I’m old enough to remember watching the Montana Grizzlies play New Mexico in men’s basketball.

Growing up in the 50s, we made most of Montana’s home basketball games, and a few on the road, too. There was no women’s program to speak of in those days. If there was a team, we didn’t speak of it, and we didn’t go watch.

Montana belonged to the Skyline Conference back then, and fared much better in basketball than it did in football, picking up its share of wins against the likes of Utah, Utah State, BYU, Wyoming, Colorado State, Denver University and New Mexico.

The Grizzlies – coached during that span of years by Jiggs Dahlberg and Frosty Cox – enjoyed as much or more success against New Mexico as it did against any other Skyline team, winning 16 of 23 games through 1962, sweeping the match-up in seven of the 12 seasons the teams played, and being swept only twice during that time.

But that was then, and this is now.

When the Grizzlies face the Lobos Thursday night in San Jose, Calif., they’ll be battling a much different animal than they played some 50 years ago.

But so will the Lobos.

For Montana, the formula is simple. Show up ready to play.

If the Grizzlies do that, and don’t bring imposters to the arena and have to send the bus back for the real team at halftime like coach Wayne Tinkle said they did at Ogden, Utah last week, they’ll have a shot.

And wouldn’t win number 17 over the Lobos be just grand!

- Bill Schwanke