's just one flaw in that argument — upsets and Cinderellas don't happen nearly as much in the NCAA tournament as chalk does. It's a fact you can actually research. Over the last 10 years in the NCAA tourney, the higher seed in the first round has won 94 percent of the time. If you're the Michigans of the world, you like those odds. If you're Montana, well, you're a long shot.

And you know what, that's OK. I know, in this world of handing out participation trophies to just about everybody, nobody wants to hear that a 14-point loss to Michigan in the NCAA tourney is OK. No Griz player will think that way, and Travis DeCuire certainly doesn't. And yet, that's all part of the NCAA show.

The little guy, as Montana still is, isn't supposed to win. That's not how the system is set up. A team like Montana plays all season long with the goal winning the Big Sky Conference championship so they can be a part of the Big Dance. Teams like Michigan, North Carolina and Duke, they seldom worry about whether they're going to get in or not. They worry about winning national championships.

But that's just not reality for the Grizzlies, or Texas Southern or Radford. No, the fact that they're in the NCAA tourney is a huge accomplishment, and one those programs will reap major benefits from. For those teams, it's about pride, their school, and showcasing their basketball skills, if only for one night.

The Grizzlies did that Saturday night. Against Michigan, the Griz showed that up in Missoula, Montana, the college basketball is pretty darn good right now. Maybe not good enough to beat the Wolverines, but certainly good enough to show they belonged, and show why they dominated the Big Sky this season.

Now, I'm not saying Montana can never win in the NCAA tourney. In fact, the Griz have already. I'm not saying that the Griz can't be a part of One Shining Moment one day, and I was certainly hoping it was going to happen Thursday night.

But what I am saying is, that no matter how good, how talented Montana is, now, and in the future, the Griz aren't supposed to win in the NCAA tourney. The odds are always going to be stacked against them in that regard. That won't matter to Montana players and coaches, and they'll take their best shot, and they'll also believe they can, just as they did in Wichita.

But at the end of the day, Montana was, and will continue to be, an underdog for a reason, and you know what, that's just fine with this Griz fan. I loved just seeing Montana play on the big stage, and I really didn't care what the final score was. My Griz were repping this state on national TV last night, and playing in the NCAA tournament. It's a rare thing to get to do it as a player or coach, and it's rare for us fans to get to see it. So, because my favorite college basketball team is an underdog any time it goes to the Big Dance, I'm going to enjoy it anyway, just as a I did last night.

That's how the NCAA tourney works, and the fact that the Grizzlies played in it this year, that's every bit a part of what makes March Madness so special in the first place.