March 18, 2010
Men's basketball earns another home game, this time against Pacific
Northern Colorado (25-7) defeated Portland 81-73 last night in the Opening Round of this year's CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and are now slated for another home game at 7:05 p.m. Monday against Pacific (21-11) in the CIT Quarterfinals. All Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion seats for the CIT Quarterfinal will be reserved and go on sale at noon today, Thursday, March 18. The cost for this special event is $30 for courtside seating, $20 for adults and $5 for fans ages 18 and under. All UNC students will gain free admission with their student ID.

March 17, 2010
Men's basketball wins 25th, moves to CIT Quarterfinals
Senior Will Figures led five Bears in double figures with 20 points Wednesday night, and Northern Colorado shot a sizzling 72 percent in the second half to defeat Portland 81-73 in the Opening Round of this year’s CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The win pushed the Bears into next Monday’s CIT Quarterfinals and gave them 25 wins this season, the very most ever won by a Northern Colorado men’s basketball team in 106 years of play.

March 16, 2010
Men's basketball gets home shot at school wins record
Northern Colorado men's basketball (24-7, 12-4 Big Sky) will play in its first NCAA Division I postseason tournament Wednesday night when it hosts Portland (21-10, 10-4) in the Opening Round of the 2010 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. A win against the Pilots would advance the Bears to Monday's CIT quarterfinals and give the Bears their school-record 25th win this season.

March 15, 2010
Northern Colorado set to face Portland in CIT first round Wednesday
The Bears (24-7) will take on the Pilots (21-10) at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, in Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion during the first round of the 2010 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Western Carolina, Marshall, South Dakota, Creighton, Fairfield, George Mason, Loyola Marymount, Middle Tennessee, Missouri State, Harvard, Appalachian State, Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech are also in this year's CIT.

March 13, 2010
Men's basketball accepts first NCAA Division I postseason bid; will host Wednesday
Fresh off a school record-tying 24 wins and their first-ever appearance in the semifinals of the Big Sky Championship, the Bears have earned and accepted a bid to play in the 16-team CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Northern Colorado fans will get a chance to see their team set the school record for wins at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion on Wednesday night, March 17.

March 12, 2010
Boyle adds a couple more postseason honors
Northern Colorado coach was already honored earlier this week as a finalist for the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award, and on Friday he was also given a nod from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Sporting News. The NABC announced its list of 2010 Division I All-District Coaches, and Boyle, in his fourth year at Northern Colorado, was chosen along with Utah State's Stew Morrill as Co-District 6 Coach of the Year. Sporting News tabbed him the best coach in the Big Sky Conference in its annual release of men's basketball conference awards.

March 9, 2010
Bears' comeback not enough in semifinal loss to Montana
Northern Colorado overcame a 14-point second-half deficit Tuesday night against Montana and took a lead, but the Grizzlies scored the final six points to send the Bears home with a 68-63 semifinal loss in the 2010 Big Sky Conference Championship. Montana (21-9) sank four free throws and got a key jumper down the stretch to end the Bears' quest for a first Big Sky Conference Championship and their bid for a first NCAA Tournament appearance.

March 8, 2010
Bears hold steady in Mid-Major Top 25; Boyle a finalist for national honor
Northern Colorado comes in at No. 11 this week to remain ranked in an NCAA Division I poll for 16 weeks. Also, Northern Colorado coach coach Tad Boyle was announced Monday as a finalist for this year's Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award, given annually to the nation's top mid-major coach.

March 7, 2010
Men's basketball heads back to Ogden in search of two more wins
Northern Colorado (No. 11 Mid-Major Top 25), just two victories away from its first NCAA Tournament, will face Montana for the third time this season (1-1) Tuesday in a Big Sky Championship semifinal Tuesday at Dee Events Center. A win against the Grizzlies would propel the Bears to Wednesday night's Big Sky Championship game and put them on the cusp of March Madness.

March 3, 2010
Figures, Bonner, Beitzel earn toast of the league
Senior Will Figures was announced today as a All-Big Sky Conference First Team performer, and senior Yahosh Bonner was tabbed as the conference's best defender. Junior Devon Beitzel joined his teammates on the postseason team, earning All-Big Sky Conference Second Team notice.

March 1, 2010
Men's basketball finishes regular season No. 11 in Mid-Major Top 25
Bears reclaim spot as the highest-ranked team in the Big Sky Conference as the league's regular-season draws to a close. Northern Colorado's wins last week against Johnson & Wales and Sacramento State pushed it up a few more spots in this week's CollegeInsider.com, just a spot behind its high water mark earlier this season.

February 27, 2010
Bears tie school record, earn Big Sky bye with Sacramento victory
Northern Colorado got 20 points from senior Will Figures and career-high efforts from freshman Elliott Lloyd and sophomore Mike Proctor, who both scored 16, to put away Sacramento State 78-66 and clinch the second seed in this year’s Big Sky Conference tournament. The Bears shot 55 percent in the victory and won for the fourth straight time against the Hornets and improved to 6-2 all-time against Sacramento State.

February 25, 2010
Men's basketball hits the road with eye on Big Sky bye
The Bears (No. 13 Mid-Major Top 25) will look to clinch the No. 2 seed in this year’s Big Sky Conference tournament and earn a bye to the semifinals with a victory Saturday night against Sacramento State. It will be Northern Colorado's final regular-season game this season, and NC will be looking to improve to 24-6 this season and tie Northern Colorado’s 1988-89 team that also finished 24-6 for the best win-loss record in school history.

February 24, 2010
Men's basketball cruises in tune-up win vs. Johnson & Wales
Senior Will Figures helped Northern Colorado and its fans celebrate the past Tuesday with a crisp and efficient 22-point Senior Night performance against Johnson & Wales. And true-freshman Connor Osborne backed him with 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. That kind of effort gave those same fans a glimpse of the future in the Bears' 88-67 victory over the NAIA Division II Wildcats.

February 22, 2010
Beitzel turns academic all-district into academic all-America
Earlier this month, Devon Beitzel earned his second straight academic all-district nomination. Now, he has converted that honor into something even more impressive -- a selection to the 2010 CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's Basketball team.

February 22, 2010
Kaba earns Bears' fourth Player of the Week
Northern Colorado's Chris Kaba has been selected for the first time as the Big Sky Conference men's basketball player of the week after leading the Bears to a pair of conference home victories. The 6-foot-8, junior forward from Gary, Indiana, started in place of an injured Devon Beitzel for Northern Colorado last week and averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in victories against Eastern Washington and Portland State.

February 22, 2010
Perfect week adds three spots to Bears' Mid-Major ranking
Northern Colorado men's basketball stumbled somewhat last week in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, but the Bears recovered this past week with a perfect 2-0 run through Eastern Washington and Portland State. Those victories helped the Bears receive 325 points in this week's survey to move up three spots to No. 13 and maintain its school-record NCAA Division I ranked status for 14 weeks.

February 21, 2010
Kaba's career night gives men's basketball first win vs. Portland State
Junior scores a career-high 19 points and ties career high with nine rebounds as the Bears never trail in a 64-61 victory against Vikings and earn their first-ever victory in eight tries in Big Sky play and 12 overall in a series that began in the 1974-75 season.

February 18, 2010
Bears get defensive in Beitzel's absence, hold off Eagles
Senior Will Figures scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists for Northern Colorado (21-6, 10-4 Big Sky) in a 58-54 victory against Eastern Washington. Chris Kaba scored 14 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 22 seconds left, to help the Bears rebound from a frustrating loss last weekend at Weber State to improve to 6-0 this season following a loss.

February 17, 2010
No. 16 Bears begin important final stretch
Northern Colorado (20-6, 9-4 Big Sky) knows it's qualified for this season's Big Sky Conference men's basketball championship. But that's about all the Bears know. Many questions still loom for Northern Colorado as it plays this weekend against Eastern Washington and Portland State in the two of its three remaining regular-season home games. The Bears are still in contention to win the Big Sky this season, but they also could fall all the way to fifth place over the next two weeks. That quest for answers starts Thursday night against the Eagles.

February 15, 2010
Loss to Weber costs Bears six spots in Mid-Major Top 25
Northern Colorado men's basketball's loss to Weber State on Saturday night cost the Bears (20-6, 9-4 Big Sky) more than just a clean shot at their first Big Sky Conference regular-season championship. It also sent them tumbling a bit in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 -- all the way down to No. 16, a six spot fall from last week's school-record tying No. 10 mark.

February 14, 2010
Figures' record night not enough in first-place showdown
Will Figures scored a school-DI record 33 points for the Bears on Saturday night against Weber State, but Northern Colorado allowed the Wildcats' Steve Panos to score a career-high 29 points and let WSU's Nick Hansen hit all six of his 3-pointers en route to 18 points in a gut-wrenching 81-76 defeat.

February 12, 2010
Men's basketball takes care of business vs. Idaho State
Northern Colorado took down the Bengals 68-59 Friday night to win 20 games in a season (20-5, 9-3 Big Sky) for just the third time in school history and clinch their second-straight conference-tournament berth. The Bears also set themselves up for a monster matchup with Weber State (16-8, 10-2) on Saturday night in Ogden, Utah

February 10, 2010
Men's basketball heads off to Pocatello and Ogden
The Bears, at 19-5 and 8-3 in the Big Sky, sit just a game behind league-leading Weber State (15-8, 9-2) with just five regular-sesaon games remaining in the regular season and will face Idaho State (6-17, 3-8) on Friday night at the Bengals' Reed Gym before turning right around Saturday night and taking on the Wildcats in a head-to-head matchup at the Dee Events Center. If Northern Colorado is to win its first Big Sky Conference championship this season, success must be had on this much-anticipated road trip. A clean run through Idaho State and Weber State would put the Bears in prime position.

February 8, 2010
Men's basketball once again a 10 in Mid-Major Top 25
Northern Colorado's overtime victory against Northern Arizona on Sunday afternoon helped the Bears make up the ground it lost in last week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Bears (19-5, 8-3 Big Sky) received 441 points and the No. 10 spot in this week's coaches poll to once again reach their highest ever ranking in an NCAA Division I poll and run their school-record streak of being ranked in such polls to 12 weeks.

February 7, 2010
Beitzel, Figures come up big in 'Super Sunday' OT win
Devon Beitzel ties career high with six 3-pointers and Will Figures hits 11-of-12 free throws to lead Northern Colorado to a 70-63 victory against Northern Arizona. The Bears won their ninth home game (9-1) in a season for the first time since 2002 and just the fourth time since 1990 and won 19 games overall in a season for just the fifth time in school history. The victory was also Tad Boyle’s 50th on the Northern Colorado sidelines, making him just the ninth coach in school history to reach that plateau.

February 5, 2010
Men's basketball 'Jacked' up for Super Bowl pre-party
Northern Colorado (18-5, 7-3 Big Sky) will get its second Big Sky Conference "Game of the Week" coverage in as many weeks at noon Sunday when it tips off against Northern Arizona (11-10, 5-5) at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion on Altitude Sports & Entertainment. The Bears (No. 11 Mid-Major Top 25) and the Lumberjacks won't quite be playing for the same stakes as the NFL's Colts and the Saints, but with just a month left in the regular season, Sunday's contest holds all kinds of importance in terms of the Big Sky title chase.

February 4, 2010
Beitzel again earns academic all-district nod
The Northern Colorado junior has been named for a second straight year to the CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine District 7 Academic All-District team after finishing fall semster 2009 with a 3.72 GPA in Finance & Accounting and scoring 14.5 points per game for a Bears men's basketball that is in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history. Beitzel now has a chance to become Northern Colorado's first academic all-American since Derek Chaney in 1994.

February 1, 2010
Men's basketball drops just a spot in Mid-Major Top 25
The Bears suffered their first home defeat last week, but their bounce-back effort yesterday afternoon against Montana State kept them from falling too far from the national spotlight. Northern Colorado (18-5, 7-3 Big Sky) received 366 points in this week's poll to come in at No. 11, just a spot lower than its 10 spot last week, which was the Bears' highest ever national ranking.

January 31, 2010
Bears start a new streak with 'Game of the Week' win
Northern Colorado had its home winning string end Thursday night, but the Bears got back to business Sunday with a 74-68 victory against Montana State inside Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Will Figures led all scorers with 20 points, and Neal Kingman celebrated his first start of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds -- his first career double-double and just the second this season by any Northern Colorado player.

January 30, 2010
Men's basketball eyes Bobcat bounce back
Northern Colorado (17-5, 6-3 Big Sky) lost for the first time at home Thursday night when Montana came into Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion and escaped with a 64-62 victory. Montana State (11-9, 6-3) traveled to snowy Flagstaff, Ariz., and got punched in the mouth in the form of a 71-58 defeat against Northern Arizona. Now, both teams enter Sunday's afternoon tilt in need of a victory to keep pace with league-leading Weber State, which moved to 8-1 in league play with a convincing victory against Sacramento State on Friday night.

January 28, 2010
No. 10 men's basketball welcomes in the Griz
Northern Colorado (No. 10 Mid-Major Top 25) will continue its season-long four-game homestand Thursday night against the Montana Grizzlies. The Bears have a chance to bury the Griz (4-4 in league) in this one. This will be the 13th meeting all-time between the Bears and Montana and eighth Big Sky Conference meeting. NC lost its first five in the series but has now won two straight.

January 28, 2010
Bears' flat first half costly in first home loss in nearly a year
Northern Colorado men's basketball shot a season-worst 29 percent in the first half Thursday night and paid for it in the end in a numbing 64-62 loss to Montana inside Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The Bears (17-5, 6-3 Big Sky) finished the game at just 33 percent from the field and saw their home winning streak snapped at 12 games, two short of the school record.

January 25, 2010
Bears leaving more and more teams in Mid-Major dust
A single win last week against Sacramento State earned Northern Colorado (17-4, 6-2 Big Sky) the No. 10 spot in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Bears debuted at No. 25 in this poll just before Thanksgiving but now find themselves in the company of some of the very best mid-major programs in the entire country.

January 22, 2010
#12 Bears hit the boards in the second half to stay perfect at home
Devon Beitzel hit four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 16 points Friday night as Northern Colorado (No. 12 Mid-Major Top 25) fended off Sacramento State 79-65. The Bears outrebounded the Hornets 29-10 after halftime to stay perfect at home this season and win its 12th straight in Butler-Hancock.

January 22, 2010
Men's basketball opens up 'home' stretch
Northern Colorado men's basketball has mostly taken care of business this season, in a schedule that has mostly been played away from Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Now, the Bears (16-4, 5-2 Big Sky) enter the "friendly confines" portion of their slate, with four straight and seven of their remaining 10 regular-season contests being played in Greeley. The first of those four will be tonight, when Sacramento State (7-12, 1-5) comes calling at 7:05 p.m. The Hornets enter having lost 24 straight Big Sky Conference road games, but the last time they did win on the road in the league it was against the Bears in Dec. 2006.

January 20, 2010
Boyle: Thanks for your support, now keep it coming!
Northern Colorado men's basketball is in the midst of one of its best seasons ever, and the Bears' attendance numbers are reflecting that success. What follows is an open letter from head coach Tad Boyle, thanking fans for the support they've already given this season and asking them to continue to cultivate the Big Sky's best home-court advantage.

January 18, 2010
Bears' split holds them steady in Mid-Major Top 25
It seems Northern Colorado men's basketball has reached the point where it can play just one great half of basketball out of a potential four in a week and not lose any ground in the minds of the nation's mid-major pundits. The Bears, who struggled in a loss to Portland State last Friday night before trudging through the first 20 minutes Saturday against Eastern Washington before bouncing back after halftime in a big way and winning in Cheney, Wash., for the first time since beginning play there during the 1971-72 season, are No. 12 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.

January 16, 2010
Bears, Kingman erupt in second half to bring down Eastern Washington
Whatever Northern Colorado coach Tad Boyle said to his team at halftime must have worked for the Bears (No. 12 Mid-Major Top 25) on Saturday night at Eastern Washington. Boyle's team was down by as many as 15 points in the first half before storming out of the intermission and hitting some big shots in the final few minutes to edge the Eagles 74-71 on Reese Court.

January 15, 2010
Former Bear Banks catching on overseas in Germany, Morocco
Less than a year after graduating from the University of Northern Colorado, former Bear Jabril Banks has seen a lot, including one great view of the ocean from his new hometown -- Casablanca, Morocco. It seems like a long way from Greeley, Colorado, and Banks will be the first to tell you -- it is. But before making it to Morocco, he experienced quite a bit along the way.

January 15, 2010
Bears leave Portland still looking for first win vs. Vikings
Northern Colorado men’s basketball had four players score in double figures Friday night against Portland State, but none of the Bears were truly ever able to get in a groove in a frustrating 85-69 loss inside the Vikings’ Peter W. Stott Center. Northern Colorado is now 0-11 all-time against the Vikings and 0-7 against them in Big Sky play.

January 15, 2010
Men's basketball can kill some ghosts this weekend in Pacific Northwest
Northern Colorado (15-3, 4-1 Big Sky) has already played exceptionally well this season, but the Bears know they really haven't accomplished anything yet. That can change this weekend against Portland State (7-9, 2-2) and Eastern Washington (6-11, 2-2), but Northern Colorado has never won a game on this road trip since joining the league in 2006 and is 0-10 all-time against the Vikings. More history will be made this weekend, or the Bears will return to Greeley looking to regroup.

January 11, 2010
Boyle's Bears move into top half of the Mid-Majors
Northern Colorado men's basketball has moved up four more spots to No. 12 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 and are starting to gain mention among teams that have historically been 'Mid-Major Powers' or 'NCAA Tournament Cinderellas.'

January 9, 2010
Kaba ties career high as men's basketball puts away Idaho State
Junior comes off the bench to give the Bears a much-needed boost in a 78-66 victory against Idaho State inside Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Senior Will Figures added 16 points in the victory and Taylor Montgomery had 13 for Northern Colorado (15-3, 4-1 Big Sky), which swiped seven steals after halftime and won its sixth straight game and 11th straight at home, the third longest stretch in school history.

January 8, 2010
16th-ranked Bears look to keep it rolling against struggling Bengals
Now in the heart of the Big Sky Conference schedule, No. 16 Northern Colorado (14-3, 3-1 Big Sky) won't get much time to savor its big victory Thursday night against Weber State. The Idaho State Bengals (4-12, 1-3) are next up Saturday night inside Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Northern Colorado hasn't loss at home this season and has a chance to put the Bengals in a serious hole in the early-season conference race, extend its home winning streak to 11 games and win at least 15 games in a season for the first time since 1998, when the Bears finished 16-11.

January 6, 2010
Bears look to make statement Thursday against Weber State
Northern Colorado (13-3, 2-1 Big Sky) continues to write one of the best starts to a season in school history and is one of the biggest stories in the NCAA mid-major world. Emerging from the vistitors' locker room on Thursday night, though, will be the Weber State Wildcats (9-6, 3-0), one of the best teams in the history of the Big Sky Conference and winners of 15 straight regular-season conference games and 10 straight conference road victories.A lot on the line in this one, and it figures to be one of the best games early on in the Big Sky Conference race.

January 4, 2010
Beitzel again was Big Sky's best
For the second consecutive week and the third time this season, Northern Colorado's Devon Beitzel has been selected as the Big Sky Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Beitzel, a 6-foot-1 junior guard from Lafayette, Colo., averaged 16.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game last week as the Bears earned nonconference victories against Denver and Texas Christian and toppled Northern Arizona in a road conference game.

January 4, 2010
Sweet! Men's basketball up to No. 16
Three more wins for Northern Colorado basketball, three spots higher for the Bears in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Northern Colorado defeated Denver, TCU and Northern Arizona last week to improve to 13-3 overall this season and garner 249 points in this week's survey to come in at No. 16, just a spot behind Western Kentucky (No. 15 with 284 points).

January 2, 2010
Men's basketball stays hot, glides past NAU
Senior Will Figures scored a game-high 21 points against Northern Arizona on Saturday night and junior Devon Beitzel added 15 in Northern Colorado’s 75-66 road win in the Walkup Skydome. The Bears (13-3, 2-1 Big Sky) fell behind 6-4 in the opening minutes before going on a 14-3 run, spanning a little more than seven minutes, to take control at 18-9 and never trailed again.

December 31, 2009
Meat of Big Sky play awaits men's basketball in new year
Northern Colorado men's basketball has already accomplished a lot this season, but the Bears (12-3, 1-1 Big Sky) know that all of that will be for naught if they don't take care of business over the next two months of Big Sky Conference play. That mission starts Saturday night against NAU (6-7, 0-2), whom the Bears have split with (3-3) since joining the Big Sky Conference but have never defeated on the road.

December 30, 2009
Men's basketball continues defensive push, drowns Frogs in Texas
Four players scored in double figures for Northern Colorado men’s basketball on Wednesday night against TCU, and the Bears limited the Horned Frogs to 21 second-half points in a convincing 64-53 nonconference road victory inside Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Junior Devon Beitzel led all scorers with 15 points in the win, and senior Will Figures had 13 and three steals to lead Northern Colorado to its 12th win this season (12-3, 1-1 Big Sky) and push its record against Mountain West competition to 3-1.

December 29, 2009
Men's basketball heads to Texas, where Horned Frogs await
Northern Colorado has already surpassed its program record for wins before New Year's, but the Bears (11-3, 1-1 Big Sky) have a chance Wednesday night in Texas to add to that distinction with another victory in 2009 against TCU (6-6, 0-0 Mountain West).

December 28, 2009
Beitzel earns second Big Sky POTW award
Junior from Lafayette scored team-high 24 points in Northern Colorado's blowout victory against San Jose State last Monday night. He missed just a pair of three-pointers in the effort (6-of-8) that helped the Bears establish a school record for three-pointers (18), avenge a loss to the Spartans last season in California and move to 10-3 on the season, its best start since beginning 10-2 during the 1988-89 season.

December 28, 2009
State champs? Men's basketball stakes its claim with double-digit DU win
Junior Devon Beitzel scored a game-high 19 points, and sophomore Mike Proctor notched the Bears' first double-digit rebounding performance this season with 10 as Northern Colorado broke its biggest break of the season with a 72-57 victory against instate-rival Denver inside a sold-out Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.

December 28, 2009
Men's basketball hits the Mid-Major top 20
Northern Colorado's thoroughly convincing victory last Monday night against San Jose State has moved the Bears into uncharted territory. The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 was released earlier today, and Northern Colorado has moved all the way up to No. 19. That's NC's highest-ever NCAA Division I ranking and marks a school-record six straight weeks that the Bears have been considered one of the nation's top teams.

December 27, 2009
The Bears are back and ready for anticipated Pioneer matchup
Now that the presents are unwrapped, it's time for Northern Colorado men's basketball to get back to business. The Bears (10-3, 1-1 Big Sky), fresh off destroying San Jose State last Monday night with a school-record 18 three-pointers, will get back into action at 7:05 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28, with a much-anticipated contest against the Denver Pioneers (9-3, 3-0 Sun Belt) inside Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.

December 22, 2009
Men's basketball bangs in school-record 18 three's in Spartan romp
Northern Colorado senior Will Figures and junior Devon Beitzel gave Bears basketball fans an early holiday present Monday night against San Jose State. The pair each hit six three-pointers against the Spartans, and they each scored 24 points, too, as Northern Colorado cruised to a 93-69 victory at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Figures and Beitzel helped a team effort that saw the Bears splash down a school-record 18 three-pointers -- their most since knocking down 17 against Morningside College in 2002.

December 20, 2009
Men's basketball returns home with eyes on 10
Northern Colorado men's basketball (9-3, 1-1 Big Sky) will play just its third home game this season around 7:35 p.m. Monday when San Jose State (5-4, 0-0 WAC) comes into Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The Bears and Spartans will tip as the second half of Northern Colorado's women's-and-men's basketball doubleheader. The Bears' women's squad will face instate-rival Colorado State at 5:05 p.m. Monday.

December 19, 2009
Men's basketball almost pulls off Sooner shocker
Northern Colorado went into its game against Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon expecting to beat the Sooners. The same Oklahoma squad that finished 30-6 last season, advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight and had won 75 of its previous 77 nonconference home games inside the Lloyd Noble Center. And the Bears almost did win, coming just a point short, 80-79, of sending more than 7,000 crimson-and-cream clad fans home in disbelief. That explains more than anything the current state of Northern Colorado basketball and how far Tad Boyle has brought the Bears (9-3, 1-1 Big Sky).

December 17, 2009
Men's basketball storms Norman for Sooner matchup
Northern Colorado (9-2, 1-1 Big Sky) will return to the road this weekend for an 11 a.m. (MT) tip againnst Big 12-power Oklahoma (7-3, 0-0 Big Sky) at Lloyd Noble Center. The contest, Tad Boyle's second against a Big 12 program, will be televised regionally on the Sooner Sports Network and internationally on ESPN360.com.

December 16, 2009
Men's basketball stares down ULM, stays perfect at home
The Bears (9-2, 1-1 Big Sky) got a team-high 16 points from junior Taylor Montgomery on Wednesday night against the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and four of his teammates scored in double figures, too, to lead the Bears to a convincing 95-84 victory against the Warhawks (3-7, 0-1 Sun Belt) inside Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Northern Colorado, playing in just its second home game this season, tied a season high with 11 three-pointers made (McNeese State) and outscored ULM 13-2 in the final five-and-half minutes of the first half to break a 34-all tie and go into the break ahead 47-36.

December 15, 2009
Men's basketball ready to host Warhawks
They're coming few and far between, but a second home game awaits Northern Colorado (8-2, 1-1 Big Sky) at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday when the University of Louisiana at Monroe (3-6, 0-0 Sun Belt) comes calling to Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. This will be the first meeting between the Bears and the Warhawks.

December 14, 2009
Men's basketball holds steady at No. 22
Northern Colorado has lost some of its overall support in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, but the Bears still received enough votes in this week's survey to maintain its grasp on the 22nd spot. The Bears will host Louisiana-Monroe at 7:05 p.m. (MT) Wednesday in Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion before traveling to Big 12-power Oklahoma at 11 a.m. (MT) Saturday morning, Dec. 19, and then hosting San Jose State at 7:35 p.m. (MT) next Monday, Dec. 21.

December 12, 2009
Foul Trouble Hinders Men In Casper
Northern Colorado men's basketball had a chance Saturday afternoon against Wyoming to finish off the finest ever 10-game start in school history. The Bears were called for a season-most 31 fouls in the 76-70 loss, however, and shot a season-worst 56 percent from the free-throw line in falling to the Cowboys in the 28th playing of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Wyoming Shootout at the Casper Events Center.

December 9, 2009
Men's basketball renews rivalry with Wyoming
Northern Colorado (8-1, 1-1 Big Sky) will return to the road this weekend for a Saturday afternoon game against the Wyoming Cowboys (4-4, 0-0 Mountain West). The game will be played in Casper, Wyo., as part of Wyoming's annual Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Wyoming Shootout. The Bears and the 'Pokes haven't faced each since 2005.

December 7, 2009
Despite first loss, Bears move up spot in Mid-Major poll
Northern Colorado men's basketball suffered its first loss of the season last Friday, but that didn't drop the Bears (8-1, 1-1 Big Sky Conference) from the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. They even moved up in the weekly poll of the country's mid-major coaches, coming in this week at No. 22, after breaking in at No. 25 two weeks ago and moving to No. 23 last week.

December 5, 2009
Bonner helps Bears bounce back, earn first Big Sky win at Montana
Yahosh Bonner scored a career-high 19 points Saturday night, leading all scorers, and Mike Proctor and Will Figures contributed 11 points apiece as the Bears notched a 59-48 victory against Montana at Dahlberg Arena. Bonner finished the night perfect from the free-throw line (10-10), and he also added two steals, a rebound and an assist as Northern Colorado (8-1, 1-1 Big Sky) got just its second victory against the Grizzlies since 1977 and first in Missoula as a member of the Big Sky Conference.

December 4, 2009
Men's basketball's historic run ends at seven
Marquise Navarre scored a career-high 22 points, and Bobby Howard added 21 points and nine rebounds Friday night as Montana State opened Big Sky Conference play with an 87-63 rout of previously unbeaten Northern Colorado.

December 1, 2009
Men's basketball takes it to the Rams, stays perfect through seven
Will Figures came off the bench for the first time this season Tuesday night and shot perfectly from the free-throw line and from three-point range to score 18 points and lead Northern Colorado to a 70-63 victory against instate-rival Colorado State. Junior Taylor Montgomery contributed a career-high 16 points and season-high seven rebounds to push the Bears to 7-0 for the first time since 1964.

November 30, 2009
Men's hoops gains two spots in Mid-Major Top 25
Northern Colorado moves to No. 23 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll after earning a 70-63 victory against North Dakota last Friday afternoon in Grand Forks, N.D. The Bears, who received 112 points in this week's poll of mid-major coaches, debuted last week (No. 25) in a NCAA Division I poll for the first time in its 108 years of collegiate basketball history.

November 30, 2009
Home and conference openers await men's basketball
Northern Colorado (6-0) will finally get to play before its home fans on Tuesday, Dec. 1, when instate-rival Colorado State (4-2) comes calling at 7:05 p.m. inside Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The Bears will then begin conference play on Friday and Saturday, against Montana State (2-3) and Montana (4-2).

November 27, 2009
Men's basketball holds onto perfect start against Sioux
Senior Will Figures scored 16 points and Devon Beitzel added 14 to power Northern Colorado to a 70-63 victory against North Dakota on Friday and keep it perfect on the season (6-0) heading into next week's clash with Colorado State. Taylor Montgomery, Yahosh Bonner and Mike Proctor added nine points to help the Bears push past the Sioux (1-5).

November 24, 2009
Beitzel earns share of Big Sky Player of the Week honor
The Big Sky Conference has selected Northern Colorado guard Devon Beitzel and Sacramento State guard Sultan Toles-Bey as the Co-Big Sky Conference men’s basketball Players of the Week, for games played between Nov. 17-23.

November 24, 2009
Men's basketball readies for post-Thanksgiving tussle with Sioux
Northern Colorado will play a post-Thanksgiving game contest this Friday at North Dakota. The Bears are off to one of their best starts ever (5-0), while the Sioux entered the week 0-4. These teams used to be North Central Conference rivals. The Bears won 80-72 last year at home to improve to 17-40 all-time in the series; NC is 3-23 against North Dakota in Grand Forks.

November 23, 2009
Men's basketball cracks Mid-Major Top 25
The Bears, who defeated Air Force 70-46 on Saturday night to stay perfect five games into a season for just the fifth time in school history, received 99 points in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll and are now ranked in a Division I poll for the first time in school history. Northern Colorado is the only Big Sky team in the poll's top 25.

November 21, 2009
Men's basketball shuts down Falcons, stays perfect through five
Northern Colorado scored the first 12 points Saturday night against Air Force and didn’t look back in cruising to a 70-46 win in the championship game of the Reggie Minton Classic. Junior Devon Beitzel poured in a season-high 26 points against the Falcons, with 17 coming in the second half, to earn the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honors and help the Bears win their second tournament is as many weeks and improve to 5-0 for just the fifth time in program history.

November 20, 2009
Men's basketball moves past Texas Southern and into Minton title game
Northern Colorado moved to 4-0 on the season Friday night with a 66-62 victory against Texas Southern on the first day of the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic at Clune Arena. This is first time since 1984 that the Bears have been perfect after four games and just the sixth time overall in the 108 year history of the program.

November 19, 2009
Men's basketball returns to the road at Reggie Minton Air Force Classic
Northern Colorado will play this weekend in the Reggie Minton Air Force Classic. The Bears will take on Texas Southern on Friday and either Air Force or Dickinson State on Saturday. The Bears have only played previously against the Air Force Academy. Northern Colorado has lost 12 straight times to the Falcons and is 2-12 all-time against them since 1956.

November 16, 2009
Men's basketball catches Rainbow Classic title in down-to-the-wire thriller
Northern Colorado basketball earned a spot on the national stage Monday night, and the Bears didn't let the opportunity slip away in an 81-75 victory against Hawai'i in the title game of the 2009 Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic. Northern Colorado put together an impressive 17-0 run during the latter stages of the second half and then got some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch inside the Stan Sheriff Center to stave off a furious Rainbow Warrior rally and claim its first tournament victory since joining the ranks of NCAA Division I.

November 15, 2009
Men's basketball flexes defensive muscle against Southern Utah
Two nights after putting on an offensive show that Hawaii's Stan Sheriff Center had never seen before, Northern Colorado basketball showed it can play a little defense, too. The Bears forced the Thunderbirds into 31 turnovers Sunday night and sticky-fingered their way to 14 steals in cruising to a 73-51 victory on the second day of the 2009 Outrigger Hotels Hawaii Rainbow Classic.

November 13, 2009
Men's basketball crushes McNeese State in Rainbow Classic opener
Northern Colorado men’s basketball emphatically moved past the Jabril Banks and Robert Palacios era Friday night with a 101-73 victory against McNeese State during the first night of the 2009 Outrigger Hotels Hawaii Rainbow Classic at Hawaii’s Stan Sheriff Center. Senior Will Figures scored a team-high 19 points in the win, and he led a quintet of Bears scoring in double figures to help Tad Boyle earn the biggest win of his four-year head-coaching career.

November 10, 2009
For Northern Colorado men's basketball, 'It's on'
Bears travel to Honolulu, Hawai'i, on Wednesday to begin a promising season in the 2009 Outrigger Hotels Hawai'i Rainbow Classic. Northern Colorado will first face McNeese State on Friday night before taking on Southern Utah on Sunday and the host-Warriors late Monday night in a ESPN-televised contest.

November 5, 2009
Boyle talks hoops, Hawai'i, 'nastiness' in preseason coaches call
Northern Colorado coach Tad Boyle took part Thursday morning in the Big Sky men’s basketball coaches preseason conference call. He got to share his thoughts on this year's recruiting class, the upcoming Rainbow Classic and what he thinks his team needs to do this year to take that next step toward the upper tier of the Big Sky Conference.

November 4, 2009
Beitzel leads the way as men's basketball cruises in exhibition
Junior guard from Lafayette, Colo., pours in game-high 18 points to lead Northern Colorado to 111-65 thumping of the Western State Mountaineers. In all, 15 players scored in the Bears' romp, and 14 players snagged at least one rebound.

November 4, 2009
Northern Colorado Extends Partnership With KFKA
The University of Northern Colorado department of athletics is proud to announce a continued partnership with KFKA 1310 AM for men’s basketball and football radio broadcasts for the next three seasons.

October 21, 2009
Men's basketball earns sixth spot in Big Sky preseason picks
The Big Sky Conference released its 2009-10 preseason men's basketball polls this afternoon, and the league's coaches and media members think a step back is in store for Tad Boyle's fourth installment in Greeley. The Bears, who finished fifth last season in earning their first Big Sky Conference Tournament berth, are tabbed sixth in both of today's polls. This is the second-straight year Northern Colorado has been picked as a barely-there tournament team in the preseason prognostications. The Bears earned a ninth-place nod in 2006 and an eighth in 2007.

October 1, 2009
Big Sky men's basketball partners with Altitude for third straight year
Northern Colorado will twice be featured during this year's package, and both games will originate from inside Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The Bears will first face Montana State at 2 p.m. (MT) on Sunday, Jan. 31, before coming right back the next week -- Super Bowl Sunday -- to face Northern Arizona at noon (MT).

September 20, 2009
Men’s basketball set to be first Bears team featured on ESPN
Tad Boyle's program ready for Northern Colorado's first ESPN spotlight, after the football team appeared on ESPN2 during its 1996 and 1997 national-title games and the men’s basketball team played on ESPNU during its appearance in the Guardians Classic in 2005.

September 19, 2009
13 Named To Monfort Dean's Citation
The Dean of the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado recently issued the Dean’s Citation for Academic Excellence to business majors who completed at least 12 credit hours during the prior spring semester and 13 student-athletes were honored on the list.

August 26, 2009
Big Sky Conference teams up with B2 Network for all new Big Sky TV
The Big Sky Conference has signed a multiyear contract with B2 Networks to serve as the new distributor of Big Sky TV, the league and B2 announced in a joint statement on Wednesday.

August 9, 2009
Men’s basketball says 'Aloha' to 2009-10 schedule
Northern Colorado's slate starts at the beach, with the Bears taking part in the University of Hawaii’s Rainbow Classic, and ends with Northern Colorado’s final Big Sky Conference regular-season game at Sacramento State. In between, Boyle’s program will test itself against a trio of Mountain West foes (Colorado State, Wyoming and TCU), an opponent from the WAC (San Jose State), two teams from the Sun Belt (Denver and Louisiana-Monroe) and a Big 12 power (Oklahoma).